XTZ660Z Commuting Mod's?
 

Hi, having had some great advice from my initial post above what gear to buy including hand protectors etc I thought I would be bold enough to ask another...

I have noticed you guys mod your bikes, and love talking about it. My bike is totally standard. I use it for a long daily commute, in all weathers, and at the moment do no trailing or off roading. So my question is, what mods can I do to it with commuting in mind? I dont want to mod it for mods sake (plus im not rich) but I am interesting in ways i can mod it with regrds to MPG, rider comfort, less vibration, protection from elements with regrds to fairings etc, anything that will aid my commute, help extend the life of the bike and make it even more of a blinding work horse.

I really am a novice, so please, be as basic as you like!!


:lurk:

hi and welcome, the first thing that springs to mind is a scottoiler type thingy mucho important for commuting, anyone else?

Well:
-oiltemperature gauge RR10;
-handlebarrisers 20 or 30mm;
-upgrade suspension(I got Hyperpro's f&b);
-handguards(Touratech with spoilers);
-centrestand;
-wider footpegs(Touratech).

These are some mods that'll give you a better ride. Things like exhaust, alu bashplates, alu panniers and such, you don't really need for commuting, I think?
Greetz and succes, Hans.

P.s.: take a look on my smugmug-site for piccies of most of the mods on my Tenere.

I had a scottoiler fitted from new as well as hand guards and deflectors. The next purchase before winter sets in will be heated grips and a taller screen.

Performance wise I've fitted stainless cans, DNA stage 3 filters and stage 3 kev fuel mod. Cars being able to hear me when I filter through traffic is important (so i'd argue the case of the louder cans) and the improvement in performance with the filters/fuel mod has been welcome. The biggest improvement has been replacing the standard tyres with bt45 road tyres. They don't look as good but the improvement in handling and road holding has been huge.

What sort of effect did the uprated suspention have?

Suspension upgrade will get you a better ride, that is: better handling, more control, no diving front, smoother, more comfortable when riding with luggage and/or pillion. Try some twisty (mountain)roads and you'll have a ball!!
Greetz, Hans.

As a daily commuter I appreciate my:

- heated grips (not only in winter but also during rain)
- handguards/spoilers
- scottoiler... (still on but don't use it anymore: too messy)
- Xenon headlight (big + when days shorten)
- and ofcourse.... the amazing WindCOMB (reduces turbulence)

HJ

Top suggestions, thank you but whats a "WindCOMB?"

A heated jacket.

I know that they are viewed as a bit of an old man item, but if you are riding from a warm building to a warm building in all weathers they are a god send.

No,no: it's a device that's mounted in the space between the gastank and the frame to prevent turbulence. Actually it's an agricultural device of some sort, spotted by Singleminded for this use.
Greetz, Hans.

Good tyres (NOT Mitas e07s), Handguards, chain oiler of some sort.

For regular commuting where this is your only (or almost only) use scottoiler is as must.

Had mine since new and at 27k miles I am still using my original sprockets front and rear. Chain was changed at 11k miles for a DID X-ring and which has hardly required any adjustment. The original was changed as it had done 6 months winter use and I did not have the scottoiller up enough to be effective (the oem chain is universally considered to be rubbish though).

Handguards (that let you keep the bar ends) are nice when it is wet or in winter for some winter protection. I removed mine in summer for extra cooling :)

Changing the headlight bulb to a 100w blue one helps visibility in being seen. Xeon is probaly better to see with however if you want to go that route.

Other than that there's not much you really need.

Heated grips. Heated grips. Heated grips. Heated grips. Heated grips. Heated grips. Heated grips. Heated grips. Heated grips.

That is all :D

All you ever wanted to know about the WindCOMB:
http://www.xt660.com/showthread.php?...comb#post97210

HJ

A taller screen makes a lot of difference, especially in the wet.Mine came from Metal Mule.

I've also got a Crumpler camera bag strapped to the handlebar brace which stops the turbulence that whips up through gap between tank and forks.

Avon Distanzias are the best tyres I've tried on road to date.

Top case...
 

Having a top case is the most important stuff when it comes to daily stuff... that was the first thing i did, fitted a box from my previous bike until i decided on a system just for the Tenere

Thanks for all your suggestions.. I have invested in a taller screen and barkbusters. I also bought the FT X-Terrain gear and some AlpineStars MX-boots. The X-terrain gear is VERY warm so hopefully will do a good job in the coming winter months. The barkbusters im sure will help very much keeping the rain and wind from freezing my paws, but above all im really hoping the taller screen will help reduce the vibration my head and eye get from doing 65mph+!!! At 80 I am littrally seeing double! I had a CBR600 many moons ago and cant rememebr feeling vibrations like this. For me, at the moment the wind/vibrations from the Ten are the only thing letting it down for me. Doing 160 miles a day, i really hope this helps limit it.

Oh, and i went for a decent rucksac instead of boxes/panniers. Only because i dont really carry much (Only my lunch and a few small bits & Bobs) and the bottom of the rucksac sits nicely on the pillion part of the seat thus taking the weight off and making it almost unnoticable..

Going 80pmh on m/ways makes a big difference on the old mpg too eh?

One other thing, how far do people get out of f trip? I dare not do more then 30 odd miles yet without filling up, could i get more?

Cheers commrades for the advice I have been taking it onboard..

You may find these wind deflectors from genious Paul2 (german forum) very handy. As far as i know, he even makes them for you.
They just snap in and do not need any fixing screws.

saludos,
Joe

http://www.xt-660.de/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=8603


P.S.: On that site, you may also find a scanned template, under "Downloads & Links":
Scan "Windabweiser f�r die Z" (halb auf DIN A4)
Scan "Windabweiser f�r die Z"(ganz auf DIN A3)

I ran out of fuel with the f-trip on 120km.... So you should safely get 100km on f-trip. I
Have done 100 a few times on f-trip before refueling without problems.

My 2cents

I've been doing 50 miles on the F-trip regularly.There must be a couple of litres of fuel left in the tank after this, always getting under 20 litres in on a re-fill.

The fuel guage isn't the most accurate I've had.F-trip can show as low as 180 miles( then dissappear next time I ride) or high as 250 miles.

300 mile per tank on my commute is normal which is mostly back country lanes.I rarely use motorways or A roads.I am doing a ride this weekend which involves a fair bit of M20/25 so I'm curious to see the resulting mpg at motorway speed.

Even with the taller Metal Mule screen there is some turbulence around the top of my helmet at higher speeds, another 2 inches taller and the screen would be perfect.I have got a bodge job screen extension I duct tape on to the original screen that works a treat but looks dire.

in an other thread they also discovered the WindCOMB as presented on this forum...

... at first none of them bothered to give it a try 'cos they found it hard to believe it actually would work....

... now one of them did put it on and was amazed and surprised to see how effective it is!!

HJ

I have windcomb but would like to try this Vorsprung Technique idea !

it looks just like the stuff on the BM's anyone know how much this guy charges ?

If I have to I can do between 70-80 miles on F-trip.
I've never had a bike with a plastic fuel tank or a fuel guage before but I get the impression that petrol in the Tenere is very susceptible to heat expansion hence the resetting of the F-trip on a number of occasions after parking up with a very warm bike.

I don't find motorway cruising any worse on the mpg as long as you don't try and fight a head wind. If you do regularly have to deal with head winds try a one tooth (or more) larger rear sprocket - it will allow the engine to rev more freely and be less stressful for it. I can hold a very respectable motorway cruising speed on about half throttle and consistantly get 60-65mpg.

Damn, that happens to me all the time, I assumed it was some kind of fuel fairies that were coming and adding some more petrol to the tank :017: