Aye fenrunner,
If you bide your time on here SteveL maybe along, who if your name relates to your abode, will live just up or down the road from you and he has had 6 of these beasties.
At present I am into the guts of a SRX400 mono that was "professionally" converted to a 600 using an XT600E motor. Long story, but after riding the beastie home a 100 miles there were lots of tell tale signs that things were not well in the motor. Not been given a good run for at least 3 years and spent a lot of time sitting about since the conversion. I would agree with the points made by tommy and Ian.
I would also advise that you take a magnetic probe with you and see what is in the bottom of the oil tank, I wish I had; as what appeared to be clean fresh oil when viewing and assured by owner, turned out to be black watery stuff with a thick black magnetic sludge in the bottom of the tank after the 100 mile run!
After the run the motor also developed a "rumble" on the overun between 3,000 - 4,000 rpm!
Enough for it not to be started again!
Due to the design of the petrol tank and the location of the fuel outlet, it is impossible to drain the fuel from the two lower parts of the tank at the rear; unless you use a large syringe and tube dropped in through the filler to draw off the contents. Condensation usually forms inside the tank and especially with post ethanol additives in the fuel, this water settles in the lower parts of the tanks saddles and corrodes from the inside outwards along the bottom tank seam. Some tanks are irrepairable, others are repairable, but it costs!
The contents are usually a rusty red water/fuel emulsion that stinks and may contain bacterial blooms feeding on the ethanol, which gives it a jelly like appearance. I drain my tanks annualy and use 'TankSafe' or similar de-watering additive in the fuel, especially in the colder months, to combat this.
I attach 2 images from the guts of the mono that after removing the outer crankcase covers showed ample signs of sitting about with old oil and condensation forming in the motor. The contents of the oil pump were black/ watery and the lobes of the pump appeared to have been nibbled by mice. Between the offside (right-hand) main bearing and the crankshaft journal was a red rust deposit and getting hold of the end of the crank after removing the generator and waggling it up and down with a straight arm produced a "knock" from the main bearings; hence the grumble between 3,000 - 4,000rpm on the overun. Being on the side stand the oil all drains away from the off-side of the motor, when laid up.
The twin shock 600's, due to poor hardening of the 5th gear pair and a false belief that these bikes are "thumpers" as per the long stroke British singles, often show flaking of the hardened surfaces of the gear teeth and can loose teeth in the worst circumstances. Genuine Yamaha gear pairs are, I believe, still available and do not appear to have the same problem. But never "lug" these motors.
Having got inside this mono motor it could all be a lot worse, but requires a new set of bearings right through the motor, a new oil pump, an internal oil strainer that cannot be accessed unless you part the crankcases, a strip and rebuild of the crank and big-end bearing. Approximately £500 in parts and £200 labour, using either quality Japanese bearings or Yamaha parts (there are no alternatives for the oil pump and strainer; whilst pattern gaskets I've had fail, as do cheap bearings) and the labour is for the crank rebuild only, I'm doing the rest myself. No cheap!
However, once rebuilt, given regular oil changes, not "lugged" and with a good set of tyres the SRX is a slim, light and really rideable bit of kit, with plenty of spares; the XT600 and Grizzly 600 quads using very similar motors. My 1986 SRX600 1JK has now done 114,500km and I purchased it with ~45,000km about 15 years ago. It too needed a complete engine rebuild after a 634cc big bore conversion let go after a 200 mile ride home!
I returned the engine to a 599cc Grizzly bore, using a new piston, rings and cylinder sleeve and so far it is very sweet.
In my eyes SRX' are not as good as a Ducati single, but a really enjoyable practical machine that is a bit easier to maintain and ride distances. Just go canny and make sure the price is less than £750!
If the owner expects more than a Grand, I think I would walk away. But, it's your dosh and far be it from me to tell you how to spend it.
Good luck, Bill
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