First newbie post from Montana. I am going to purchase a Yamaha XT600Z Tenere and the owner tells me it is a 1988 model. Identification tag is 3DE-000454. Different codes than US and same numbers are on frame and is there another place to look for other information? It has the big tank (how many litres?) and the headlight has square headlight versus the twin round versions I have looked up.

I have a Tenere with single square headlight with numer staring with 3DS which was originally marketed in Switserland. It had some mods to do with more stringent emission requirements. For the rest it is exactly like the 3AJ.
Following this line yours might be a 3AJ modified for Montana use. Which, by the way, might be in line with the assumption that the 3DS was intended for higher elevations, is Montana high above sealevel?
Another place to look for numbers is the R/H side of the engine block. On top of the casing there is a ribbed patch with a number stamped in which normally is identical to the frame number (if the engine has not been exchanged).

An idea would be to check microfiches which state which framenumbers it applies to. If your bike is a mod from the 3aj it will be mentioned somewhere n the microfiche of the 3aj from 88.

Auke

Those bikes were made from 1988-1990 I think. Don't think they were imported into the US.

The frame number is the important one for parts, the first 3 letters are the model code. These bikes were before VIN numbers which have a different format.

Numbers on individual parts just indicate the model for which that part was first produced e.g. the cylinder block will have a 3AJ mark.

According to a doc I picked up on the web (long gone now) 3DEs were for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

There were differences within models but these are tiny - for example 3AJs for Norway also had a single headlight, for all other countries they were twin lamps - see the 3AJ manual here, page 3-6:

http://www.pm-04.com/dox/3aj.pdf

Most if not all of this manual will apply to your machine. It quotes the tank size as 23 litres which is 5.1 Imperial Gallons or 6.1 US Gallons.

Forgot - the differences between model designations are minor - conformance stuff for individual markets like lights, mudguards or carbs as Aukeboss mentioned. The engine and running gear should be pretty much the same.

Have fun with it.


[This message has been edited by john (edited 19 November 2005).]