Hi guys!

Some background information about my situation, I left Scandinavia a few months ago and sold my old bike (Yamaha Fz6 2008 naked) at the same time. I now live in Belfast and would like to have a bike again so I can explore all the countries/islands around here.

I enjoy riding on a curvy road and just having a blast, but I also fancy going hiking and camping. I do have some plans for going over to Donard/Atlantic way for example and further on going to Scotland and their national parks and do some hiking and possibly camping. I did a week long roadtrip with tent and packing with my old Fz6 and that worked surprisingly well, covered about 1800 miles with no problems so I do have a good experience with Yamaha so far. I also have relatives who just bought a house in France so it's quite possible that a tour through Europe is happening this summer.

I've been looking at XT660X for some time since I like the reliability and the appearance of that bike. I think it would be fun both for riding in the city but for exploring the countryside as well. But I've recently started looking into XT660Z Tenerife, mainly because it seems better suited for adventures and dirt roads. Problem is I think the Tenerife is hands down the ugliest bike I have ever seen. I'm willing to look past this if this is the better bike. But is it fun to ride when your not out on an adventure without all the packing?

So, budget around 3000 � (preferably lower so I can get me some top box and maybe some other equipment), alot of the Tenerifes I've seen comes upgraded and ready for adventure which is a plus.

So, which bike is best overall? Let's say 40% city & playing, 40% countryside and some exploring and 20% long-distance touring.

Well i'm not an expert in this topic. But i think the xt660z for touring may be better for the fuel capacity 22liters vs xt660x 15 liters, this means less stops to refuel.
In the other hand the xt660x for city and commuting may be better and maybe more confortable, i don't know
The rest is personal preference, like, if you plan to use it more in off road than pavement i also would consider the xtz.
Hope this helps

Good point about the range. My old bike would take me around 250 kilometers (roughly 160 miles) on one tank and I think it's good to stop for a stretch every now and then, but it's always good with better range if I'll be going to more remote places. So far I haven't been out on dirt roads that much, but if I have the bike for it I might just start looking for them I did maybe 40 kilometers on dirt last summer and now that I think about it I enjoyed it (as much as you can do with a streetfighter and alot of packing on the bike)

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Hello twix and welcome aboard.
I'm also from outside belfast area.
I initially had an xtx and was impressed with its performance but unsure about it sharp steering,mainly down to the 17" front wheel.
After changing to the xtz I liked the more progressive handling,possibly due to the larger front wheel,increased tank range, cheaper and longer lasting tyres,wind protection and like yourself for years after its introduction thought the bikes styling was ugly, but gradually grew on me after a stint on a gs.
Don't rule out the xtr also .


opt_20170311_152226.jpg
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/924/DvGtoy.jpg

I sold an xtz a few week ago but your welcome to call and see my current one for size.

__________________
2011 xt660z.
Yoshimura cans ,kev mod,Dna 2, Stahlkoffer panniers,Hepco Becker box,Givi crash bars,Mita e07 tyres.

Thank you Cozi!

I can only see two images in your post but I've been checking up the XT660R a bit more and that can actually be the middleway I'm looking for. From what I gather the biggest difference between X and R is the larger front wheel on the R, are there any differences in suspension or so?

I took a look in this thread http://advrider.com/index.php?thread...riders.819625/ and the photo in post #2 is awesome! I really like the look of that so maybe I should start looking for a R and put on a 2-1 exhaust. At the moment the list of priority is R, X and last Z. Z feels to be a bit to much adventurous and beside, the look of it really scares me. It would suit me better if I knew I was going to Africa...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! .....and I think the Tenere is a great looking bike. . ..in fact mine is gorgeous! Steve

I agree,can look quite nice.


But some good looking R's about

__________________
2011 xt660z.
Yoshimura cans ,kev mod,Dna 2, Stahlkoffer panniers,Hepco Becker box,Givi crash bars,Mita e07 tyres.

I agree with you, and it is possible that it grows on you

Allright, maybe that explains the difference in steering between XTX/XTR mentioned earlier.

I agree with you, in these pictures both bikes look great! Moving the front fender/wing (unsure of the name of the protector that sits above the front wheel) up a bit really changes the appearance of the Tenere. But for now I think I'll keep looking for a XTR. Are there no ads for bikes on xt660.com?

The fork legs are slightly different. Axle bolt sits at the bottom of the leg on an X model,slightly up and in front of the fork leg on the R for more travel and bigger wheel clearance.
Later X models came with newer (smaller) side panels and revised tail plastic and lamp area, plus alloy swingarm which the R never got.

__________________
2011 xt660z.
Yoshimura cans ,kev mod,Dna 2, Stahlkoffer panniers,Hepco Becker box,Givi crash bars,Mita e07 tyres.