hi people ...general question ..probably an old favourite....what is the consensus of opinion of choice between these two bikes for a silk route trip ...
1. yamaha xt660....what would be the best year of manufacture?
2. bmw gs 650....what would be the best year of manufacture?
3.if we wanted to resell these machines in Mongolia /siberia again which would be the better bike.

Allways use Japanese bikes before BMW. Japanese are way more reliable for real traveling BMW are "cooler" to ride to Starbucks and back...

Do you mean the Yamaha XT660Z Tenere or the XT660R? If you mean the Tenere I can tell that Im trying to take such a bike around the world for the moment but most likely I will not be able to endure it because of an endless stream of problems. Despite several rebuilds of engine it wont run as it should.
Its the second heaviest single cylinder bike ever made (after the Suzuki Dr800 mk2) and the engine is known for being prone to surging etc due to lean set up. Not the qualities you would want for a overlanding bike.
A BMW GS650 is lighter, uses less fuel and the 650 engine has been around for ages so it must be pretty solid.

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Hey Snakeboy,

What problems have you had with your Tenere XT660Z?
Mine's been pretty good, but I think probably has a lot less miles than yours....

The list is too long to be mentioned here but but a sudden increase in fuel consumption by 25 % that despite a lot of investigation and check ups havwent been solved and including two top end rebuilds it havent gone back to normal. Its really annoying that a 48 HP 650 cc bike on + 200 kilos weight uses more fuel than my dads car who weighs 1400 kilos and has a 1,6 liter engine of 125 HP - and that while Im riding constantly in fuel saving modus which is max 80-90 km/h and no hard axelrations.
The ECU ans thus the bike died in the australian outback.
The gearbox and the clutch melted together down in Patagonia, a total split of the engine neccesary.
Two top end rebuilds and the bike still consume oil like a two stroker.
Sometimes it doesnt start in rainy conditions.
It eat chain and rear sprockets, rear sprocket wears out twice as fast as front sprocket. Its supposed to be the opposite, isnt it?
In general - a huge lumpy piece of utter shit...

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Sounds like a dud bike to me.

Who did the rebuilds? Did they do the valve guides as well? Valve guide seals?

No excuse for an ECU dying, though....

Sorry to hear that, mate. I wouldn't have persisted that long with it...

Hello

I'm sorry to hear of your many problems.
What is the year and milage of your Z and when started the problems?

I do not think that this is normal and representative for most of the Z's on the road.
There are reports of gear and bearings failings on the net, but overall the 660 engine is very reliable.
I know that doesn't help you, I wish you all the best to solve your problems and save your trip.

It's not what I've experienced with my '08 Z.
Did 105'000km 2 years RTW with some problems but nothing that stoped me for too long.
Started with a new bike. 0km.
27tkm: rectifier, bad contact, saldered the pins and good, no parts needed.
35tkm: rear break disc bended, due to overheating, the break didn't open properly. Replaced disc 4tkm later.
45tkm: hit a rock and had to bend the front rim in a 20t press, 2-3 loose spokes for the next 70tkm.
50tkm: new steering bearing, not enough lubrication at manufacturing.
65tkm: suicide of a kangaroo, after treating the pipes with the press, still slightly bended front fork for the next 50tkm.
80tkm: headlight broken inside, maybe from the accident, stuffed it with foam. No parts.

Valves: checked at 50tkm, o.k. at 105tkm 1 valve needed adjustment.
Fuel consumption was normal at all times, 4.75-5.5 l/100km depending on my riding.
Oil consumption was not measurable until 50tkm, then maybe 1l/10tkm.
Not sure if it was the engine that burned it or the oil vent through the breather hose, a problem of the '08 models.

The spring in the rear suspension lost 2-3cm tension, better to take a stronger spring

At home:
110tkm: a small hole in the radiator caused by a screw of the ventilator mounted on it.
115tkm: bowdon cable of the gas broke.
117tkm: finally I burned the clutch while riding in the snow, got surpriced, used too much grinding clutch.

I would recommend the XT660Z to anybody as a RTW bike.
Perfect bike for someone with limited mechanical skills who treats it not too well, like me.
The R needs some modifications but is lighter.
Can't say anything about the BMW.


sushi

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My RTW:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrXt660ztenere

if you're talking about xt660z tenere get a after 2012 year model (better suspension), definitely avoid 2009 year (gearbox problems). Generally very reliable and capable bike if taken care of.

As per the general discourse of the past couple of postings, your question is less than defined.
Do you mean the F650GS single cyl model (often referenced as the bike with the rotax engine; a brand of engine used to power various micro-light aircraft because of the reliablity factor)?

Somewhat later came the G650GS with the same engine along with the twin cylinder F650GS based on the F800GS model i.e. using a 800cc engine in both of those bikes.

Then there are the G650X, G650 X Challenge and G650X Country that pretty much round off the range of these bikes fitted with the rotax engine; manufactured for only a short period of time.
Oh, yes, there are the Dakar and Sertao versions of the F650GS and G650GS respectively.

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Dave

Youre absolutely correct. The one I was referring to in my answer above her is the single cylinder GS650 with the Rotax engine which I believe is a well proved engine.

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Thenks for the info so far
The yamaha is a xt660r 2006 or 2008
The bmw is a gs650 f 1 cil 2002

In that case you are considering the earlier version of the 650GS single that has the single spark firing (I run the twin spark version engine that came along about 2004/05).

There's nothing wrong with that as such; it may be slightly less fuel efficient than the twin spark but not by a lot, probably.

I forgot to give an honourable mention of the BMW funduro which was the forerunner of all of this range of Beemers - that was the bike with the "original" rotax engine.
Tough as an old pair of boots, arguably.

Apart from well recorded issues with the water pump of the rotax design, which requires an eye to be kept on the purpose designed "weep hole", there are few or no issues with the engine aspect of the bike, all IMO.

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Dave

After that, it depends on how miles each bike has run, what the maintenance history is of each bike, how they have been used and/or abused, the asking prices and such factors.

Also, which one do you actually like!!

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Dave