If it help's.
I have moved from a large bike to the nice and small XT660R.
I fitted a set of my old panniers useing a new set of rack's from TT.
TT also make a very good full size engine guard,at about £120 and for the size of it ,it seems to be good value,and the part's arrived in less than a week.
I have taken the bike off road with a pillion and it does the job well.
I have also been getting 70mpg 2 up and loaded,so 70+ should be doable solo.
With a 5lt jerry can on the back,that would give me a range of 300 mile's or so.
And there is still a few pre registered one's for sale at £3200 !!!!

OK...having had a test ride and weighing the pros and cons of big bike vs little bike and XT660R vs all the others I'm going to go for it and plump for the XT.

I'll add some feedback here as I kit the bike up and following my 3 week exploration of Scandinavia.

Thanks to all who provided comments here

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greencat

The XT660 isn't really a development of the XT600, it’s a whole new bike, so any comparisons on that level are like comparing an XT660 to a KTM Adventurer, however, I believe it is (XT660) a bloody good bike from a company that understands how to build reliable and practical motorcycles, at a fair price. It’s on my list of bike to consider after my XT600 gets pensioned off – a while yet.

As for touring on a single, I believe it’s the way to go, there is enough power to propel yourself and all you luggage along at a reasonable rate in safety, whilst not being too heavy to pickup when you drop it and you will at some point. Have a look at the problems people have with the bigger bikes and there more complex systems. In this month Bike magazine there is an interesting article about riding to Timbuktu; complains about the bigger bikes being too heavy and breaking down amazed me.

For my two pence worth, I would buy one and then give loads of money to Metal Mule to kit it out. They make really solid kit from panniers (which I have) to sump guards and exhaust systems. Check out Bike High – they have nothing but praise for both the XT660 and the Metal Mule equipment – they even raced their touring bike in the Himalayan Rally and won their class.

Happy Trails.

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http://www.moto-andalucia.com

Hi there,

I bought an XT660R recently and will be starting on a RTW in 2008 on it. Im currently equipping the bike. So far here is my rundown...

...the bike is ridilled with fueling problems which yamaha have not been able to cure (apparently not even on the 2007 models). The main problem is the fueling which is very surgey and causes the bike to cut out at low speeds. XT660.com has a number of fixes for this although none seem top be perfect or absoloute without shelling out or major modidfications. I'm currently considering a power commander to cure these problems, all the other cures involve lots of cutting of snorkels etc. which isnt such a wise move in the desert. Do try XT660.com; there are some good techies on there. I would be well aware of this before buying one, no one seems to have found a complete cure. Its pissing me off quite alot, but liveable with.

Apart from that my only dilemna is the pipes. I dont know whether to just get some new pipes without the cats in them (The xt has these in their pipes) or get a 2-into-1 to aid ground clearance. Im not going to be doing off off road, but the consensus seems to be that its a wise move. If this is the case i will probably buy the offtheroad.de kit. The problem with a 2-into-1 is that noone seems able to equip the 660r with both a 2-into-1 pipe and engine bars. For me engine bars were a must as i expect to drop the bike lots

Apart from that im very happy, and a fabulous little bike. I paid 2700 quid for mine with 2000 miles on the clock a few months ago a couple years old. Was minters and in great condition.

Here is my list of expected changes to the bike before the trip:

Yamaha Hand Protectors
Pipes (To remove Cat convertor)
Engine Bars
Uprate Fork Springs/rear spring (Currently fork is very soft)
Bash Guard
Renthal Bars (Current bars are very cheap and bendy)
Panniers/Rack
tkc 80 tyres
rallye footpegs
folding gear lever
Large Screen (Get bashed about at the moment on the highway at 80mph or so)
GPS mount


That little lot should get me going.

Thanks
Joe (Leaving March 2008)

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Thanks
Joe

At present...commuting (and probably riding like a pratt) i find i actually only get about 50mpg. Saying that this week i'm going to try and behave myself and see what i can push it to.

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Thanks
Joe

One thing that scared me off XT660, besides low exhaust and relatively high weight, was the fact that the engine is not made by Yamaha but Minarelli (Italy). Entire bike is made by MBK in France, not Yamaha.

Excellent machine and will take anyone anywhere for any amount of time. 2 guys used these to go to the highest altitude a bike has been ridden (in india), they rode there from the UK, attempted the climb and achived it then rode home.
best mods are micron exhaust (doesnt go under engine)

I want one, where can they be purchased for £3500? when Ive looked there more like £6000