Is my XT an import?
 

I've got a 2003 XT600e, the speedo's main reading is in MPH (also has KM but much smaller text) but the odometer and trip meter go up in KM?

Not really too bothered by this as it doesn't actually matter but I just wondered if anybody has come across this before? and whether it means my bike is not a UK bike? If so, are there any variations in specification between my bike and a normal UK bike?

Cheers!

Hi there,

If it has a UK plate then it will have had to go through testing with VOSA to ensure that it meets the minimum set of standards for roads in the UK - this means things like emissions, breaking and making sure your clocks read in MPH for speed.

What that means in practice is that most bikes from major manufactures around the world are almost identical but pick up little quirks. For example, a European XT660 (new) will have digital clocks that can swap between KPH and MPH by holding down a combination of the dash buttons - but USA and Australian versions do not have this functionality...

Australian versions of the bike have some additional side reflectors on the front wheel - but in all other aspects (other than the above) match in every way.

If the bike has a UK plate it is possible to take the VIN, call Yamaha UK and ask them for a certificate proving it's age and where it was manufactured - they charge for this - but it would also tell you where it originally intended for.

Of course, it could also just be that if it's a digital odometer clock that at some point in the past (if it's a European / UK version) that it's been clicked over the KM rather than miles.

Hope that helps.

m

XT import?
 

Sound like it could be an import, may be wrong but i think you have an overlay on the speedo showing mph. If you look on the back of the speedo unit you should be able to tell if it has been opened and resealed, also the quality of the overlay may not be as sharp as an original face. this is ok but a bit confusing when first noticed. Only way around this is to buy a uk spec speedo for an all mph readout.
Check also the rear mudguard just behind the seat there may be a small sticker with the original country on it or a small outline where it was.

Nothing to be worried about as some dealers in this country bought up stocks of bikes that were for other countries,stlll crated up and never registered(this was of course the end model/last production of this bike)

My 1990 XT600 Tenere has UK plates but the speedo & Odo only read in Km. I didn't import it but have all the proper V5 etc and the last 4 or so MOT haven't been a problem at a variety of garages, not even mentioned. Nor was it a various Police Bikesafe courses.
Its not really a problem, stick around 50kmh in town.

Import? Who gives a toss?
 

Does it really matter? NO!

Both my bikes are technically imports - a British Army warrant officer (WO2) bought them both from a retailer in Warsaw Poland (for a ridiculously low price) and almost immediately brought them home to the UK. :thumbup1: It was an easy thing to do in 1999, so much so that he decided to repeat the exercise a few years later (2001).

Although they are both left hand drive models, it doesn't really bother me. :clap: That's a joke...

Both of mine have KM speedos and KM trips. I have put a KM to miles sticker over the top. I have also attached a beam adjustment sticker on the headlight. This keeps the MOT boys happy. These stickers MUST be fitted and used at all times in order to comply with UK law and MOT requirements. My bikes would fail their MOT's without these things...


Joking aside, the most important thing to consider is condition and mileage. Quite honestly I would never be put off by an import if a bike ticks all my boxes. bier
I don't honestly think my bikes are worth any less than a UK import bike.

Who gives a toss? They are ALL imports in a way because the fact they were ALL made in Japan. Condition rules my head in these matters...

Maybe purchased from ebay from a metric reading country?

My XT600E has a 2007 plate, bought new from a well known northen bike dealer. This was an import from I believe Cyprus. The speedo is in MPH but odometer in Km's.

Of course it's a 2004 model. The only difference was that to pass the MOT after the third year, I had to stick a piece of sticky black tape on the headlight to conform.

Aus