YAMAHA XTZ660 (1991 - 1999) Review

Brakes not great, but no-one won any races by having great brakes. They work though. Engine not the fastest or most powerful of fourse..can be docile or can bite a bit, depending how u want to ride it. Conservative or like you stole it. Ride it hard and it will respond surprisingly well...the bike will take anything you throw at it and will never moan. Seat is as everyone says...painful after the 60-80 minute mark. Just take it like a man/woman.

In terms of reliability and user friendly diy servicing, i love it. Won't break down. It's torquey and it won't kill you y throwing you at ridiculous speed on public roads. Fuel range is great on 20 ltr tank...reasily over 200 miles before reserve kicks in. Btw, never allow a y garage to clean and service your carbs unless you really know and trust them. After 2 garages and 'expert' mechanics servicing my carbs and bike still struggling to start after 5 days or longer being stood, I took carbs out myself and readjusted them to yamaha specs (2.5 turns out for pilot screw and 25mm-27mm float height) specs which I had shared with them and still it was all wrong when I checked it! (Why????) The bike rides and starts absolutely spot on, and will start after 1-2 weeks of no use in a few turns of the engine and as it should. Just bear that in mind.

A bit of corrosion it's great maladie...engine never broke down. Regulator packed up in acrid smoke, bike leaving a trail like a spitfire in flames. Could still ride home. Bought quality replacement tourmax and good to go again forever&ever. Choke cable also corroded but a clean and grease and good again. That's as bad as it got in over 30 yrs

25 pounds to change oil and filter and 100 pounds for insurance. Valves can be adjusted on the side of the rd...the bike can easily be serviced and maintained by an enthusiastic mechanic. After all, they were built to do a desert rally where spares, time and patience would be a rare commodity.

Basic lights and instruments that will never fail and will give you all the info you need to know to get you across any desert...or big city, lol. I wired a switched usb charger to the battery and can charge and use on the go any phone or sat nav without any electrical glitches. Switch it off when notin use and the battery will never drain. Great stock rear luggage rack. Big stock orange indicators hard to miss by sleepy car drivers. Lovely stock front fairing and side covers/cowling directing air to centre radiator. Makes it aerodynamic and incredibly stable at higher speeds. Liquid cooled engine that can travel to the sun and still keep cool. Big rubberized rider and pillion foot pegs. Great flat seat without weird restrictive shapes. Tall bike. Probably forget a coup,e more things. They don't make them as cool and hardy as these anymore.

Standard seat you’ll manage 2 hours riding, pillion less! Ride is great though position and feel of the bike on the winding roads.

Reliable strong thump.

Poor electrics. Can’t moan about corrosion on a 21 year old bike! I’m told Bull riders practice on this bike For how hard the seat is and soft suspension.

Oil and filters cheap. DIY. At some point you’ll have to get electrics sorted and replace exhaust system every 15-20 years (aftermarket). Great on fuel

Headlights look great. And the horn works. Brakes take the edge off your speed, but good pair of boots are more effective

The bike is wonderful on our current pothole-ridden roads, but it doesn't want to go over 70 easily due to its gearing, nor it wants to go very slow due to big thumper engine. The breaks work and stop the bike. The seat is as uncomfortable as they come, and literally painful after two hours.

It works, no complaints, no issues, no problems. Every day chugs along unstressed as long as you're doing 55-60. It can go around the world in dirt roads at this speed just fine.

Every time I think of selling it, something goes wrong with it. It's had a dangerous MOT fault every single year - I get it fixed, something else breaks. Not that I ride it a lot, but for a 21y old bike it shows its age. Engine is solid though, one part that doesn't fail. Extremely frugal when it comes to fuelling costs, does 65+mpg easily at all times and this is a carburated bike.

There ain't any to talk about. It's got mirrors, does that count?!

Upgraded with my Mountain Bikes Brakes! Seat is hard. Handles well

Thumps for ever

Electrics are poor

Cheap to service, but plug access is a joke

Electrics are poor. Twin headlamps look amazing to be fair