Greetings to all the XT Riders on the forum!

I would like to share some troubles I have with my XTX660 2004 Model and give me some info of this matter.

This might be a little long so I apologize :3

I've bought mine (2nd hand) with 32k KMs on the clock. The clock now is on 46k KMs.

I take really good care of my XTX, changing oil every 4k KMs and oil filter every 8k KM's, I warm my bike up for 1.5 to 2 minutes before I start riding it and I do regular check ups on my mechanic.Plus, I always check my breaks, tires, lights, chain etc when I go for a ride.

The thing is I have a history with my xt. It stalls out of nowhere and for no particular reason (The dealer in my town told me that this might be the TPS)

My ECU was once locked for no particular reason and the bike wouldn't start (I had to reprogram it in order to get the bike to start again, the problem was resolved and I've been riding it around 9 months without any issues)

My counterweight on the crankshaft (If I'm correct) was loose and the bike sounded like a bag of nails, which was easily resolved and haven't had any issues with that yet (fixed it on March 2015)

Now, the issue I have now Is that I can hear my timing chain rattle if my bike gets warm, I've went to the dealer and he said that it is not a big problem and not to worry about it, he adjusted the timing chain tensioner a little bit and the rattling is significantly reduced, only 1 out of 5 rides I can hear it on Idle before I stop the bike to park it.

Now, could someone please tell me if this is significant and If I should replace the timing chain and the guides soon or If it's possible to add some more KMs on the clock without having any serious problems. (I got some economical crisis :P )

That was the first issue. The second issue is a little bit odd.
Sometimes my bike won't start. The bike does the Check when I turn the key but it wont start! I have to run it down the street with neutral and then put 1st to start it (I checked the battery on my mechanic and he said that it is fine)

But it is not only that, sometimes when I turn the key the bike doesn't do the Check and not only that, my dash is dead. (No Time, KMs, speedometer or anything on dash is shown) but the bike starts fine and after I run it for 2~3 minutes it resets and everything is fine.

Could someone PLEASE enlighten me cause I'm a little bit anxious :S

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Regarding the timing chain/top end rattle, it could simply be the decompression mechanism. Incorrectly aligned and/or loose decompression pins are a known problem on the XT660. Have a read of this thread:

http://www.xt660.com/showthread.php?t=24187

As for the random non-starting and dead clocks, the first thing I'd do with any intermittent electrical fault is get the tank off a go through the wiring and connectors very carefully. It is not unknown for older XTs to suffer badly from corroded connectors/terminals and for wires to rub through on various parts of the frame. Even the blade fuse contacts can become furry and make intermittent poor contact - pull them out and clean them. Check the battery terminals are tight and all earthing points are god and free from corrosion.

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I'll go tomorrow to my mechanic and ask him to do a thorough check and give special attention to the timing chain/guides and the decompression pin

(As I understood you can give it a check without removing the camshaft, correct?)

But the noise keeps getting noisier and noisier and I have this feeling that my counterweight/drive nut on the crankshaft is starting to get loose again

As for the random dash Resets while driving etc, I'll do a good check with a mate of mine on the wiring and connectors/contacts to see if anything is eroded/bad and if this resolves the glitch.

Thank you very much for the information! It was enlightening

I'll reply with the outcome ^^

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Yes, you can check the decompression mechanism without removing the camshaft - counter weights, spring, push rod and pin alignment. Just remove the inspection cover. The camshaft is hollow and the pin can be seen by looking down it.

It might be worth checking the crank nut again. It has been known for them to come loose a second time.

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So I got my xt fixed the other day.

The cause of the random dash resets and shut downs was from a naked wire touching the frame.

As for the Rattling, the weather is a lot colder now in my area and since the weather changed it has stopped doing it. (Maybe the Oil I put isn't good quality? Spectro 10-40)

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