new xt600 or oldie?
 

When i finish college in the early summer this year i am thinking of buying my first motorcycle. It´s bound to be a Yamaha, the only question is: one of the current XT600´s, one of the current TT600´s or an old XT600? I wouldn´t want anything with a Super Tenere like front. If i were to buy an old one i would absolutely put it in a Yamaha work shop for an engine rebuild and improve the suspensions with quality parts, like an Ohlins or WP shock and front springs, also any bike of these bikes will have to have a tank able of 500-600km range and some off-road protections. It will make about 150 per week in road conditions and light off road all year round, and a lot more kms in the hollidays, i am also planning for a north Africa trip in about 1,5-2 years, what widest range of non-fueling riding you ever encountered?
PS: it´s my first bike.

Any tips and advice would be apreciated since there are people here with real merit and knowledge.

me again: every pannier set i see in a XT has a slimer box on the side of the pipe that obviously has got more clearance to the back wheel, if one were to build a pannier rack with two slimer boxes wouldn´t it be simple to fit a rear fuell tank in that empty space and still get clearance for the wheel?

Go for a new one.I have just completed 30 000km's across africa on my XT600e and did not have one problem.It could handle everythink.I had about 35kg of lugage and it went through the desert sand like i was riding on tar.It is worth spending a little bit more for less problems.The guys i was traveling with had 1987 teneres and they were having a lot of problems.I would do africa tomorrow on my xt if i had the money.It is the most reliable.

Did you make any mods on your bike? What fuel tank and tyres did you use? How long did the travel took?
It appears that the only problem on a bike that depends entirely on the electric starter is that if you use it to charge something you might get stranded, then again, you could also charge stuff like a camera or a computor while riding, what do you think? One more thing, does the average Yamaha mechanic know his way around a MZ Baghira? How does it andle against the XT?

[This message has been edited by Pedro Rocha (edited 30 January 2003).]

I wouldn't buy a new XT, I would buy a cheaper old model and spend the xtra cash getting a complete rebuild and re spec from a respected builder like David Lambeth.

The older XT's were very different (and serious off road/RTW/desert bikes) from the new plastic street orientated models. An italian import costing £700 followed by £3000 worth of mods will get you a bike perfectly prepped by an expert to your EXACT specifications with a spec FAR HIGHER than a modern factory built bike.

And normally the factory bike will also require some fairly serious mods itself before a trans africa trip. Do the maths and think about your priorities.

I have tried trips on both types of bike and would now always head towards the older machine.


Dave

Maybe you are right, with any effort and time i would probably find a used worth buying here in Portugal or maybe Spain, and i also believe that all prepped it would even fall short of a new XT600´s budget. Would you consider a Yamaha dealer for this restauration since i am not in the know?(it´s my first bike) My main concern is about every day, not confort but reliability, how would it andle with that? Do you think it would be able to put on as many miles as a new one?


What do you think of this one? Would it worth the trip?
http://www.mobile.de/cgi-bin/search....chmesser=0&For mEZ=%2d&FormKilometer=%2d&FormLand=%2e&FormMake=59 &FormModel=xt+600&FormPLZ=&FormPower=%2d&FormPrice =%2d&FormSort=0&Page=0&SearchCat=bereich%3dkrad%26 sprache%3d1&bereich=krad&sprac he=1&x=44&y=9


[This message has been edited by Pedro Rocha (edited 04 February 2003).]

In most cases a properly rebuilt xt600 can far outlast a new bike. Although the xt600 is a fantastic machine, it is a very basic machine whose initial and subsequent designs were not perfect (see posts on gearbox / cooling problems etc).

It is only people like Klaus and DL who seem to spend their lives fine tuning and modifying these bikes that can really get the best out of them. Knowing which parts from which bikes fit together to provide you with the best overall spec is the product of too many hours messing with xt's!

It's for this reason that I wouldnt go to a Yamaha dealer who will merely rebuild the bike to a spec identical to the original. Only by using a real specialist will you see any benefit from an old bike rebuild. See if there are any specialists near you who can advise you or take care of the details. Other than that I can only advise you regarding the people I deal with here in the UK. A bit far away I think!

Anyway, best of luck,


Dave

Well, I´ll look for some sort of reliable off-road tuner, since i´ve got a lot of time to search before getting any bike, i don´t find anyeone, i´ll probably stick to one of the recent bikes.
Thanks for the advices, if there are any portuguese out here that may be of some help pointing a proper mechanic please speak out.

Why don't you try an XTZ660 Ténéré ?

Very good bike, just get a good voltage regulator and progressive front springs, these are the weak points.
And with some minor mods like air filter, exhaust, smaller main jet and overhaul of the rear shock it rides ok.
If you come to Holland you can try mine.
Cumprimentos,

------------------
Fred, XTZ660, Holland.

Thank you for both the offer and the advice Fred, I guess that from now on my choice is going to be based on what the market offers regarding single XT´s, so if a good XTZ comes by, who knows!

Pedro, be sure to come to the HU Portugal Travellers Meeting July 11-13 2003. (See the meeting page for details

hint:

<----

I'm sure you'll get some good info there, bound to be some XT's there.

------------------
Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
------------------------

One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

What are the main diferences between the engine on a TTR600 and the one on the new XT600? The mileage they´ll put on before anything going wrong is prone to be the same, right? If so, would´t a TTR with quite a larger tank be far better than a XT600 mainly beacause of the suspension, and about the rear frame? Are they alike? Do they hold the same weight? How is the TT running with lox octane fuel?

I read in another topic that you should replace the standard carb of new XTs for a TeikeiY27PV in order to regain the original punch, exactly what are the gains on this operation and how would it affect the fuel mileage.

There are big differences between a TTR and a XTE , way more than in the past
TTR has a different and streghtened frame, with long travel suspensions (280 and 320 mm )fully regolables has a seat height 7-8 cms higher than XTE, weight about 138 kilos dry and has 48 hp at shaft.. short range gearbox and only kick-starter
XTE has frame and suspensions more suited for road use (cheap) 160 & 200 mm. travel , no possibility of regulation apart the load precharge on monoshock , weigh 160 kilos dry and have 38 hp at shaft , only electric starter

Fixing a Teikei Y27PV carburettor takes the power to the original XT's 43 hp , the difference on mileage is negligible.

You say the TTR´s frame is stronger than a XT´s, is this also true for the rear frame or would i need to reinforce it in order to fick a luggage rack, probably for panniers.
From everything i´ve read i can only conclude that the only downsizes of a TTR when compared to a XT are the non existing battery, from wich to charge any electrical devices, and the higher price, right?
I think that the higher price is an acceptable condition since it´s suspensions make it a lot better off-roader than the XT but isn´t it easy to charge a GPS without a battery while on the road, with the engine running?