My first bike: Yamaha XJ600 Seca II

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/staff/Matt_Smith/adding-family-my-first-bike/

KEWL! I like the simple look of the Secas.

Those are great little bikes IMHO. I bought one to resell in 97. Man I hated to let that one go. A lot of deals showed up in my path around that time and I just couldn't keep them all.

Nice bike you scored there! Do these share anything in common mechanically with the FZR? This certainly is worlds better to look at...

I had a '95 for a few years, good little bike, but they run LEAN stock...mine ran much better after I shimmed the needles. There was one at the local dealer with Cobra pipes on it, sound a lot meaner then it was.

Pretty decent first bike. I rode my sister's a handful of times and didn't particularly enjoy how buzzy and gutless it was in the lower rpms. I was MUCH happier riding my Yamaha Radian. FAR better powerband. Radian has the FZR engine with camshafts designed for torque.

Great score and project material. I was hot for those back in the day but regrettably never popped on one.

Thank you everyone! Some updates (shhh the project car updates haven't been published yet).

I've acquired a bundle of parts, including new: Front Fork Springs and Seals, rotors (front and rear), brake pads front and rear, Vance and Hines SuperSport Exhaust, Rear Tire, Steering Stem Bushings, Dynojet Kit, front sprocket, chromed levers, bar end sliders, AEM wideband gauge + sensor (cause I think its cool to know), and a bunch of paint to restore the bike to it's previous beauty. Oh yeah, I also grabbed some black vinyl and comfy foam to reupholster the aged seat.

Keep checking back for updates. There should be a lot of progress this coming weekend!

Also, the FZR is much sportier than the Seca II. The FZR is a 600cc bike, but has 4 valves per cylinder and is liquid cooled. The Seca II only has two valves per cylinder and is air cooled.

I chose the Seca II because I need a commuter bike, not a race bike. Also, the Seca II is proving to be nice and cheap to restore. All told, I am about $1700 into the Seca II with an incredible "resto-mod" performed.