Me and my wife have an XT660R each. We are lovin' them. Lighter than then the 660 'tenere, cheaper to buy, better MPG, and lots more comfortable too. Downsides are a smallish tank for travel - about 180miles and you are close to fumes only, a bit less protection from the smaller screen (although personally I prefer this), and fewer off the shelf farkles.

Mods to make: see you how you get on with the throttle, they have a reputation for being snatchy - XT660.com do a thing called the Kev Mod which fools the ECU into running richer.

Change the exhausts for lighter silencers or an even lighter 1:1 system (Metal Mule, OffTheRoad.de and a couple of other places do them. MM seems to be the cheapest. I got my MM system 2nd hand; wife has Akrapovic 1:2 silencers

A decent bash plate if you need to go off road. Note the various 1:1 exhaust systems give 5-6cm extra ground clearance as they re-route the headers. You will also need a bash plate designed for the rerouted exhaust though. Again MM seem to be the best (I have one) and my wife has a Touratech bash plate, which is huge.

Handlebars have a reputation for being easily bent although my wife has dropped her bike several times with no damage yet. But some sort of Renthal seems to be favourite - check on 660.com

Acerbis or Barkbuster handguards always a good addition.

Luggage:Not the best bike for attaching luggage to in standard trim, although lots better than many other dual sport bikes. We use Giant Loop great basin bags and a GL tank bag. We decided we didnt want to add all the extra weight of panniers, pannier frames and topboxes. I am busy farkling to get a couple of Kriega tail packs to act as tank panniers and also looking to fit a couple of tool tubes. Finally we have a B&B luggage rack picked up on a visit to Australia. Well made and worth looking out for. I am thinking about attaching a Rotopax fuel cell to either the luggage rack or to a bracket where the left hand silencer used to be.

That's all I can think of for now, oh, except the headlight is unfeasibly good for the size and look of the unit.

Enjoy your bike I think they are a cracking bike. We will be in Pembroke in mid-Feb on it with a group from XRV.org.uk. If that's your part of West Wales we would be more than happy to meet and chat.

I've been a member there since the first XTR, but I have now upped my subscription. I agree about the depth and breadth of knowledge there.

I was considering a Dakar, as it was the low riding position of the GS that was the main issue. However, the poor quality of the fasteners and finish of the GS (and the epic battles to remove seized bolts) made me wary of getting another BMW single. Seriously, my 19-year-old XT600E has less rust on the fasteners, has more paint on the engine cases, and is easier to work on. I would have inspected a Dakar with a microscope before committing money to it. That shouldn't take away from the fact that they are a great package overall.

I'm a few miles North of H/West, so about 12 miles from Pembroke. Send me a PM when you know your dates and we will meet for a mug of cocoa or something.

I know it's a cracking bike - I had a pic of one for my desktop background when I had the last one, and for some strange reason I never felt the need to change it. It's still there.

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2006 XT660R daily ride, 1994 XT600E about to be reborn, Blog: http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/