Talk to me about ... Deauvilles (and Diversions) *edited

[Capitano]

Congrats Cap, great machines and as said under rated...well capable machine with low miles what's not to like..
Lyn.

Absolutely right, Lyn. There ain't much not to like.

That’s nice. There are some real bargains out there if you just persevere.

Tat's a stunning Fazer. I always liked that model.

Nice to see and own what's now becoming classic carb bikes, no electronics to make the fuel injection run. I enjoy my Honda CBF600S, simple to work on, if it goes wrong. Many in the Honda owners club keep the older bikes for club runs, they keep racking up the miles without problems.

I had similar thoughts regarding pre-Euro 4 bikes. For my limited use it made perfect sense.

There's a lot to be said for the pre fuel injection era bikes.
<snip>
I do miss the Fazers but I am very lucky to be able to continue riding at all after a close encounter with the "grim reaper" 18 months ago. Restoring Henry my C90-G cub was part of my convalescence!

It's great that you are still around.

My illness and surgery in 2018 shaped my perspective, and also pretty much governed what I could ride. I miss my W800, but maybe I won't miss it quite as much now.

I had a very low mileage 700 Deauville, two years ago. Cost me £4300 from a dealer.
I'd never have another one.
<snip>
One of the very few bikes I was glad to see go

I've had bikes like that. Ones that lots of people rave about, yet I couldn't find the love at all.

[knapdog]

Delighted that you're happy with your bike, cap'n.
It'll be looked after by your goodself that's for sure!

[andyk1k]

15 years ago with a bag of sand and a kz550 ltd parked outside l was perusing D/K Castle massive emporium for a budget bike,had an eye on a 900 Division but it fell through when there pdi staff noticed a small amount of rot on a frame rail,so they offered me a 92 xj600s instead as a gesture of goodwill,after a few months of ownership it was not for me,l found the vacuum pump to be tiresome if left for a few days' would drain a battery dead,the engine performance linear with no power band or even hinted at although it made 125 mph top's,the idler gear rattled like the bottom end was sh*gged the fazer 600 that followed some years afterwards was a grin inducing bike and miles better.

[Leo]

ive come across a xj600n 1997 15k miles, what should i be offering for it?

The 1997 XJ600S Diversion I've just bought with 7300 miles on it was just over a grand. It was probably "just over a grand," as the seller expected a haggle. I hate haggling. The bike was worth it to me, so that's what I paid.

Here are some more photos, in case they are useful for comparison.

mine not far off that but unfaired, 15000 shown miles also up for just over a grand, i want to go just under.

[knapdog]

How did they get that leather effect on the paint on the tank I wonder

[Capitano]

How did they get that leather effect on the paint on the tank I wonder

A more pertinent question is , "What's the paintwork like under the Bagster tank cover?" the answer to that is that I have no idea, and intention of finding out until I take the tank off. As the air filter was changed 1400 miles ago, that may be a while, yet.

mine not far off that but unfaired, 15000 shown miles also up for just over a grand, i want to go just under.

The outcome is in your own hands, then.

I've lost a damned good bike before now for the sake of a tenner, but also ha a dealer slash £1500 off the price of a bike because I walked away (genuinely) uninterested.

Best of luck, mate.

after a few months of ownership it was not for me,l found the vacuum pump to be tiresome if left for a few days' would drain a battery dead,the engine performance linear with no power band or even hinted at although it made 125 mph top's,the idler gear rattled like the bottom end was sh*gged the fazer 600 that followed some years afterwards was a grin inducing bike and miles better.

Andy, a linear power delivery is a bit of a "Marmite," thing. You either love it or hate it, and many a bike has been wrongly purchased accordingly.

Personally I like them. My Triumph Sprint RS, GSX1400 and W800 all had no hint of a power band, and all were marvellous to ride because of that and not despite it.

I ran the Facebook W800 page from its inception to last year (I stood down when I sold mine) and it was a regular feature, at least monthly, that someone would pipe up with, "I bought this bike after reading so any positive recommendations, but it is flat and boring. I can't understand why anyone would like it. I'm selling it and buying something better."

Meanwhile I was thrashing mine around the TT course on the Isle of Man, racking up 600 miles in a day to see my Dad in Yorkshire twice a year, and riding with mates on bikes 3 times the W's capacity, and many other happy owners were doing similar.

MCN actually criticised the GSX1400, after praising it's stump pulling torque, for not having a power band and a top end to rival a Hayabusa's. In journalistic terms it was a bit like saying, "Nice bloke that Jesus, but utterly useless when I picked him for my swimming team."

Horses for courses, mate. early days yet but I knew what I was getting with the Divvy. I used to ride one regularly as a courtesy bike when I took my Triumph and Buell for a warranty service. That one rattled a tad, but it had 88,000 on it's clock and had never had any engine work beyond setting valve clearances.

I've researched the vacuum pump draining the battery and in all the Divvy topics online (there are predictably lots) there is no other mention of that whatsoever. So, you may have been dreadfully unlucky, but I'll keep an eye on it anyway.

Mine's not noisy either, beyond the usual aircooled-Jap-4-with-a-camchain tones.

[slowboy]

You’ve definitely got a cracker there. And as we know they are about. They were underrated when they were new, and possibly even more so now. For me one of the main attractions of bike of this vintage is how Light, compact and smooth running they are. And how they are designed to fit humans.....
Very nice.

[knapdog]

I remember the fox had a red 600 Divvy. He loved it and wished he'd never sold it.
I'll never forget him climbing off it with his baggy trousers and knee high boots one day. He looked like foookin Mussolini!

[Leo]

brought it £950, i'll pop some pics up when i fetch it

[bikerbaker]

Know nothing much about the Diversion. My nephew bought a new one after doing direct access at age 30. He had a Golf GTI which his wife often commandeered to visit her horses and returned with straw etc in it. He had missed a couple of key facts, the low seat height and the fact that she had passed her test on a scooter at age 17. He ended up p/xing it for a ZXR1100 which she wouldn't ride.

Went to Great Bentley last night and got chatting to the owner of this Divvy 600.

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