XT Alan

Hi, Kenny Roberts showed his class once again in final qualifying for the German GP. It is possible that he is the only rider out there who could actually go head to head with Rossi. I know the Americans like him, but I cannot see what all the fuss is about re: Nicky Hayden. Another interesting point, I think: These races are finally proving how much better Moto GP riders are compared to WSB. Only Xaus seems to have any real natural speed and he's a crasher. Bayliss is too ragged. Hodgson is just average. Edwards is being outclassed. All this begs the question: Just how good was Foggy really? In my opinion he just happened to be better than Corser and Chili, but any of the top 10 GP riders of any given period would have demolished him. Best Brits of the modern era? Hailwood and Sheene.

Whoops. Submitted twice. I must sleep.

Hondas ain't what they used to be. In confidence an industry insider said that their build quality was now no better than and in some cases worse than other makes and all they really have going for them is their Premium Brand reputation. My CB13 experience bears this out. I know of an 8000 mile Blackbird that is completely shagged cosmetically - corrosion everywhere and it doesn't run too well either. One of my daughter's friends has a Y Reg CBR600 - 20,000 miles - the suspension is gone, it jumps out of gear on acceleration and all surfaces are oxidised. Frankly, if this is what you get after 20,000 miles and 4 years with a CBR600, why not get a GSX600F Suzuki which will look as bad and bounce as bad, but will still be reliable after the same amount of time. On the XT - you are quite right. There is NOTHING out there to compare or compete. The road tests from every type of mag on the new XT confirm its excellence. MCN head to head with a KTM and CCM - XT wins. Moto Mag - XT wins. Rave reviews in the USA asking for it to be released over there and at its launch the Journos were riding them in preference to the new R1. Nuff said. I haven't slept since Thursday night ...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

We get to see flat track on Sky sometimes. It's similar to Speedway, which is pretty big on Europe and (History Lesson) was Britain's 2nd most popular spectator sport in the 70s, after Football(Soccer), and regularly attracted 20,000 + to league meetings. Have fun!

Kawasaki's VStrom 1000 is already around. Virtually identical, even down to the Suzuki engine plate. There was a 650 VStrom at DJs when I bought the XT. I didn't consider it, as it is a road bike in disguise without much oomph. Compared to the CB13 it would have seemed tame and puny. I wanted a traily, where big power isn't an issue. I have ridden the DL1000 and it was OK, but nothing special, a bit bulky and I would say a good Motorway, Dual Carriageway bike. Not my cup of tea at all.

People are getting the message - minor improvements and colour schemes do not a new model make. Who can really justify £8K on a new R1, when last year's is almost as quick and trading in a year old one will cost you a mint in depreciation? There is still money around, bikes are cheaper than they have been for years. The problem is Flavour of the Monthism. Adventure Bikes are just this year's flavour of the month, which worries me as they are rapidly getting less and less Adventure and more and more Kings Road Posemobiles aka SUVs. Most never see rain, let alone a dirt track. The new BMW GS1200 is miles removed from the original, go anywhere, fix it with gaffa tape, GS80. I mean! Who would take my watercooled catalized XT around the world without a backup mechanic and a service truck? The old XT could virtually run on camel piss. Adventure Bikes should be air cooled with carbs. In my opinion, the ONLY true Adventure Bike on the marketis the Yamaha TT600E. I, for one, wouldn't dream of taking my XT660 too far out of the range of an RAC Recovery Van.

Hi Pete, This will be the 1000 twin. The SV 650 is a better engine. On worming their way out of problems, I don't think after my CB13 experiences that Honda are any better in this regard.

Yes. The Honda V twins do use a little oil. My mate has a Direvile, which uses the same engine, and it uses a litre between services. It is the old Bros engine and they do go on forever as they are in a very low state of tune. The cosmetics are on a par with the Dullvole - very poor. By memory: Transalps compression ratio is 9.2 - 1, BHP at the back wheel is 44 and torque is 40. Top speed is 105mph downhill with a following wind. So overtaking will be even more leisurely than your XT. The 650 VStrom puts out around 65 bhp and is also a well proven motor, plus you get the outstanding Suzuki Gearbox. By reputation the Transalp's box is as bad as the original 850 TDM's. In other words - simply horrible.

You'll have to get a baby seat on your bike now. Congratulations Uncle.

In the middle weights there is a simple choice then: Transalp v V Strom. No contest! V Strom is much more bike for your hard earned - more power, better handling, big comfy saddle and (I can feel Pete getting all excited) it's a SUZUKI :shock:

It's a great bike YamaHead. If you ride one, you will want one. It seems that Pete and I agree on most things biking, but one thing Pete has missed out on, changing bikes every 34 seconds, is that when you change bikes frequently you never get to develop a relationship with a machine. This is, for me, a huge part of the pleasure in being a biker. It's only after you have done a big trip, had an adventure, gone through a few sets of tyres even, that the true character and quality of a bike reveals itself. You tweek it to your style of riding, you get used to its little quirks. This can never happen with a modern car, but with certain makes and models of bike - Suzuki Bandits, Gixxers, Yamaha XTs, FJ1200s and (old) Fazers, Kwak GPZs, Old Beemers, Harleys and Ducatis - there is an individuality of concept that appeals to so many different types of rider. BMW cars, Mondeos, Vectras? Who cares - they go, they stop, they get replaced. Bikes (apart from the supersports flavour of the month models) represent a whole different set of values. This is why I got rid of the Honda 1300 - it was sooo boring. It was just a fast toy and a badly built one at that. It looked purposeful, but it would have been a coplete dog by 20,000 miles - I cut my losses. My previous Bandit 12 which I had for 3 years (24,000 miles), was a stormer. From here in Wales to the far north of Scotland (Scourie) two up in 8 hours and touring around for a couple of weeks - brilliant. For this type of riding the perfect bike. When I sold it, after 3 Welsh winters, it looked like new. I have big plans for the XT: Early days yet (only 1200 miles), but it looks like it will be another long term relationship. Essay over - I need to lie down and take my medication :roll:

Hi Pete, Of course, I missed the "bleedin' obvious" choice in my previous reply. Why not go for an XT660? Comfy, larger saddle, decent grab handles, modern engine, more power and it comes with a range of add ons, including 2 heights of screen. A little less offroad than your 600, but it is definitely a better prospect than a Transalp. A to B it is more comfortable and handles better (as a road bike) than either my old CB1300 or Bandit 12. I am getting 75mpg at road speeds of 70 mph. I know that you are a serial bike changer, so you might need a road bike again in between just to remind you how dull and limiting they really are, before you get XTing again :wink: 0 - 100 - 0 in 12 seconds! Been there, done that ..............yawn.

KTM Enduro

Hmmm? Transalp - A good engine: this old Bros lump has served Honda well and also powers the Dullsvile :wink: It isn't particularly powerful and in such a heavy bike will feel less pokey than your XT. But, it will chug on forever. The totally crap gearbox is notorious. It's Spanish or Italian built and non-Japanese Hondas are regarded as pretty poorly put together. So expect it to melt at the first sign of rain. Personally, I would go for a BMW 650, which is also more dual sport than the Honda. It is also a much better bike in my opinion. Both are much less dual sport than the XT however. At the end of the day, the reasons why you love the XT are reasons not to have either of these bikes. Both the Transalp and the Beemer are small 2nd rate versions of their bigger brothers: the GS1200 and the Varadero. So I would say, only change bikes if you want a different style of biking. The logic of which leads you to the V-Strom :shock: a road bike with traily style but no traily substance, but is a much more substantial bike than either the Beemer or Transalp, but not as good as a TDM. If you go for a TDM, you will want a 1000cc V-Strom. And then: Guess what Pete? You're back on the merry-go-round :roll:

Hi Folks, I have just installed the Alpha Dot Vehicle Security System onto the XT660. This comes free with all new Suzukis. I think that it is a good sytem which is why I have put it on the Yamaha. The only problem is that the poor little thing now thinks that it is a Suzuki and will need therapy :?

They reckon that the 04 R1 is the most comfy of the current 1000cc supersports bikes. So maybe this one is better than the old R1.

IOM v Norfolk. IOM - more rain IOM - TT Norfolk - less hills Norfolk - closer to Suffolk The answer is obvious...............IOM :roll:

£120 might be a bit low, what with new plugs, pads, oil and air filter etc. Budget for £200 then you might get a pleasant surprise when it is less.

Stay smooth and relaxed. Shiny road = slippery road. Work on, as XTreme says, never using your brakes, except to inform following vehicles that you are slowing down. A good rider's brake pads should last over 20,000 miles.

The 660 is very comfy. Bike described it as "cross country, all day comfortable". The seat is supportive and the sitting position is relaxed. The physical effort needed to ride mine is less than any other bike I have ever owned. This is my 27th bike and I have ridded loads of others. The only issue is wind, which will be a problem on any naked machine. Yamaha do 2 heights of aftermarket screen for the "tourist" market.

As the Divvy is air cooled, the engine is bound to be a bit noisy + if your's is faired, you will be getting sound reflected up. If it gets noisier when warm, this will probably be the valves. A good service should sort it all out.

On Friday I was in full XT adventurer "man of the hills" mode. I took the remote single track road from Talybont to the Nantymoch Reservoire. Have a look at your maps it is in Ceredigion, Mid Wales. This road climbs from sea level to well over 1000 feet in 5 miles, with sheer drops and blind hairpins. So, there I am thinking, what a road and what a perfect bike I had for this road. At this point I catch up a ............Gold Wing TRIKE!!!! Fully dressed with all the fairy lights. He let me through with a wave. I waited at the top of the pass. He pulled over and stopped. He and his wife were in their 70s and they were on the Round Britain Rally. Real Bikers Respect :shock:

Can we also cut out racial jokes? I'm sure that no harm is meant, but some people visiting the forum might not appreciate them.

They're group 10, so insurance shouldn't be too much. You're right about the weight, they are for gentle off roading only. The TT600 is lighter and would be better off road. The 48bhp power output is actually quite reasonable for a single cylinder, but remember that the sensation of power is provided by torque(grunt), which in the case of the XT is high for this size of engine. All the Supersport 600s, the V-Strom, 600 Fazer etc have lower torque outputs. The beauty of these bikes lies in their easy going, do anything nature. If you want fire breathing power and torque, you need 1000cc+ I would say this though: Ride anything and then ride an XT and you WILL prefer riding the XT. For a youngster, though, its lack of street cred could be an issue. One of my daughter's boyfriends has a CBR600 and he wouldn't be seen dead on an XT.

It's still offensive.