When I finally got the final wire of the electrics in place it was time to start putting plastic back on the bike. I also put some ArmourAll on all the painted plastic before I put it back on. While putting the wind screen on I also put on the Barkbuster wind protectors on and adjusted the handlebars to make sure they don't hit anything at full lock. Unfortunately I managed to put some fresh scratches on the tank when I put it back on the bike. That's what I get for being stubborn and have to do it all myself. At least it's plastic so it wont cause any rust. I also mounted the tank ring for the tank bag on the tank and the head light protector. Now the bike is pretty much all done. The only thing missing now is the Gripster Snake Skins. I'm going to take a sheet of paper and experiment on some designs to see how it fits the bike before I start cutting the real stuff.

Here's a cockpit picture.
http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=154

And here's a picture from the front. I need to adjust the aux lights to make sure their beams fall correctly but that can't be done until later in the summer when it's actually dark at night.
http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=155

It's not time for a test ride just yet, partly because of the current weather but mainly because I want to be all done before I do it (which includes the Gripster Snake Skins) but I still fell for the temptation to start the bike up and pushed the start button. Unfortunately it didn't fire up. Don't now what's wrong. There's gas in the tank so that shouldn't be the problem. I guess the main candidates are the Power Commander and the new ignition cable. I have a hunch it's the ignition cable. Don't really know how to test that theory though. Any suggestions?

I figured it out. My hunch about the ignition cable was incorrect. I ruled that out by switching back to the old cable. The next hunch led me to the ground point for the Power Commander. I connected the ground point directly to the battery and the bike started right up. Now I switched back to the new ignition cable and it still started so the new ignition cable will stay on the bike. I removed the ground short cable and moved the Power Commander ground to another ground point (that same as I used for the ignition cable) and that worked just fine. :icon_thumright:

I've also tried a number of different patterns for the Gripster Snake Skins and I think I've come up with an ok pattern. I think I'll save that for tomorrow though.

I also checked the air pressure in the tires. The front was very low. The tires are not in top shape but they've both got some life left in them.

I need to change two of the quick lock fasteners for the pannier frames to lockable fasteners (one on each side) and I need to install the locks on the panniers themselves. Both can wait a while since I have no plans to use the panniers in the near future.

Apart from the Gripster Snake Skins I think the only thing left to do before the first test ride is to adjust the chain tension. It's getting close now... :D

Looking good mate, job well done.

I think you should be able to see deep into next week with those auxiliary lights compared to the stock headlight. :nod:

I managed to make a mess of the task to put the Snake Skins on. I figured out a template to use and I cut the pattern out of the two sheets I had bought. So far so good. However, when I was going to remove the remove the protection to expose the adhesive I managed to rip off the adhesive layer itself. It doesn't seem to want to stick after that so I guess I'll have to manage without Snake Skins until I can get a hold of a new set.

After checking the chain tension and spending some time making adjustments to the clutch I went for a test ride. I noted some things...

1. The handling certainly felt a lot better with the weight adjusted spring rates and �hlins suspension components.

2. The engine response also felt a lot better though it's not quite as good as the XTR with LeoVince exhaust I had until a couple of months ago. That may be due to the extra weight of the XTZ but it may also be because of the Akrapovic exhaust. They are still in stock configuration with the stock db killers in place. I did notice that they are very quiet. I think it's even more quiet than the stock exhaust. I also don't feel the same air pressure coming out of the exhaust as I did from the Leo pipes on the XTR. Maybe it will be better if I removed the db killers but I actually quite like keeping the bike discrete.

3. The front brakes certainly give better feel and bite with the braided brake lines.

4. The riding position is better sitting down and it is much better standing up. This is certainly a bike that feels more comfortable to ride standing up. I think the seated position would feel better with a slightly taller seat but that's an extra cost I'm not prepared to take on at the moment (possibly in the future).

5. My friends had warned me about buying ready-made heated grips due to the larger size of the grips. I thought I'd try it anyway and I actually think I kind of like the larger size. Only time will tell if that impression will continue.

6. I did notice quite a lot of turbulence when I got up to about 120-130km/h. I think some of the wind noise could be reduced by a larger screen so I will consider getting one. However, it seems the biggest problem when it comes to turbulence is air coming up from beneath, through the fork leg "hole". I'll need to do some thinking to see if I can figure out a neat "spoiler" to divert that air flow. This is of course only a problem when riding sitting down and at higher speeds.

7. My individually cast ear plugs are not as comfortable as I had thought.

8. I just love my new Alpinestars Tech 10 boots.

9. I certainly got some attention when I rode by a local mx race course. Don't know if it was the bike or my Icon Raiden clothes but perhaps it was the combination giving the impression of a desert racer. :D

Here's a couple of pictures taken just after my test ride.

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=157

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=156

Must be good to be out on the bike!, enjoyed the write up. Some of the Raiden gear looks good. .you need to add yourself to the 'selfie ' thread! Steve

I have the twin Akras as well. I also thought they were a bit quiet out the box, then I did as Pleiades suggested & drilled the DB killers holes out 1mm bigger. They are still quiet idling and gentle throttle openings, but crack the throttle open and give a nice sound. Much better.
Redbikejohn fitted a handlebar bag which greatly reduced the turbulence through the fork leg hole. Sorry I cant remember exactly where it is but a search under 'Turbulence' on here throws up a few peoples solutions.

Today I spent several hours on the bike during a day trip around the neighbourhood with some friends. It ended up being about 400km, mostly on tarmac roads of varying sizes but some dirt roads as well. My previous impressions of the bike are still pretty much spot on. I love the bike but I will look into removing the db killers (or drill them up as suggested by Desert Racer), partly for better noise but mostly to get some more oomph with better air flow. I also think there's a good chance I will end up getting a higher seat and possibly a taller screen but I think I will keep the stock seat and screen for now.

Here's a picture of me with the bike on today's tour.
http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=163