G
GreenMamba1974
Guest
picked up my brand spanking new xt660z this morning from knysna yamaha. :mwink: :drif:
outside 'old nick' in plett
they threw in a givi tall screen and a nice looking set of crash bars into the deal and a full tank of juice. many thanks to Rhoodie and the team at knysna yamaha for a pleasurable buying experience and good all round positive customer service and interest.
think of this bike as the way a klr was meant to have been made. it's a big thumper, it's a jap machine, but it's a big step up from the klr's and dr's etc... ...
at first glance the thoughtfulness and quality can be seen and later, more importantly, felt!
it's a tall bike, probably a bit taller than your average klr, but not as tall as the old ktm 640's
i'm not a good bike impressions novelist so will do this in point form.
1. Quality. - Excellent. The controls are simple but solid, well spaced and very easy to read. Digital display is easy to see in daylight even with polaroid sunglasses on and a dirty visor.
Everything from the handlebars to the footpegs looks and feels very good and well thought out.
2. Looks. - Everyone has their own opinion, respect. I dig it though! :drif:
3. Comfort. - Firstly the seat feels very firm but is actually very comfortable. I rode from Knysna to Port Elizabeth without any iron butt. Wind protection from the Givi tall screen is excellent. I am 6ft and did not experience any buffeting, even if i was taller there wouldn't be. the air coming off the screen feels very clean. not one bug hit my visor. :thumleft: you can turn your head all the way from side to side wearing a peaked helmet at 140km/h and up and not get any of that wind snatching at your neck
Body position on the bike is also excellent, a very relaxed feeling, similar to the 800gs, only slightly more aggressive body position, knees only slightly more bent and upper body tending to lean slightly more forward (according to what i remember from my rides on 800gs') overall, very comfortable. almost like sitting on the 800gs.
The bike is very easy to stand up on, feels natural and you still feel very much in control.
4. Gears. - the gearbox is a winner. none of that bmw clunking that makes you want to check for damage. i found it very smooth and forgiving. the clutch takes 'kindly' for want of a better word, so you can change gears smoothly even if you do cock up the timing a bit. no snatching or grabbing of gears, also no drive train shunt. a refined experience, everything feels precise. gear ratio's also seem very good. most bikes people ride they tend to hunt for a higher gear on the freeway, not so much with this bike, you tend to tune into the gear you're in more easily.
5. Suspension. - have only experienced the bike on tar and two gravel parking bays. it handles gravel parking bays bloody well though!
no complaints, the suspension feels firm without being harsh. i didn't experience too much diving in the front, well compared to a klr, it was not too soft. cornering is right up there with all the others, no problems.
looking forward to some gravel with urgency.
6. Engine & Performance. - rode out of knysna yamaha with the odo on zero. so the engine is obviously tight. the engine is smooth and not very vibey for a thumper at all in my opinion.
i used a lot of juice though. gave the bike a good dose of speed, constantly slowing down and speeding up, doing a lot of engine braking through the gears. the performance is fine. it is slow compared to a 800gs, but, for everyday use it is really good. i wasn't expecting the freeway performance to be as good as it was. she cruises easily at 145 to 150. the engine is so smooth and the bike so refined that i felt as if I was going 80 while doing 130. it's not your ordinary vibey thumper. it's smooth and refined.
engine note was a bit disappointing. i am not one to go for loud pipes but i found the xt too quiet. not important enough in my opinion to take points off for that.
top speed i got on the way home was 159, it wouldn't go any faster, but i also wasn't trying too hard either. at 159 it still had quite a way to go before hitting the red line. i have a feeling the speedometer is quite accurate, will have to measure up on a gps one day.
7. Brakes. - I found the front brake to be top notch. they didn't grab, felt predictable and powerful, actually much better than my strom's front brake. the rear brake was next to useless. i need to get it adjusted as clearly very little braking power is happening at the back.
8. Tyres. - they are Michelin Siracs I think. They look ok as a dual purpose tyre. They felt first class on tar, don't know about gravel, will have to wait and see.
Hope anyone looking at going for a XT660z find this informative. It has made a very good first impression on me. Another nice thing about this bike, is it does not need much done after buying it. It's almost a complete package straight out of the dealer.
So I say WELL DONE YAMAHA.
outside 'old nick' in plett
they threw in a givi tall screen and a nice looking set of crash bars into the deal and a full tank of juice. many thanks to Rhoodie and the team at knysna yamaha for a pleasurable buying experience and good all round positive customer service and interest.
think of this bike as the way a klr was meant to have been made. it's a big thumper, it's a jap machine, but it's a big step up from the klr's and dr's etc... ...
at first glance the thoughtfulness and quality can be seen and later, more importantly, felt!
it's a tall bike, probably a bit taller than your average klr, but not as tall as the old ktm 640's
i'm not a good bike impressions novelist so will do this in point form.
1. Quality. - Excellent. The controls are simple but solid, well spaced and very easy to read. Digital display is easy to see in daylight even with polaroid sunglasses on and a dirty visor.
Everything from the handlebars to the footpegs looks and feels very good and well thought out.
2. Looks. - Everyone has their own opinion, respect. I dig it though! :drif:
3. Comfort. - Firstly the seat feels very firm but is actually very comfortable. I rode from Knysna to Port Elizabeth without any iron butt. Wind protection from the Givi tall screen is excellent. I am 6ft and did not experience any buffeting, even if i was taller there wouldn't be. the air coming off the screen feels very clean. not one bug hit my visor. :thumleft: you can turn your head all the way from side to side wearing a peaked helmet at 140km/h and up and not get any of that wind snatching at your neck
Body position on the bike is also excellent, a very relaxed feeling, similar to the 800gs, only slightly more aggressive body position, knees only slightly more bent and upper body tending to lean slightly more forward (according to what i remember from my rides on 800gs') overall, very comfortable. almost like sitting on the 800gs.
The bike is very easy to stand up on, feels natural and you still feel very much in control.
4. Gears. - the gearbox is a winner. none of that bmw clunking that makes you want to check for damage. i found it very smooth and forgiving. the clutch takes 'kindly' for want of a better word, so you can change gears smoothly even if you do cock up the timing a bit. no snatching or grabbing of gears, also no drive train shunt. a refined experience, everything feels precise. gear ratio's also seem very good. most bikes people ride they tend to hunt for a higher gear on the freeway, not so much with this bike, you tend to tune into the gear you're in more easily.
5. Suspension. - have only experienced the bike on tar and two gravel parking bays. it handles gravel parking bays bloody well though!
no complaints, the suspension feels firm without being harsh. i didn't experience too much diving in the front, well compared to a klr, it was not too soft. cornering is right up there with all the others, no problems.looking forward to some gravel with urgency.
6. Engine & Performance. - rode out of knysna yamaha with the odo on zero. so the engine is obviously tight. the engine is smooth and not very vibey for a thumper at all in my opinion.
i used a lot of juice though. gave the bike a good dose of speed, constantly slowing down and speeding up, doing a lot of engine braking through the gears. the performance is fine. it is slow compared to a 800gs, but, for everyday use it is really good. i wasn't expecting the freeway performance to be as good as it was. she cruises easily at 145 to 150. the engine is so smooth and the bike so refined that i felt as if I was going 80 while doing 130. it's not your ordinary vibey thumper. it's smooth and refined.
engine note was a bit disappointing. i am not one to go for loud pipes but i found the xt too quiet. not important enough in my opinion to take points off for that.
top speed i got on the way home was 159, it wouldn't go any faster, but i also wasn't trying too hard either. at 159 it still had quite a way to go before hitting the red line. i have a feeling the speedometer is quite accurate, will have to measure up on a gps one day.
7. Brakes. - I found the front brake to be top notch. they didn't grab, felt predictable and powerful, actually much better than my strom's front brake. the rear brake was next to useless. i need to get it adjusted as clearly very little braking power is happening at the back.
8. Tyres. - they are Michelin Siracs I think. They look ok as a dual purpose tyre. They felt first class on tar, don't know about gravel, will have to wait and see.
Hope anyone looking at going for a XT660z find this informative. It has made a very good first impression on me. Another nice thing about this bike, is it does not need much done after buying it. It's almost a complete package straight out of the dealer.
So I say WELL DONE YAMAHA.
