On Saturday, I am picking up an 06 XT660R to replace the F650GS I have just sold. I had an 04 back in 2007, sold that one for the wrong reasons, and regretted it ever since. Can't wait to get back to it. There doesn't seem to be much in this forum for the 660 bikes, though.

Two jobs to get on with: ktting out the 660 for serious travelling, and retiring the 600E to the garage for some serious love and attention.

Any 660R owners care to put their hands up?

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2006 XT660R daily ride, 1994 XT600E about to be reborn, Blog: http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/

Not an R, but on my 2nd Z at the moment.
If you are looking for info or advice on kitting out your R, chec out .: XT660.com - The #1 XT660 Resource :.
Probably the biggest concentration of knowledge and documentation on the XT660-range you'll find on the interwebs.

There will be a few G650GS around on the second hand market for the next time you see the light

You might have preferred the Dakar model of the F range, so maybe a Sertao next?

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Dave

Me and my wife have an XT660R each. We are lovin' them. Lighter than then the 660 'tenere, cheaper to buy, better MPG, and lots more comfortable too. Downsides are a smallish tank for travel - about 180miles and you are close to fumes only, a bit less protection from the smaller screen (although personally I prefer this), and fewer off the shelf farkles.

Mods to make: see you how you get on with the throttle, they have a reputation for being snatchy - XT660.com do a thing called the Kev Mod which fools the ECU into running richer.

Change the exhausts for lighter silencers or an even lighter 1:1 system (Metal Mule, OffTheRoad.de and a couple of other places do them. MM seems to be the cheapest. I got my MM system 2nd hand; wife has Akrapovic 1:2 silencers

A decent bash plate if you need to go off road. Note the various 1:1 exhaust systems give 5-6cm extra ground clearance as they re-route the headers. You will also need a bash plate designed for the rerouted exhaust though. Again MM seem to be the best (I have one) and my wife has a Touratech bash plate, which is huge.

Handlebars have a reputation for being easily bent although my wife has dropped her bike several times with no damage yet. But some sort of Renthal seems to be favourite - check on 660.com

Acerbis or Barkbuster handguards always a good addition.

Luggage:Not the best bike for attaching luggage to in standard trim, although lots better than many other dual sport bikes. We use Giant Loop great basin bags and a GL tank bag. We decided we didnt want to add all the extra weight of panniers, pannier frames and topboxes. I am busy farkling to get a couple of Kriega tail packs to act as tank panniers and also looking to fit a couple of tool tubes. Finally we have a B&B luggage rack picked up on a visit to Australia. Well made and worth looking out for. I am thinking about attaching a Rotopax fuel cell to either the luggage rack or to a bracket where the left hand silencer used to be.

That's all I can think of for now, oh, except the headlight is unfeasibly good for the size and look of the unit.

Enjoy your bike I think they are a cracking bike. We will be in Pembroke in mid-Feb on it with a group from XRV.org.uk. If that's your part of West Wales we would be more than happy to meet and chat.

I've been a member there since the first XTR, but I have now upped my subscription. I agree about the depth and breadth of knowledge there.

I was considering a Dakar, as it was the low riding position of the GS that was the main issue. However, the poor quality of the fasteners and finish of the GS (and the epic battles to remove seized bolts) made me wary of getting another BMW single. Seriously, my 19-year-old XT600E has less rust on the fasteners, has more paint on the engine cases, and is easier to work on. I would have inspected a Dakar with a microscope before committing money to it. That shouldn't take away from the fact that they are a great package overall.

I'm a few miles North of H/West, so about 12 miles from Pembroke. Send me a PM when you know your dates and we will meet for a mug of cocoa or something.

I know it's a cracking bike - I had a pic of one for my desktop background when I had the last one, and for some strange reason I never felt the need to change it. It's still there.

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2006 XT660R daily ride, 1994 XT600E about to be reborn, Blog: http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/

Hi, we have two XTR's, just done 30,000ks - 7000 of that off road.

Have a look at our web site and if you have any question let me know.

Welcome to Two Bikes Running

cheers


paul

Heh, came across a link to your site on ADVR and had a look only yesterday. You sound to have had a great trip, and I was interested in the bike prep stuff. Thank you.

Got the bike home today, and the ride home was a blast. The bike is everything I had hoped for. Whether I will ever feel warm again is another matter.

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2006 XT660R daily ride, 1994 XT600E about to be reborn, Blog: http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/

Had one here in Turkey for the last 5 years. It's a 2004 model and has now got 60,000kms on the clock. I use it for off-roading, commuting and two up touring.

The only extras on it are a rear rack, bash plate and Yamaha hand guards. I couldn't justify the cost of an aftermarket exhaust 'cos the bike didn't need it and I prefer quiet exhausts which I find less annoying over distance.

I use Oxford throw over panniers and and a roll bag for the rear rack. The panniers are protected from the exhaust by the original silencer guards.

I've been lucky and have had no fuelling issues. Apart from tyres, chains and other consumables the only thing I have had to change were the front fork oil seals. Previous bikes included Gold Wings, Pan Europeans and BMW tourers. I'm currently finding less is more

Cheers,

Dickyb

DickyB's Turkish Delights - ADVrider

To sum up the bike is inexpensive to run, will take me anywhere me and the Mrs want to get to

I rode a new f650 last year,looked like it would last 3 years but not much more..definitly built to a price..

I has an 04 originally, and the low-speed fuelling was definitely poor. This one (06) is tons better than that, although still a bit lumpy at low revs and changes between 1-2-3 need careful throttle. But a big improvement.

The OEM silencer guards are pretty substantial and I would imagine do a good job of keeping the panniers from melting. But on my last trip with soft luggage I did a lot of cosmetic damage to the plastics (Triumph Sprint) and vowed to have something in place to prevent that next time.

I have large and small Givi Monolock top cases which are interchangeable according to needs, which works well for me (small for commuting, large for touring) and I have a pair of FT Endurance Cargo soft panniers. I may upgrade these to Ortliebs or similar in due course, but for now I am set up OK.

Amazing how much better the XT sounds compared to the GS, even with the standard cans. A proper growl, as opposed to the duff-duff (exhaust) and pockety-pockety (intake) of the Beemer. I may keep these.

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2006 XT660R daily ride, 1994 XT600E about to be reborn, Blog: http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/

Sadly, I think you are right. The bike is 'entry level' and not designed to be robust and field-repairable like the older models. I have compared the build and materials quality of the 650 with a friend's 100GS/PD, and they might as well have been made on different continents.

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2006 XT660R daily ride, 1994 XT600E about to be reborn, Blog: http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/

On this topic....now you have got used to both. How does the 660 compare to the 600 .
I ask as I always had a soft spot for air cooled xt6 but never got one. I have had the R and now have a Z. But lately with money being tight and knowing my tenere could free up some useful funds I am looking at the old air cooled xt again

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

I enjoyed my XT600 and ran it along side my XT660R. Preferred the 600 for off road and fire trails. Much preferred the XT660R for distance and two up work. It sustains a faster cruising speed and has better fuel economy It's pretty good off road too but I wouldn't take it where I used to take the 600 due to it having more exposed bits, i.e water pump and radiator plus it being heavier than the 600. Never felt the need to modify my 660 with 2-1 exhausts, Kev mod, power commanders and all that other malarky. Mind you, I did accept a freebie OTR 26 litre fuel tank off a Swiss lad that came through




Cheers,

Dicky

DickyB's Turkish Delights

They were, weren't they?

I can comment on this one.

I sold my ‘07 XT660R last summer and now ride a ’00 XT600E. I have been riding thumpers, XT’s and others for 30 years, so I know a little about them in general.

XT660R – excellent on the blacktop, very comfortable. Not much of an offroad bike, too heavy and has road-biased geometry. As for the “snatchy” FI, yes it was annoying when I got the bike, but new rear hub rubbers and rightly adjusted chain took care of that pretty much. For me, the snatchy FI is a non-issue but you have to replace the rear hub rubbers when they start to wear.

XT600E, less power but lighter weight. Not as comfortable on the road, but not bad. Unlike the XT660R I would call the XT600E a dual sport, as it is semi useable off road. Ultra rugged and simple design.

Which do I prefer? The 600E hands down. Why? I ride everything, including some dirt and trails. The XT660R shines on the blacktop, but not offroad. I like the ultra simple XT600E, if something brakes I probably can fix it by the side of the road. Even if the XT660R has one excellent reliability record, it is a FI bike with lots of extra things to fail. I know of guys being stuck because of a faulty tilt sensor or a ECU computer. Personally I don´t need that.

But if my riding was long range blacktop riding, without dirt or trails, I would consider the XT660R.

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Yamaha XT600E '01, Honda XR400 '03, Yamaha XT550 '83