Tuning the xt600
 

Hi,
When i went on my first ride with an xt600 i said to my self:Omg this bike pulls like a ****ing tracktor!
I got me one and soon after i realised that when the road
opens up the xt simply isnt up to the job. On the highway i can't keep up with the rest of the traffic and on my favourite twisty route i cant keep up with my friends.
I got a k&n filter and exchaust, raized the 2nd needle,but still there is not much going on,so im thinking about
changing the cam/big bore and rejetting.
There are pleny of big bore kits around but im afraid they only raize the midrange not the max-hp so the cams seems like the obvious choice,losing some mid-range i dont care.the bike has plenty.
has anyone tryed changing the cam,what was it like?
I also cant find dyno sheets on the net,anyone willing to share please reply,thanks!
P.s. I looked into the parts lists and found that the tt600e
has main jets #168/110 with 39hp and the same era xt has #130/100 with 36hp.Should i order tt neddles/jets?
P.s2.Forgot to mention there is a worhshop nearby offering oversize valves (for an unknown price).is that a good idea?

Hi Valera, don't want to offend you, but XT is a bike born for a dual use, on\off road. There is not a lot to do with the engine, except as you said replace piston with a bigger one, and a modified cam -both expensive solutions- but on the highway more than 130\140 (that you probably can easily get with your engine now) will be hard to achieve anyway, for the air pression against your body. On twisty routes, if you did not already, get a street wheel pair a supermoto wheel pair maybe.

I find that start to play with carburetor is a pain, you need to make a lot of test, assembling, disassembling and again, again, again.

There is something about carburator here, but german only
Motorrad.de ·
XT-Tipps
Vergaser

My advice is that before to buy new spare (these parts are not eeasy to find second hand) parts for hundreds of euros, and lose time for setup, to gain maybe 5\6 KW (that would be ALOT) if you really need MORE power, better to get another bike, maybe a street one.

As said putting your hands on carburator is a long process, jets are not easy to find, and for the best you should have a test bench to test correctly every setup. And to buy a "Super Jet Kit" for 50-100 euro and not working would be really frustrating.

Power
 

Basically agree with the last post, however there's some small things that can be done to liberate the intake and exhaust system:
- Intake: you have a K&N already, so that's good. But, the inlet openings of the the airboxes are notoriously small. Open them up (surgery!) as much as possible. The opening is probably restricting the airflow. No worries abt jetting, the XT is notoriously overrich.
- Exhaust: I have never seen the k&N exhaust, but guess it's just one of those alu / stainless pipes that give more noise rather than grunt. Find or make yourself the largest (in volume) absorption damper you can find. That'll noticeably improve things.

The TT carb (later models) is different from the XT carb, the second stage throat is larger. If you can find one, it might help, provided the intake system provides sufficient air.

Then, going to cams etc, see KEDO - Performance Products, they do race cams, and btw stage 1, 2 or 3 tuning kits, in ascending price ranges and involving ever more changes to the engines internals.

Auke

XT Tuning
 

Valaar, basically its like this.....the XT is a tractor off road, it will go n go n go n go n go longer than you or i can ride in a day. on fire roads, dirt tracks, pot holed back roads, twisty mountain tracks it brilliant!..........BUT if you want a bike for going quicker on the road (tarmac) but with some off road usefullness oh i'm gonna upset people here.... get a Super Tenere 750. I loved mine to bits, but it had its limitations offroad..mostly due to the fact it was a fat pig of a bike that had too much power and was really top heavy, and being very tall was a pain if you needed to "dab" to steady yourself on slow sections.. but on the tarmac...... more grunt than a shedfull of pigs! topped 120mph regularly (on a private road officer) so dont worry about keeping up with your mates on one.....they would probably have to worry about keeping up with YOU!:funmeteryes:

Hi,thanks for replying.
I also agree with you guys,Im just looking for some more
top end so that my beloved xt can better suit my favourite routes.
Forgot to mention the bike is motard with wp springs and oversize brake(Great handling,light feeling),I ride it just for fun as i have another bike for commuting and i never take it off the road.
Trading it for a xtz doesnt fell right,guess i just love it to much.I reckon the xtz is fun to ride thow.
lol aukeboss,the excaust isnt k&n indeed.I have crd headers and used to have a remus silencer until it was..stolen.so its back to stock.
You couldnt be more right about the noise/power gain ratio.Ive heard like a hundred diffrent silencers and they all make soo much noise..
Kedo.de are great,Its just I live so far way from them so i can only order a cam and an oil cooler from them.
Ill also drill the airbox(get rid of the nozzle completly?)
and post wat it was like.
Ill also try to trade my carbs for some tt carbs(what year?)
Regards,Val.

Not Sure what year you have, but I have seen 1990XT that had the exhaust opened, and part of the baffling removed, welded shut again.
It wasnt much louder than stock. perhaps someone here knows more.

Steve

I must agree with the other responses the XT is built for purpose, its a dual sport do anything go anywhere bike. Having come from a sports bike I must admit its not amazingly quick in a straight line but mine is certainly quick enough to keep up and even blast down the motorway and on twisty roads I have destroyed blades and R1's. Low down grunt is what I like and especially here in the UK where speed traps and cameras are everywhere. Mine has got a pipercross filter and full stainless system I have decided not to mess with the engine because I don't want to lose reliability or full consmption. I think if the XT is not quick enough go for a different bike maybe a supermoto like Husaberg or Husqvarna having tried both you will not have the comfort and long distance ability the XT gives.

Yes
 

Get rid of the nozzle completely, certainly if you never go offroad.
Exhaust: the original is shit, basically a cheaper version of the earlier Tenere exhausts, but now with the expansion chamber just removed.
On my Tenere I have a Laser Duotech, enormous silencer body containing a large absorption damper and a chamber at the end. The noise is civilised, the grunt is up.

Auke