Newbie from Oz - North Kevs-ville
 

Hey there! I�m a newbie to the forum and lovin� it! Had a bunch of bikes in the past but have been off them for a while since babies, a wife and responsibilities bled me dry. Couldn�t take it any longer so recently purchased my first ever brand spanker � a 2011 XT660R. It�s sweet and as we speak is having its front end tweaked by Paul Baerick�s MPE on the Sunshine Coast (I�m from Brisbane, Oz� Kev�s backyard! Pretty happy to have Kev as a local, although mate, I�ll try not to harass you too much!)

The bike suits me well and my riding style these days - but of course I want to trick it a bit (as far as the budget extends� so it�ll be a staged process). The forum is awesome � having a bit of trouble concentrating on work because I just want to surf the forum and absorb everything that has gone on before me. Your collective knowledge makes the Yamaha boys at the local shop seem like clueless duds by comparison. I�ve had plenty of questions for them but the answers that they couldn�t provide are right here on the forum! Anyway, that�s enough of an intro from me� Congrats and thanks for the forum!

:hello: and :welcome: to :660:

Thanks for the good words, you are one lucky Ozzy to own an XT and live near Kev. :thumbsup: Make sure you keep him sweet :redwine:

G'day mate.:gsmile:

Congrat's on the new bike and welcome!

We like pic's..

Welcome Dan, took you a while to show yourself. How about some photo's of the machine.:clap:

Welcom mate and the first mod you should do is Kev's O2 controler, makes a great bike even better, cheers.

:006: Hello Dan and welcome aboard

Thanks guys, for the welcome. Happy to obligue with photos once I figure out how, although the bike's not too trick yet.

I'm a 6'5" tall freakshow so raising the bike is feasible to get more ground clearance and make me feel comfortable. Just got the bike back from the suspension guys here after a front end job. Got a new set of stiffer fork springs, a pair of emulator compression values dialed in - and for extra specialness I got a set of extended fork caps lathed up to entend the fork tubes a bit. It's now 2 inches higher up front and looks wicked, and feels awesome. No diving under brakes like before.

I know the turning can be compromsed so I'll square things up a bit with a set of shorter dog bones (don't suppose you have a set I can purchase, Kev?) - but already I love the set up.

Snorkle is gone, thanks forum for the tip!! I've still got stock cans for now and seems I'm gonna need at least a stage 1 DNA. Does the fuelling mods (including CO adjustment) apply to this model (2011) too? (I assume so but I ask because I've read that the ECU and some settings have evolved a bit over time.) If so, they'll be on the to-do list. You'd think Yamaha would have it sorted by now from the factory...

I've modified the back number plate assembly, put some bar risers on and made up a special bike jack to lift it off the ground for servicing the tail - but that's all so far. Anyway, I'm not good at being concise - better stop rambling. Cheers!

Welcome Dan
 

Well done Dan,

You'll find heaps of info here as you have already mentioned. In Europe these bikes are very popular, and for good reason. Touratech & especially OffTheRoad have an exhaustive list of farkles that you can use to trick your bike.

Link to raising linkage here:

http://www.off-the-road.de/XT-660/Su...nes-XT660.html

On a group ride I mostly get from people "what is that?" amongst the DRs, XTs, DRZs, Katos, Husky's etc.

I'm only 6'1" and I can flat foot the XT on both sides. Just right!

If your bike will be ready by then 2 mates & myself on DR650s are doing a ride Warwick-Toowoomba-Kilcoy-Noosa Nth Shore-Inkip Point on the 12-14th of October. Camping. You are welcome to join in, from Noosa might suit you?

Anyway, here's my bike so far:

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/...n/DSCF4245.jpg

Hope to catch you on the trails soon, Boneman

Hey thanks, Boneman, for the advice. I've admired your bike before, on the ADVrider forum. It's a great looking rig. A set of knobbies really toughens it up. Love the 2-in-1... does the heat off those pipes going up thru the frame cause you/components any grief?

Thanks too for the offer to join you on your ride/camp adventure up to Rainbow. I 4WD thru a lot of those Noosa north shore areas and it's a great spot. I can't make this trip unfortunately because I fly out for the US on the following week (three weeks away from my bike!! Ouch. Oh, and my family). My missus would drop a load if I told her I was off riding on the w'end before I ditch her for 3 weeks. But I'm keen for another time... I could have met you at Kilcoy as I live not too far down the road from there.

Anyway, great to chat to some local XT owners. There doesn't seem to be that many in these parts. Even the local Yami dealers don't seem to take them seriously... if it's not a YZ or WR then they don't seem to be that interested. The teners get more kudos but not the XT-Rs. My experience anyway... Still, give me a bike I can commute on between w'end rides, and that I don't have to service every 150Ks. I love the XT!
Cheers... Dan

Next time Dan...
 

Hey thanks, Boneman, for the advice. I've admired your bike before, on the ADVrider forum. It's a great looking rig. A set of knobbies really toughens it up. Love the 2-in-1... does the heat off those pipes going up thru the frame cause you/components any grief?

Thanks too for the offer to join you on your ride/camp adventure up to Rainbow. I 4WD thru a lot of those Noosa north shore areas and it's a great spot. I can't make this trip unfortunately because I fly out for the US on the following week (three weeks away from my bike!! Ouch. Oh, and my family). My missus would drop a load if I told her I was off riding on the w'end before I ditch her for 3 weeks. But I'm keen for another time... I could have met you at Kilcoy as I live not too far down the road from there.

Anyway, great to chat to some local XT owners. There doesn't seem to be that many in these parts. Even the local Yami dealers don't seem to take them seriously... if it's not a YZ or WR then they don't seem to be that interested. The teners get more kudos but not the XT-Rs. My experience anyway... Still, give me a bike I can commute on between w'end rides, and that I don't have to service every 150Ks. I love the XT!
Cheers... Dan

Yep Dan, I reckon we're onto winners. My dumbarse local Yamaha dealers p*ss me off every time I go there. "It's a Tenere isn't it?" Every time, and they order the wrong part every time (always for a Ten)....

Then they put a Twba Yamaha number plate frame on every service (I take it off every time). At least now that it's out of warranty I have no reason to go back (but I want a FZ800N with my Xmas bonus...).

The pipes do give off a bit of heat when stopped, it's welcome in the winter. I have wrapped some header tape around the radiator overflow return pipe to protect it from heat. You can see it on some photos. I have also cable tied a heat shield onto the rear brake hose. Kev has suggested shielding the clutch cable, probably a good idea, but so far so good...

Since there is no baffle in the Akro pipe, the gases escape very quickly from the can, so there is minimal heat build up. It is cool enough to touch with a bare hand after a minute. I can ride home, hang up my jacket, put away my helmet & gloves & it's cool enough to touch with a bare hand.

Have a great time in the States, I'm sure there will be another ride soon.

Cheers, Boneman

Hey Spider, interested to know if you extended your side stand after jacking up the suspension. I'm 6'3" running xtx rear bones and kev spacers in the front forks. Ride height is perfect but I've been meaning to sort the side stand for 18months now. She leans over a fair amount. Torn between welding on an extension to the stand or altering the angle to suit.

Ps, i'm also in Brisie. If you see a guy on a black XTR with green ex military pannier bags that's me.

kick stand and bike height
 

Hey Digger

Good point about the sidestand. I haven't done anything yet but noticed the new lean. I have to choose carefully how I park and in my shed I actually use a bit of timber under the sidestand to keep it more upright... So I'm keen to hear what you come up with. My old man's handy with a welder so I reckon extending it is the go (cut off the baseplate and slide on a larger size tube with new base plate??). I'd only have to be about two inches longer.

It's gonna turn into a real issue once I get the new dog bone links. I spoke to the Yamaha mob on Friday about getting a set of XTX links - but there's none in Australia and they'd have to be ordered from Japan; 6 week wait. Forget that... Boneman gave me the link to the site OS to get them ( http://www.off-the-road.de/XT-660/Su...nes-XT660.html) but it doesn't specify the bolt-hole centre-to-centre measure, only that they raise the bike +35mm for X/R... Well we know the R and the X have different sized links so +35 on the X might mean +60mm on the R?? I don't wanna lift it that much because of the issues with the bottom guide wheel, plus the seat is at an uncomfortable angle when the rear is too high.

I reckon I might just make my own set of links... doesn't look like rocket science.:bricks: Just need to work out the best size.

I'll keep an eye out for your XT, flag you down if I spot you and we can compare bike bits. I'm on the northside.
Cheers... Dan

With the kev spaces and xtx links mine sits perfectly level. I did have to move the roller but I just followed the recommendations on this site and used the redundant mounting hole on the chassis which I had to drill out slightly. Mod must be close to 2 years old and it hasn't caused me any problems.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8448/8...772be62c_b.jpg
Pic was back when i was running a 2 into 1 exhaust.

Was thinking similar with regard to extending stand. I was surprised how much extra length the stand needed due to the angle it extends out at.

kick stand shenanigans
 

Hey Digger
I looked closer at the kick stand last night and you're right that the angle it sticks out could be a bit tighter - so long as it misses the exhaust pipe with the stand up. In fact, it would be better to reduce the angle because any extension we add to the kick stand will make it stick out even further when it's up (already sticks out a long way). What's your suggestion: put a bend in the kick stand and realign the base plate or somehow bend the mounting bracket?

My other question to you is about your 2 into 1 exhaust. Sounds like you've changed back? Interested to know why?

Cheers... Dan
PS... just bought me a O2 Controller from Kev! Lookin' forward to that.

[QUOTE=Spinner Dan;179362]My other question to you is about your 2 into 1 exhaust. Sounds like you've changed back? Interested to know why?

It was very loud and my garage is under the baby's room. Its a daily commuter bike as well and i found it a bit loud for early morning through the burbs. The pipe was from a ktm and the header was from a raptor quad.

Furry muff... um, fair enough. Noise is a big consideration. Nice to see you're showing respect for your neighbours. Doesn't happen that much at my end of town. In fact, my closest neighbours are such feral rednecks that I'd almost consider removing a few baffles just to piss them off... Ah, won't solve anything.

Great weather for riding right now... loving the commute (for part of my journey I get to go over about 4 k's of bushtrack along a powerline easement, creek culvert, washed out hill climb - by far the best part of my work day!)

Welcome & congrats on the new bike mate. It looks sick. Hope you enjoy.:deathmetal[1]: