£2,200 seems a high price for a late low mileage 2003 XT600E.

In my humble opinion it's worth £1,800 absolute tops with a gaurantee and £1,600 without one. This is for a low mileage bike in MINT condition.

If you take the time to have a look, it's now quite possible to find a more modern, newer XT660 for just under £2,500. That puts your £2,200 XT6 in perspective...

My advice - offer him £1,600 or walk. It's a buyers market and there are lots of bargains out there if you look.

PLAY HARD BALL. :thumbup1:

Any oil is better than no oil....

Make sure it has enough in it....

At 4000 miles , i'ts barely run in. I wouldn't be put off at all.

You do need to budget a service, a grease up and 'Maybe' some new tyres. If it's been standing a while then maybe the carb could be a bit gunked. But maybe not.

Tyres don't automatically fall apart at ten years old like some say. It depends how they're stored. I've seen 30 year old tyres that look better than three year old tyres.

Still, if you want piece of mind, get new rubbers...


£2200 is WAY too much. What's the dealer ???

I bought a mint one with 1800 miles on it in 2007 for £1800. That was private though.

Great bikes though. Proper robust and easy to work on but don't expect to see 70mph for extended periods. I rode South America on my 600E. 65mph is where you want to be.

Have fun ::)

The most important oil change is the one at 600 miles which has been done. The main reason for changing oil yearly even if it hasn't done the mileage is because water builds up in the oil due to condensation. Condensation is much worse if the engine is used for very short trips and never gets up to temperature which may be the case with this bike, however the oil is not degrading with the bike just sitting in a garage. In fact if the oil had been changed yearly and the bike still didn't get used just as much 'damage' will have been done as the oil will have drain down leaving parts in the engine 'dry' and prone to corrosion from humidity.

My old BSA doesn't get much use and the tyres have been on it for more than 20 years and they're fine.

I've got two XT600's, one with large tank, coal-scuttle bash-blate, handguards etc as an on-going adventure project..... the other one has worked it's way to the back of the garage.

Would recommend as a purchase, will take lots of abuse, pull nicely, easy to service etc. Stay on top with the grease gun to avoid the squeaking becoming too annoying ;)

Price seems a bit high, but then if you can't find anything else and it's clean and tidy.... make the offer!

That isn't just dealer caution; that's outright lying. I am an average backyard mechanic, and I can check and adjust the valves in half an hour including a beer. Forks, no experience on the XT, but from doing the same on other bikes, 2 hours tops. He's making up reasons why he doesn't want to do the work, that's all.

XT forks are pretty soft, although I have never bottomed them out so far. You do get used to it, and I quite like it. If I brake on a bike with decent suspension and the bike doesn't go into full ocean-racing yacht mode, I wonder what's wrong.