The difference between a TT600R and RE
 

I have a TT600R mod.2001 with 35.000km on the clock.
I think about buying a TT600RE mod. 2004 with yet to be rolled out of the showroom

But the showroom is not here, so i have to ask: Except for the kick/electric-start difference I understand there are a few other differences too. Such as the rear damper, being an Ohlins on the former and a Sachs on the latter (is that an improvement?). And allegedly there is a difference in seat height too (?).
Any other differences?

The front and rear suspension on the RE are much cheaper, at the rear non-adjustable SACHS, in front only pre-tension adjustable, and 230mm on the RE vs. 280mm on the R - that explains the different seat hight.

All suspension parts of your R would however fit on the RE - don't sell them yet.

I see. Thanks.
However, the suspension on my R has covered 35.000km. Not 35.000km of torture, but still... is it good value to swap the parts? Has anybody done this?

I have a 2001 tt600r with 32000 on the clock, and a 2005 tt600re with 1500km on the clock. The re has paoli 46mm forks like the r but less travel and only adjustable for preload. The rear shock is sachs, less travel and only adjustable for preload. Electric start with a gel battery and 170 watt alternator.
The rest is basically the same but the bulid quality is not quite as good ( a bit of weld splatter, the odd loose bodywork bolt- nothing serious).
It has a cush drive as well which should make the chain and sprockets last longer, we will see...
My girlfriend has one too and she finds it a lot easier to ride and lighter than her BMW 650 GS. We are just kitting up for a Newfoundland to Buenos Aires trip via Alaska.
If you have any particular questions let me know.

Hi Leigh, nice to hear from you. Gosh, you have a nice journey ahead. Good luck!!!

It would be nice to hear your opinion since you have both models in question (with nearly the same km's on the clock): If you only could keep the RE, then would you put the suspension on your R on the RE, or would you prefer to keep the Sachs system?

Soory to barge in, but on my 2002 TTR only the preload on the front seems to be adjustable. Is that correct, if not, how could I adjust it?

Auke

On a TT600R the compression and rebound damping are adjustable via the small screws on the fork legs. Compression on the top and rebound on the bottom under rubber caps.
Preload is not adjustable but I never found it a problem.

Thanks for the info!

Auke

Is the swingarms identical or different on the R and the RE?

Theres a question ýve been meanýng to ask for a whýle. Is the suspension linkage dýfferent on the r and re hence the dýfferent rýde height, or are the shockers physýcally dýfferent lengths? I think thýs was mentýoned ýn an earlýer post, but ý want to clarýfy ýt.
I was goýng to have a shorter lýnk made by Talon ýn the UK before ý left to drop my Ohlýns equýpped tt600r by a couple of ýnches(never got round to ýt).
Would anyone else lýke one ýf ý get ýt done on return, should make ýt cheaper for everyone.

i have measured the rear suspension parts of my RE against an R, links and swing arm appears to be the same so my conclusion is the actual shock is the difference.


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Laromo '04 TT600RE

Hi all i have just bought a 2004 TTR600RE and the standard rear suspension is Ohlins not sachs, no problem with weld splatter, very nicely finished, after my xtz660 it's a bit raw but thats the way i like it. It has avery small tank, possibly going to upgrade to an Acerbis if i can find one in the UK. Leigh, what are you doing to the TTR to upgrade for your long trip ahead. All you TTR owners, what or if you had any problems, what were they.One other thing being a Uk bike were they fitted with any restrictors to reduce power, look forward to hearing from you thanks Floyd

Floyd

Congratulations with your recent purchase of a RE 2004. That makes two of us. The difference is that i have not yet seen my RE, and I will not for another two months or so. Therefore it is nice to receive you good report about the welding that year etc...

Leigh is the better man to ask (indeed, he is a R/RE encyclopedia on two wheels). However, I've had an R for quite some time and received answers about the RE from many helpful people here, so let me begin:

The usual problems:

Rain makes the bike run poorly/makes it stop (sollution 1: Use isolation tape or something equivalent around the rear end of the coil where the spark plug lead enter. Or wait a few minutes to let the water evaporate)
(sollution 2: If very heavy rain it might be the spark plug well that is "drowned", and the sollution is again to wait a few minutes letting the hot engine evaporate the water)

The fuel filter inside the carburetor gets clogged by dirt (sollution: Take it out, throw it away, and use an inline filter instead. It might be wise to do this modification before going on a long trip). This happend to me in the Iranian desert. I had no idea what the problem was, but the mastermind Aukeboss further up this page saved my day. Thanks again Auke!

Broken decompression wire on R's (though I believe the RE has a wireless patent. If it is a better patent is another question)

The fifth gear wears out after 30.000km, though it has yet to happen to my R (sollution: Replacement)

Another common gadget to bring along on a long trip is a back-up CDI unit (then again, I have had no need for such replacement so far)

Wonky the adventurer further up this page (hello Wonky!) experienced that the oil hose between the Ohlins rear shock and the oil reservoir to the right of the carburettor ruptured. Resourceful as he is, he found a mechanic - somewhere in Cambodia I believe - that were able to seal the hose. (However, is this the type of Ohlins you have? Photos of the RE 2004 shows no shock oil reservoir to the right of the carburettor)

Otherwise, take a search around the HUBB here where you can read more about these issues. Also, I'm sure the other guys here have a few things to add.

For long trips the smartest thing, in my experience, is to keep your bike simple and free of fancy unoriginal gadgets and sollutions. However, these are exceptions:

The 20 liter Acerbis tank has good reputation among the R/RE people. It is simple, easy to repair, and need no fuel pump (that might fall apart and ruin your trip) as gravity will assist in emptying the tank to the last drop. A safe and smart purchase.

Acerbis does also supply some purposeful neoprene stockings for your front fork (protects the fork seals from sand and dust)

Then you might want a luggage system. My experience with the rack from Hepco & Becker has been nothing but good (although some bikers worry it might not be strong enough). Another supplier which seems to be good is Metal Mule in the UK.

Germany has some good suppliers of R/RE stuff, such as www.kedo.de (which supplies the Acerbis tank, the H&B rack, and a LOT more). Their catalogue can be downloaded (30MB or so, so you might wanna make some coffee before you bet started).

Then you have the not-so-recommended suppliers (and this I cannot emphasise enough) you might wanna think twice before giving these boys a call:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tst...ue/2005_10.php
(scroll down to the grim tank photos)

Finally - and this is very nice indeed - you can download the complete RE 2004 workshop manual at www.tt600r.de (click the technik-link).

Good luck!

[This message has been edited by Eriks (edited 13 February 2006).]

interesting Floyd's rear is ohlins, I have a 2004 RE which has a sachs rear suspender. I've only done 4k kms, but noticed that the paint has cracked on the rear subframe where it bolts to the main frame. Looks like the frame has flexed and the paint didn't. Just going to slap on some underseal or something.

I found marking where the second carb kicks in a good thing to do. Mark it on the bar grip with tipex. It's something interesting to look at when commuting.

I too am intrigued that there is a TTRE with an ohlins rear shock, there are 2 TTREs in my garage looking longingly at the old TTR in the corner with the attractive suspenders. I have looked in vain at the various yamaha sites around the globe and it seems that the TTRE was only available in europe (TTR Australia/N.Z. too). No pictures on any site show the ohlins unit....
As for what goes wrong with them, as Erik says the decompression cable on the TTR snaps, usually due to countless brutal lunges at the kickstart whilst swearing. No such cable on the e-start TTRE.
Brake pads last about 10.000 miles if you aren't heavy on them, plenty of engine braking.( use original pads made for yam by brembo)
Chain and sprockets last about 10.000 miles, cush drive on the TTRE so maybe a bit longer.
Never replaced the fork seals on mine, been in Sahara, Welsh bogs and worse.
Dont go mad doing up the rear spindle nut, they strip easy and nothing else seems to fit it.
Carbs are a bastard to remove if you have to.
The plastic plate that supports the speedo etc can crack and start flapping about after lots of off road battering. Thats about it I think.