Xt "101"

[X-TY]

I am the happy new owner of a 1990 XT600E!!!! But I am admittedly a complete newbie as this is my first motorcycle to own. I am not planning an overland trip (yet), and my question is not really technical. Rather, I just want to learn the essentials that every motorcycle owner should know and then go from there. advice like how often do I change the oil and with what type, chain tension, carb cleaning, etc. Also this bike is completely stock so if there is any "must have" after market product that I should get, that would be helpful as well. Or if there is anything notoriously faulty to watch for. XT600 "101" if you will.

Above all I just wanted to introduce myself to the forum and thank everyone who contributes as I have already learned so much just reading the countless threads. I look forward to learning much more, but you got to start somewhere right?

thanks,
X-TY

[gixxer.rob]

Hi there,

Getting a Haynes manual for the bike would be a good start for the servicing info. oil changes etc.

Might be another place for XT 600 info.
XT600E.CO.UK - The Home for XT600E Information (Variants also welcome)

Good luck and enjoy.

[Warthog]

Seconded.

A Haynes or Clymer manual (I prefer Haynes) will tell you all the basics you need to know as well as more major jobs for when your experience/needs require it.

Haynes is plain, easy to follow language with a good glossary of terms, recommeneded tools, and a trouble shooting section.

[BlackDogZulu]

Thirded. I'm a big fan of Haynes, despite all the "Book Of Lies" jokes. Sometimes they do get it wrong, but generally they are well-written and easy to understand. Workshop manuals are better, but usually assume a certain level of technical knowledge and may miss out parts of a procedure which would be obvious to a trained mechanic, but useful guidance to the rest of us. Get the manual, and read it religiously, especially the sections on daily and weekly checks, and routine maintenance. That will tell you all you need to know for the time being. When you get more adventurous - well, come back here and ask a few questions!

You've chosen a great bike to start out on. Simple, tough, and full of character.

[X-TY]

I appreciate the advice, but I cant for the life of me find a Haynes manual on any XT besides the 350, and Clymer only has the manual for the 1983 to 1989 XT. Would that work the same? I went to both websites to search, searched amazon, and then did a broad google search, still nothing for the 1990 to 2004 XT600's. Maybe I am just not seeing it. A link would be much appreciated or if there is any other route to send me, feel free to do so. (maybe someone has an old one laying around thats not being used that I could buy?)

thanks again for all the help,
X-TY

[BlackDogZulu]

Oops - sorry, you are right. Haynes don't list anything for the XT600E - the 350 is the nearest. Having owned both, I can say that they will be broadly similar in construction and procedures, but the details will no doubt be very dirrerent.

I have both the owner's manual and the workshop manual on CD, and between them they cover everything you need to know. For someone looking for basics of routine maintenance etc, the owner's manual covers the essentials and would be a good place to start. It covers quite a lot of the simpler technical stuff, and is not the 'check engine light, visit dealership' type of approach. I think I got mine off ebay, but I can send you a copy if you like.

I'm amazed that Haynes haven't covered the bigger XTs, considering the length of production and the world-wide popularity of the range.

[BlackDogZulu]

Just to clarify - the manual I have is for the XT600EP, dated 2001, but I haven't found any differences between the contents and my 1995 (UK spec) bike. 100 pages, 1.93MB, PDF document.

And I see I have just passed 100 posts on this board - go me!

[X-TY]

Wow, way to go veteran HUBBer. Yes. that would be great if you could send that to me. Email I presume? My address is "ty_h_@hotmail.com". Thanks for doing that.

[BlackDogZulu]

YHM, I hope

[Matt Cartney]

Hi,

Well done, you've bought a nice bike! ;-)

There was a post on here a while ago which had a downloadable service and parts manual for the XT600. As far as I know Haynes don't do a manual for the XT. The Clymer one is not a bad substitute but out of date for later bikes. One of these days I'll get round to downloading the service manual from here!

Good thing about the XT is that it's nice and simple with very little to go wrong and they are reliable to legendary status. They are also tough as nails. The only weak spot I've noticed is the handlebars that will bend in a fairly minor spill. I went through two pairs before buying myself a set of Renthals , which are proving to be very tough. Lots of aftermarket stuff available for XTs. I've got Touratech racks (very tough) with Alpos boxes (not so tough but cheap and every bit as good as the Touratech boxes). I also have the Acerbis 23 litre tank, which is fantastic and a Dave Lambeth bash plate (also superb quality). This is about all the mods I would bother with. When my stock exhaust finally rusts away (they need looking after, one minor weak spot with the bike) I will replace it with a stainless system. I change my oil and filter every 5 thousand kilometres. Keep the bike clean, particularly of salt, as they do have some corrosion susceptible parts. Some people paint the central part of the rim with waxoyl or similar, as these can be affected by rust. Will get round to this myself some day!

Matt

[X-TY]

Got the Email. Many Thanks.

Matt,
I am so glad that you said that about the XT. I bought this bike simply because I got a good deal and I'm finding that the more I drive it, the more perfect it is for me. Especially since this is my first bike and I want to learn how to maintain the bike myself. The fact that it is so simple and that you guys on the forum are so helpful is just stellar. Thanks for the tips on the after-market products as well.

In regards to washing the bike regularly, what is the best method of doing this? ...GAWD, I sound like such a newbie!

[BlackDogZulu]

Here's my routine (others *will* differ):

Weekly:
Pressure wash the main crap off
Spray with motorcycle cleaner (Muc-Off etc)
Leave while drinking tea
Spray Muc-Off off
Have another cup of tea while it drip-dries
WD-40 on all exposed metal (excluding brakes)
Oil can to moving bits (levers, footrests etc)
Paddock stand out and lift back wheel
Lube drive chain with some Scottoil I have hanging around.

This is keeping it looking reasonable through the winter and fairly rust-free (except the exhaust headers, which are rotting before my eyes). It's based on everyday use on some filthy roads. If it doesn't get done, well - there's always next time. Total time (excluding tea-drinking) about 20 minutes. Every month or so I try to go over it with a sponge and soapy water as well - not so much for the cleaning, as for the chance to look at everything and make sure it's all tight and in its proper place. The big disadvantage of a pressure washer is that you don't need to get close to the bike.

Keep the pressure washer well away from bearings and seals. (Seals, in particular, don't like it, and will honk madly and dance on their tail fins in protest.)

[X-TY]

Thanks so much for all the help.