XT 660
 

Hola folks,
What do you make of the new XT660? You know, the liquid cooled one with elec fuel injection and all that.
Any good for overlanding, or ridden by the same weaknesses as the other late generartion XT's (weak frame, no k-starter, low fuel capacity etc.)?
Any comments are highly appreciated!
Yours,
m.

There was just a exhibition close by me, and i got a chance to take a closer look at the new XT660.

In my opinion this bike is buldt for city use only!!!

The hole bike felt very flimsy.
The suspention is very soft, so if you plan to carry enny kind of luggage som stiffer springs is a "must".

Annyway, i am going to test it on som gravel roads as soon as the snow goes away here, and a testbike comes availeble.!

BTW: I ride KTM 640 Adventure on tour, and WR250F in enduro races..

I saw one at the UK motorcycle show last year and had a very good look at the bike.

"Flimsy" is a good way to describe the machine. The bike seems to have been built down to a price, although this isn't reflected in the retail price. Plastics, wheels and suspension were particularly cheap and nasty.

When you look at some of the quality bikes Yamaha produce it's difficult to imagine what they were thinking of.

I have bought one of the new XT660Rs. Here are my impressions and experiences. Yes I agree - it looks pretty cheap alongside, say a Transalp or Beemer GS. The plastics are horrible and the decals peel etc, etc.
But: I did 1400 miles up to and around Scotland in 6 days and the bike was excellent and very comfortable indeed. 70+mph Motorway speeds loaded up with camping gear - very smooth (for a single) and on single track twisties the handling and stability were a revelation - MUCH better than a Transalp or GS650. It handles mild off road comfortably and feels well balanced. Headlight is superb. Gearbox is good. Engine "feels" flat, but it pulls well and tops out at around the ton. Brakes are OK - nothing special.
I have now done 3600 miles and everything is 100% OK. No oil used. After a couple of top ups before 1000 miles no coolant used. Overall average mpg is better than 70, giving a range of 200 miles. It has been ridden all day on tracks through the Welsh Hills and nothing has fallen off or worked loose.
I appreciate that this isn't high mileage round the world stuff, and only time will tell if it can handle really big trips, but, based on my own experience, I wouldn't swap it for anything in its price range. In my opinion is a better all round riding bike than either the Transalp, GS, DRZ or the KTMs I have ridden. A true all rounder.