Thinking of buying SRX600

[Mutt]

I love my XBR (not in the biblical sense of course - although wifey may say otherwise) but I've always liked the look of the SRX600 and thinking I should buy one. Ideally I will want to buy one to strip & fettle over the Autumn/Winter. Are there any 'pearls of wisdom' seasoned SRX'ers can share in what to look out for or what is real headache with them? Ta.

[themoudie]

Aye Mutt,

Welcome to the forum. If you select the "Bike Problems/Questions" board and then enter "SRX" into the 'SEARCH' window in the top right of the forum window, you will get approx. 15 pages of bits and pieces about SRX', giving you an insight into these enjoyable bikes. Having said that my SRX600 twin shock 'Sally' has decided to develop an electrical fault today on the way to the BSB race meeting at Knockhill! Not the most auspicious time for me to give you an answer.

Just be aware that parts for both twin shock and monoshock SRX's are getting thin on the ground for some models, and the sources of supply are becoming restricted to purchasing from the Japanese home market, but don't let this put you off.

Look very carefully and use a magnet to test the two 'pannier' areas of the petrol tank for fuel leaks, patching etc. Check that the oil is returning to the oil tank, as the seals in the oil pumps are 30 years old and may be becoming hardened, reducing their efficancy. This involves splitting the crankcases to replace and the new pump is £120. The strainer through which it sucks is often blocked with ?!?  and !?! and these need to be flushed out and then blown through with compressed air, new ones are no longer available!

The left hand main bearing may grumble between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm on the over-run, usually due to condensation in the crank cases from inactivity and intermittent use, also a rust tide mark through the middle of the right-hand main bearing for the same reason. Complete strip and rebuild and a 30 tonne press is required to take the L/H bearing off the crank and press the new one on.

The 5th gear pinion and wheel may also be worn/pitted/missing teeth if the motor has been lugged in top gear at low revs (less than 3,500rpm), replacements are available, but work out at ~ £100 the pair and must be replaced as a pair. They also require a press to replace the one behind 2nd gear and the skill to do it. This too requires the crankcases to be split.

My advice would be to purchase a machine with a known history and regular use in clean condition and regular (2,000 - 4,000 mile interval) oil changes using a semi-synthetic m/cycle oil. If you really like and feel competent about diving into the guts of a motor and have at least £1,000 to rebuild it (the motor alone!) then go ahead and buy something that is a bit ropey. Big bore motors and lots of tuning may reduce the reliability of the motor. Make no mistake though they can be made to make 60bhp and gallop, but tend to wear out quickly and the later XT600 or XT600E motor has stronger cases and is better suited to tuning.

'Nough from me, enjoy the reading and a 400 may be a pleasant surprise. Nearly as quick as the 600, better mpg, less likely to break the 5th gear pair, but spares can be iffy, especially for the monoshock chassis components.

Go on, you know you need one! 

My regards, Bill

[Mutt]

Thanks Bill. I will be trawling through the posts over the coming weeks but really appreciate your insight into a bike you clearly know well. Hope the electrical gremlin was sorted. Regards, Clive.

[themoudie]

Aye Clive, electrical gremlins Mmmmm! Still not sure if I have "cured" the problem, but the indicators now indicate when the switch is slid and also cancel when it is pushed. Insulated crimp connectors appear to be the problem, not making a good connection and seeings I had the opportunity I have started cleaning all the connectors on the rear part of the main harness!  I must be mad, but these are all 30 years + old. There is a small amount of corrosion on some Japanese connectors, the multi-blocks are all in good nick and any crimp connectors are a bit shonky! 

Switch cleaner, cotton buds, pipe cleaners and a dribble of ACF50 when putting them back together. Also replacing all crimp connectors, with soldered Japanese connectors and shrink wrapping the back of the insulated cover. All a bit "Anorak"! 

Good health, Bill

[Steve Lake]

Hi Clive, welcome to TC, and good luck on hunting down an SRX6 (or 4). They do exist, and I just picked up one from Cardiff, 3 known faults on it. Failed on 2 on the MOT
1. weeping fork seals ... first thing I did was check the staunchions , and they are not pitted atall, so just a case of worn & hard seals.
2. rear disc is badly scored and wafer thin. easily changed and I have several spares.
3. (not an MOT fail) battery not charging, the regulator has been changed, and the generator has been changed, so I'm thinking that there is a wiring problem, not unusual (see Bills previous posts), so it will be out with meter and oscilloscope, and see whats what.

once I have the known problems sorted i'll get it MOT'd, and spend a few months running it 'as is', get a feel for it, then it's a winter project, full break down and rebuild... respray where necessary probably have the engine vapour blast cleaned, then next spring... flog it.

there isn't much to add to Bill's info... I would add, check the kick start lever, at the base for any cracks, can't be repaired, and no longer available.

Bill... with regard to the oil pump, as far as I remember (and I have a 600 & 400 engine split on the bench) you only needed to remove the clutch case to remove the oil pump and strainer...but in any event, if the engine is to be stripped then replace the oil pump expensive, but not as expensive as wrecking your nice new rebore/piston/rings.... trust me ... we've all learned the hard way, my #1 srx6 nipped up on a track day at snetterton, and after a rebuild (and no oil pump change) did it again on the way to work ... oh what joy!!.

there is no way of telling how the bike you are looking at has been ridden, but service history, mileage, state of chain & sprockets and tyres tell their own story.. I've had my #1 srx 15 years, and change oil & filter at 3K, ride it hard but fair, with regard to not clicking into 5th below 55mph.... and I behave in a very superior manner in that I'd never had the'5th gear grenade'.... bearing in mind the bike I have just bought will be #8, then last august, with no warning #1's  5th gear lost it's way, ... hence engine on the bench :-).

so, if you get yourself an srx, first things first, full service.... then... enjoy.. good luck.

[Mutt]

Update. I had spotted a clean looking SRX very local to me on the flea bay and with good anticipation contacted the seller to have a proper look at it. The seller was politely "away" but back in plenty of time before the auction would end, however the seller just did not respond to the view request. Perhaps there was something amiss methinks (maybe that was why only one side of the bike was shown in the pictures) but felt disappointed as I've always found dealings on flea bay pretty OK. I didn't bid and it could be that whoever won it at £910.00 got a good bike?
So, what can a fella do? Buy another XBR of course!
Bit of a bargain too... except the cost of wife's birthday next month has just quadrupled. The crosses we have to bare!!!!

[themoudie]