How reliable is your XT?
 

My XT is the most unreliable bike I have ever owned!

I would like to know other owners experiences.

In eight months and 8000 miles, it's failed to start on average once a month requiring the RAC to be called on three occasions. Solution dry the spark plug due to flooding. I now carry a spare spark plug!

Final insult after riding home in the pouring rain last night it fails to start this morning. Everything else is active but I only get the occasional attempt at starting from the button. Leaning the bike to the right means it will attempt to start, upright or to the left and it won't.

Yamaha dealer will look at it on Fri 13 (which made me smile). Their test and I quote "we will pressure wash the bike and see what happens".

PS, 14 year old DR650 started first time!!!

Hi peach,sounds like you are very unlucky,I have a 2008 xtr and it has never failed once even after riding in extreme wet conditions although I have onlt done 7000 kilometers on it.Will be very interested to hear how your bike works out after Friday the 13TH.
Cheers Geoffrey

Been riding XTX's for 4 years now, 25000 miles/40000 kms in total & have never been let down once.

Going by your discription I would get them to check your tilt sensor, air & coolant temp senders & load test the battery to see if it is cranking the bike fast enough. Let us know how you get on.

Sorry to hear your not happy with the XT. I have done about 6500klms in all weather with no worries to date.

:woo:

Posts like these make me very angry, on average, not picking on the poster himself/herself, they just show F*CK ALL knowledge about bikes. There is always something suspicious when a bike is giving up the ghosts, and if the ever knowledgeble ( Ed.: sarcasm) Yamaha official mechanics can't find it in their 2 page checklist, then you either take it to a real bike mechanic or ask here in this forum becase we have some of the best in the world in Kev and Freez.

So... out of respect for those who own, run and manage this forum first and also to the many happy owners members, starting a post saying "this is the most unreliable bike I have ever had" makes you unpopular and won't get you much help round here, from those who actually can give you advice.

As said by others these problems are very rare, but they do occur from tme to time and it doesn't mean that all XT's are the most unreliable bikes ever, it's just bad luck.

I have heard of many many BMW GS1150 and GS1200 returned to their dealers for serious issues within the first 2 weeks.

Do I hear Ducati? ouch

? ManicMic clone ?

The XT is the most unreliable bike I have ever owned, fact. If that truth makes me unpopular, so be it. I posted before with regards to EFI and flooding, nobody responded.

Do I detect a BMW issue here? My T plate 1150GS hasn't missed a beat, my colleagues 07 1200GS has been in for numerous issues. Still makes my XT the most unreliable bike I have ever owned.

The bike has been looked at by two RAC mechanics and one AA mechanic on six separate occassions. The bike mechanic I use has gone over it the day after I've had an issue and can't find a thing. He reckons I have an electrical issue or a bike built on Friday.

I didn't say the XT is the most unreliable bike ever, I asked for other riders experiences. Your responses are useless, stating that these problems occur from time to time is stating the obvious.

GordyGus, Kev and Dan71 responded with their experiences and some advice, thank you.

Thing is Peach, we are here to help, all of us, we really are, we are keen to help everyone specially when we are approached nicely, but we find it difficult with those who are starting on a negative approach dismissing the bike as pile of crap.

Surely 6000 odd registered members would be screaming with complaints here rather than praising their satisfaction.

If you are so dissatisfied with the bike to the point where you have given up on sourcing the problem, then it would be advisable to sell and find a different one.

That's what I need help, especially with regard to the XT and probably for myself as well ;-)

I chose the XT after trying other bikes and reading owner reviews and love the bike when it's bloody working!!! I haven't had a car in 17 years and have a soft spot for Yamaha since purchasing my first "large" bike, a TDR250, in 1990.

It doesn't help that it's been noted by work that I've been late recently, due to the XT leaving me stranded in the arse end of nowhere.

Any help, advice or XT experience is greatly appreciated...

I'm on a Z, so not really any direct help here, although I do have a TT too, with the old 600 air cooled lump - and that is a pig to get going if you don't treat it right.

Killing the battery is pretty common in my experience, it takes a good amount of Uuummphh to turn a 660 over enough to start, and if you have it flooded/cold/weak spark/damp/ etc then it doesn't take much to be left with a dead bike. This has pretty much happened to me with the 600, to help eleviate the problem I do keep both the Z and the TT on Battery conditioners (Optimate and the Oxford-i-miser thingy) it helps honest!

Coming from a Honda, I have found the Yamaha to be less reliable, but it's only let me down (properly - the wiring harness wore through! ) once, and it has had a very hard life upto now. I must confess though that I put most problems down to wear and tear.

Still 11,000 very happy miles, 1 set of tyres, cush drive rubbers, wiring repair, gear lever replacement, panniers replaced an done or two other minor things. Funny thing is, the first failure on the bike was the 12v power socket, and that was a BMUU part!

Never mind, sh1t happens, sometimes you get more than you deserve - guarentee if you sell the bike the next person won't have so much as a stall with it!

As you are not a site suppoter you wont have access to the "ask Kev section" so that wont help and is well worth it as his Knowlege is second to none

Do you have error codes or lights on the dash ? i had similar problems but need to know what lights or codes are showing