Im picking my 09 xt660z up on Thursday with 3700m on the clock, but after reading through this great site, I'm a bit worried about the reliability of the bike and all it's issues. Can someone cheer me up with any good news of this bike ie loads of miles and no issues.

My Z has 30K on the clock... it has let me down once, at home where the loom was over tightened with cable ties.



What you have seen is the worst, of a small selection of bikes. Many others have had faultless lives.


Don't panic, you could have bought a BMW, and be calling the RAC even before it's arrived !

Be aware though, reliability is a subjective issue, some people see rusty spokes as an issue, others look at the 'has the bike left me stranded' issue, others have a more pragmatic view, and look at the whole ownership, for me, this bike has been the longest I have owned a main bike (I have a TTR too), I get bored of sick of faults usually after about 2 years, this bike is coming up on it's 4th birthday. I've found that it is by far the best bike to get along with by far. It's comfy, it's got a huge range, it's cheap to run, and like a trusty Landrover, you might not get there first, but you'l deffo get there, and nature never holds you back.

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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Had a GSA and the clutch went so I sold it I'm putting in my KTM 990 Adventure for this xt660z with cash back, hope it works out as I like the bike when I took it for a 70min test ride.

2008 XTZ, 21K miles, no problems at all, never let me down once. Never been to dealer since 600 miles service. Still original loom and rectifier, still got the old style breather (never bothered me), original chain and sprockets, even the original Yamaha pannier locks still work. It seems unsinkable...

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26,000 miles and the worst I've had has been flat tyres from punctures.
She's a good old donk.

shouldn't have done that...

What I mean is that you'll find issues on any forum on any bike/car/boat/plane/camera/hifi/computer/etc...

... that's why forums exist.

But in my experience it's just as reliable as the BMW's i've had ... oww... no no no no! Euhmmm... just as reliable as ... euhm... oooh.. .well.. just as reliable as an Japanese engineered bike built in Italy can be

... I'd say quite good indeed!

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Riding the Mad Mule !! ... no more... went orange...

23,000 miles in six months around the USA... no problems.

Then 5000 miles [racing] from Paris to Dakar... no problems.

They are a sound bike.

The only issues people ever seem to have had are a badly fitted connector on the reg/reg (an easy check and fix) on certain model years... plus the cush drive rubbers wearing 'prematurely' - although since Yamaha have never said how long the cush rubbers are expected to last, it's just something that wears out, like tyres and brakes pads... again, if you want to prolong their life, there is a quick and easy fix on the forum here...

Enjoy the bike, it really is an excellent all-rounder...

Jx

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"Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

JennyDakar.com

Mine will go through 31,000 miles on Sunday, in the middle of a rally.


It's come home on a trailer once in my ownership - when I rode it into three feet of water on Salisbury Plain. I can hardly blame the bike for that.

It also had the reg/rec plug issue before I bought it. That can be prevented, and if your bike is a genuine '09 model (mine is an '09 reg '08 bike) then it's a non-issue anyway.


A few things have worn out quicker than I'd like, but nothing that isn't easily replaced, and my bike has probably lived a slightly harder than average life, and received a slightly lower than average amount of TLC .

In other words, don't worry.

Edit to add: Mine is a money pit, but that's because I like shiny things, not because of unreliability

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I spent a lot of money on travel and racing motorcycles - the rest I just squandered.

XT660Z - Commuter, Adventurer...Racer?

www.dashmoto.net

Other bikes >> MT-03 / CG125BR-J / ER-6F
Departed >> ZXR400L3 / EC300 / DR-Z400E / DR800S / GPZ500S / GS400

Not as many miles as everyone else but got 08 plate, 17000 Miles standard engine etc and never had any issues!

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live Free, Ride Free!
No maps no plans, just get on your bike and go!



XT660z......What a machine!!

Current mods:- Yamaha top box, Yamaha hanguards, Heated grips, High front fender, Aux lighting front/rear.

Just picked the bike up went straight home to check the reg/rec and all looks good and clean. But I noticed that the connector will only go down one click, my fingers are sore pushing down hard to hear a second click but it will only go down the one, is it that hard to push or what, any advice on this please.
Cheers SPOOKYAD.