Hi guys,

I recently read that the current XTZ 660 is to be discontinued soon and most likely will be replacd by new Z based on the MT07 similarly to the MT03 in the past.
Have you heard anything? Because if so that will be really nice product.

Thanks

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that is how i feel about my XTR
Mods so far:
Hyperpro front springs; Hyperpro rear shock spring; modified air box; LED tail light; LED indicators + new relay; YZ pegs; Lucas aluminum bar; brisk spark plug; snorkel removed; DNA stage 1; second hand DynoJet O2 mod; crash bars; front and rear steel braided brake lines; soft EBC brake pads; mitas 07 tyres, 2in1 Metal Mule exhaust, Blocked AIS, tall OEM screen, OTR bash plate

I hope things do take that route. Because I think some of the problem here in Oz is the fact that a lot of the marketing is focused on the bike as LAMS approved ( learner legal ) hence the 660cc and a bit strangled . Now I don't know many people willing to part with around $15000 just to get a full licence then chop it in for a go faster GSXR or something similar. When you can pick up a CB500 for nearly half the price & is bit more user friendly to start off on. They are also going to have the likes of Triumph to contend with as they are bringing some of their 675 models down to 660 for learners too.
So I'd say the market for these bikes is more with people who already have their full licence, so something not plastered with L plates when you walk in the show room & built to run like it should would be much more appealing to most.

+ I had a Mt-07 as a loan bike while mine was in for a service & it has a sweet little motor.

Heard the same in South Africa. No more XT660Z's available at our local Yamaha dealer. Waiting for the new models.

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2014 XT660Z - Barrett pipe, DNA stage1.5, Barkbuster hand guards and handlebars, Pivot pegs, Teknik suspension, Guard-it engine protector combo, B&B rear rack, Trax topbox.

There's no doubt the proposed new model Tenere would be nice. And maybe made in Japan.

But in this age of instant power, there's room for big singles, imo. I know it shows my age, but I basically started off on British big singles. Over the years have always returned to single pot bikes, in spite of the fact that they have relatively narrow usable rev ranges.

BSAs, Matchless, Yamahas, Hondas and Huskys have all had a home with me at one time or another. Multis are nice, but for me a big single does it all provided it proves reliable.

Here in Oz draconian speed limits rigidly enforced discourage fast bikes (not that we shouldn't own them anyway!), but regardless of that I'm happy enough with what I've got. I look around every now and then, but can't think of anything I want to replace my bike with, including a multi-cylinder adventure bike.

Which doesn't mean that Yamaha shouldn't build a middleweight multi. Good on them.

One positive thing I will be able re-flash the MT07 for all the bolt on mods, I am already doing MT/FZ09's + Tracer/FJ09's, I have been doing them for a while now.

This is what the FZ07 mapping looks like in the OEM ECU:

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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

I can see that's where yamah are goin with the tenere possibly but after loads of hmming and haaaing over the tenere, after a 2 up, 1 week trip around Scotland I'm sticking with it a bit longer. I've always like big singles as they give me a good bit of fun but at low mph however they do struggle with the standard high speed mile munching, vibration, lack of power issue.

A mt 07 motored tenere would solve a lot of this but would it still have the same soul and character as the 660 motor? I don't think so

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Plough on

The imminent introduction of an MT-07 based XT is nothing to do with marketing, what people want/desire, or for that matter what Yamaha want to do. Their hand has been forced by the bureaucrats in Brussels. In its current state, the XT660 motor will not pass the new Euro 4 emissions regulations which come into force on 1st January 2017. Europe is by far its biggest market and it would be simply too expensive for Yamaha to make the engine compliant. That's not to say the 660 in some form or other won't continue to be built/sold in developing markets with lower (or no) emissions regs. I fancy India as a possible home for future production. The coffin lid hasn't been nailed down just yet!

Any new XT700/XT-07 will undoubtedly be a nice bike and worthy of the name, but won't really be a true/direct replacement for the 660 as it fits into sector of the market, the same niche as the Tiger 800 and GS 800. Hopefully the trump card it will have on those two is that, although giving away 100cc, it will be considerably cheaper - just like the MT-07 is.

Looking on the bright side, with current XT range very likely being the last ever Yamaha big singles, they'll soon become classics, demand will increase and the value of our bikes will start to climb...

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Is it possible that it does have a lot to to do with marketing etc? Because it seems to me that if people didn't want an XT700, and if marketing research didn't warrant a production go-ahead order, then there's no way Yamaha would be building this bike.

It also makes business sense if the same basic 700 engine can be used to afford economy of scale. And I wonder if the current XT sales are where Yamaha want them to be? If not, the factory will simply move on to where they think the money is.

Just my thoughts for what they're worth.

I don't doubt this to be the case, but where does it leave AJP and their PR7 bike which is said to be using the XT660 engine and due for launch this year?

I suspect Yamaha are encoraged enough by sales of their MT range to have the confidence to use the platform as widely as possible. If they make the bike light enough, off road friendly enough and at the right price, I'll be very interested in one. But all too often, you get excited, then the bike that actually does come out is too heavy or too road focussed. But I think they have a great opportunity here to steal a big share of the market.