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]: