Just had my xt660 ten MOT'd for the first time (had her 2 months now) and the guy made a passing comment, knowing what sort of mileage I normally do, 'don't spend too long at 70-80, they don't like it and the engine gives up!'

Now I rarely take this sort of idle chat seriously, but its ticking around in the old brain box and now.....id like to know if I should be limiting my motorway mileage.

I do approx 7-10k a year, half the time on motorway.

Any thoughts? or is it tosh....

Thanks in advance.

Utter rubbish. The XT is (like every modern bike over 125cc) perfectly capable of cruising at those speeds day after day without issue (assuming it's been properly serviced of course). That's the sort of comment you got from mechanics in the 1950s and 1960s talking about British 350 singles! I personally have spent many a long stint at motorway speeds here and abroad on the Ten during the last eight years. The motor is still as sweet running as it ever was, if anything it's actually got smoother.

Take a look here at some of the mileages covered by forum members.

The only thing to watch (other than the obvious oil levels etc.) is that, on 2008 bikes only, the crankcase breather chamber had slightly inadequate baffling and allowed a little too much oil mist to vent through to the airbox. A modified breather chamber was fitted from 2009 and was retrofitted free to good number of 08 bikes by dealers at the owner's request (never an official recall).

Mine still has the original breather and it's fine. The airbox drain hose just needs emptying more often if a lot of high speed riding is undertaken, but the amount is so small you never even notice it on the dipstick. When the hose is backed up to the bottom of the airbox it holds about 15-20ml.

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[QUOTE=Pleiades;224540]Utter rubbish. The XT is (like every modern bike over 125cc) perfectly capable of cruising at those speeds day after day without issue (assuming it's been properly serviced of course). That's the sort of comment you got from mechanics in the 1950s and 1960s talking about British 350 singles! I personally have spent many a long stint at motorway speeds here and abroad on the Ten during the last eight years. The motor is still as sweet running as it ever was, if anything it's actually got smoother.




Thanks for the quick reply....you know whats its like, you buy something new...someone says something negative....and it just sits ticking in your brain, and you start to doubt all reason.

I must say you hit the nail on the head, the guy is a very experienced mechanic, 65 ish and an absolute Harley nut. If it was anyone else I wouldn't have given it a second thought......but he really knows his stuff. But I think you are spot on with the 50's/60's comment.

Thanks for the reassurance!

Sold my GSXR and now have a mint 2012 ten and its awesome just saying!

Thanks again.

Explains why he's paranoid about unreliability!

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Huge amount of my 77k is racked up on motorways and it still hardly uses any oil.

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check out www.redbikejohn.com for all the latest race reports from the CHEC and enduroland.

I read somewhere that 95% of all Harleys ever made are still on the road today............
The other 5% made actually made it home.

Ill get my coat.

On a possitive note, recently rode mine from north of Manchester to Newquay 2up and fully loaded on the motorway and it was sweet as a nut. If anything seems too run better and smoother after a nice long motorway stint.

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To boldly go where no Tenere has gone before.

recently rode mine from north of Manchester to Newquay 2up and fully loaded on the motorway and it was sweet as a nut. If anything seems too run better and smoother after a nice long motorway stint.[/QUOTE]

So pleased as I'm loving it so far, chuffed I bought one! I was looking at a Harley bobber on my quest for something completely different from the GSXR......right choice I'd say!

Thanks chaps....have one of these