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Yamaha Tech Originally the Yamaha XT600 Tech Forum, due to demand it now includes all Yamaha's technical / mechanical / repair / preparation questions.
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 15 Sep 2015
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I found my XT660Z was very top heavy. It used to absolutely eat the cush drive rubbers. Typically I was getting about 1800 miles out of a set before having to pack them out with strips of car tube. When I had the bike first I found the fuelling very notchy, but after fitting a set of Leo Vince exhausts and getting a remap it was spot on. The height of the bike coupled with the top heavy feel is what put me off though especially on less than perfect terrain.
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Old 16 Sep 2015
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Originally Posted by Geldof View Post
I found my XT660Z was very top heavy. It used to absolutely eat the cush drive rubbers. Typically I was getting about 1800 miles out of a set before having to pack them out with strips of car tube. When I had the bike first I found the fuelling very notchy, but after fitting a set of Leo Vince exhausts and getting a remap it was spot on. The height of the bike coupled with the top heavy feel is what put me off though especially on less than perfect terrain.
Yeah - forgot the cush rubber drives. They dont last long if not done something with. Have made some thin metal spacers of of a metal sheet and placed between the rubber blocks and the rim blocks. It helps a lot.

Top heavy? Its relative I guess. I had a Tiger 955 before and THAT was a ridicilously top havy bike. Also had a Transalp 600 which was way more top heavy than a Tenere.
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Old 16 Sep 2015
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnUzw-U27eA
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Old 16 Sep 2015
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Very difficult to understand the tubby guy so gave up but not before adding a comment to the video, "Is there a version with subtitles for those who don't understand 'strine'?"
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Old 17 Sep 2015
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Did I mention the ridicilously high gearing? OE its 15/45 which gives a rpm of 4000 at 100 km/h. All other similar bikes I have had or ridden have a rpm/km/h ratio of 4600-4700 rpm at 100 km/h.
I changed to 15/48 and it started to feel like a normal bike.

Its also 520 chain and sprockets on the Tenere which feels underdimentioned. Last 15-20 k kms. I have changed to 525 and now a chain and sprocket set lasts + 30 k kms.
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Old 30 Nov 2015
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Originally Posted by Snakeboy View Post
Did I mention the ridicilously high gearing? OE its 15/45 which gives a rpm of 4000 at 100 km/h. All other similar bikes I have had or ridden have a rpm/km/h ratio of 4600-4700 rpm at 100 km/h.
I changed to 15/48 and it started to feel like a normal bike.

Its also 520 chain and sprockets on the Tenere which feels underdimentioned. Last 15-20 k kms. I have changed to 525 and now a chain and sprocket set lasts + 30 k kms.
Regarding the gearing the stock ratios give you an indicated 83 mph at 5000rpm at which it runs quite smoothly. The bike will also still accelerate from this speed reasonably well up to 100 mph in top. Being a BIG SINGLE it will snatch and bang at low speeds/revs in a high gear as the engine fires every other lamp post in comparison to a multi cylinder bike. You can always change down.
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Old 30 Nov 2015
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Being a BIG SINGLE it will snatch and bang at low speeds/revs in a high gear as the engine fires every other lamp post in comparison to a multi cylinder bike.
So funny
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Old 1 Dec 2015
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Originally Posted by keithy View Post
Regarding the gearing the stock ratios give you an indicated 83 mph at 5000rpm at which it runs quite smoothly. The bike will also still accelerate from this speed reasonably well up to 100 mph in top. Being a BIG SINGLE it will snatch and bang at low speeds/revs in a high gear as the engine fires every other lamp post in comparison to a multi cylinder bike. You can always change down.
I have been riding 75 000 kms on my Tenere and through 25-30 different countries and none of them have had speed limits that would allow me to ride 83 mph.

PM - My Tenere will not accelrate much more from a speed of 83 mph at any gearing or sprocket size used and definetively never ever up to 100 mph.
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