The Yamaha Diversion is a series of all-round touring

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s descended from

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

's earlier XJ series. Early Diversion models had a

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

air-cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...

8-valve

inline-four A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...

engine. In 2009 the model name was retained for a new range with 16-valve liquid-cooled engines.

Diversion models

Before the introduction of the 2009 models the series consisted of four main models; the XJ600S, XJ600N, XJ900S and XJ900GT and the lesser known YBR125 Diversion.

The XJ600S Diversion/Seca II

The XJ600S is known as the ''Diversion'' in most parts of the world but as the ''Seca II'' in the North American and Australian markets. The bike has a small top fairing although a lower fairing is available as an accessory. The XJ600S is a descendant of the XJ600 models manufactured between 1984 and 1991. It is fitted with a 598cc, air-cooled 8-valve inline-four engine producing and . The engine from the original XJ600 model was tuned towards improved low- and midrange power, sacrificing some peak power. 600cc Diversion models were manufactured from 1992 to 2004. US Seca IIs were manufactured from 1992 to 1998. As the Diversion/Seca II design is based on an earlier, well-matured model, changes made to the bike during these years were rather subtle, mostly concerning improvements in fairing: a second front-brake disc and small oil cooler appeared on the 1996 model along with improvements to the carburettors. The Diversion favours an upright riding position more than most 600cc sport bikes, making it usable for

commuting Commuting is periodically recurring travel between one's place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regul ...

. It remained in production for quite a long time, probably due to its low price, modest fuel consumption, longevity and reliability.

The XJ600N

The XJ600N is almost identical to the XJ600S except that it is a

naked bike The six main types of motorcycles are generally recognized as ''standard'', ''cruiser'', ''touring'', ''sports'', ''off-road'', and ''dual-purpose''. ''Sport touring'' is sometimes recognized as a seventh category or integrated with the ''touring' ...

and the instrument panel is different, as it turns with the handlebars. This model was not sold in North America.

The XJ900S/XJ900GT

The XJ900 is a descendant of the earlier XJ900 model. The XJ900S and the XJ900GT are both the same basic motorcycle except the GT, typically for touring motorcycles, has a large fairing and two Krauser K2

pannier A pannier is a basket, bag, box, or similar container, carried in pairs either slung over the back of a beast of burden, or attached to the sides of a bicycle or motorcycle. The term derives from a Middle English borrowing of the Old French ''p ...

s while the XJ900S has a small top fairing like the XJ600S. On the dashboard (wider than that of the 600cc models) there are some extra gauges such as a

fuel gauge In automotive and aerospace engineering, a fuel gauge is an instrument used to indicate the amount of fuel in a fuel tank. In electrical engineering, the term is used for ICs determining the current State of Charge of accumulators. Motor vehicl ...

. It is a sports/touring machine fitted with an 892cc,

8-valve inline-four engine with and . The XJ900S/GT has a

shaft drive A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...

while the 600cc models are

chain drive Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles. It is also used in a wide variety of machines besides vehicles. ...

n. The XJ900S/GT is known as ''Diversion 900'' on the European market. In the United States the bike appeared as the 1983 Seca XJ900RK.

Police versions

The Yamaha Diversion has been used as a

police motorcycle A police motorcycle is a motorcycle used by police and law enforcement. They may be custom designed to meet the requirements unique of a particular use. A police motorcycle is often called a "motor" by police officers in the United States. Units t ...

all over the world. Such models are built by Yamaha to the specifications of individual police departments. Generally the XJ900S is chosen for police use but the XJ600S has also been used. Police specification Diversions are commonly referred to as XJ900P (P for Police) although Yamaha refers to them by their usual model designation (XJ900S or XJ600S) as they do not constitute a separate model.

XJ6 Diversion, XJ6 N and XJ6 Diversion F

In 2009 Yamaha re-launched the Diversion line in the form of the XJ6 Diversion, XJ6 N and XJ6 Diversion F. The former has a half-fairing while the N version is a naked motorcycle. The fully faired FZ6R is the American equivalent to the European XJ6 Diversion F model with the exception of not having the ABS and electronic immobilizer. The engine is a detuned Fazer engine and both versions are offered with optional ABS braking. The new line has upgraded to a liquid-cooled 16 valve 4-stroke forward-inclined parallel 4-cylinder engine developing 78 horsepower (57 kW) / 59.7 Nm. Yamaha has kept the engine displacement at 600cc for the new Diversion line. The YBR125 Diversion was also available in France around 2005

Specifications

XJ600N/S

References

External links

FZ6R
at Yamaha USA
Middleweight Intermediate Sportbike Shootout + Video
by Motorcycle.com {{Yamaha motorcycles timeline Diversion Shaft drive motorcycles Sport touring motorcycles Motorcycles introduced in 1992