I've heard of two other 2008 XT660's at approx the same mileage do the same thing & needing a new cylinder, etc. The cause was dirt getting through or around the standard air filter after riding in dusty desert conditions. The abrasive nature of dust/dirt entering the cylinder wears them out very quickly.
So sounds like the damage was done in the UK-ZA trip.
Bob

silly!
 

Yes,
I'm feeling kind of silly now, gloating the way I did about buying such a cheap new Tenere only to find it wasn't the bike I thought. I think it was due to the guy not looking after it as much as he should have and I'm paying the price now. My fault really, as there's been lots of discussions on here as to whether buy a pre prepped bike or not. I did and lost out. Och well! This time I lost out and not to the fault of him as when I bought the bike it ran fine. I even had it serviced and they reckoned it was good to go.

I'll take the hit, pay the money. My trip is screwed but I'll return home a wiser man and hopefully with a better bike (new engine an all!) I'm heading to South Africa next month and will get to play on my old XT that I left out there so all's not lost..! (Plus the resale on new teneres is still good..!)

New Tenere
 

P.S....... Anybody want to buy a new Tenere with a new engine..... ?

depends, how much and can I ride it back to florida wthout having to take any boats or ferries?

Route to return
 

You could, but you'd have to go the long way around!

Bad luck, but shit happens, I guess.
One thing thats been bothering me tho, how come the French mechanics take a month to do a rebore? Surely a couple of hours to get the barrel off, and a couple to put it back on again, and a day in between while the machining is done. Even if they had to wait for an oversize piston it should take no more than a few days?
Or have I missed something?

this is the french. any success they have must be celebrated with wine, then theres a day or so after to sober up, repeat procedure.

where I am, you can have that jug off same day, at the machine shop by noon, and the overbore piston/rings inbound same day, back to riding home within 4 days tops.

I suspect it is not just because they are Fench. It sounds like the standard main dealer syndrome - "I don't care if you are in the middle of a round the world trip. We have bikes booked in for routine servicing, test etc and you will just have to join the queue.", unlike small independents who are able to be more flexible and even work a little overtime to get an urgent job done. As you say, there are worse places to be stuck.

Bon chance.

OK, a little off kilter, especially as you have a solution already, but,,,

Check your airbox seals, they need to be greased to get a good seal or they will let in sand, which then runs into your engine and all kinds of trouble starts! The barrel/rings will last less than 500 miles with sand running through it.

Make sure you check both sides, just because they are tight doesn't mean they are sealed. If you have changed the airfilter then you need to grease the seal around that too, the OE one is fine but aftermarket stuff can leave small gaps.

Remember that these bikes have a semi-dry sump so they have to be run for a while before you check your oil. Odd but you just need to get into the habit of checking the oil after your ride, not before the next.

Oil brether pipe, it will fill up at those speeds, you need to empty it or it will back fill into the airbox. If you still have the OE paper airfilter then it it going to get wet, break apart and let in the sand again.

These are a great bike, but you do need to understand the weak points like anything else.

Sorry about my earlier post - as told at school many, many years ago, should read the whole question, twice. I overlooked the fact that you had gone to a smaller independent and that even he wanted a month for a rebore.

Yep, it is just the French. I went and married one. When my car broke down out there it took them 6 weeks to diagnose and replace a camshaft position sensor, then a further 6 weeks before Vauxhall UK gave up trying to get Opel to ship it back to me, and asked me if I would go on an expenses paid trip to collect it. Vauxhall were very good & gave me a rental car for 3 months. Opel France were just awkward, obstructive, uninterested, and any other derogatory words you may wish to use to describe them!

me too
 

yes engines nearly always wearthe bore oval, the wearthe front top part more on each power stroke.

I have to say on teh way back from Poland I had to abandon my bike in Antwerp with a failed big end :( I think it was caused by a poorly performing oil pump.

All pistons are made new oval so that is why the bore wears oval.

Its sooooo frustrating trying to get anything done in France but you get used to it quick or it really gets to you!

even as a patient man, I wont be going to france then. screw that. if I have to wait more than a week for an air filter, I buy another one online and tell the shop to refund me my money.

heh, you should be glad I keep the rest of my feelings to myself.