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XT 660 R or Tenere for a Tall guy XT 660 R or Tenere for a Tall guy
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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 29 Jun 2009
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XT 660 R or Tenere for a Tall guy
Hi All,
I'm in the process of buying a Yamaha Xt 660 R, but one of my mates had a look at a photo of me on it and said it looks a bit small for me. So I'm a bit worried I might be buying something I'll regret.

I'm 2 metres or 6' 7" tall.
Does anyone else who is tall have the same bike?

Can any of the more experienced people here tell me if the bike is too small or reccomend a taller bike for me?

I was also considering holding out for the tenere as its seat height is taller and the seat is further back, do you guys reckon this is a better option for me?
Thanks
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  #2  
Old 29 Jun 2009
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Hi guy!
Well, I'm 1,85 meters, and I have a XTR and for me this is good.
I belive de XTZ is better in you case, because its front is higher than XTR.
Keep in touch,
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  #3  
Old 29 Jun 2009
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I am 6ft and I had the new tenere 660z it's a big bike and very high compared to the 660r ,it's a lovely bike but got rid of it for a ktm 950 as it just lacked the power for me,I just got an old xt600 for playing on
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Old 30 Jun 2009
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A 6'6 friend found it a bit uncomfortable on long trips - especially if you're doing off road and want to stand up on the pegs.

HOWEVER - you can solve the problem by adjusting the handlebars (add risers)... and setting the suspension up correctly.

That said, my brother is 6.6 too and he is riding a XT600E - he's not complaining (not more than usual anyways )



Should you not really go and try it, before you buy it anyway?

(Or find a bike shop near you with a bike of similar dimensions, and try sitting on it?)
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  #5  
Old 30 Jun 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RonanE_IRL View Post
Hi All,
...but one of my mates had a look at a photo of me on it and said it looks a bit small for me....
Sorry - just read it again - you've sat on the bike... how did it feel? Were you uncomfortable?

Have you seen what Valentino Rossi looks like on his bike? Knees and elbows everywhere, and I assure you, his bike is perfect for him!

If you've got a good deal, I would go for it unless you really felt akward on it. There's quite a few things you can do to 'tweak' the riding position for your own personal taste.
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  #6  
Old 30 Jun 2009
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I'm 2 meters tall and weigh in around 95kg. I use both my xt600e and my little dt175.

The smaller the bike, the better the handling.

I use no raisers, tho the xt has recently been raised, but that was just for the looks =)

Don't buy a bigger machine just to get some more mass to move around, when you really want a little frisky one =)
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  #7  
Old 1 Jul 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RonanE_IRL View Post
one of my mates had a look at a photo of me on it and said it looks a bit small for me
Sorry Dude, but at 6'7", there aren't many bikes that are going to look too big for you.

Getting some extra room on a bike is pretty easy as others have said. Bar-risers that take the bars forward as well as up are good and getting the seat re-shaped so you can move about a bit will help with comfort.

I'm a short-arse at only 6'1" but have happily ridden little bikes. My first legal bike (FS1E of course) wasn't exactly huge and I had the best year of my life on that. (Bloody hell that's sad isn't it. The best year of my life was a quarter century ago ! Lets change that to "one of the best years of my life" before I reach for the sleeping pills or shotgun)

Don't take much notice of your mate. You know how short people have always got a chip on their shoulder
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Old 1 Jul 2009
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Thanks for all the good advice guys,
The one thing that worried me was that the pillion seat on the XT 660 R seemed to be the natural spot for my ass to sit with me positioned comfortably. Probably not the best idea long term.

As I'll not afford to change the bike for quite a while I'm going to see how the XT 660 Z feels and have a look at the KTM 640 before I commit to buying.
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