> Klaus I own a 34L model, 1983 XT 600 Tenere, What modifications would
you
> suggest for this model, to make it more reliable. stronger etc for long
distance and off-road.
> Much appreciated.
> Cheers Doug.

hi doug,
although the 34L is known as a very reliable and strong bike, there are some points to mention:

first and main: oilpump!
the oilpump (to be correct: there are two pumps in one housing, one to bring back the oil from the dry sump to the oiltank and one to lubricate camshaft, piston,
crankshaft etc.) is a bit weak, there are reports about piston-problems (overheating) because of that.
recommondation: change against the actual pump (first used in tenere 3AJ, '88 model until today in every xt/tt600 model). the haul capacity is double compared to the
old one. here is a pic of the pump:http://www.xt600.de/xt_schraubertips...e_1vj_expl.jpg. you can identify the actual pump by the two grooves to be found on the outside end of the drive axle (pic shows 86-87 model's pump:
one groove, haul: 50% more). important: you have to change also the plastic sprocket against the new one since the drive axle is longer! don't forget paper-gasket and
two o-rings.

then:
rims: there are reports about small cracks in the rims of '83 and '84 model. check that. starting from tenere 55W ('85 model) the rims are different and better.

suspension: if you ride offroad and/or with heavy luggage, different suspension is very recommended. front: use white power or technoflex progressive springs. rear:
use öhlins (from sweden, this is the best available) or white power or technoflex. a suspension unit with external compensation tank is expensive, but worth of its
money. unfortunatly such things are difficult to find second hand, even in germany.

chain-kit: very recommendable, especially for offroad is a ratio of 14:40 (front/rear sprocket). use D.I.D. x-ring chain with a dry-lube spray.

gears: the 5th gear is a known weak point of all xt600 models until today (but worst until 1988). the live-span of the gear is usually about 50.000-60.000 km but
depends very much on the driver. avoid low (<3000) and high (>6000) revs. especially strong acceleration from low revs in 5th gear is deadly. there are possibilities to
make the 5th gear more relaible, but i can't describe everything in detail here. ask, if you want to do something.

alternator, cdi-unit: isolation of the coils in the alternator was not the best in the models up to 1988. this may cause ignition problems, especially if the bike was out of
use for a long time. check resistance values of the coils if you have problems to start the bike. the cdi circuit is a bit strange, but it works. nevertheless i would consider
it as a good idea to have a spare one or at least to know where you can get one if nessecary.

that should do for the first. have fun and send us a pic from the outback!
bye
klaus


[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 18 November 2001).]