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- What else stood out – Yamaha XT 660 R
- MOTORCYCLE Measurements – Yamaha XT 660 R
- Technical data – Yamaha XT 660 R
Gargolov
Top test Yamaha XT 660 R
Still single?
The abbreviation XT has stood for adventure and pack mule for decades. Now the new one is here. With immobilizer, hazard warning lights, injection, catalytic converter and exhaust gas recirculation. Does the technology mix hit the hearts of the fans??
The good news first. First: The current XT is the best that Yamaha has ever produced in terms of driving dynamics. Second: Except for the bore-to-stroke ratio of 100 by 84 millimeters, your motor has nothing in common with the phlegmatic 660 drive from the XTZ.
Thank heaven. Because Yamaha had reached a dead end with its single-cylinder models. Technically, the 660 R represents after the
air-cooled 500 and 600 as well as the water-cooled, five-valve 660 the fourth XT generation. Visually too. Nothing remains of the underdog charm of the XT-600 model discontinued in 2003, the last packhorse in the two-wheeler sector. The new one is angular. The plastic rolls flat from the tank to the water cooler. Powerful, steep and rebellious, two rear silencers stretch backwards. The headlight stared rebelliously forward.
The seat is high. 87 centimeters. He is thin and hard. And it represents what the new XT stands for: sport. Fun. Race around the block. Via touch of a button ?? Yes,
the Kickstarter is finally passe ?? the Kurzhuber babbles to himself. For the first time supplied with gasoline from an injection. Without choke fumbling. Without excessive speeds when cold. And greedy
he is the new drive. Every turn of the throttle becomes spontaneous, aggressive
Barking from the pipes answered. So go ahead, check your helmet, gloves and goggles, slide first gear into its teeth, disengage the clutch.
It’s unmistakable. And that will please the single fans. This strong, hard mechanical heartbeat can still be felt. The lively throbbing
controlled combustion every second crankshaft revolution. The beat of powerful single-cylinder components. Far from feeling like being padded with cotton wool or being encased in a rubber block à la BMW F 650. So that we don’t get ourselves wrong: the XT 660 R doesn’t vibrate annoyingly, doesn’t shake bitterly. Or doesn’t shake and sift the rider’s entrails like the brittle, hard barrel of a KTM LC4. No. It communicates in the most beautiful form of single-cylinderism. As tamed primeval cattle. Only hesitating to a certain extent. Something that signals sheer strength.
And also put this signal into practice. Compared to other single-cylinder engines, the engine allows extremely low-speed driving without chopping. However, the transition from overrun to the partial load range was not a hundred percent successful, you can feel a very delicate jerk. From as little as 2500 rpm, which corresponds to 70 km / h in fifth gear, the single cylinder shows its muscles and presses out over 50 Nm of torque. The driver has between 3000 and 6200 revolutions
always 55 and more Nm available. With a peak of around 60 Nm at 5300 rpm. Boring, you might think. Tours-
suitable. Uneventful. But the Jekyll is also Hyde. The ten-to-one compression unit reacts to every gas command, no matter how small, with spontaneous revving. Twirl loosely through the entire speed range until the limiter intervenes at 7300 rpm. The MOTORRAD test bench attests 49 hp at 6300 /
min. The engine never seems to be constricted. Is easy to turn and not syrupy even in the last third of the speed.
The 660 R sprints in 5.4 seconds
to 100 km / h and in 12.5 to 140 km / h. Not earth-shattering. Rather average. In view of the closely stepped gearbox, however, it is easy to explain. Because to reach 100 km / h, you have to shift to third gear. But let’s get to the core question: What is it that makes the two souls live in this single? Positioned exactly between F 650 and LC4. It practically combines the advantages of both engines and sets it far from traditional XT practices?
In order to enable agile, spontaneous revving, the technicians have reduced the moving masses. In other words: two forked roller rocker arms and a delicate camshaft with roller bearings and only two cams work in an extremely compact cylinder head that now only houses four valves. This is about 21 compared to the old, water-cooled 660 with its five valves
Percent lighter. The alternator and forged pistons are also lighter. Compared to those of the XTZ 660 and the XT 600, the new crankshaft is said to have slimmed down one kilogram. Even so, the engine didn’t lose much flywheel mass. Yamaha has the mass distribution-
Changed the crankshaft, which reduced vibrations and retained the robust feel.
Another major construction site: the gearbox. The number of shift dogs per gear wheel has been increased from three to four or five, the toothing of the two transmission shafts is finer, so is the backdrop-
like the mechanics of the gearshift drum, gear changes should be made more precise and the shift feel optimized. Instead of two shafts, the shift forks now slide on three. The interaction also takes place in one
much more compact housing than that of the forefathers.
And is more effective in every way. Change gears, for example. A pleasure. Exactly. Light. The shift lever hardly needs to be touched. There are no intermediate idle times. And so the 189 kilogram XT 660 R storms towards the horizon. Almost like a mountain-
bike through the tightest of turns and leaves the subject of the limit entirely up to the rider. Lean angle? If it’s scratchy, the XT driver is mostly lying on your nose. Grip? Pirelli Dragon are released,
Michelin Sirac as well as the one on the test-
machine mounted Metzeler Tourance. This literally welds to the asphalt. The tire dimensions 90 / 90-21 at the front and 130 /
80-17 at the rear ensure precise off-road trips, but the 21 mm front wheel with its long spoke mesh, tube and tire also creates high gyroscopic forces. The Enduro works at fast inclines-
change of position somewhat sluggishly around the steering axis. But anything but unstable.
In terms of stability, the XT 660 R has also been redesigned. For the first time in the XT history, a tubular steel frame with two upper parts is used. Nevertheless, the oil tank for the dry sump lubrication is still traditionally housed in the frame around the steering head. A conventional 43 mm fork with 225 millimeters of spring travel and a steel box swing arm with progressively articulated mono spring strut with 200 millimeters of spring travel ensure good ground contact. However, it does not always work perfectly. The spring strut, which can be adjusted five times in the spring base, is very tightly cushioned. Ideal for speedy journeys on country roads of all kinds. In off-road passages, however, it is unable to filter out the smallest bumps. The rear wheel often loses contact with the ground on loose or very rugged ground.
On the plus side of the shock absorber there are clearly the taker qualities. Even two people with luggage can’t be shocked. The tuning of the fork, on the other hand, is a good compromise between comfort and sport, even though it runs a bit dough and looks tough. At har-
It appears on you when braking maneuvers
hydraulic stop, realizes good ground contact and thus provides the necessary feedback for delays at the blocking limit.
The 660 R shone in the brake measurements with a brilliant 9.8 m / s2, but the double-piston system with 298-millimeter disc had to be forced to work with great manual force. But no worry. That sounds somewhat like XT 500. However, the two are galaxies apart in every respect.
Too far? No. Even the one who
in his heart great sympathies for
As legend has it, the XT of the 21st century will not disappoint. The engine is successful all round. With
4.3 liters of country road consumption-
it has a theoretical range of 349 kilometers. The driving experience is three-
part. Sports. Trip. Wanderlust. The latter has always been linked to an XT. To cure it with the 660, however, you should replace the bench with a softer one-
swap them or provide them with the obligatory sheepskin. This closes the circle to the XT 500. Oh, the bad news? There is none. The Yamaha XT 660 R is a lucky single.
Buy complete article
Top test Yamaha XT 660 R
Still single?
How to test – Part 27: ground clearance
Ground clearance ?? that’s actually interesting
only off-road, when jumping over thick stones or through deep grooves in enduro bikes. At least some think. But if you have ever tumbled down the curb and your pretty
Has ruined disguise, this criterion will probably take more important. More helps more in this case, but of course only up to a certain limit: For a ground clearance of over 20 centimeters, there is the maximum rating, namely ten points. Less than five centimeters safety distance is penalized with zero points. The motorcycle is measured with the driver sitting in a normal driving position,
and correct suspension adjustment. Authoritative
is the lowest point, no matter whether side or center stand, exhaust system, engine housing or ver-
dress. As an enduro, the Yamaha XT 660 R has no problems with ground clearance on the road, it gets nine points for its 18 centimeters.
What else stood out – Yamaha XT 660 R
plus
O Very good plastic protection for the
Fork tubes
O Very good, almost vibration-free
View in the rear-view mirrors
minus
O bend strong when driving off-road
endangered
O plastic parts easily breakable
O clutch and brake lever not
adjustable
O Positioning at risk of falling
the water pump
O rubber footrests ??
not ideal in the field
MOTORCYCLE Measurements – Yamaha XT 660 R
Performance
Top speed * 160 km / h
acceleration
0 100 km / h 5.4 sec
0 ?? 140 km / h 12.5 sec
Draft
60 ?? 100 km / h 5.6 sec
100 ?? 140 km / h 7.9 sec
Speedometer deviation
Effective (display 50/100) 49/97 km / h
Consumption in the test
at 100 km / h 3.6 l / 100 km
at 130 km / h 5.3 l / 100 km
Country road 4.3 l / 100 km
Theoretical range 349 km
Fuel type super
mass and weight
L / W / H 2220/900/1370 mm
Seat height 870 mm
Handlebar height 1125 mm
Turning circle 4600 mm
Weight with a full tank 189 kg
Payload 178 kg
Wheel load distribution v / h 45/50%
Driving dynamics 1
Brake measurement
Braking distance from 100 km / h 39.2 meters
Average deceleration 9.8 m / s2
Comments: The front brake requires a lot of hand strength and is therefore difficult to adjust. The fork’s spring reserves prevent it from bottoming out. That allows for delays at the
Blocking limit.
Handling course I (fast slalom)
Best lap time 22.3 sec
vmax at the measuring point 91.3 km / h
Comments: Tightly tuned for an enduro, especially on the rear wheel. The fork twists, which means that the front wheel steers indifferently. From three-
quarter of the incline, the XT tilts into the curve. High steering forces result from the high gyroscopic forces of the 21-inch-
Wheel.
Handling course II (slow slalom)
Best lap time 29.1 sec
vmax at the measuring point 53.7 km / h
Comments: In slow slalom, the chassis behaves very neutrally at the same level. Turning at the reversal point is made more difficult by a delayed throttle response.
Technical data – Yamaha XT 660 R
Engine: water-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine, an overhead, chain-driven camshaft, four valves, rocker arm, dry sump lubrication, injection, Ø 44 mm, transistor ignition, un-
Regulated catalytic converter with secondary air system, electric starter, alternator 291 W, battery 12 V / 8 Ah, mechanically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, O-ring chain.
Bore x stroke 100.0 x 84.0 mm
Cubic capacity 660 cm3
Compression ratio 10.0: 1
rated capacity
35.3 kW (48 hp) at 6000 rpm
Max. Torque 58 Nm at 5250 rpm
Pollutant values (homologation) in g / km
CO 1.280, HC 0.221, NOx 0.110
Chassis: tubular steel frame, telescopic fork, Ø 43 mm, two-arm swing arm made of steel, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring base, front disc brake,
Ø 298 mm, double-piston floating caliper, rear disc brake, Ø 245 mm, single-piston floating caliper.
Spoked wheels with aluminum rims
1.85 x 21; 2.75 x 17
Tires 90 / 90-21; 130 / 80-17
Tires in the Metzeler Tourance test
Dimensions and weights: wheelbase 1505 mm, steering head angle 62.8 degrees, caster 107 mm, suspension travel f / h 225/200 mm, tank capacity / reserve 15 / 3.5 liters.
Service data
Service intervals every 10000 km
Oil and filter change every 10000 km / 2.6 l
Engine oil SAE 10 W 40
Telescopic fork oil SAE 10 W
Spark plugs NGK CR 7 E
Chain 5/8 x 1/4, 110 rolls
Idle speed 1300 ± 100 / min
Valve clearance inlet / outlet
0.09 – 0.13 / 0.16 – 0.20 mm
Tire pressure solo (with pillion passenger)
front / rear 2.0 / 2.0 (2.0 / 2.3) bar
Two year guarantee
Colors blue, black
Price 6350 euros
Additional costs 140 euros
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