XT600 Equipment.

Yamaha XT600 overland boxes wanted,35 litre, alluminium,also 10 litre jerry cans x2,any tips for long overland trip welcome ref carrying kit etc.heading for Greece this Autumn,India next year,advice from recent overlanders to these places very welcome.

[giorgioXT]

Acerbis should made a large tank for the XT - even for the old models.
I -absolutely- don't want to carry a canister on the bike
Canister are dangerous in case of a fall, difficult to load and to position in a place
where don't disturb and/or change weight.

[Dave&Jane]

On the other hand jerry cans can be carried low down to keep weight low without the need for a fuel pump. They also mean you are not keeping all your eggs in one basket. One hole or split in your l

[Dave O]

Hi Guys

I recently did a two month trip to morocco and used plastic fuel cans attached to the front of my panniers, and water containers attached to the back. It kept the weight low and made the bike stable. Also I didn't have to take off the fuel cans ti fill them. I've got photos of the set up, if you want to see them, it may help.

dave O

[Matt Cartney]

Hi,
Recently (got back two days ago!) did a trip to Morocco and Iran on a 2003 XT600E. The bike was brilliant for the job, my first suspiscion that it was about as good as you can get for this type of touring was totally confirmed.
I thought long and hard over the fuel question but eventually decided to buy the 23 litre Acerbis tank (which actually holds a little more ) and have no regrets at all. With the limited space available on a bike, having the extra fuel in a tank rather than in bulky jerries was definately worth the £200. Even with the tank totally full the bike never felt unstable, in fact the bulk of the tank sits quite low over the frame.
23 litres proved more than enough and I was never in a position where I wondered if I would have enough fuel (except once which was my own stupid fault!).
I'd buy a centre stand, I had four punctures, and although it is possible to sort a puncture without a centre stand I can't imagine the arseing around in 35c this would have entailed would have improved my mood. SW Motech do my one for about £90, but it's actually a little unstable. Maybe someone else knows of a better one.
I'd fit a screen too, you can buy them apparently but I couldn't find one for the XT and made my own from some 5mm polycarbonate I bought from a plastics shop for about £10. Using a heat gun I put a slight fold down the centre of it to increase stiffness and bolted it to the headlamp surround using 3 M6 bolts. It worked really well.
As for luggage I used Touratech racks with EIBC aluminium boxes, a set up that proved totally adequate. It cost about £400 all up. I also had a hold all strapped to the back seat and this was a bit of a pain in the butt but did the job I suppose. In an ideal world I would maybe have had a top box instead.
For long distance XT touring the three things that I had trouble with were punctures, so carry tubes; a broken chain, my own fault for not checking its tension regularly enough and the front brake blocks needed replacing (not prematurely, just in line with service interval) so I'd carry spares.
matt

[Laromonster]

You guys are of course aware you posted in a six year old thread

[Matt Cartney]

Of course. Do you think I'm stupid?

[apate]

Im looking at the xt for an South America Trip. Im all over the hubb but cant send pm's until I get 15 done.. Thats when the direct questions come.. the road calls..

[Stuart Beeley]

Yamaha XT600 overland boxes wanted,35 litre, alluminium,also 10 litre jerry cans x2,any tips for long overland trip welcome ref carrying kit etc.heading for Greece this Autumn,India next year,advice from recent overlanders to these places very welcome.

I have ali boxes (made by fabricator) and Hepco & Becker Racks if you require them. Stuart

[hurcomb]

stuart,
have you still got those racks and boxes? I've just an xt600e and am modding it for an african trip.
if so, please drop me a line on hurcomb@f2s.com
Paul