Not to mention that bike was specifically legal in Clubman in SS trim but Jim's bike was big time superbike build. Others protested him in that class, I did not. Jim had no problem entering classes his bikes were not legal in. Very uncool in my opinion.
I always told the workers to flag in Secas when they stopped smoking because they were out of oil and would now blow up. And I wasn't really joking...
Same here. I helped my brother buy his Seca II when he was 20ish. It was an "okay," bike, but heavier than the EX500 I owned at the time, and I believe the rear wheel was 18", and I know the Yamaha was heavier. It was comfortable and practical as a street bike, and I think it would be fun to race one (is there a bike that wouldn't be fun to race?), but I'd be worried about cooking those interior cylinders with sustained high-RPM riding. I love that bike because it got my brother on 2 wheels, and it was fun to trade and roll-race each other on the highway, but I don't think it would be the starting point for a race build unless I found one at "so cheap, it's disposable" pricing.
Biggest issue for them is the chassis getting tighter as you ride it harder then all of the sudden letting go and flicking you like a booger
Here s the history of the Seca, First there was the XJ550 Seca in 81. It was bored and stroked to become the FJ600 in 84. It had the best motor of any of them with bigger carbs and lumpier cams. In 86 there was the FZ600, same motor as the FJ600 except smaller carbs (the FJ carbs won't fit between the upper frame rails of the FZ without a little grinding) and slightly milder cams. There was also the YX600 Radian that had the same motor and carbs as the FZ. They ended in 87 with the advent of the FZR in 89. The SecaII made a return in 91 or 92 with the same top end as the FZ/YX except the cylinders were angled forward like the FZR. The top end f the SecaII will bolt onto the earlier 600 bottom ends. I don't think the SecaII offers any advantage over the FZ600 within the confines of the rulebook.
