This article was taken from an English magazine called "Motorcycle Mechanics". It was sent to me by a fellow XJ owner, PAUL BIRD, and concerns a faired XJ650 (UK version). It mainly tests the fairing, but discussion does concern the bike itself as well. It was written by John Robinson and is dated Dec. 9, 1981. The article is as follows:

"WHEN YAMAHA FIRST INTRODUCED THEIR SLEEK XJ, WITH IT'S LONG REV RANGE THAT WENT ON FOREVER AND TOOK THE 650 UP TO ALMOST 130MPH,WE THOUGHT OF IT AS THE WORLD'S GENTLEST, MOST FLEXIBLE SPORTS BIKE.

MITSUI, THE UK IMPORTER, HAVE NOW ALTERED THAT PERSPECTIVE. WITH THE ADDITION OF THEIR STUBBY FAIRING, LEG SHEILDS AND TWIN PANNIERS, THEY HAVE MADE THE XJ THE WORLD'S SPORTIEST TOURING BIKE.

THESE ADDITIONAL ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE SEPERATELY AND THE PANNIERS WILL ALSO FIR THE XJ550. THE GLASSFIBRE FAIRING IS HANDLEBAR MOUNTED AND IS JUST BIG ENOUGH TO GIVE WEATHER PROTECTION TO THE RIDER'S BODY AND TO KEEP SOME, BUT NOT ALL, OF THE WEATHER AWAY FROM HIS HANDS.

LEG SHIELDS SOUNDS A BIT ANTIQUATED BUT SHIELDING THE LEGS IS ALL THEY DO APART FROM CARRYING TWO INSTRUMENT MOUNTINGS. THEY MADE A FAIR ENOUGH JOB OF KEEPING A MILD NOVEMBER AWAY FROM OUR NETHER REGIONS BUT AN AQUAINTANCE WHO HAS THEM FITTED TO HIS OWN BIKE SAYS THAT IT MAKES IT TOO HOT IN SUMMER, PARTICULARLY IN STOP~START LONDON TRAFFIC.

THEY HINGE FORWARD TO ALLOW ACCES TO THE TOP OF THE ENGINE SO THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANY PROBLEM WITH NORMAL SERVICING. STILL, IT SEEMED A PITY TO ME THAT ALL THAT SPACE SHOULD BE WASTED WHEN THERE WOULD BE ENOUGH ROOM FOR COMPARTMENTS FOR AN OVERSUIT, MAPS AND TOOLS.

THERE ARE TWO MOULDED INSTRUMENT MOUNTS, WHICH WILL ACCEPT THE VDO RANGE OF INSTRUMENTS OR UNITS OF SIMILAR SIZE, ALTHOUGH THE ACTUAL INSTRUMENTS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE OF THE FAIRING. OUR DEMONSTRATOR HAD A CLOCK AND A TEMPERATURE GUAGE BUT NEITHER WAS WORKING AND THE DIALS DIDN'T APPEAR TO BE CONNECTED TO ANYTHING.

EVEN SO, THEY ARE NOT IN THE BEST PLACE FOR INSTRUMENTS BECAUSE THE RIDER HAS TO LOOK A LONG WAY FROM THE ROAD AHEAD TO SEE THEM AND THEY ARE RATHER EXPOSED TO THE WEATHER, POSSIBLY MORE SO WHEN THE BIKE IS PARKED.

THE FAIRING AND SHIELDS ARE COLOUR~KEYED TO THE XJ AND BLEND IN WELL WITH THE BIKE'S STYLING. THEY ARE ALSO AVAILABLE IN BLACK OR WHITE WHICH MAKES THEM AROUND #30 CHEAPER. SOME ENGINE NOISE IS REFLECTED BACK AT THE RIDER AND THERE IS A RESONANT SPEED ABOVE 5000RPM WHEN THE NOISE WELLS UP AND SEEMS TO BE COMING FROM ALL DIRECTIONS. FORTUNATELY THIS WAS ABOVE NORMAL CRUISING SPEEDS AND ONLY BECAME A NUISANCE DURING ACCELERATION.

ALTHOUGH MOUNTED ON THE HANDLEBAR, THE FAIRING IS SMALL AND LIGHT ENOUGH NOT TO HAVE ANY EFFECT ON THE BIKE'S HANDLING. THE XJ DID SHOW A MINOR WEAVE IN LONG BENDS BUT THIS APPEARED TO BE COMING FROM THE SUSPENSIONAND SET IN AS THE SPRINGS ROSE AND FELL WITH UNDULATIONS IN THE ROAD. FOR GENERAL TOURING I THINK THAT A SLIGHTLY LARGER FAIRING WOULD BE BETTER. MORE HAND PROTECTION WOULDN'T BE A BAD THING AND THE STUBBY SCREEN OFTEN PROJECTED A TURBULENT DRAFT INTO THE RIDER'S FACE. THIS SEEMED TO VARY WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE WIND, AS WELL AS THE SPEED OF THE BIKE. SOME DAYS IT WOULD DISAPPEAR ALTOGETHER, OTHERS IT WOULD BE A NOISY, DRAUGHTY NUISANCE.

THEY'VE OBVIOUSLY TRIED TO KEEP THE SIZE DOWN SO THAT THE FAIRING HAS THE LEAST EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE. IN THIS RESPECT THEY HAVEN'T DONE A BAD JOB.

THE FAIRING SIMPLY LOPS OFF THE ACADEMIC PEAK PERFORMANCE WHICH CAN ONLY BE ACHEIEVED WITH THE RIDER FLAT ON THE TANK ANYWAY. CROUCHING BEHIND THE SCREEN WE GOT THE XJ UP TO 116.6MPH; WITH THE RIDER SITTING NORMALLY IT PULLED 107MPH~ IN THIS CONDITION THE 650 IS WELL OVERGEARED AND IT IS QUITE LIKELY THAT SITTING UP SPEEDS ARE BETTER THAN WITH THE UNFAIRED BIKE.

ACCELERATION OVER THE QUARTER MILE WAS A FEW TENTHS OF A SECOND DOWN, AGAIN LOSING OUT AT THE FAST END WITH A TERMINAL SPEED SOME 8MPH BELOW THAT OF THE STOCK MACHINE.

FUEL CONSUMPTION WAS SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN THE UNFAIRED MACHINE WE TESTED IN SEPTEMBER 80. THE FAIRED BIKE AVERAGED 47.8MPG, WHILE THE UNFAIRED BIKE ONLY MANAGED 40.3MPG OVERALL. POSSIBLY THE FAIRING HELPS PERFORMANCE IN REAL WORLD RIDING, ALTHOUGH IT IS CERTAIN THAT SOME OF THIS IMPROVEMENT CAME FROM THE DIFFERENT ROAD CONDITIONS. EASING THE BIKE ACCROSS SLIMY NOVEMBER ROADS HAS GOT TO BE WORTH A FEW MPG OVER SUMMERTIME RIDING.

SO, THE FAIRING COMPLEMENTS THE XJ WELL ENOUGH ALTHOUGH THEY COULD HAVE TAKEN IT FURTHER FOR THE TOURING RIDER OR THE ALL WEATHER RIDER. THE BAD NEWS IS THAT IT COSTS #230.70 PLUS VAT. AND THE NASTY THING ABOUT VAT IS THAT SMALL PERCENTAGES SUDDENLY GET PRETTY SIGNIFICANT, NOT TO SAY MEANINGFUL, ONCE THE STERLING IS MEASURED IN HUNDREDS.

THE YAMAHA PANNIERS MIGHT BE A BETTER BET OR, AT LEAST, AT #114.40 PLUS VAT, THEY ARE A CHEAPER BET. THE CATCH HERE IS THAT MITSUI DIDN'T HAVE ANY SO ALL WE CAN SAY FOR SURE IS THAT THE MOUNTING SUBFRAME FITTED NEATLY.

FROM PHOTOGRAPHS, THE KRAUSER~LIKE PANNIERS ARE LARGE ENOUGH TO TAKE HELMETS AND CAN BE REMOVED QUICKLY FROM THE BIKE AND USED AS HAND LUGGAGE. YAMAHA SAY THAT THEY HAVE SECURE LOCKS, ARE WATERPROOF AND DO NOT UPSET THE BIKES HANDLING.

THESE ADDITIONS TURN THE YAMAHA INTO A MUCH MORE PRACTICAL MACHINE AND, DESPITE IT'S SPORTY IMAGE, THE SHAFT DRIVE 650 DOES MAKE A VERY GOOD TOURER.

THE CONTROLS ARE LIGHT AND SLICK WITH A GOOD GEARSHIFT THAT SHOWS NO HARSHNESS FROM THE SHAFT DRIVE. LOTS OF POWER AND CONTROL COMES FROM THE TWIN DISC AND REAR DRUM BRAKES; LIKE SEVERAL OTHER SHAFT DRIVE BIKES, THE XJ'S REAR BRAKE SEEMS TO PULL THE MACHINE DOWN ONTO THE ROAD AND MAKE IT FEEL STEADIER.

AS A RESULT, THE XJ CAN BE FLICKED THROUGH TIGHT CURVES, SNAPPED UPRIGHT AND BRAKED, THE HEELED INTO THE NEXT CURVE WITH POWER ON, ALL IN ONE FLUID MOVEMENT. THAT IS WHAT'S SO NICE ABOUT THE BIKE; THE STEERING IS PRECISE AND ALL THE CONTROLS HAVE EXACTLY AS MUCH BITE AS YOU EXPECT.

THE YAMAHA'S POWER, STEERING AND CONTROLS BLEND TOGETHER WELL AND ENCOURAGE ENTHUSIASTIC RIDING, WHICH PARTLY ACCOUNTS FOR THE FAIRLY POOR FUEL ECONOMY. STILL IT HAS A TANK WHICH IS ROOMY ENOUGH TO GO 160 MILES AND HAVE THE BEST PART OF A GALLON LEFT IN RESERVE.

THE GOOD THING ABOUT THE NEW ACCESSORIES IS THEY DONT SPOIL THE 650'S SCRATCHABILITY IN THE COUNTRY LANES. AND THE FAIRING GOES SOME WAY TO HELP COMFORT ON THOSE LONG, COLD MOTORWAY HAULS. IT DOESN'T EXACTLY ADD A NEW DIMENSION TO THE XJ BUT IT DOES MAKE ONE OF IT'S DIMENSIONS JUST THAT BIT LONGER.

PERFORMANCE

TOP SPEED: FAIRED(PRONE) 116.6MPH UNFAIRED(PRONE) 129.7MPH SS

1/4MILE : FAIRED 13.3S @97.6MPH UNFAIRED 12.9S

FUEL CONS: FAIRED 47.8MPG UNFAIRED 40.3MPG 30MPH

TOP GEAR ROLL ON 1/4 MILE 14.4S @96MPH END"

There are more stats available from the article, however most are available from the workshop manual. VAT is a sales tax which is applied to all non essential goods at a rate 17.5%.