This morning I have received an email from a gentleman by the name of Andy Davidson, he is also a member of our forum, but due to his travelling on and off the XTR he hasn't had much time to partecipate in the forum, but I will see that after this thread that he will make an effort to reply to the feedback and partecipate a bit more actively.

Andy, has already been on an 11'000 miles trip from UK to Iraq and back to UK and he is passionate about his bike, put please read the email he sent and do me proud by giving your best experiences good or bad, Thanks

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi

My name is Andy and I am a reporter for Motorcycle News

I am compiling a feature on the XT660R, my model is 2009. I have owned the bike for 2 years now.

I know that your site is popular amongst XT enthusiasts and you have quite the following, so I believe it would add to my feature to get some feedback from some of your members, maybe in a post that you could put up asking for it?

As a thank you, I will plug your website in the article, which should hopefully give you some great advertisement

Also, do you organise club ride outs etc... if so, when would be the next one and where do you usually go?

Thanks for your time

Andy Davidson

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

p.s.: I have already pointed Andy in the direction of the Lakeland rides and explained to him a bit about what goes on and when it is likely to be hosted next.

In the meantime if you would like to give your feedback on the XT660R Enduro please do so by replying to this thread.

I appreciate it.

Andy,

I have a 2008 XTR. I've been off bikes for quite a few years & wanted a do-it-all bike that I could use on day, weekend & longer rides. Had decided on a DR650, based on price, but found an XTR with 900km on it for the same price as a new DR650.

I've made a few mods, the most significant was getting rid of those (in my opinion) stupid underslung twin pipes and replacing them with a much lighter 2-1 Akrapovic pipe.

At group rides, no-one knows what the bike is, but they like the look of it & it always attracts attention (despite my mates riding 70' Huskies, KTMs, GSes etc.) and can more than hold it's own on the road, on ADV type rides & open Enduro type riding. I find it a handful in the tighter enduro type of riding, and have trouble keeping up with my mate's 690s, 510s.

In order to exploit the true dual sport nature of the bike, I run 2 sets of rims (Tourances on one set, D606s on the other) on road rides, it has no trouble keeping up with "proper" road bikes but offers almost no wind protection for long distance high speed riding.

There is an issue with surging, I think that this maybe because of the Supermoto derivation of the powerplant. Keeping the throttle pinned eliminates any surging!

On a recent trip to the beach, it had a tendency to sink in (compared to my mates DR650s) & spray a LOT of sand.

As an all-rounder this is a great bike. It's compromised on the road & off, but it's not greatly compromised & that's where it's strength lies. Some pics:

Same as above really, I have an enduro bike but wanted something with longer legs that I could still get dirty on, the XTR fits the bill perfectly imo. I have toured loaded up,competed in the Witley 100 on it and will be using it for some of the easier BBRC rallies next year.

I owned an 06 xtr for nearly 4 years and put some 35k miles on the bike. I used the bike for commuting mainly to uni through town and on a roads but as the bike was my only wheels I used it for every thing from weekend trips, holidays to all over the uk. I toured England for 2.5 weeks with a total of 2.5k miles, bike fully loaded and never missed a beat.

I've taken the bike off roading several times to Wales and the Peak District and with the right off road tyres it was good off road. ok it's not a light weight enduro bike but I still got the bike around some tough off roading sections.

The bike was my everything so I modified it with several items like twin ccc cans, stg 1 and 2 air filters, bash plate crash bars, high screen, hand guards, heated grips, raiser links..... to name a few.

The bike is easy to work on and service, never did the valves myself but my mechanic said they are no harder to get at than a standard bike.

The motor is so torquey and but does like to rev and with the right rider can keep up with most bikes on twisty roads. it handles well for a tall bike and after you've scrubbed in the tyres it can easily touch the pegs down.

at 6ft4 I'm not the smallest and the bike suited me good. the seat to peg is good but a higher set of bars allow off roading standing on the pegs easier.

being a big single the fuel economy was good, at worst I'd get 55mpg at best 78mpg, average 60mpg.

question would I buy another one? well if the new tenere wasn't out yes I'd buy another one.

why did I choose the tenere over the xtr? the teneres a bit taller and the screens better at protecting me from the wind. I like the larger tank and the motors slighty more powerful feeling.

__________________
Plough on

As said, I am looking to compile a feature ride report on the XT660R specifically. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, both positive and negative...

I am quite interested in what everyone thinks of the fuel injection... the low end surging, how you fixed it, for example the difference between a Kev mod and a power commander, the different options available, or do some of you not notice it,

Also what about vibrations etc..

Thanks for the above comments, really helpful, keep them coming!

Maxwell: I am assuming your talking about a Z model then not the R?

Boneman: when you say you have trouble keeping up, is this because of the weight? what weight saving tips do you know off and has the Akro influenced power?

Thanks again guys, much appreciated

Andy

Hi Andy,

I fitted the Akro system & DNA filters (stage I & II) at the same time. The machine definitely breathes more deeply now, and barks much louder (induction roar & exhaust growl in harmony) it has however accentuated the fuelling issue. The 2-1 doesn't have a lug for an O2 sensor, so I'm using an O2 eliminator mod at the moment (there is a Power Commander V with a 2 position MAP switch in a box in the garage) until I can get the bike dyno-tuned. Kev (the maker of the Kev mod) has been helpful in finding a local bike dyno-tuner.

The 660 pops & crackles & back-fires a lot more now (but I quite like it...) and the kids love the fact that blue flames come out of the exhaust when I get home after the evening commute. I am hoping that a new fuel map will fix this when I can get the bike to the dyno...

(My 6 year old made me use that smilie!)

As far as keeping up with the Enduro bikes, I reckon it's partly the weight (it's very tiring after awhile) and maybe the soft (stock) suspension. I find it's great fun for awhile, the torquey nature of the bike makes it very satisfying to punt through the bush, but then fatigue sets in and it's bye bye Huskys & KTMs.

The Akro does save a great deal of weight, I couldn't quite believe how heavy the stock pipes were when I took them off. The handling of the bike is quite different now with less weight over the arse. Clearance is also better, and there have been a number of occasions in a wash-out or rut when I would have damaged the stock pipes, rather than simply scratched the OTR bash plate...

Next mods will be a fly screen for road rides & to get the suspension sorted (Ohlins?). After that with the fuelling sorted through the Power Commander V that will be a just-right light ADV bike.

andy

I'm talking of the r but I now have a z to compare it to. will up date you on your new questions when I get home

__________________
Plough on

I am quite interested in what everyone thinks of the fuel injection... the low end surging, how you fixed it, for example the difference between a Kev mod and a power commander, the different options available, or do some of you not notice it?


I did have a slight bit of surging at the start but i was taught how to ride on a single cylinder bike so i found it no different covering and slipping the clutch at low revs or in and around traffic. I finally after a few years bought a stg 2 air filter and kev fuel mod and this combo gives loads of torque down low, a bit more top end but overall alot better fuelling allowing for less clutch slip and surging. In the end of the day it is a bit single and with a long swing arm it just feels like youve a slack chain when it surges.

Also what about vibrations etc..

I didnt have much problem with vibration all the way up till around 40k miles. Got the engine serviced again in and around this milage and the mechanic said of the main bearing must be loosening off. At 70mph (with a 1 tooth higher front sprocket) it was ok, no more vibration than any other bike, over this the vibrations started. I think this was down to a worn engine and if i had the money and time at the time i probably would have stripped the engine, replaced parts and rebuilt it.

Maxwell: I am assuming your talking about a Z model then not the R?

I owned an R for 4 years, but have only just bought a Z so i compare them together. The R for me would probably have been the better off roading bike (although i havent tested the Z fully yet) but the R being lighter makes alot of difference. Ok the fuel tank is smaller so you may want to carry a 5 ltr drum + with you if your doing long distance riding, however both bikes give good MPG.

Below are a selection of my pictures showing near 4 years of ownership of an XTR.

__________________
Plough on

Hi Andy,

I live close to the city of Melbourne, in one of the older areas where there are many bluestone lanes and alleyways and wanted a bike that I can ride comfortably into the city everyday, and also be able to get out into the country side on the weekends. I am 47yo and wanted a good quality and versatile bike that also looked good and I wouldn't get tired of quickly. The XT660R does many things very well, and is very easy to transform into whatever bike you want it to be... with some limitations of course. It's not perfect, but there are lots of people who fall in love with this bike and are willing to investigate and share their findings on how to improve this bike. In that respect I think there is no other bike that can rival it.
And did I mention it looks damn hot?

__________________
Cheers Mate,



XT660R