I'd like to agree with Ergoth on this
external temperature definetely seems to make the XT behave differently
or when its raining, snowing, windy, slightly sunny, sunny, etc
You get the picture no 2 rides seem the same
Now mines developed a new fueling issue, when you very first open the throttle just for an instant it tries to die. Tried raising the tickover to make it go away but if I had the engine ticking over any quicker i could ride to work without the throttle.
I too dont know why i put up with a bike that cost me over �5500 2 years ago have spent hundreds trying to sort out and it still has a mind of its own.

yes I do know,
it has a mind of its own, and the instant the tarmac dries out and you crack that throttle open or lash it in to a bend at a speed or angle you'd never dream of doing on any other bike thats why you put up with it.

:drool[1]:Ha ha ha Geoff, sodding bikes!!You can't help but love em can you? My damn thing has a mind of it's own......... I learned that very quickly and with no miles under my belt compared to you guys !!!!........... it looks like I did the right thing getting my xtr .... just a passing look at the black ****** in the garage made me grin!!!! Aaaaaaaaaah!...... Smitten ..... sigh!! Tony

Blimey where does one start!!.

You know where you come from bike wise has an effect and also is it your only bike and that's before you even get to in this case an XT,coming from a Fazer thou jeeze that's one hell of a change,where as for me I'd already got 3 big bikes and I'd sold a Gilera 180 runner that I used to nip down the shops on and bought my XT so my whole mental approach to the bike was totally different it was at the bottom of the food chain and that was where it was going stay,so I thought.

You want a bike that changes with the weather go buy a BM R1100s I've had one 14 years spent enough money on it to buy at least two new XT660's and still refuse to ride it on a warm day cuz it'll have you fillings out, on a cool damp day it's something special and I say that with a K1200r in the garage with a dyno read out for 162hp I digress.

I bought my XT with 580 miles 4 years ago next September from a dealer and it's still worth what I paid for it and it even came with brand new Akra's on I say all this because it's all part of the phychology of how you approach each individual bike,after my 3 other big bangers it was a world away non of those 3 bikes have the bland trait that you get on a Jap 4 cylinder like a Fazer I'd had that kind of bike for 30 years and I had enough that was in 99.

But when I got on my XT it reminded me of the blandness that I was desperate to escape from and had done for 10 years and it reminded me of why I had ridden Jap bikes for so long because they are easy to live with,after the novelty had worn off the jerky side of the bike showed it's self but quickly found the trick to riding was either on or off the throttle and nothing else,by which time I'd put a DNA 1 and 2 in,pulled the snorkel out and then realised too much air not enough fuel and fitted Kev's fuel mod some adjusting and the improvement was probably 60/70% and to be honest I'd have probably left it like that.

But I see a job lot of XT parts on ebay and buy the lot and with them was Power Commander fit and with some fetling and the require holes in the airbox found another 20/25% engine and it's to the point here in the Uk it's mine main bike,does it get ridden hard?? well yes it does I've never got more than 1200 miles out of a front tyre,but it's also rare I have any b*gg** overtake me apart from on a fast piece of straight road when any muppet can just open the throttle.

But there's a punch line and that It's not my only bike and in my subconscious I have a big bike to wheel out of the garage when I want,as far as the quirks of the XT go that's fuel injection for you,my 955 Tiger in the 13 years I have owned it from new must have had 10 different maps in trying to find the Holy Grail,my 1100s on a constant throttle would hunt like a pogo stick and among other things needed a PC,my K1200r eventually got so bad with the stock fuelling I had Rexxer map blown into the ECU to cure it that's the short story on all 3.

So of course not only you don't have the luxury of that big bike you also had the last of the bikes with carbs on welcome to fuel injection!!!

Sorry for the ramble.

Phew!.......... I would have to put my index finger out after that one!!! But I do get it? By the replies I've had it's clear that the popularity of our bikes and the fondness of there owners to them are it's individual and yet common quirks........ Bring it on.. Tony

I dont see what all these issues are tbh im on a 09x with akro stage 1 and 2 power comander etc etc (see below) and during winter ive run it standard so if I dropped it I wouldnt hurt my zhaust etc etc but I still dont see this whole fuel issue? Yes around mini roundabouts sometimes it involves usint the clutch but its a big single its got bottom end power its supposed to be torquay before I bought mine I read the mcn report and thought o dear am I doing the right thing buying it but I held with it and bought it and tbh its a complely diffrent machine to that report and iLOVE MY XT. Now am I a lucky one or something? I dunno? Same as cushdrive rubbers. I dont see the huge issue when I bought it a put new ones in cos it needed it yes they need replacing from time to time ? But hey its cheaper then ripping spokes from wheels or damaging transmission parts, its there as a weak link to protect everything else..... thats it purpose surely ? And most jerking and surging can be minmised by having a correctly adjust chain. Did I mention!!!!!! I LOVE MY XT

Don't get me wrong I don't suffer from Large blinker syndrome that you see on so many website because the routine is

Hello my name is Fred Blogs I've just bought the latest XYZ it's fantastic it's a keeper and their gone in 12 months,

The XT is a basic cooking engine and the bike is built to a price all fuel injected engines are the same you can make all of them have kangaroo petrol if you want,bit like having tooth ache and then you can't stop poking it.

Go on the KTM websites and see how they have the same problem with fueling and they've paid a dam sight more with a bike that could hand grenade at any time when your XT won't,I run my XT because I think with the mods it's a good result,I looked long and hard at the KTM option it had got nothing to do with money I'm not down to my last 50p but as big single cylinder the XT is a safe bet IMO I don't think there's a better compromise.

Shortly after getting my XT660Z I replaced the std exhaust with a Leo Vince.
Never had any surging issues, but I noticed a harshness at certain revs. As I have
done with my most recent bikes I took it to be remapped. Apparently it was running
seriously lean. After remapping the harshness had gone, and due to an increase
in rear wheel BHP and Torque bike now pulls top gear at lower revs than before. Its
also effortless to now sustain 80 - 90mph on the motorway. Fuel economy seems
unchanged and the bike feels happy at all revs. Happy days.

How was it remapped??

I took it here http://hilltopmotorcycles.co.uk/

Oh yes I know know of him :sad7:, you have just shocked me never in a million years did I expect to bump into that gent on here,I suggest you ask Kev if he thinks it's possible to remap an ECU without a piggyback or the like of Rexxer please please don't tell me he relieved you of �350 as well.

You have the like of Kev busting his ass with things like his fuel for peanuts mod and then you've gents like him grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I bet he gave you a silly dyno read out as well!!