Yamaha XT 660 R.

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Yamaha XT 660 R.
Yamaha

Yamaha XT 660 R.

Changing of the guard

The legend is revived. A new XT is coming. More quickly. Stronger. And better than ever. Yamaha promises. By Rolf Henniges; Photos: Yamaha

What a success story. Over the past 30 years, Yamaha has brought nearly 400,000 XT models to the people across Europe. The former market leader in the enduro segment, however, gradually left the butter
take off the bread. Reliable and fit for travel? The clientele picked up the BMW
F 650. Sporty and hip? There led
no way around a KTM. What wonder, the current 39 hp XT 600 E has the character of a packhorse and with its worldwide spare parts supply offers an alternative at most to a few traditional globetrotters.
She wants this Biedermeier image
Clear out the XT 660 R. Bold turns out
an angular headlight-fender-unit to the airstream. Two thick tailpipes soar into the sky. The design is strongly trimmed for fun. The engine should be too. Apart from the bore-to-stroke ratio of 100 by 84 millimeters, it has little in common with the former 660 drive that pushed the last Tenere. The four-valve cylinder head is new, the mixture preparation takes over an injection ?? in conjunction with a secondary air system, the XT now overcomes the Euro 2 pollutant barrier. The transmission, on earlier XT-
Motors, one of the biggest weak points, has been completely redesigned. The shift drum has been newly mounted, five instead of the previous three driving claws ensure improved traction. In addition, the gear ratio has been optimized.
Yamaha promises 48 hp at 6000 and 58 Nm torque at 5250 revs. But that’s not all. The old XTZ engine already delivered almost identical values. The new one should spin up spontaneously and greedily hang on to the gas. A light forged piston and a smaller alternator rotor in connection with the injection, it is said, give the formerly lazy journeyman easy turning? nevertheless he will keep his steam hammer character.
Yamaha played it safe on the frame side. Two steel covers, the motor integrated as a load-bearing element as usual, the oil for the dry sump lubrication in the upper frame tube. With 225 millimeters of travel at the front and 200 at the rear, the new XT is for almost everyone
prepared European roads. From spring 2004 it will be available for around 6400 euros
Hbe even. And maybe continue the success story of your series.

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