XT600E now at the Chateau

Discussion in 'UK Motorcycles' started by The Older Gentleman, May 31, 2008.

  1. And my, my I'm chuffed.

    It's totally stock except for aftermarket stainless steel headers. There
    are a couple of very small scrapes on the polypropylene side panels and
    hand guards, but hell, this is a 1991 dirt bike.

    It wears a neat little aftermarket rack. Handy.

    The engine is perfect. Just perfect. 15k genuine miles, and a sheaf of
    MoTs and service receipts, plus the original owner's handbook. Memo to
    self: must check if it still has the toolkit as well.

    It needs a set of head races, because the ones in it are *utterly*
    shagged. Coupled with the knackered front tyre (which is, I think, the
    original Trail Wing: the rear is a nearly-new Avon Gripster) this makes
    the steering, er, horrible.

    Oh, and the horn connection is a bit intermittent. Sometimes works,
    sometimes doesn't. It'll be either the switch or the connections on the
    horn itself.

    No sign of major offs. Lock stops are intact. Nothing seems bent. Brakes
    aren't seized and work well.

    Tax and tested until October, and all mine for a piffling £780. I am
    happy, oh yes.
     
    The Older Gentleman, May 31, 2008
    #1
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  2. The Older Gentleman

    ts Guest

    Lucky you.
    Too many wheelies?

    If the front tyre has a legible year/week production code it might
    verify if it is the original. I doubt a previous owner would have
    bothered to trace down a replacement tyre with matching production code.
     
    ts, May 31, 2008
    #2
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  3. I don't really care either way. I'm replacing it next week anyway.

    I slapped degreaser all over the back end and hosed it down this
    afternoon. That revealed that the rear wheel has been rebuilt with an
    alloy rim, which is nice (the XT600E had chrome rims as standard, and
    the front rim has some rust spots on it).
     
    The Older Gentleman, May 31, 2008
    #3
  4. The Older Gentleman

    boxerboy Guest

    CIHAGM
    Lasting memories of a blast on your last one and your LC from Morden
    to Derek Loan Suzuki and back

    Boxerboy
     
    boxerboy, Jun 1, 2008
    #4
  5. Sure.

    My neighbour, who has a supermotard'd XT, has cast an eye over it and
    reckons it's a bargain. I've just put a fibreglass patch on the inside
    of one of the false air scoops on the tank, because there was a crack in
    it, and blasted the exhaust heat shield with some VHT black paint.

    I've stuck an old top box on the rack, simply for commuting purposes. It
    looks horrible but wtf.
     
    The Older Gentleman, Jun 1, 2008
    #5
  6. The Older Gentleman

    ts Guest

    Even better bargain, then. But did all the XTs come with chrome rims as
    standard? I certainly remember my '85 XL600 had original alloy rims, and
    I thought all four Jap trailies at that era were very similar in specs.

    Some later XTs came without a rev counter, presumably as a cost cutting
    exercise. Could that have included a change to chrome rims as well? [1]

    [1]assuming there is a difference in production cost, vs. weight issues
     
    ts, Jun 1, 2008
    #6
  7. Like I said, the original XT600E came with chrome rims, as it was
    definitely a budget bike. The early models also did without a rev
    counter (instead, you got a red warning light that lit up when you
    approached whatever was safe max revs).

    Later 600Es got a rev counter, but I don't know whether they ever got
    alloy rims.
     
    The Older Gentleman, Jun 1, 2008
    #7
  8. The Older Gentleman

    ts Guest

    Ah - my impression was from the older (non-E) models. Not having tried
    one, I assumed the 600_E_ designation only indicated an electric
    starter. Perhaps the "E" was intended as "economy" as well - compared to
    the XT600.

    As far as I could see from a brief Google the earlier XT600's seems to
    have come with both alloy rims and a rev counter.

    <http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/318322/>
    <http://www.bikepics.com/yamaha/xt600/85/pics.asp>
     
    ts, Jun 1, 2008
    #8
  9. Yes, they did.

    Quite possibly the E did stand for 'economy'. They were very basic
    bikes, with fairly primitive suspension, a softly tuned engine, and
    switchgear from the old DT175 (yes!).

    But that was why I loved mine so much. The cheapo polypropylene panels
    and mudguards were just about unbreakable. The bike was ridiculously
    cheap to run. And it was adequate on the dirt and (with decent
    dual-purpose tyres) huge fun on the road.

    It just wasn't fast - an indicated 100 was your lot. But it stayed in
    Yamaha's line-up for 15 years with only very minor changes.

    I've frequently promised myself that I'll have another one. Well, now I
    have.
     
    The Older Gentleman, Jun 1, 2008
    #9
  10. The Older Gentleman

    ts Guest

    When I commented here how frugal my XL was, I was accused of riding like
    a nun :))
    Enjoy!
     
    ts, Jun 1, 2008
    #10
  11. The Older Gentleman

    Ofnuts Guest

    No, it was really for "Electric". There was an even less expensive "K"
    (kick starter) version.
     
    Ofnuts, Jun 2, 2008
    #11
  12. The Older Gentleman

    MikeH Guest

    That explains the "N" on my old CB100N then.
     
    MikeH, Jun 2, 2008
    #12
  13. The Older Gentleman

    darsy Guest

    heh.
     
    darsy, Jun 2, 2008
    #13
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