Richy's Mid Life Crisis, Season 2, Episode 1, "Shit, another motorcycle!"

[Snoozin]

I've been wanting to get my bike license for a decade, easily.  I've just been super terrible about it, lazy, busy, unmotivated, you name it, I found an excuse. Usually i just forgot, but yeah anyway. 

Since both of my cars are in great shape (gone and jinxed that one...) and essentially just need servicing, washing, and WOF-ing I figured I should do something about this long-delayed motorbike license and get it done. So I did. The basic handling was easy, and the written test even easier. Not bad for a bloke who hasn't thrown a leg over a bike in 20 years or so.

The other motivation was the rides @BLIZZO etc have been fanging, I had a bit of a hunger to go out exploring and an adventure bike was the most likely candidate. Although I probably wussed out a bit on the seriousness of it all, as you'll soon see.

So I researched a bunch of options, KLR650, DR650, DRZ400, even toyed with the idea of buying a brand spankers CRF300, but instead a chance Facebook marketplace find led me to this thing, a Yamaha XT660R. 

Here's how the purchase went down, it's a bit of an interesting yarn I think.

I spied this bike while browsing marketplace (during work hours, natch) and it looked pretty tidy. Details were scarce, and it was allegedly in Cambridge. But the info seemed good, km were low at 33000 so I fired a message.

"Oh it's my dads bike, here's his number" was the response I received. No big deal, I dialed the number and got the seller/owner on the phone.

"So those pics aren't actually the bike I'm selling," was the first thing this joker said, literally. "It's a bit hard to get to at the moment, and my son saw this bike just like it so I told him to take some pictures of it so we could list mine. Oh yeah it's actually in Tokoroa, not Cambridge, too." Still, no big deal, I've gotten this far so I might as well find out a bit more.

Aaaanyway. Here's where the plot thickened. "I bought it 9 years ago, I never rode it and I just put it in my spare room, it's really mint though, looks like it just rolled out of a showroom." Interesting, and surely, the bloke's talking shit, right? The phone conversation would go on for a full FORTY SEVEN minutes, I thought I loved a yarn but this chap was the GOAT. Everything from working in the mines. How good is Thailand? Oh the time I owned a Porsche, I just had a big target on my back. And more. It turned out he'd gone to Wellington for some reason or another, and this bike took his fancy, so he bought it, but then he needed to get it home so he bought a Hiace to transport it back North. How good?

As it turned out I was due a trip up that weekend anyway, to go and ride bikes (the kind with pedals) at Redwoods in Rotorua so I figured I could make a detour and check this thing out.

I rolled in the driveway at about midday, and the place looked a little sketchy - you know, the kind with the fence made out of longrun roofing because they sure as hell don't want you to see in. Really, it was obscuring a yard chock full of treasure, and when I got to meet Brent, the owner, it was whilst dodging a a dog that was fairly vocal and upset about my being there. A great start, then.

Brent had obviously been working quite hard that morning, to get the bike to a point where I could actually view it. So like, cleaning it up, or maybe getting it ready for a start-up or something? No. Brent had just been CLEARING OUT the tonnes of crap that had hemmed this thing inside his spare room for some years. "I like to collect stuff," he explained, "I'd rather put my money into things, you know?" Well, he sure had a LOT of things. Enough things, that meant we had to traverse a perilous path carved through the labyrinth of 'things' (oh, theres a couple of postie bikes under all that, and a brand new scooter somewhere under there *gesticulates at pile of stuff*) populating the hallway and entrance of his old mill house, before we entered the cavern of XT660, and the sight below greeted my eyes. Just to the left of this shot is a stack of bric-a-brac and assorted appliances that reaches the ceiling, I almost considered confined space entry gear to deal with this situation.

2023-03-21_11-00-29 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Remember how I was optimistic about it's condition? Well it sure wasn't showroom, but holy shit it was pretty good, especially considering the relatively meagre bucks this thing was listed for. No major paint wear on the pegs or engine cases, all the plastics still glossy and unmarked, it even had it's original graphics still present. Looked like it had never seen any dirt, no major oxidisation on the alloy components, no fluids where they shouldn't be - but I wasn't allowed to fire it up. Whipping off the fuel tank, it had been BRIMMED before it was stored, but Christ it was whiffy in there, and didn't look like it was going to be a great time in steel fuel tank-ville... but I figured this thing seemed a pretty good starting point, it was tidy (and you all know I love my vehicles clean and tidy), had done minimal work and seemed to offer the goods for a capable enough dualsport bike. Reg on hold was a decent cherry on the top, too.

So I made an offer, and we made a deal. The Monday night after that, Markku and I drove up to Tokoroa after work with a trailer in tow, to pick the thing up. The trip was swift but largely uneventful, and we arrived around 8:30pm to find the bike sitting outside, and Brent waiting with a stack of pre-selected yarns. We got the bike loaded, had a quick feed of fresh KFC and hit the road, arriving home at 1:30am, and loading, where Jarvis quickly meowed his approval at my latest folly.

2023-03-21_11-02-35 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

20230307_021343 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

20230307_020302 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Next chapter. Wil it run?!

[Snoozin]

So anyway, given this thing had been sitting for an age, I figured it was probably a solid idea to drain the tank and see what was going on, before attempting to kick it in the guts. So out with the tools, and lets tear this thing to bits, sorta. How easy are bikes to work on...

20230307_220313 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Exhibit A. Fuel.

20230307_222423 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Hmm, yeah that's not so flash. You can probably smell it from where you're viewing this, too.

To drain the fuel, I had to remove the fuel pump also. This is what I found.

20230308_101611 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Yummo, sweet varnish, and crusty flaky shit in abundance.

So I figured some internal inspection was probably necessary.

20230308_101634 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Shit yeah OK this isn't the best situation to find myself in. So I figured the best solution was to treat and re-line the tank properly, with a POR15 kit. On the shelf at City Honda too! So I was able to crack into this pretty promptly.

This is the result after a clean, and a treat with the 'metal ready' stuff, and a thorough drying with heat and airflow to really get all the moisture out.

20230309_191253 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Actually not bad! I popped the liner in after this, swirled it round, mopped out the excess (it wasn't as simple as just draining it, as the fuel pump flange has a return on it internally, I guess to add stiffness, so it just creates a big dam for the liner spooge to flow around, and not out...). I didn't get any pics of this process, but it spent a solid 5 days curing, while I turned my attention to the pump. 

When I chucked 12v on it, the pump did NOTHING. Like, it was locked solid. Since I had the housing all apart, I popped it in a bath of white vinegar to soften up all the varnish, and left it for a while. Progress photos below of this process.

20230308_170524 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

20230308_170513 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

20230308_170516 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

20230308_164256 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Gross, right. I didn't get any pics of the new pump by itself. But after a soak, the plastic housing and so forth cleaned up pretty well with an easy scrub.

20230310_154941 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

20230310_184857 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

20230311_094124 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Anyway, I got this all installed, and hit the button. Well, firstly, the pump gasket leaked the proverbial. And secondly, the thing would fire, and just not run past that initial burst of throttle. 

It'd just peter out. And on the very rare occasion it did run for more than a few seconds, a little bit of throttle would kill it instantly. 

It was fairly apparent that it was a fuel issue, the ECU has a great feature where you can test relays, sensors etc via a diagnostic mode on the dash. With this, I was able to check spark, throttle position, MAP sensor, fuel pump relay, the injector was pulsing via ECU, as well as pretty much everything on the bike (fan, headlight, you name it... all triggered via the ECU). While it didn't immediately lead me to the cause, it made me confident that everything electrical/electronic was functioning, and that it was likely a physical/mechanical problem causing the drama.

So... with consultation from some of PPSC's finest, I figured getting the injector cleaned would be the best next step. A few days later, and with a freshly cleaned injector in the bike and a non-leaking fuel pump gasket/seal.... it fired up on first hit of the button! A real eureka moment. Unfortunately the injector seal was leaking now, like a bloody garden hose. But Blizz saved the day and popped by with a "maybe it's nitrile, maybe it isn't" Aliexpress O-ring kit, so it now runs and its fluid tight! So a few pics of the reassembled bike to celebrate.

2007 Yamaha XT660R-1 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R-13 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R-20 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R-25 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R-28 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R-42 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R-44 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Yeah. It's not really a serious trail machine, but it should be a neat starter thing to get me enthused and focused on what I might prefer more, something with a more offroad bent, or perhaps a more road friendly bike. But it's first ride was the evening I fired it up, down to the servo for a bit of premium gasoline for a treat.

20230318_223212 by Richard Opie, on Flickr

More to come...

[Snoozin]

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.

[Willdat?]

Awesome stuff, great photos with a good yarn too. This could be telling you to suck eggs, once you start to get more exploring under your belt it's just a matter of time before you lay it on its side (hopefully gracefully and at low speed!). It's great to lay down the bike on your lawn practice picking it up. There's a few techniques but this one is a goodie IMO

 

[Snoozin]

3 hours ago, Willdat? said:

Awesome stuff, great photos with a good yarn too. This could be telling you to suck eggs, once you start to get more exploring under your belt it's just a matter of time before you lay it on its side (hopefully gracefully and at low speed!). It's great to lay down the bike on your lawn practice picking it up. There's a few techniques but this one is a goodie IMO

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.

[Snoozin]

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!!!

 

[jessemk2]

This guy has some good vids on basics bike setup and riding techniques to practice 

 

[Snoozin]

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.

[Snoozin]

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.

[Snoozin]

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

[Snoozin]

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.

 

[Willdat?]

I'm not sure if it's something you've already done, but a lithium battery made a decent difference in terms of high up weight on my WR250R, yours is definitely looking the part though!

[Snoozin]

17 minutes ago, Willdat? said:

I'm not sure if it's something you've already done, but a lithium battery made a decent difference in terms of high up weight on my WR250R, yours is definitely looking the part though!

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

 

[peteretep]

jeez that looks so much better than the low pipes

[Twentypercent]

If the popping and banging on decel gets annoying, Off the Road do little blanking plates so you can delete the AIS completely. They just bolt on to the front of the head, easy job. Made a huge difference to my battered old R.

[Snoozin]

1 hour ago, Twentypercent said:

If the popping and banging on decel gets annoying, Off the Road do little blanking plates so you can delete the AIS completely. They just bolt on to the front of the head, easy job. Made a huge difference to my battered old R.

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

[Twentypercent]

6 hours ago, Snoozin said:

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

That’s exactly what I did, just put the blanking plate on, removed the section of hose from the bottom of the reed valve assembly and just left the valve in place to do its thing. Voila, much quieter. I think at the time I was keeping it reversible, but next time I have the tank off, I’ll try to remember to whip off the whole valve assembly. I reckon if I tape up the connector and blank off the air box, it’ll be fine. No point keeping the AIS without having a cat in the exhaust.

[Snoozin]

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!

 

[Snoozin]

Still messing with it, and enjoying it on the whole.

Threw a new chain and sprocket at it, went a tooth down on the front sprocket as the thing would pull 180kmh flat out and I really don't need that... it's dropped the gearing something like 11%, and has now made it way more useable in the tighter stuff.

Next on the list was the front end. I sent the forks (Paioli from factory) to KSS in New Plymouth and received them back with a set of RaceTech cartridge emulators and uprated springs to bring the prehistoric damper-rod forks closer to modern day life. Also bought some DRC fork boots, and a 2006 YZF/WRF front guard to replace the ugmo black factory one. Also easier to replace when I inevitably break it. Oh yeah, some spare plastic radiator shrouds popped up for next to nothing on Yahoo Auctions also so I snagged those

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (117) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Had the bike at Blizzos on a stand awaiting the forks, so as soon as they got here, zipped around the corner and fired them back into the triple clamps. Short ride home and they felt good...

Over the next arvo, I set about getting the guard on. Lo and behold the pre-drilled holes matched the XT bolt pattern, but I had to space the back down a bit to gain some clearance to the radiator. But then noticed the bottom edge was actually in contact with the header. Yes good.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (116) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Easy enough fix, just get the hacksaw out and choppy chop some of the guard off! I also took to the "fork protector" things and cut them off, while retaining the plastic surround along the sides of the headlight, I toyed with ditching the whole shooting match but figured it looked tidier this way.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (112) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

A pretty strong look though, I think! Much, much less sag in the front end now, it was over half of the total travel when I was on the bike previously... 70mm of that was static sag without me even jumping on the bike. So it does ride a little higher in it's travel now, which can only be a good thing.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (113) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

This arvo I figured I'd go for a ride, since I was feeling a bit dusty following plenty of Daybreaker Rally beers the day prior. Shot out to see the folks, and then carried on to Tangimoana to have a blat along the Rangitikei at Scott's Ferry through to the beach, then visited Burn's Ford on my way home - both spots I used to thrash bikes around when I was a kid, it's rad to see it's still accessible and they haven't been restricted by fun-hating numpties. No pics of the Burn's Ford bit, but she was pretty chewed up in parts by 4x4s, which made it a challenge of sorts after some heavy rain... it's not a featherweight, this thing.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (101) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (102) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (103) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (104) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (105) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

How good's a Junlian Brand loader. This thing wasn't even 10 years old and it was showing it's age...
2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (109) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

 

[Snoozin]

My shock arrived!

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (118) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

It's a YSS unit from Thailand, with rebound damping adjustment and a 130nm spring for old fatso and his luggage.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (119) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (120) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

I'm pretty impressed with the build quality in general, these seem to get good reviews which place them as a decent mid-priced option. Nitron or Ohlins was NLA for my bike but I bet they would have been pricey if they had been. Everything is nicely machined and anodised, the rebound adjuster clicks nice and positively. At face value, no complaints!

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (125) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

I also scored one of these hydraulic lifts from Supercheap on sale, figured for $180 bucks why not... makes life super easy, give me convenience or give me death!!! In between times I also organised some luggage, this is the Kriega OS Base which is designed for a T7 Tenere originally but fits the XT well. OS-12 saddle bags on each side which are spacious, but still a compact size and keep weight comparatively centered on the bike. I'm gonna need some kind of heat shielding on the muffler, just in case.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (135) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (134) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

On with the show, however.  The internet (and the owners manual) reckoned this was a pretty big job. The general gist being, remove everything south of the engine and you'll be sweet. A bloke on an XT660 Facebook group though, reckoned it was doable without having to remove the airbox completely, which also meant the rear wheel didn't need removing etc.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (136) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Step 1, remove all the bodywork! Only one broken clip thing. Woop.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (138) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

By the time step 2 rolls around, its looking more like this. With the tank removed (to get to the airbox bolts) and you can see if you zoom in, all the electronics removed from the side of the airbox to allow it to slide back in the frame enough to access the top shock bolt.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (139) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

This is just prior to sliding the airbox back in the frame.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (141) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Undo the linkage arms, the shock bolts, and compress the swing arm to get enough space to drop the shock out. EZPZ!

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (142) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Old and busted vs new hotness.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (143) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

All bolted into its new home and torqued up proper like. I took the opportunity also, to grease all the bearings and whatnot.

2007 Yamaha XT660R Phone (144) by Richard Opie, on Flickr

Fin. Although you can't really see jack diddly that there's been any changes. 

I haven't ridden it yet. But the garage bounce test confirms a stiffer spring, but a much nicer damping feel. The bike sits higher (even after sag has been set) combined with the new front end so I've also got a net ground clearance gain. And a little less weight, the new shock is slightly lighter. Every bit counts....

Stay tuned for a ride impression, hopefully after work one night this week!