Snoozin

He's an off road guy right? I'd be pretty confident he's well aware of travel implications in this respect, I'd have relative confidence in his abilities! Car is looking really great man, and sounds like you're almost at that light at the end of the tunnel stage, where you can focus on the quality of finish and putting things back together!

Yes, I have one using KPRs trigger setup on my 16v. There is a bracket that holds a hall effect sensor near the cambelt pulley (under the covers) and another that references a steel pin in my alloy inlet cam gear. So the upside is, it is all hidden. Beautiful clean signal to the ECU. Coils are OEM 2NZ units on an SQ coil plate. KP61 Orakei Rd-175-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr Project KP61 2019 (90) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Man seeing that snippet of the numberplate, I am almost certain this is @Toucan's old KP61, can't be many other KP's 4AG swapped with those same plate letters.... Any signs of it having been a dark blue colour?

A weekend of bike hooning, as I've got some really busy weeks/weekends away from home coming up. Plus we lost one of our little fur mates at home and I needed to get my mind off it, it sucks losing a loyal pet of 13+ years. So on the XT it was, on Saturday a skid out to Rongotea, back to Palmy via Taikorea, Bainese, Rangiotu and Longburn pesting around flood gates and old buildings and so on. Then, back up Wharite - I hadn't been up here on the new (not so new now) tyres, and the thing was a revelation compared to sliding around up there on the old Metzelers last time! 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (69) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (70) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (71) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (73) by Richard Opie, on Flickr I turned up home as the sun was setting - and there was a wee parcel waiting, hooray Saturday delivery. The pegs on this thing have always been garbage for offroad usage, little skinny rubber-clad things that are hard to remain stable on and clog up with schmutz really quickly. I guess they did reduce vibration somewhat, but yeah they needed to go. I ordered some DRC wide pegs to suit YZ/WRF/YZF from '99 onwards. Turns out they fit the XT with a bit of grinder tickling, and some mix and match springs. Ace result. Pics below of new hotness, and old shitness as a comparison. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (78) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (77) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Secondly, I added a tank bag to the repertoire, never felt comfortable with my phone/keys/wallet in my jacket pockets. I guess now if I fire the bike off a bank into a river, then I lose it all... but hey. It should fit some handy snacks too. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (75) by Richard Opie, on Flickr So Sunday came about, and I figured it was such a ripper day it'd be rude not to go out for a bit more of an explore. The Mangahao dams (power generation) aren't too far away, about 35km to Shannon then another 50-odd return km of hooning out the back of the Mangahao power station on gravel roads in the hills. Pics below of a grand morning out. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (84) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (91) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (92) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (95) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (98) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Then what else to do but get home, slop some Motomuck on it and give it a rinse off. Given I quite enjoy cleaning vehicles up, this whole "riding bikes in the dirt" thing appeals massively to me! 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (100) by Richard Opie, on Flickr I think I'm going to tackle some suspension work next, the front fork is pretty ho-hum when you hit sharp bumps/rocks at speed, so a set of catridge emulators, a change in spring rate should see it right. To be continued. A bit of a new fascination!

Sweet! Does the ECU care about it, or do you just leave the solenoid tucked up somewhere with the plug in it.

Had considered, but it has a new AGM battery for the time being. Maybe when that carks it I'll look at lithium!

Turns out I can't help but tinker. After a run out in the Santoft forest with Blizzo and Max, it became apparent that the XT could do with a couple of improvements. Namely, less weight, and more ground clearance. Without the saggy-ass underslung pipes, this thing would have DR650 spec ground clearance - maybe a little more! So I flexed my PayPal trigger fingers and went shopping. First stop was Dominator exhausts, in Poland. There's been a handful of manufacturers who make a high-mounted 2-1 pipe of these, but the Polish lot is one of the only readily available left. It's also quite cheap, how they shipped this here for $18 Euros is beyond me, but hey... it arrived yesterday, 2 weeks after I made the order. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (34) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Consists of an oval muffler which has a 'dB killer' in it (more on that later), a 2-1 section with slip joins and the individual header pipes. All CNC bent and machine welded by the looks, it seems pretty decent for the dollars. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (35) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Big old "DOMINATOR" sticker can respectfully go in the bin! 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (36) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Close up of slip joint collector and welds. Minimal welds is nice I figure, on a big single that's liable to vibrate things to oblivion. Couple of springs were included etc to pull it all together. The second thing, was to visit the Off The Road (OTR) website, the the pursuit of engine protection since moving the exhaust to a high location leaves the cases open to being demolished. OTR are basically the worldwide experts in XT660's, be it R, X or Z models and have a huge range of parts they've developed over the years. One of which, is a bash guard to suit a bike with a 2-1 high pipe on it. Click, into the car that went, along with a case-saver for the clutch cover, and a side stand add-on thing to spread the load a bit more on softer ground. This actually arrived within a week! 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (45) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (44) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Really happy with this. Looks fairly simple in it's construction, basically laser cut and bent then welded on two planes to create a nice case-hugging bash plate. Mounting brackets not pictured here! 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (39) by Richard Opie, on Flickr This is the case saver, a basic billet piece that attaches to the clutch cover via 3M VHB tape and prevents your brake pedal smashing it when you fall off. Time to pull some shit apart, again. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (38) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Didn't take a huge amount of pics, but the old exhaust came off surprisingly easily. All the bolts and nuts cracked with ease, the O2 sensor was about the trickiest/most taxing thing to unscrew, but even that came off quickly. I didn't bother taking pics of the old stuff, but man it's nuggety. The old cans have catalytic converters in them, and weigh a tonne! 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (48) by Richard Opie, on Flickr The install was relatively easy for the exhaust. The header pipes had to go on first, but need to remain loose in order to line up the collector for the 2-1 section. Which I duly did. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (51) by Richard Opie, on Flickr I then slipped the muffler on and tightened it all. Whoops. The main pipe was fouling on the frame, that ain't right... so everything needed to be loosened, and a bit of persuasion with a rubber mallet seated the slip joint properly. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (52) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Muffler then went on - with blue Loctite on the mounting hanger (Loctite seems a smart choice again, for a big single, surely?) and everything tightened up... what else to do, but kick it in the guts?! So yeah, it makes a racket. The video doesn't really illustrate it perfectly, but it has a real whip-crack noise to it when the throttle is opened. Could be placebo but feels like it's more responsive? Anyway, lots of pops and bangs on decel thanks to the air injection gubbins for emissions purposes. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (49) by Richard Opie, on Flickr The bash plate went on a treat, a couple of bolts were tricky, probably more in part to putting this on AFTER the exhaust. No drama though, I gained about 65mm of ground clearance by removing the old exhausts, and the bash plate claimed back another 10mm or so.... a net ground clearance gain of 55mm, so now we're bang on even with a DR650! 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (55) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Case saver is nothing special to look at but might be a big bonus for me in the future when I stack it... Here's a few beauty shots after a quick ride. It's hilarious now. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (66) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (57) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Looks heaps more purposeful now. Like, an actual dirt bike. It feels like it's lost that weight too, swinging it around seems a little easier/more fluid/I dunno could be imagining it and justifying the time and expense. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (59) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (63) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (58) by Richard Opie, on Flickr The system is colouring up nicely after only a 25 minute hoon, though! 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (61) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (62) by Richard Opie, on Flickr No doubt this won't look pretty for too long. Thanks for looking. I'm getting really pumped on this old thing.

Dad just got his one (1969, red tank, unrestored, owned for 40 years or so) running again, apparently I'm allowed to ride around on it when I get my restricted (his permission, not the laws). We should have an H1 meet and make some blue smoke.

Not doing a great job of flicking it so I'm still hooning it when I can. A quick run over Ridge Road to Apiti, starting from Pohangina, which isn't all that far from home really. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (24) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (29) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (26) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Thoroughly enjoying it though, and every time I head out on gravel I'm learning a thing or two. Not going to claim I'm quick, by any means, but definitely building confidence. So - I have ordered a 2-1 high pipe and muffler from Dominator in Poland. It's being made at the moment according to the email, and should shave 10-12kg weight off its lardy ass and gain 65mm ground clearance. Also on the way is a bash guard to suit the high pipe - so it tucks up closer to the cases - a clutch cover saver, and side-stand extension from Off The Road in Germany, who are pretty much the peak XT specialists and offer zillions of other expensive fancy shit I don't need. I'm trying to get an alloy radiator shield that goes in place of the crappy factory plastic one too, from a joint in Belgium. But wait there's more. A set of serrated billet pegs coming from JBS in Aussie (would rather Pivotpegz...), a new set of cush drive rubbers, a new DID O-ring chain and sprockets with a tooth smaller on the front to hopefully shorten it all up handily without sacrificing too much speed - but it's not like this thing needs to be doing over 100mph like it currently does... 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (30) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

This is for sale if anyone would like a cheap bike, full disclosure, it's a bit compromised as a serious dirt machine but goes pretty well on the gravel. I want less weight and a little more ground clearance. If no one buys it I guess I'll have to give it less of one and more of the other myself.

I'm scratching my head... but I'll ask the plastics guy who pointed me in the right direction. I want to say it is PVC of some description.

Try CarColors in Auckland, they sell product by SEM. I got some stuff colour matched for plastics painting, and I note they also have a coating suitable for carpet etc (they specifically say it is not a dye, though). But I'd start with them.

Also, ID the plastic types you're bonding. Often when it's two different types (ie. PVC-U to PE etc) it can be damn near impossible. Went through this when I modified my shifter surround to look/mount OEM but have the hole further back, it was pretty imperative to find the same kind of plastic to ensure a reliable bond.

Yes, I am fucked in the head.

T190 Carina/Corona featured similar, but with that upright fabricated instead of machined.

Yep, it's basically a homologated Superstrut.

Cheers! Wicked channel, it's interesting listening to some of his yarns about road riders coming unstuck on the dirt, especially in cornering/keeping body weight straight... I'm the complete opposite, I struggle with the road side of things a bit, in that I did all my riding on dirt, and still ride like that.

I'm just here to say that Jagwah looks like a nice tidy old bus, injected manual V12 should be some lushness, hope it's gonna be loud! As usual though I have no informed technical input.

Always had a small pine for these, what a neat machine man! Enjoy the wee ring-dings!

New tyre day! I ordered some Mitas E13 for the front, and E09 for the rear following some consultation with Blizzo and friends. Much much more aggressive than the mostly-road spec Metzeler on it (and way less dry rotted) and hopefully a shit tonne better on the loose stuff, as I had a few moments where the front end was on the brink of washing riiiiiiiiight out on the small rides so far. However - bike shops aren't open on Sundays, and I was keen to get it done. Dad reckoned we could have a crack, so I loaded them up and rode out to his place to hook into it. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (18) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Couple of tubes on there too. The front went exceptionally well, under 30 minutes to remove the wheel, remove the old tyre and fit the new E13 and a tube. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (19) by Richard Opie, on Flickr The rear put up a bit more of a challenge, the sidewalls being much stiffer and the bead quite narrow vs the rim. It was trickier taking the old tyre off, and with a bit of soapy water the new one went on fairly well. Learned a few new tricks, anyway... while it was apart, we noted the cush-drive rubbers probably have a bit of a limited lifespan, and the rear sprocket much the same. So I'll organise some parts to give it a birthday, and do it all at once some time in the not too distant future. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (20) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Then, voila! Completed tyre swap. Pretty happy with the look, it's a good lift from the old tyres and should, all going well, mean the bike is a far more effective thing to use in grubby conditions. Bit of a change on the road though, you can tell the big tread blocks move around a heap more! 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (22) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (17) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Can't wait to go for a skid, now!!!

Doubtful, I try not to be a cunt in most situations. Just mindful of ruining other folks experience by not adhering to the guidelines.

I agree this was a good time. Hells Angles 4 lyphe.

So I've got a twinshock PE175, and this could be the kick up the arse I need to hook into it and get it running and on the road. Is a 21-inch front wheel in the spirit, lol?

Noted - and a good idea! I know it's only a matter of time until I bin it. It was a relatively frequent occurrence when I was a younger fella but I'm probably a bit more cautious now.

Sorry! Lack of update. I sorta went on holiday, and drove the KP around the South Island for a couple of weeks having the time of my life. A bumpy, noisy, hot time of my life but great fun. Before I took off however, I bought a seat cover off Trademe made by an Italian outfit called Blackbird Racing. Allegedly the local store on Trademe had been sent it in error, and it was dirt cheap. Their loss, my gain, or probably their gain my gain I guess.... who knows. Anyway, fitted it to the seat and voila! We have a nice fresh looking new seat in some fandangly kind of non-slip material. Closer to how it should look stock, as the seat on it was perished, had gone sticky on some surfaces and was generally gross. The old boy was kind enough to go and get a WOF on it while I was away, and he secretly-not-very-secretly enjoyed riding it so did about 400km on it over those 2 weeks because he had a blast on it. Perfect! Shot out for dinner the week we got home, and ended up taking it on my first ride longer than a few KM... in the dark. So yeah my first ride as a learner was at night, from my folks rural property all the way into town. Then I ended up belting all around town on it, making a pest of myself and giggling at how much fun it was to ride. Exhibit A. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (1)-Edit by Richard Opie, on Flickr Also, while I was away, a parcel arrived with my first "upgrade" bit for it. Although maybe the seat cover applies, but anyway... the mirrors, as you'll not on previous posts and pics were awful things. Plus, the RHS one would rattle and vibrate to a point it sounded like the top end of the engine was about to explode through the tank. So I bought a pair of DRC 161 mirrors out of Japan, and slapped these on. Much impruv. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (2) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Then I donned my fresh and some not-so-fresh (thanks marketplace) riding gear and headed out for a bit of an explore on a sunny day. First port of call was heading over the Saddle Road, and up the Wharite Road. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (3) by Richard Opie, on Flickr I rode to the end of that track above, then hit a locked gate and came back the other way, the made the ascent up to the transmission tower at the top of Wharite. The thing wasn't amazing on the tighter gravel turns with these old, dry rotted and 80/20 road focused tyres. Nearly had a few front end washouts, which kept me on my toes... 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (4) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Stopped at a little flat section on my way down the hill - this is only just below the tower and you get a great view South West of the windmills, and the mighty Manawatu. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (7) by Richard Opie, on Flickr After heading down the Wharite Road, I ended up going to Ferry Reserve (no pics) on the Eastern end of the now-close Manawatu Gorge. Rode over some rocks and stuff near the riverbed. Then headed across the Ballance bridge and hooked a right to head up to the windmills. This is the OG wind farm of Manawatu, and you can see some of the original phase one turbines with the big solid white towers, and some of the newer guys with the lattice towers. A bit of 4wd traffic on this road, I rode until I hit a boggy patch then decided it wasn't worth the effort with these crummy tyres. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (10) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (11) by Richard Opie, on Flickr Eventually I made the descent again, I had to stop for a pic with this rando sign. Never seen one of it's ilk before. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (13) by Richard Opie, on Flickr This is slightly further down the track, overlooking the Tararua region and looking Eastwards. How good are those mirrors though. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (14) by Richard Opie, on Flickr After this, it was really just tarmac work. Riding along the Ballance Valley and back over the Pahiatua Track to return to Palmy. This was sort of new to me, moving my weight on the bike to corner on tarmac, keeping my head level with the horizon etc. All really new techniques that until now were foreign (and really, still are). I intend to jump on some of the Ride Forever courses and learn more about this! It didn't really need it, but I'm a weirdo so I gave it a quick spritz when I got home - just beat the rain. Overall, put nearly 200km on it over the day and had a total blast. 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (15) by Richard Opie, on Flickr 2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (16) by Richard Opie, on Flickr I've already ordered a few odds and ends for it. It'll be getting an oil change ASAP, but I have some Mitas E09 and E13 tyres for it (way more aggressive) that should make it heaps better on the loose stuff. Some Renthal RC bend bars, with 26mm offset risers, new grips, Barkbusters etc also en route for it. Can't wait to get into it! Cheers for looking! Suggestions, complaints, complements welcome.