Hi all, i'm in a position where I have the chance to either buy an XT600X or XT600R for the same price of �4,500.

First bike is the XT660X, it is a white 2015 bike in standard trim, new tires, 6,500 miles. Nice condition but has some fairly bad corrosion starting on the lower frame area at the front(can be remedied with a day spent cleaning and respraying the frame and bracket), dealer is 50-ish miles away so warranty is taken with a pinch of salt as i'd end up sorting any problems myself unless they're fairly bad.

Not massively impressed with the dealer tbh but it's the bike i'm buying so that doesn't really come into play.


XT660X 2015














My second choice is a 2013 XT660R, white again and with only 1,600 miles on the clock , dry stored by the owner of the dealership since 2014 so it's literally close to new condition, no corrosion anywhere, Givi Engine Guards, Givi Rack and Plate already fitted, this bike is more special as its the actual bike uk stunt rider Chesca Miles rode in the 5 episodes tv series '5 Peaks Challenge', and as so the personalised graphics on the side panels have a splash of pink on them and her name/signature on there too (they can easily be carefully covered or swapped with another set of panels).

Dealer is only 15 miles away, has a good reputation and it will be a whole lot easier for me if I have any niggly issues to pop over to them etc. I'd feel a lot better buying from them basically.


XT660R 2013










Here's a link to the tv episodes it appeared in.



https://youtu.be/5iaZV7Vflfo




I'm looking for a bike that's enjoyable to ride on the road, I have minimal interest in off-road malarkeys except for the odd gravel track etc I may come across would be a fun little go.

I want to get away from the 'too-tempting-to-go-fast' acceleration(trading in my Suzuki 1200S Bandit) as sooner or later something is gonna go wrong for me or my licence , so i'm focusing on finding a more relaxed but entertaining bike to own, albeit at slower speeds.

I like my twisties and getting enjoyment out of the 'ride' on the bike, i'm in my element cruising along at 50 or 60mph on my old Ducati Monster 600 in the evenings, listening to the sound of the bike, so theory is I can do this too on an XT600X/R?

And of course i'll be commuting to work etc, local bike meets in the week. Commute is only a handful of miles each way, and the odd ride out after work somewhere. Normal stuff really.

So both bike up for the same price, which would be the better buy?

I know brakes are much better on the XT600X model, can't find any threads on calliper swaps for the XT600R model to improve the braking power?(i'm a precision engineer and in the past have fitted a Honda VTR1000 4-pot calliper to a Kawasaki GPZ500 along with a Yamaha R1 disc lol, so i'm up for a challenge!).

Haven't ridden the XT600R yet but did test ride the XT600X last week so know what performance to expect and i'm happy with it.


Here's a gif I made of both models of bikes, scaled them and used the rear wheel spindle as the central point.