is the tank on the Ten reinforced on the sides? feels pretty dam sturdy.

Ever since ive got the Ten ive been pouring over it trying to find any weakness that i could improve, basically trying to make it more bomb proof than it already is.

I understand that no bike is full bomb proof, theres always that silly shaped rock that when you drop it finds its way in some where and breaks something...buts that life.

an example is the rear break resovoir. The little guard you can buy will help if say a rock flies into it and breaks it and your in the middle of no where ( chance of this is low as your leg is int he way , but you never now)

Other weaknesses i believe are the coolant bottle, hose from pump to rad (which ive seen broke when bike dropped on a rocky path) and maybe the side of the rad.

Any one bought things? made things? or heard of things broke in freak falls?

Buy a set of engine guards if you are worried about breaking something

It is reinforced in a way, because the lower tank bolts have long protrusions that are wider than the tank itself, which are hidden behind the sacrificial grey panels. Basically any impact energy applied to the side of the tank "should" go through these bolts and to the frame.

I too have seen the hose split by sharp rocks, particularly flints like we get here in Norfolk, but then again I've never had an issue. I do think its a little too easy to get a bit OCD about protection, you have to draw the line somewhere or you end up with a bike that weighs as much as a car and you'll never pick it up! There's also a lot of stuff on the market that masquerading as protection, but really is just bling as the parts they are quoted as protecting are either strong enough anyway or already protected (most such examples to be found in the TT catalogue!)

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+1. Keeping it as simple as is practical seems best. I thinks all those extra bars and such might be ok for open country, but in brush and tight going may hang up on low scrub etc and actually cause unnerving involuntary examination of said foliage at close range.

Yip - and I've seen it cause problems on the UK green lanes too.

There seams to be an obsession with protecting the waterpump too - All I say is this, lay your bike down, and see how close the waterpump comes to the tarmac. In 4 years of these bikes covering the globe, I've only ever heard of two occasions where the waterpump has been smashed, there have been more occasions of the radiator being damaged.

Personally, my bike has seen more than it's share of horizontal time, the only protection I added was a bash plate, which has scars to prove it's worth. The 'Air Scoops' (no idea why Yamaha call then this) on the side of the tank do a fantastic job, and despite heavy testing (Ah,,hem) they have a few marks that you don't really see.

I did manage to bend the OE bars out of shape a little, but that was a great excuse to upgrade to some Renthals.

Also, I replaced the stupid plastic screws that hold the screen on with some alloy ones. There was a school of thought that these were there to save the screen in a fall. Unfortunately, it only takes a light fall to break all these. Since replacing mine I've had light to medium falls and the screen is fine and has never detached.

Consider a Snake Brake, to give the brake pedal some support, these are quite soft and the snake brake stops stuff getting stuck in behind the pedal.

Anything with Touratech written on it should be looked at carefully. The 'Regulator Protector' is a totally useless piece of kit, it protects a lump of steel only, not the regulator! Same goes for the brake reservoir protector. The Frame protectors are useful, but you can make a cheap pair of these yourself from some carbon fibre sheet at 1/4 of the cost.

I'd say you were better having the equipment to rectify problems on the bike, rather than lots and lots of protection. It's lighter and can be used to fix anything. Doesn't matter how much you protect the bike, chances are you will find a new way to brake it!

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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Basically, what Gulgo said. In thousands of miles of trail and rally miles, and a lot of 'horizontal time', I've broken/damaged:

- A couple of handguards.
- A couple of indicators.
- A couple of numberplates.
- A screen, when I dropped the bike off the back of the pickup.
- Slightly bent the rear brake lever a few times.
- Bars aren't quite straight, but close enough that I can't be bothered to replace them.

Before you do anything, buy proper ally-spined handguards. I use Barkbuster Storms, because they combine decent weather and crash protection. I've twice crashed hard enough to bend the ally spine itself (as well as countless minor offs), but I've never broken a lever. Guys I ride with who use the silly KTM style plastic ones seem to end up changing levers every time they fall off.

I've got the Yamaha ally bashplate and engine bars on mine. I'd say the bashplate is worth having - mine has the scrapes in the bottom from grounding out over rock-steps. Not so sure on the engine bars - I've got hung up on them a few times in deep ruts and had to lift the bike out. But on the other hand if you had a fast get-off on tarmac they would keep the engine cases off the floor.

Otherwise, get out there and ride it. While the grey plastic bits might be called "air scoops" by Yamaha, they're really "crash panels", and they will take a lot of abuse (and they're cheaply replaced).

If your bike is shiny at the moment, I'd consider putting some clear film on the tank where your knees rub - dirt on your riding gear will scratch it up nicely. Bit too late for mine

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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

Dont get me wrong...i ride it, i abuse it, thats whats its for!

What got me thinking was the other day i didnt drop it, but lay it day on a grassy mound/bank. Normally when the bike goes down on the flat the bars hit the floor, but not this time as the bank was only about 3 feet high there for hit the side of the rad, coolant tank and hose are. (was soft grass though, not rock)

Im not really into engine bars for the reasons that people have listed (plus there not cheap). And another reason i guess for this train of thought is....like a lot of people...i like tinkering with my bike so making little bits and so on keeps me out of trouble.

im making an alloy rectifier cover at the mo to go over the steel plate, its higher so covers the plug. not needed i know but does improve the looks a touch and gives me something to do while quiet at work.

Hose: As for the hose near the w.pump, im going to put some larger diameter hose around it. This is easy to do, doesnt add weight and in the unlikely event of damage it will no doubt help.

Brake Snake: where do you attatch them too? and dont say the brake pedal!

Coolant bottle: Touratech do an (overpriced) protector called a roll bar (i think?).

I've also 'safetywired' the jiffy-spring: it tends to get off when the bike skids on its LH side... safes a few minutes looking for it...

As for the rest: I agree with the other crash-test-dummies; a bash plate and some sturdy hand guards... that's all you really need.

Though I must admit... that it is not totally indestructible...

this is were I lost my side-stand


... and here's were the RH footpeg was torn off ... partially


you can read the rest over here... http://www.xt660.com/showthread.php?t=19114


HJ

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