xj900 oil cooler

[mikeqld]

Hi all.
I am Mike from Redcliffe, Qld, Australia
My wife made me go without a motorbike for nearly 2 years, but
that ended up with a separation from her for 3 years.
She relented. I bought a low maintenance (no chain, no radiator )
motorcycle 1997 XJ900 Diversion. I have owned it for 11 years now.
My bike had 80000klms at the time. So it was getting long in the tooth.
Now it has 138000klms and still rides the same and there is no lack of
power. Never used oil and looks to be around for another 10 years.

Originally I bought it to satisfy my motorcycle craving.
to fix my addiction and some time after I got my wife back.
We all need a hobby. Never go without the things in life that you enjoy.
And always keep your balance.
Ok... now my problem is ... Gabrielle, my Spanish mechanic is very
pedantic with repairs. At a fairly expensive hourly rate, I decided to
stop him doing all the major service. The part that I don't want him
to repair is the oil cooler.
I won't buy a second hand one. I was wondering if I can get a new
cooler at a good price within Australia. If not I will buy one from
china off ebay.

[mikeqld]

Also how hard is it to repair the fuel gauge in the 97 diversion?

[m40man]

Hi Mike

Nov 28, 2015 2:01:38 GMT mikeqld said:

Also how hard is it to repair the fuel gauge in the 97 diversion?

Instructions & tips are here:
diversionclub.proboards.com/thread/2700/faulty-fuel-gauge-fix-xj900s

...... How easy or hard, I'm not sure, not having done it myself.

[cam7777]

Hey Mike, welcome!

Working on your own bike can bring many satisfactions, but prepare yourself first.

Make sure you have a nice comfortable space to work in, get a decent tool kit, a quality workshop manual and access to the internet.

I have recently refurbished a 1999 900 Diversion, buying many parts off ebay and saving money in the process.

The members of this site have plenty of knowledge and experience of repairing and maintaining the diversion.

Good luck, and don't forget the pictures.

[chris900divvy]

Nov 28, 2015 2:01:38 GMT mikeqld said:

Also how hard is it to repair the fuel gauge in the 97 diversion?

Easy enough really! What tends to happen is the little cam shaped bit on the end of the float inside the petrol tank that has the pickup sensors on it loses them, they snap off after a while and so you end up getting an erratic fuel reading after a while if any at all. You can replace that part one from a Kaisar 125 fuel sender unit which is way cheaper to buy than a Yamaha original, I did this with mine and it worked. You just take the circlip off and replace the little cam with the Kaisar one. I also soldered the clip in place as they can drift away from the sender unit which gives the same problems with no fuel gauge reading! Really though the red warning light gives you the best indication of when to get petrol (there's about a gallon left when it comes on) and is more reliable, though it is nice having a working fuel gauge if only for novelty use.

[spike240]

Hi Mike and welcome. I live without the fuel gauge, as it is not the best when it is working. To fix it, it might be better to bite the bullet and buy a new sender.
I keep looking at the oil coolers on ebay - cos it is way cheaper than the Yam part, but how good is it. That is the question. I think someone has posted on here who has fitted one, but can't remember who it was. Its my age.
Anyway keep dropping in and let us know what progress you make.

ATB
Brian

[chris900divvy]

There's one here, same as I fitted to mine, for £62 probably worth a punt. I've had mine on the last 3-4000 miles, it looks fine to me build quality wise and the brackets seem tough really. I'd reckon since the oil cooler is effectively full of oil most of the time it shouldn't end up corroding away as easily as a radiator would, mine was only needing replacement as it started leaking when I fixed the leaky oil lines taking them off is what buggers them up!