Yamaha Seca 750

[FJmonkey]

That's ok MonkeyMark , someday when you are all grow'ed up you'll understand.  Just Judging ...

I am not growing up!!! And if I did, I already decided I was gonna be a fire truck.... 

[Mark Olson]

That's ok MonkeyMark , someday when you are all grow'ed up you'll understand.  Just Judging ...

I am not growing up!!! And if I did, I already decided I was gonna be a fire truck.... 

[ZOA NOM]

My first bike was an '82 Seca 550:



The same design Yamaha YICS engine...Outstanding bike and hooked me on Yamaha for sure!  I put 64,000 miles on it with little to no maintenance other than tires, chains, sprockets, oil and filter changes.  Dead-simple and reliable.

Mine fills out the trio...




Great first bike. My wife actually bought it for me on my 21st birthday.

[wildfire]

I never expected to get so many replies from guys that had XJ's. I thought they were fairly rare in the US.

[fj johnnie]

 My first inline four was a 550 Seca identical to Cap'n Ron's. However mine was white, not the theft deterrent red. LOL. That is a nice looking bike. The perfect number of bikes to own is N+1. Where N represents the current number in your possession.

[Earl Svorks]

 You won't be unhappy with a Seca, I think they are very solid. The one you have shown here looks really clean. My only issue is with the  'YICS' which connects all 4 intake ports .
This makes synchronizing the carbs pointless and impossible unless you have the gadget to block the internal YICS ports.. I made one out of a length of surgical rubber hose and an air pressure regulator.

[ken65]

Ive said it before and i'll say it again, my xj650 was as reliable as my fj is . Although it was a maxim the motors were all related

[Earl Svorks]

 It looks like the Maxim engine maybe grew up to be the FJ 1100 engine. There are many similarities in design basics. In fact,if you look at the underside of an 1100 cylinder head, below the intake port openings, there is what looks to me what might be casting bosses that were intended for use in YICS. The location of the alternator, the look of the twin cam
top end, all fairly novel at the time.

[ken65]

gee thats a nice looking bike you have.

[mr blackstock]

I currently have the XJ650 RJ (seca)

Great bike!  A huge joy to ride, reliable, quick, handles o.k, better with good rubber.

A great resource for info is www.xjbikes.com, very busy site, has a resident parts and knowledge master, like Randy.

Cheers, Gareth

[Firehawk068]

My first XJ was a Seca II 600
Was an excellent bike! Super reliable, Simple and easy to work on (like the FJ)
Would get 55-60 mpg easily......................
It had plenty of power(for a 2-valve 600), and it handled great................
The only issue I had with it, was that the suspension was too soft for someone my size...
Had I kept it, I would have put stiffer springs, and fork valves on it..........
I ended up selling it, and putting the money into upgrading the FJ








My other XJ is slightly larger..................Gets 16 mpg easily..........
It is also very reliable, and easy to work on..........
It will also go up almost anything 

[Earl Svorks]

gee thats a nice looking bike you have.
Thanks Ken, I try to keep it clean.

[Zwartie]

I have come across a 81 Yamaha Seca 750 in  good condition at a fair price. I remember seeing these bikes as a kid but have no experience with them.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge of them good or bad?. Any known problems and so on?.

Tom

I owned an '81 (pictured below) from '84 to '89. It was my second bike but my first real "big bike". Shortly after I got it the front brake master cylinder (conveniently located behind the headlight) needed to be rebuilt. Other than that, no problems that I can recall. I only sold it because I had planned on getting a Katana 1100 which never happened - bought a house instead and a year and a half later bought an '84 V45 Sabre. But that's another story...



Always liked the look of the Seca better than the Sabre. Yamaha did a good styling job on this machine (IMHO).

Good Luck!

Zwartie

[PaulG]

My first bike was also a 1981 750 Seca.  Bought it used in '85 for $1,300 (I think).  It was pretty bullet proof.  If I recall most of the power came on after 5-6,000 rpm.  The shaft drive was maintenance free, but the anti-dive front suspension was so-so (from what I read at the time).  But then again it was my first bike so I really had nothing to compare it to.  The seat was like plywood, even though it looks comfy, so 2 hrs in the saddle was pretty numbing (at least for me).  It would still be a great commuter or day-runner.  An after-market seat or pad would take care of that.

It served me well despite the abuse a first-time owner put it through.  Good gas mileage, a bit on the porky side for a 750 (even for then), but it was never meant to be a knee dragger.  The handling characteristics of the shaft drive (squat under acceleration-standing up under breaking [?]) I never found to be an issue.  If you drive it real hard, I suppose that may crop up.

It sadly ended it's day in Oct. '88 as I high-sided at 70mph and it went cart-wheeling into the grassy median and ended up in some trees.  Nothing to do with the bike - 100% my fault. 

When I was shopping around before I got my 92 FJ ABS (in 2007), I almost bought the another '81 Seca again.  Nostalgia must have over come me at the time.  If it's been well maintained it should be a decent buy.  The only obvious thing I can think of is to check the rear wheel backlash to see how the splines for the final drive have worn.  There are specs for that which you should be able to check on the internet or in a Clymer or Haynes manual.

Good luck.

[Tripper]

I have both 81 Seca and 86 FJ at this time. The Seca is a blast and a great alternate to the FJ, if you want a different riding experience. Lower, light, very nimble steering. Sit up beg when compared to the FJ but if you have any knee or back issues you will welcome the riding position. With good rubber you can throw it into any sane street situation and it will handle it with ease. I have never gotten it to weave, which considering the old school loop chassis is surprising. Mine has the original shocks, I have added stiffer fork springs for my 250lbs.

That thing is perfect. Buy it. Iv'e not seen another one on the road.   

https://flic.kr/p/qt1XK4