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Help! Buying a 1984 XT600 today, need advice! Help! Buying a 1984 XT600 today, need advice!
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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.
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  #1  
Old 27 Apr 2015
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Exclamation Help! Buying a 1984 XT600 today, need advice!
Hey all!

I'm so happy to have found this forum filled with so many XT enthusiasts.

I'm super excited to finally pick up an "el cheapo" dual-sport for the great city of San Francisco. Earlier today I spent a solid 40 minutes on the phone with the seller of the XT600 - it's been in his family for as long as he can remember and it spent most of its life in a garage.

I'd love some advice on what else to look for when I inspect it tomorrow. The price is quite fair, but I'd like to know what else to consider. Stressing out a little, but want to make sure I don't get entirely boned by lack of knowledge.

Couple of problems he can think of off the top of his head include:
  • Owner says bike is can sometimes be hard to kickstart, requiring 2-3 kicks - especially if it hasn't been used in a while (so he tries to keep the battery charged)
  • Tach doesn't work, but all other controls/electronics do
  • After he took apart the carbs and cleaned them out, the bike ran much better
  • Oil accumulation near the bottom of the crankcase, just a few drops - it can be felt when you run finger across. He isn't sure if the drain plug is the culprit.
  • "No oil leaking from top of inspection ports, as those O-rings were just changed out"


Anyway, I see the bike tomorrow and here's some other details. I would really, really appreciate any sort of advice or feedback when checking out this bike. I'm particularly concerned about the brakes and their feel. I'm used to pretty powerful front brakes, haha. THANKS IN ADVANCE!

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  #2  
Old 27 Apr 2015
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Looks to be pretty good , Tachs are notorious to quit, can be a broken drive cable or the unit itself. You won't know till you take the cable off the back of the tach housing and see if the cable is turning when the motor is running. The unit itself is hard to get cheap, expect $100,
Starting harder after sitting is perfectly normal, all of mine take a number of kicks if they have been sitting, will start quick if run steady.
Oil leakage can be somewhat normal for the years/age/mileage. All of mine seep some but no droplets or accumulation. They got worse once I put a higher volume oil pump. Check the seal behind the front sprocket and the one on the clutch actuation shaft. The valve cover have the worst tendency to seep, worse around the front and in by the sparkplug area.
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Old 27 Apr 2015
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Location: yorkshire england
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hi there i have the same model xt600 in the same colour , 2-3 kicks to start is no problem . ive had mine for 7 years and although its tatty to look at it runs well. the xt you are looking at is a 43f although if its a calafonion model like mine its a 43r . these are GREAT bikes so as long as all seems well BUY it . the bike does not need a battary to start it so that is not the starting problem which sounds no problem anyway . the alloy rims can corode take the tyres off to check this, but i dont think you will have a problem on such a low mileage bike make sure the decompresser cable is adjusted proparly this makes starting better . the engines can be a little rattly so as long as it does not sound like a cement mixer full of spanners all should be well. the 43f is VERY light and fast 100 mph yamaha stated , dont forget the bike has a dry sump oil system which is no problem, just the oil change / checking , is diffarant to a normal wet sump engine .good luck and let us know what its like if you buy it . any problems some one on here will chime in with advice . zigzag
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