Common sense directs me to 'Tenerise' either a new TT or XT 600 for my Pan American mission after having read AMH and following the logic of a Single Cylinder Air Cooled Bike. Question is, which of the above is most suitable ? Specifically, does the TT have a more solid rear end than it's brother ? I'm aware of the other differences, and the simplicity of the TT appeals providing I can find a big enough tank , but is there any other factor I should be aware of ?
For instance . why is the TT more expensive ?

Would appreciate the opinion of Dr. Klaus !

hi,
first, i'm not a doctor, but thanks for the flowers! i see myself more as a mediator. not everything what i write is from my own experience (although i have some ;-) ) but i know whom to ask. so far...
i read also the story about this tenerized xt. an interesting concept but i ask myself wether it is not better to modify an old xt since the old xt (up to 89/90) has lots of what is implemented in the above concept. all you have to do (if you want) is to change the engine to a newer one (starting from 1996) and some minor modifications and the result will be the best xt you can get.
you shouldn't forget that the roots of the old xt lie in the rallye paris-dakar and lots of technical solutions are implemented in the serial modell. after 1990 when yamaha stopped to build the air-cooled tenere this poor bike was degraded to something what we call in germany a 'butter and bread' motorcycle. it will be sold as long as the figures are ok and then it will die silently...
regarding your question:
of course the rear subframe of the tt is not as strong as that from the xt.
the tt has a sportive concept where the emphasis lies on good performance, light-weight and easy handling. so, if you think about a travelling bike the xt is more suitable in my opinion.
regards,
klaus@xt600.de

me again, forgot something:
if it must be a tt, you can find lots of interesting equipment here: http://www.off-the-road.de/
also interesting: http://www.xpower.de/yamaha.html
both is in german only, so if you need translation please feel free to ask me.
bye
klaus@xt600.de

If you're UK based, get the March 2001 issue of Trail Bike Magazine, which featured an article by Chris Scott about an overland XT. Starting with an XT600E it documents all the necessary modifications to bring the bike up to spec for travelling. The bike was built by Dave Lambeth, an acknowledged XT expert. You can also find the article on Chris' website at,
http://www.adventure-motorcycling.com/mcy/mcy06.htm

I hope this helps.

Iain.
'99 XT600E

Here in Italy is avalaible (and nice too!) also the TT/E ...a mix of XT/e (motor) and TTR with downgraded suspensions...price is also low ...about 4300 euros..but has not the kick-starter

I'd rather will look for an used XT from 87 to 91 - model 2KF and eventually "regenerate" the motor - will be more versatile respect the TTR but more rugged and able off-road respect XTE ...and with the money saved you may travel more or invest in good equipment.

Problem solved.....

I just bought a BMW F650 GS PD........

Trying to decide what bike to buy was a real trip, and impatience got the better of me. Now all I have to do is mortgage the house to buy the Touratech tank kit....