Yamaha XT 600E. Grrrrrreat bikes! Tough, simple, reliable, relatively capable in the dirt. IMHO the ultimate adventure tourer for one up in the third world. Although I'm sure many people have their own ideas on this!

Matt

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*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

Go looking for condition and features rather than a particular model. A DR with a big tank, pannier rails and under 20,000 miles on it is going to be a way better prospect than an XT you've got to fit out yourself. I wouldn't even worry about the capacity too much. A good 350 has lots going for it over an abused 650 or twenty year old 900 and considering range and a nice steady 40-50 mph is what you are looking for any can work.

What's your mechanical background? I have a personal hatred of twin carbs and anything electrical or water related from Munich, so I too would pick an XT all things being equal, but if you used to work for the local dealership I'm sure you'd have a different view again.

If it's light, well maintained and you understand what it'll do and why, that's your bike. Could be a C90 or an Enfield as much as a KTM.

Andy

I'm going to try to sell my bike this year, or else i'll be shipping it to Oz in December from the UK.

I was riding to Oz, but a baby's on its way!

Anyone interested can see it at Touratech Travel Event in two weeks or at the HU meeting at Ripley in June.

Will put spec into the 'For Sale' section in a while.

It's fully farkled.

Mike

Hey guys,

thanks for all the quick replies

I'll be buying the bike in Australia (where i live), and shipping it over to Nairobi / Mombasa. So i think KLR's are pretty common here aren't they? and yes, i'll be buying it 2nd hand, can't afford brand new.

The XT sounds like a pretty decent choice, but so do other bikes.. ahhh what a dilema to have I'm thinking it's probably between the KLR, XT, Africa Twin or the DR650.. hmm i haven't really narrowed it down much have i.. lol

Threewheelbonnie, thanks for the help mate. My mechnaical experience isn't great, but one of my mates is an apprentice mechancic so he's slowly teaching me what he knows and i'm getting better i think by the time of my trip i should be pretty good.

discoenduro, your bike looks impressive! how come your shipping it to aus? My trip isn't until next year so if you have any trouble selling it let me know as a December purchase would probably suit me pretty well. Nice christmas pressie for myself

One (or two) more question(s) while i'm here, how old and how many km's do you think i should be looking at? I really need reliability but obviously the bike will be cheaper if i get an older version. i was thinking like 5 years old max, but is that a bit snobby? because i'd rather save some cash and get a slightly older bike if you reckon it'd be up to the job.

Thanks for all the help, Happy Travelling

As Threewheelbonnie suggests above, I would look at the overall condition rather than age... an older bike that has spent most of it's life on the street would be ideal, conversely, a bike that has already been prepared and used regularly overland will (hopefully) have also been well maintained by the previous owner...?

Either way, you want to check that it is not using oil, that the gearbox is still sweet, and factor in changing the wheel (and quite possibly steering and suspension) bearings anyway as a precaution. If the bike has been used off-road, check the wheels/rims for damage and buckles (as these can be pretty expensive if you need to replace them). You can freshen up tired suspension relatively cheaply too.

Hope that helps,

xxx

Condition is the thing, but if you go look at every suitable bike on e-bay and auto trader you'll be getting to there for the wrong world cup.

Over a year and with at least 5000 km on the clock would convince me it wasn't a bad a day in Yokohama when it was made, but rather that the seller should have gone straight out and bought the K1200 he really wants. Under 5 years old and less than 50000 km would have me go look. Something maybe 10 years old would need to have a lot of nice items already on and I'd need the owner to convince me he knew what he was doing. It's very nice that the previous owner replaced all the bearings, but if he's a muppet that had to do it because he doesn't bother using any oil, walk away (quickly). You are looking for something well maintained but fairly mechanically original rather than someone's abandonned project IMHO. Cosmetic damage can be your friend BTW, think of how much the price will drop with a nice ding on the tank that you might just bin anyway

One advantage in buying from a dealer is that if you get time you can put a few km's on while getting other bits and pieces together and if there is anything serious you've a chance of some redress.

Andy

Dominator!!!

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