Thanks! Yes, the space I'm using turned out to be quite ok even though it's only a temporary solution. The garage is merely a shell at the moment. I intend to add insulation, new sheeting, paint, new lighting and electrics, work bench, storage shelfs, etc. during my summer vacation. After that it will be even nicer and it will be warm enough to use even during the cold winter months. Then I can start working on whipping the sport bike you can see in the background into shape again. :)

This is a long weekend and today I had some time to work on the bike.

First on the agenda today was to clean the chain and remount the back wheel.

In this picture you can se how discrete the mounts for the pannier frames are. Now that the frames have been taken off you can hardly see the mounts are there unless you know what to look for. Very nice! :D

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=144

Now I went for the handlebars. I needed to drill holes to mount the electric clusters. I figured I'd measure the distance from the ends on the stock handlebars and use the same measurements on the new handlebars. I was a bit surprised that the distance was asymmetrical, 165mm on the right side and 160mm on the left. I still used the stock measurements but of course it turned out to be wrong. The right side was correct but on the left side the heated grip stuck out a bit. So I drilled another hole on the left side and this time I got it right.

I mounted the electric clusters and the heated grips. I also had to mount the new throttle cables to the throttle roller which gave me some trouble and took longer than I had expected. I remounted the levers (which had to be taken off before drilling the holes) and mounted the aux. power outlet (Touratech) and the switch for the aux. lights. The mounting bracket for the control unit for the heated grips didn't fit on the bike. It's supposed to be mounted on the mirror mount but the holes didn't line up. I fastened it to the handlebars and risers using zip ties. It seems to be ok but only time will tell. Of course, I won't be able to use it without letting go of the handlebar but I don't foresee that to be a problem.

I haven't connected any of the electrics yet. I'll do all the electrics at once to make sure all cables are routed safely and discretely.

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=145

Time for the Barkbusters. Mounting it on the left side was no trouble at all. However, on the right side the brake line is in the way. Fortunately I'm going to change the brake lines anyway and then I can make sure to route them (there will be two, one for each caliper) out of the way of the mounting bracket.

I don't know if it will actually make any difference but I got the matching bar end weights from Barkbusters (as you can see in the picture). I also have the "Storm" wind protection plastic but I'll hold off on mounting it until at least both Barkbusters are mounted but I should probably wait until all the fairing stuff is remounted. Then I can make sure the they don't hit on anything before I mount the plastic. I'm guessing it will be easier to adjust them (if I need to) without the plastic.

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=146

Final action of the day was to suspend the front end so that I can get the front wheel and fork legs off (to change the fork springs).

I probably won't have time to do anything else this weekend because I'm going away to attend my nephew's wedding. Actually, when I do get back I need to move some stuff around in the garage so that I can get that mower out. The grass is growing like crazy outside. Working on the bike is more fun though. We'll see how it goes... :unibrow:

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=147

Great write up, really enjoying following the build! Steve

Same here!
What kind of bar riders you have? Concept looks similar to rox riserz, but seems like other brand.
I've never seen other brands do them, except for imitations ( which u have got)

They do look like the ROX risers but that's because it IS the ROX risers (not some kind of imitation). At least that's what I ordered and that's what it said on the plastic wrapper they came in. :)

I meant to do some work yesterday and I got as far as taking off the front brake calipers and the fender in preparation for getting the wheel off to get the fork legs off. Unfortunately I discovered I was missing the tool needed to remove the front wheel axle. That meant I had to arrange to buy a new tool. I was able to do it later in the day but it meant that no more work was done yesterday.

Today took off the front wheel and the fork legs. A bike really does look quite strange without the front end.

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=148

Now I opened up the fork legs - out with the old oil and stock springs and in with new �hlins oil and �hlins springs. The fork legs were put back on the bike along with the front wheel. I'll hold off putting back the calipers for now. I don't yet know if it's easier to change the brake lines with the calipers mounted or not. I think I will at least wait until the old brake lines are off the bike before I remount the calipers. I wouldn't want to get any brake fluid on the discs if I can avoid it. The front fender will also have to wait until I've had a chance to clean it properly and put some ArmourAll on it (as I will do on all fairing plastic).

I also mounted the Touratech lockable GPS bracket.

The bike is now no longer suspended and I don't think it will need to be suspended again. I realized that I didn't lubricate the chain after I cleaned it so I did it now and that was the last thing I did.

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=149

Next up will probably be the brake lines, front and back. After that I think I won't have any choice but to start tackling the electrics. There are quite a few things I've put on the bike and I want all the wiring to be as neatly tucked away as possible while still having it all reasonably weather protected, fused correctly and preferably controlled by relays to make sure it all shuts off when the ignition is off. It will probably take some thinking to figure out how to do it... :017:

Still haven't cut the grass - it's a jungle out there.... :D

Good job, i cant wait to see when its done.

Neither can I. :D

Yesterday I went out into the garage to check something, don't even remember what, and ended up replacing the ignition cable on the bike. Now the Nology Hot Wire cable is installed. It is a bit too long because I wasn't sure where or how to cut it without compromising it so I used all of it.

I realized that it will be quite interesting to see if the bike starts when it's time to try it since I've replaced the ignition cable with a cable that has a separate grounding wire (I hope I chose a satisfactory location for it) and installed a power commander using a different ground wire installation than described in the installation manual (I hope I chose a satisfactory location for that as well). Crossing my fingers it will all work.

Here's a picture of the ignition cable in place. It's a bit dark because I forgot to turn on the flash light on the phone.

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=150

I actually had a little bit of time to got out and work a bit on the bike today as well. I changed the rear brake line. Perhaps not a very big increment but at least it's better than nothing. I would probably have changed the front brake lines as well if my brother-in-law hadn't called half-way through. I've chosen bright yellow brake lines, partly because it's more fun and partly because I think it will look good matching the yellow decals on the tank.

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=151

i wonder what you'll say about the brake feel. I think the original feel is already quite 'agressive' compared to other bikes i've had, including the Africa Twin.
So putting on a steel braided hose will only make it more agressive i guess.

I think the blue/yellow combination looks smashing, so good choice to accentuate it with the brake hoses :viking:

Well, I've only ridden the bike for a very short test drive so I have no idea how aggressive the stock rear brake feels. However, I did have a 2012 XTR prior to this bike and I didn't think the rear brake was too aggressive and it's probably the same brake components on the XTZ. I did notice there was a very obvious change of feel in the brake pedal before and after the change even though I was only using my hand. The brake fluid didn't look like it had been changed for quite a while so merely a fluid change would probably have changed the feel of the brake and now that I put on a braided hose the difference was probably amplified. I'm sure you're right that the brake feel will be more aggressive. I'm not sure it will be a problem for me though. I've never mastered the art of using the rear brake for steering on loose surfaces and more or less only use the rear brake for low speed maneuvering. Perhaps it will now be too aggressive for this. Only time will tell. To be honest I'm only changing the rear brake line for aesthetic purposes to match the new front brake lines.

One reason why I run organic non-sintered pads on the rear, they give a much more progressive feel IMHO than sintered or HH pads. They bite more gently. Much easier to control the rear and no involuntary lock-ups.

Good tip, I'll keep that in mind. :)

Good one, i hadn't thought of that one yet. I'll check what is on my bike

After finally having mowed the lawn and trimmed the hedges (both long over due) I went into the garage and mounted the front brake calipers and changed the front brake lines. Unfortunately the angle of the banjo endpoints of the brake lines were at bit off which forced me to twist the brake lines to get the bolts to line up. Not optimal and it looks a bit strange but I don't think it's bad enough to cause any problems. I'm glad I went for the slightly longer than stock brake lines. I think the twisting of the brake lines may have turned out to be a problem without those extra 2 inches.

Removing the old brake lines that prevented me from mounting the right Barkbuster meant I could now get it mounted. The new brake lines could then be mounted in a slightly different angle.

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=152

For your electrical accessories have you considered using a PDM60 power distribution module? This is how I power all my accessories on my XTZ.

Simple and effective if a bit more expensive than a handful of relays.

I had no idea something like the PDM60 even existed. Just checked it out and it certainly seems like an excellent product. I was a bit daunted by the price tag though. It's anything but cheap. Having already purchased everything to connect all the stuff for the bike I think I will try that first and possibly consider replacing it later. Had I known about the PDM60 earlier I would probably have taken that route instead. Thanks for the tip though. I really like the PDM60 and I'll certainly keep that in mind from now on... :)

I've used the Fuze Block. It's an alternative option. http://www.fuzeblocks.com/
I have it on my Tenere. And I have one from Eastern Beaver on me Tiger 1050. http://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Wi...fuseboxes.html

There seems to be a bunch of cool stuff out there for controlling electrics that I didn't know about. Thanks for the tips. I will certainly look into it and think about whether I will go for the simple, old-fashioned solution I was going to use or if I will choose one of the cooler but more expensive options you've shown me.

My intention was to start messing with the electrics yesterday but it was cold and damp and I really didn't feel like it so I didn't. Since I'm not in a hurry I might as well let myself off the hook if I feel like it so that I can enjoy it more when I actually work on the bike. Of course, I'd like to get it all done so I can start using the bike but it's actually more important that I enjoy the process of getting there. Most of the stuff is now on the bike so I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

I ended up going for the non-fancy approach. Almost all of the electrics are now connected. What I'm still missing is a good place to "steal" a control current to trigger the relays when the ignition is turned on, preferably from somewhere under the seat. Any ideas?

I also mounted the aux lights. It will be quite interesting to see what it looks like with all the plastic back on the bike.

I'm hoping I will be able to take a first test ride this weekend.

http://www.xt660.com/picture.php?alb...&pictureid=153

Under the seat there are two simple options:

1) Tap into the tail light feed on the LHS of sub frame. This becomes live with the ignition (and is also live when the key is in the 'P' position). This is the one I have used as it's very easy to get at.

2) Tap into the feed to the rear brake light switch. This is only live with ignition (no 'P'). Be sure get the feed to the switch, not the feed from the switch, or you'll end up with a trigger that only works when you apply the brakes! ;)

I found a lead to steal the control current. I'm not sure if it's the tail light or the license plate lighting (my guess is that it's the plate lighting) but it doesn't matter much. It works, that's all that matters. :)

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