The XJ 550R got back on the road in late February. It was a relatively easy project. Since this was intended to be a commuter/beater bike I didn't do anything too drastic yet.

I put the carbs together, got rid of the vacuum assist petcock, put on new tires, flushed the fluids and chased down a few gremlins. It passed emissions on the first try and has not given me any problems in 1500 miles.

The first 800 of those miles were commuting to my office about 20 miles away. The next 700 were on trips over 150 miles.

TUCSON

The first trip was down to Tucson by way of Superior, Winkelman and Oracle. Then I returned by way of I-10 to Eloy and through the reservation to Chandler. The bike had a steady 50mpg down to tucson but had a terrible 30mpg on the way back up. I-10 required that I keep the bike at 75mph or above into a headwind. This kept the bike revved over 7k almost the whole way back to Phoenix. I thought I would get there with no problems, but misjudged the distance and fuel economy and ended up rolling into Chandler on reserve. I didn't let my passenger know until we were getting close. :)

PAYSON

Another trip that this bike has been on was up to Payson. After the Tucson trip went so well (no breakdowns) I thought I would try the mountains. As good as this bike is in foothills, it can't handle mountain grades with 2 riders very well. I kept her up at 8000 rpm to keep up with traffic. This really isn't much of a problem, I just didn't want to repeat the near miss from the Tucson trip related to fuel.

NEXT

There are a couple of issues I want to work on with this bike. First, I don't think I got the hex bolt in the right fork tube torqued properly. There is no torque spec in the manual so I used the Goodentite method, which obviously wasn't Goodentite enough.

Second, the chain seems to be stretching faster than it should. I think a new chain may be in order. In that case, I'll mess with the gear ratios to see if I can get a little bit better response in the lower RPM range.

Third, it's time for an oil change. I used regular old dino motor oil to get her going, but maybe I should experiment with a semi synthetic.

Fourth, the suspension is not suitable for twisties with a pillon. So, I may respring the front and find some aftermarket adjustable shocks for the rear.

Fifth, I want to find a better set of brake pads or swap out the front wheel with a set up that has dual disks. The brakes feel like they are wooden blocks. Using the rear in conjunction with the front will adequately stop the bike, but I want more stopping power in the front.