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Yamaha XT660R or Honda Dominator Yamaha XT660R or Honda Dominator
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Which Bike? Comments and Questions on what is the best bike for YOU, for YOUR trip. Note that we believe that ANY bike will do, so please remember that it's all down to PERSONAL OPINION. Technical Questions for all brands go in their own forum.
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  #1  
Old 17 Dec 2008
*Touring Ted*'s Avatar
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Yamaha XT660R or Honda Dominator
OOOOO now this is a tough one.

I've finally rounded down my choice for a new travel bike to these two little beauties. I'm determined not to spend more than £2,000 and these are available at that price with some bargaining (the dommy definately)

The XT660 is going to cost £2000, where I can get a nice dommy for £1200.

Both have similar accessories available, both have similar seats, similar quality, similar mpg...

I've never owned these bike but i know a few very satisfied dommy owners..

The bike is going to be a "do everything" bike.. Commuting & trips over the continent.

They both have pretty crappy fuel ranges, both seem to potter along at the same speed and offer the same comfort...

So.... Please discuss and share your thoughts to help me with the coin toss !
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  #2  
Old 17 Dec 2008
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xt660R
Evening Ted,

I brought the xt after looking for a do it all type of bike. Had it a few months and really like it, lots of bits and bobs avalible for it, I am looking at getting a standard tank made larger to give me better range.

Done a couple of short trips on it, Brecon to Bournemouth and found the ride really good.

Cheers,

colin.

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  #3  
Old 18 Dec 2008
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Hi Collin..

Can I ask what kind of cruising speed its comfortable at. My XT600E was really unhappy over 66mph. I want to be able to tour at 80mph without over revving the engine and still have a bit more to overtake trucks etc.

Hows the seat holding out for you ???

Ted


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Originally Posted by wishfull traveller View Post
Evening Ted,
I brought the xt after looking for a do it all type of bike. Had it a few months and really like it, lots of bits and bobs avalible for it, I am looking at getting a standard tank made larger to give me better range.
Done a couple of short trips on it, Brecon to Bournemouth and found the ride really good.
Cheers,
colin.
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1994 XR650L
2001 NX650 Dominator.

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  #4  
Old 18 Dec 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tedmagnum View Post
Hi Collin..

Can I ask what kind of cruising speed its comfortable at. My XT600E was really unhappy over 66mph. I want to be able to tour at 80mph without over revving the engine and still have a bit more to overtake trucks etc.

Hows the seat holding out for you ???

Ted
No big single, loaded with luggage, will tour / cruise comfortably at 80mph & still have power in reserve for a decent overtake. At 80mph on such bikes, your fuel consumption (& possibly oil consumption too?) will be on the high side, not good if you're still using the stock fuel tank. A mnore realistic cruising speed would be 65-70mph.

If you insist on 80mph cruising speeds, then you need a 650cc+ twin but not sure what you'll get for your budget apart from older AT or TA?

A KTM 640 Adventure may suit your needs but for £2,000, it will definitely be an older, higher mileage bike.
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  #5  
Old 18 Dec 2008
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Steve has just beaten me to it there! Yes i'd second what he has just said especially regarding fuel and oil consumption at those speeds.Maybe a KLE500 might suit better for the money if you REALLY need to belt along at that speed? Or just go a bit slower and save time by not having to fill up with fuel so often....
Incidentally,the Dominator is well known for having a horribly uncomfortable seat(i speak from experience),although Acerbis do list a bigger tank for some models to improve range.Aim to be getting about 50mpg max without thrashing it to death(60-65ish cruising).The older ones have both electric and kickstart which could be handy if the battery goes flat.
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  #6  
Old 18 Dec 2008
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Acerbis XR600 tank might fit a Dommie with a few mods, might need the XR seat also unless Acerbis make a Dommie specific tank.

Airhawk will sort out seat comfort woes.

If you get a later e-start only bike, worth checking to see how easy it is to retrofit the kickstart from the earlier bikes? It's an easy & common conversion on e-start only DRZ400's but on older DR600/650, it means a complete strip down for instance.
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  #7  
Old 18 Dec 2008
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I'd go for the xt. Basically it's because any Dommie's going to be a whole lot older than a 4-yr old (maximum) xt660, and they appear to be pretty bombproof - witness the lack of "Problems with..." threads. Now the Dommie's a solid bike but they are prone to top-end wear if run at sustained high revs, which i guess you'll be running at with your performance requirements. So yes, a twin may be the answer, and there are some great kle-shaped bargains to be had at this price!
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  #8  
Old 18 Dec 2008
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visit this website

. : XT660.com The #1 xt660 resource : . | The #1 xt660X, xt660R and xt660Z Tenere resource

im on there as well, basically a forum for any of the XT660 range, be it X (supermoto), R (off road type bike) or Z (adventure bike)

Ive an XT660R and i use it for the daily commute to and from uni (40miles round trip) am planning on using it for a 4 week europe trip of about 4k miles. At the moment ive got 22kmiles on mine. Maintenance is good, suppose to be an oil and filter change ever 6k miles but i do it at 3kmiles. Values are suppose to be done at 12kmiles.

The tank is small but you can get at least 130miles before the light comes on sitting at 70mph and then your suppose to have another gallon left.

The seats not too bad, but if your looking at doing thousands of miles in a short space of time maybe a gel pad in the seat or an air hawk seat (i made something simliar to an air hawk and does the job fine).
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  #9  
Old 18 Dec 2008
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Autotrader - SUZUKI DR 650cc

The DR650 will sit quite happily at 70mph and would recommend it for long trips. There's been a low mileage DR650 on Autotrader for £2k for quite a while now and hasn't shifted. Am sure a deal could be had there?

I've still got my 20L clear IMS tank, IMS compatible Corbin seat, windscreen and soft pannier racks for the DR which I haven't got round to selling yet.
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Old 18 Dec 2008
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Im definately a travel light fella these days.. I learnt the hard way...

I cant see the XT660 being as miserable as the XT600E for motorway speeds. I met a few Brazilians with them and they assured me they cruised happily at 90mph which I thought was highly exagerated at the time.

As for the KLE500.. I used to work in a Kawasaki dealerand I wouldnt sell one of these unless I had to. Awful bikes. Always coming back with problems.

I actually want a TA but a decent one is out of my budget and I shudder at the thought of taking one off road. The Africa twin is nice, i've had 2 but they are too big and heavy and they go for a premium. You will easily pay £2500 for a high miler.

DR650..hmmm maybe !
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  #11  
Old 18 Dec 2008
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Or you could try something like this... a WeeStrom is still quite pricey and a little heavy, but an sv runs about 160kg and there's loads about - so a great project?
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  #12  
Old 18 Dec 2008
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Originally Posted by pottsy View Post
Or you could try something like this... a WeeStrom is still quite pricey and a little heavy, but an sv runs about 160kg and there's loads about - so a great project?
Had an SV before mate. Great fun city bike bit as an overland bike !!! Not the first to cross my mind

Still ,shows you can do anything on anything !!!
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  #13  
Old 18 Dec 2008
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I think that the overlander Holy Grail of a super-reliable, offroad-capable (light, ground-clearance, droppable) tarmac-muncher (80-90mph cruiser with decent fuel-mileage) at a budget is just not obtainable off-the-shelf. So to quote an old squaddy idiom... "Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome".
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  #14  
Old 18 Dec 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pottsy View Post
I think that the overlander Holy Grail of a super-reliable, offroad-capable (light, ground-clearance, droppable) tarmac-muncher (80-90mph cruiser with decent fuel-mileage) at a budget is just not obtainable off-the-shelf. So to quote an old squaddy idiom... "Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome".
Well, all I really need to know is will the XT600 cruise at 80mph. Dominator owners assure me theirs will.....

All the rest is as you say, improvisable !!
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  #15  
Old 19 Dec 2008
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Originally Posted by tedmagnum View Post
Well, all I really need to know is will the XT600 cruise at 80mph. Dominator owners assure me theirs will.....

All the rest is as you say, improvisable !!
Just because it can cruise at 80mph, doesn't mean it's comfortable doing so. Believe me, a big single cruising for miles at that speed will guzzle fuel & possibly oil, you'll need that big tank...... A more realistic cruising speed is 70mph with luggage.

DR650's can be a good buy, simple, easy to work on (screw & locknut valve clearances) & I believe they share the same consumables such as filters with all of the DR600/650/Freewind bikes. The DR600 had a 20 litre tank, not sure if that fits straight on?
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