Modifying my XT 660 Z Tenere

[Harry00]

This is, for a big part, a copy-paste from the xt660.com forum that, as some of you know, closes down completely on december 31, 2019. I modified this bike in 2014 and still drive it with an ear-to-ear-smile everywhere, anytime. And doing so, i still do small modifications every now and then. So thought i should keep the topic alive...

I will not start with pics of how it was originally, as anyone knows what an original Ten looks like :nana:

Instead, i will pick up the story a few mods later on, when i fitted Kevs O2 mod, a fuel mod, Aluminium Yamaha engine guard- already replaced by a Touratech Small, MTC single can, and already done my tail-tidy...

[Harry00]

Making a KTM front end fit:



Machined a ring to fit in the lower tri-clamp, supporting the lower bearing



And milled out the chamber to fit the Yamaha pin:



Then machined a fitting spindle as an aid to determine the position of the steering-stoppers:



And one front fork done, now just mount and revise/adjust on the bike by a specialist:

[Harry00]

Meanwhile i took a critical look at the dB-killer in the MTC can, after reading reports of people losing it underway... That is a crap indeed and just waits to give way to the pulses from the big single. MIG-Spotwelded only... And the bend at one place to make the bolt fit in also is very sensitive to metal-fatigue.









So what i did was flowing the existing welds with TIG, so that they would melt out and hold at bigger surfaces, instead of just laying on top of the metal.
Also i milled a ring that carries in the whole inner diameter of the exhaust outlet-pipe. This came in place of the bent part where the locking bolt goes and i welded it through all around. That way hopefully the dB-killer cannot vibrate anymore. Also stops leaking along the sides, making the sound a tick less loud and even a bit fuller.

[Harry00]

After fitting the tail tidy and the exhaust, it was time to close the gap in the inner rear fender. A small piece of a tiny conveyor belt did the trick:





And what to say about my seat? Got new polstering with a layer of cell-foam, wild leather surface and got a bit higher and much spacier. It should now be a great compromise between long, long travels and also offroad- and rally usage, which are two worlds wide apart. Will report on that after my holiday, then i will know for sure. First test rides proved a massive improvement already though, really comfortable yet reasonably hard and adapting itself to the body. Raymond, thanks for this perfect piece of work!

 

[Harry00]

Right! So today the weather was nice enough to shoot a few pics. Here she is with the revised front fork, front fender painted, Excel 18" rear rim. By the way, those are my offroad wheels, momentary with Karoo 3 mounted for an upcoming trip in Finland. I have a set with black Excel rims (also 18" rear) for street use as well. Will make a photo of that mounted later as well. Just have to wait for the rear shock to arrive.



Up front is a 320 mm wave disc mounted, rear also a nice looking wave. Master brake-cylinder comes from a KTM 660SMC. The right setup for a single disc Tenere, giving a very clear pressure-point and a steady build up of brake force, without getting agressive. However, emergency-braking asks for a more powerful pull on the lever.



Renthal Fatbar mounted on ROX-risers:

[Harry00]

And a closer look at the seat. In one word: Fabulous! This guy really understands another bikers wishes!

[Harry00]

Two more: loving this bike... :wav:

For the next photos i hope to have the rear shock mounted as well. With this front fork mounted, the difference in quality with the standard shock becomes almost dramatic.
You might also note that it is missing the side stand? I made that one a bit longer to match the new hight, and it is now out to get a fresh powder-coat. Also have to do that with the main stand, as it stands with both wheels firmly on the ground now.



Seen those new green rings on the front fork? They do not exactly match the color, but they have a practical use. Mud-scrapers they are, a first barrier that removes mud and dirt from the inner legs before it can get to the dust-seal section and the oil-seals inside.



And finally, the setup with Öhlins shock mounted and properly adjusted. Now i defenitely don't recognise my own bike anymore!

[Harry00]

Test-driving was done in Finland, a 2500 km offroad-tour last summer.  (plus a 2800 km route on- and offroad to get to Suomussalmi, the starting-point) The trip to Finland started 3 days after the last photos in the previous post were made.
 
The Ten really handled great all the way, through every kind of terrain. I am in love for sure!
Only one weakness appeared. The mounting of the rear fender was too tight. It started to tear around the mounting points and eventually got caught in the rear wheel at high speed on gravel.



Temporary solution to hold the thing together for the days to come:



Never found back my licence-plate anymore so my original plan to return after this ride through the Baltic countries, Poland and Germany did not seem very wise to me. Driving through the Northern part of Finland was not such a big risk though, never saw any police. For the way back home fabriced this solution, thanks to Tupperware...



Anyway, the new rear fender (same as the old one) now hangs in 6 mm thick rubber dampers on both sides of the plastic. More flexible and should resist the vibrations now. Also gives a better visibility on the tail light now. We learn as we go...

[Harry00]

The Arctic Circle did not look very Arctic early august... Around 30 degrees.

[Harry00]

2017:

After having my DRC Anato tail-tidy broken off for the second time during offroad riding, i now decided this thing is not offroadworthy at all.



Off goes the DRC, on comes an aluminum part from S-moto, hope that will be stronger!







Apart from that, i had an official KTM 660 Rallye that i used for all kinds of offroad-riding, what a fantastic machine! But after modifying the Tenere, this beast never left my garage anymore. I noticed i did everything on two wheels with the Yammie now. What a shame. A KTM like that deserves to be ridden and so i sold it with a big tear in my eyes...
A short farewell to this amazing companion that never really let me down as well:

[Harry00]

2018:

As i ride on German roads a lot as well, my road-legal MTC exhaust is way too loud to my liking. In Germany an exhaust with no E-stamp can get you in big trouble, even if it is declared road-legal in the UK. Also in Holland they are not too keen on those kinds of exhausts. Modification time!

A quick search on the internet delivered a brand new stainless steel Laser ProDuro for almost no money. Decision been made very quickly. Laser produced quite good exhaust systems but were discontinued some years ago. Probably the brand was not as sexy as Akrapovic or GPR....