Learning my way round my xt600e...
 

Hello people, Im looking for some input from you guys and girls.

On my last trip with my last xt600 I had some engine troubles near tashanta (russian-mongolian border), and basically didnt know enough about engines to start taking it apart and fixing it.

In the end it didnt need fixing as I just rode it as it is until I crashed and ended up having to be flown home (leaving the poor xt to a mongolian)

Now..... I would like to get my head round my engine on my new xt by taking it apart and looking, but I am worried about maybe making it less reliable if I do so...

The new bike is in great nick and only 8000 miles so I am nervous to take it apart as I dont want to mess it up.
I dont have enough money/space to buy another xt to play with, so that option is out of the window.

I have basic mechanical knowledge too, always servicing my bikes, cars, vans etc, changing discs and pads. But never delved into an engine too much.

What do you guys think? Is the best way to learn to take it to bits? Will I just cause more damage than good?

Also doesnt matter if this xt isnt on the road for a bit as I use my other bike to get to work on/run about.

Hope this made sense and thanks in advance
Rob

If you take your engine apart you have to replace the gaskets and should change the oil seals and o-rings while you're at it. Who know's what else you'll find needs doing when you open it up though.
If you don't need it then it's a great way to learn about your bike (it's how I learned/am learning), on the other hand if I hadn't opened up my bike I could have probably bought a new one for the price of parts I put into it!

The old adage 'If its not broke dont fix it' and you might even break it just taking the exhaust manifold off.

What was up with your bike then with these being pretty reliable ?

I'd leave the motor alone, and do stuff like removing swingarm and greasing the bearings ect. Its pretty hard to **** it up, and you get to work on youre bike. But at 8k's nothing should really need anything.

But its always nice to know how to change oil, adjust valves, change sprockets and chain, set correct chainslack ect. ect.

Youtube (and this forum) is your friend :thumbup1:

Yeah I know all that stuff, apart from the rear swing arm bearings. Learnt about that kind of stuff over the bikes I have owned in the past (including an xt), mainly learnt them to save costs on a mechanic....

And with regards as to what happened I think it was overfilled with oil and went bang dumping the oil then got it fixed and did the same as I'm sure the mechanics I used overfilled it again...

Posted up on here about it and with all the info I supplied at the time, I think we came up with busted piston rings.

Basically I had a lack of power and kept stalling etc.

I was only gonna take the current bike apart for personal gain, I love these bikes. They are nails and really wanna know them like the back of my hand :)

I would leave the XT alone if it doesn't need fixing and go and buy another one that's not going and start with that. If its around the same year as your current bike then at the worst you will have a load of spares and at the best another XT to either sell or use. Maybe pick up an earlier model than what you already have and restore it the engines haven't changed that much to my knowledge and they all work the same way. Nothing more frustrating than having a bike in pieces just when you feel like riding it.