A little birdy from Yamaha told me yesterday that the XT660Z's will be coming with upside down forks soon.

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Mods that I have done to my XTX's

My 04 XTX
Stage 1 & 2 DNA filters / Kev fuel mod / snorkel mod / Drilled air box mod / Engine breather mod / Fork Spacer mod / 15w fork oil /
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My 07 XTX
Raptor 700 cylinder 102mm / Modified Crank Case to take a 105mm Raptor Cylinder / 11:1 102mm JE Raptor piston / Stage 1 Raptor Hot Cam / Ported head / Colder Spark Plug / +2mm Throttle body / DNA stage 1 & 2 filters / Modified Air Box / Snorkel removed / Worry Brothers stage 2 filter cover / 6mm & 8mm Bolts Replaced with Titanium Bolts / Recovered seat in Black / O2 Eliminator /

My 09 XTX
59HP at the rear wheel / Stage 2 Raptor Hot Cam / DNA stage 3 Air Box / Carbon Can Exhausts / Modified Exhaust Link Pipes / PCIII With Custom Fuel Map / Wideband Commander O2 Data logger / LCD100 Dyno Jet display & fuel adjuster / 2500 OHM HT lead instead of a 10K OHM XT lead / Extra Coolant Cooler / Protaper Fat Bars / Tail Tidy With LED Tail Light / OKE Protection Knobs / LED indicators / AIS blocked / Modified rear sprocket rubbers / Rear Foot Pegs removed / 09 ECU With 02 Sensor Changed To A 06 ECU / Complete wiring harnes Changed from 09 to 04 / Home made LED resistor flasher / Hole drilled in the fuel tank filler neck to allow quicker filling / Modified Bar End Weights / Progressive front fork springs, 15W fork oil, forks lowered 25mm, used XTR rear links lowering the rear 20mm, rear spring one click stiffer / Changed front & rear guards from blue to black / 47T rear sprocket / Speedo Healer V4.0 / Kev throttle cam mod / Throttle grip mod / The new 2010 O2 sensor mod is out, works a treat, The new 2012 O2 Controller is out, PM me for details

Now ride a 2018 MT09SP ABS + TCS

My KTM 990 SMR Mod book. http://www.ktmsmt.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4946

Interesting, although the question is more "good ones, or 'cosmetic' ones?"

Putting better quality springs in the current suspension (and especially the rear) would be a good start.

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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

USD forks will certainly draw visual appeal, but like uberthumper, I have my doubts as to whether there will actually be any tangible improvement in quality? In my experience �budget�, non-adjustable USD forks perform no better than RWU damper rod forks, and in many cases are worse than RWU cartridge type forks.

The woeful first attempt at the suspension on the original Yamaha FZ8 is a good example of how style (and cost cutting) over substance doesn�t always work when it comes to forks (and shocks). Replacing the FZ6s perfectly acceptable RWU forks, with the latest must-have USD forks on the cheap, resulted in a bike that handled worse than the one it replaced. Yamaha realised the error of its ways (3 years later mind) and has upgraded the forks (and shock) on the 2013 FZ8 due to a universal panning of its suspension.

I may be wrong � I hope I am, but ever the pessimist, I can�t help but think that any USD forks Yamaha fit to an XTZ are likely to be of the �budget� variety. We�ll just have to wait and see I guess�

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Are they planning to update the whole bike or just 'bling it up ' a bit?
I honestly think if they put some serious effort into it they could have a serious seller on their hands but a major upgrade usually comes with a major price increase.
While im on the soap box Yamaha need to address other issues like Cush drives made of cheese, various bearings with no grease in etc etc.
Thanks for listening.

A retrograde step imo. I'm yet to be convinced that usd forks are any better than gaitered right-way-up units for ordinary mortals. They are far more vulnerable to damage and a real prick for seal deterioration due to dried mud and dings in the back from rocks.

Along with the USD forks, how about :

1. Chain guide
2. Adjustable rear brake pedal
3. Adjustable clutch lever
4. A 6th GEAR!
5. Get rid of the hump and give us a "banana/bench" style seat



Not asking for the world, just some refined improvements!