YAMAHA XT660R (2004 - 2017) Review

Version: XT660 X

Year: 2012

Annual servicing cost: £60

Jack of all Trades master of noneWhen riding the Yamaha 660xt X 2012 for the first time after having an husqvarna Supermotard 510 R 2008 is was so refreshing. The husq was really all in all a Supermoto at heart but for all day use it was a pain.The everytime go wheelie time was fun but you can't do it everytime. Sometimes you'll need a bike that can bring you from A to B without the hassle of feeling pain in the hands by vibration. ( You'll need to understand 1'Cilinders ) That being said the yamaha 660xt Vibrates but not so much that you can't use in everyday all day.With the yamaha 660xt Indestructible engine you'll never have a day of staying on the side of the road.I'm from the netherlands , if you know my country and the weather.Driven this bike in all weather conditions. It never failed me.Rain ( No problem ) Snow ( Did it no probs) Tires are importent Summer ( Corner Boosting like no tomorrow)Semi- off Road ( no problem ) it is a lot lighter then a afrika twin and the yamaha 700 that are in the middle weight section. Year 2022 the bike still doing great.Fast enough on the highway 185 kilometers per hour.Alot of tuning options. Check www.offtheroad.de You'll enter in in the Halls of yamaha XT ValhallaIt's easy to maintain and change to your personal taste.Problems with the motorcyle? In my own opinion not a problem that can't be solved.For example buy this bike for 4000 Euro you'll have an good bike.But most standard Xt' have a surging problem that you can't find the right gear to put it in when around 30-40 kilometers per hour.If this seems to be a big problem for you. Change The ECU (€200) Change powercommander (€300)And you'll ready for the go.Omost all people get other exhaust systems. But the standard exhaust is meant for protection of the bike when you'll let it fall.It's an design of yamaha.Motorcyle with good plastics compared with the new plastics on the tenere 700 these plastics aren't that good compared to the old 2012 yamaha Xt they are still rocking after so long.15 liter tank is more then enough Can bring passenger Can have luggage ( soft bag and hard aluminium cases )Just an good motorcyle. Love this bike.

Buying experience: These motorcyle keeps its value in check.From older to newer models. From 2008 models €3600 Towards 2016 models €7000Buyed mine 2012 year around €5500But it seems they are getting more value nowadays. Year 2022

Version: X

Year: 2011

Just fun fun fun

Year: 2004

It’s a very good bike, you can use It everywhere, it’s a bit aggressive with its own mono-cilinder. It’s light, not the best when you need to break, you need enough distance to stop your bike, so be careful. Pratically its a funny bike that you can ride everywhere!

Buying experience: Private, second hand bike. 1850,00 €

Version: XT660X Motard

Year: 2010

The Yamaha XT660X is a fun to ride thumper, particularly around the lanes, with enough pace to pass traffic. The down side of the bike is that it is weighty and lumpy at low speeds.

Buying experience: I bought mine from a dealer for £3200 on a '10 plate with 14k miles on the clock and a FSH.

Year: 2011

Annual servicing cost: £60

I have just bought a 2011 xt660x. As a second bike to do a trip round Scotland. been out on it 3 times now and done 120 miles each time. Right before i start my review my other bike is an FZ1N and i have been riding 900/1000cc race bikes all my life and i do not hang around.. right about the xt660x as long as you do not think you are buying a pocket rocket its a really good bike. It's very heavy when its not moving but when riding you would not know it was 190kg at all. I have the kev mod and o2 sensor mod, after market cans and i have NO problem at all with the fuelling that people keep complaining about, its an easy fix and takes 10 mins to fit the bits. I took the bike over the moors where i live and the bike loves it from 0 to 90 no problem at all, not once did i think god this is slow. and to be honest when on the straight it will go up to 100 (just) you would not want to go any faster on one of these not to safe but fun lol (not that i did mind you). When you learn how to ride a single, as it is different to a inline 4. I know i will leave lots of sport riders on the twisty in the summer now that will be fun. If you know how to ride a single it can be lots of fun. would not have it as my only bike, but it ticks all the boxes for what i want it for. 250 miles a day on this will be no problems at all. The thing will run for ever and go up anything. I was expecting to hate it (all my mates said i would) and only keep it for my 5 day trip then sell it on as its not really my thing. My fz1 would be no good round Loch Ness as it really is 2nd, 3rd 4th and tight twisty roads and very bumpy. Well it was a shock to me but i love the xt and am going to keep it. Its lots of fun sounds like hell with the cans on and rides fine, looks good. If you are a new rider you will love it, if like me you just want something to take out on a sunday and not loose your licence it will do the job. its a good all round bike.i would give this bike a 4 out of 5. The only reason it does not get a 5 out of 5 is its not a KTM

Buying experience: got a very very good price £2900 for a one owner 4500 mile 2011 bike in as new condition never seen rain (stole it at that price)

Year: 2007

Annual servicing cost: £184

Bit heavy for mud, but good fun on loose surfaces.

I bought a 2008 model S/H it was cheap and I thought it would do as a winter hack. What a surprise really enjoyable to ride. Its very involving to ride I like to take it out just to take it out just for a spin and when I get home I cant help wearing a silly grin I love it. I have changed a couple of things I have raised the bars and changed the footrest as the original items were round rubber covered and was a bit slippy when wet so fitted a set of SW Motech pegs and now its just great. I have not experienced any of the fuelling problems which seems to plagued some and well written about. One gripe, I wish I got one years ago. One reason that you will not see many XTRs on the road is the cost new £6500 that's a lot when you look to see what else there is on the market and I don't think many folks will give it a second glance. One thing I would recommend is that you take a big single out for a test ride you may be surprised

I'd love to say that living with the Xtx over the past 18 months has been all sweetness and light but it hasn't. However it's not been all bad the bike starts on the first turn of the engine. Handling is impressive and can embarrass the odd sports bike as long as the road has no straight bits.

Did I miss something when trying this bike?? I was hoping to have bought the ideal greenlane tourer. A true X/C (cross country) bike. I owned a BMW 650 Dakar which was a great tourer for the smaller roads but proved to be underpowered for more challenging off-roading and always threatened to cost a fortune should I drop it. Then I tried the Suzuki DRZ 400. A phantastic greenlaning bike, although the fuelling does cause me some headaches. But the road sections are a real pain (literally with that seat). And the engine sounds as if about to blow at more than 60mph. The XT660R sits right in the middle of these two. Lets hope the fuelling issue, mentioned so many times, does not appear and spoil the fun. I am more worried about the lesser ground clearence. I do hope the rock plates are going to be delivered soon (before a rock rippes the exhoust off.....)

Lived with this bike for 12 months now. Chose it as I had not ridden anything for about 3 years so wanted to ease myself back in to riding. I am now definitely looking to change it as it frustrates me too much to be able to keep it. I am 6'2" and 16 stone. Good Points (quite a few) :- Seat fairly comfortable for a couple of hours riding. Seat is also ideal for my height. Starts every time in the wet and/or cold. 120 miles for 11 litres of fuel. Looks good. Over 40 mph on A roads its a hoot. Screen actually provides pretty good protection at 85mph (you wouldn't want to go much faster for long, also I find a weave starts to appear. Great on rough country lanes (with tarmac), go very carefully if you are off the metalled surfaces, hardly any clearance. Bad Points (one howler) :- Fuelling Fuelling Fuelling. I say again Fuelling. Around town whilst commuting its a nightmare and really tiring. I read someone else's review saying that Yamaha say you have to ride around this 'feature' they were not wrong. No matter where I am riding, if I am below 35 mph the bike drives me mad. It seems that no matter what gear I am in at these speeds the fuelling problem presents itself. i.e. its very much either on or off. Further niggles, finish on wheels/spokes is suspect, but that may have been previous keeper. LCD speedo is clear but the glass buzzes in its housing, thank god I wear ear plugs to ride. This next point is not a negative really as the bike does not sell itself as a performance machine, but overtakes on A roads have to be very well planned as it does not have a lot more 'go' than your average family car - this too has now become too much of a pain to make me want to keep the bike.

Mine is the X, the Supermoto, I am in to my third year of ownership, 2 of us bought these at the same time, we ride them for fun only, out on twisty tarmac roads, moor roads etc, we both think that these bikes are the business and neither of us can believe that we prefer these to sports fours, it takes a while to get used to a single (no revs change quickly) and a while to get used to a Supermoto bike and what it can do with the right warmed up tyres. Some sports bikes do pass us, in the three years we have had them probably around 8 only!! First we thought that we were steady riders but a maybe a little quicker than average Joe, now since we are riding in areas where there are loads of sports bikes (hundreds) we realise that these Supermoto bikes are perfect for tight twisting roads, we use three quarters of the bikes power and all of the gears, Sports bikes are blasting down the very short straights but in second gear and slipping clutches round the tighter bridges and bends, we are riding at a steady rate but the wide bars, long travel suspension and ludicrous roadholding and lean angles makes riding effortless for us, we are getting, one up, around 69 mpg!! A day out for about £12-15, around 45- 50mpg two up on the same tight twisting roads. You have to have a go on one of these on roads that suit them not up and down a motorway or straight A road they are a superb machine, plus if you want it is easy to lose 10-20KG off them and add a bit more hp but we have enough fun as they are. Only complaint? The seat could be slightly more comfortable, the seat gets you off the bike not boredom. Got to be tried to be believed.

This is the best buy bike. If you want a true all-rounder at low cost. This is a fun fun road bike but even more fun off road. I've taken this bike places you could never take a BMW-GS. So much so it left me hungry for more off road stuff so I now also have a KTM450exc

If you know your bikes the fuel problem can be sorted, mine never cuts out and it only takes three minutes to correct, where do these other people come from?? It is what it is, fun economical bike that it great on country roads and around town, ideal for up to 250 mile trips with three stops, no-one seems to make a better replacement seat yet!! Brings back the simple fun to biking without the expense, fantastic handling with good fuel economy.

I bought the XTX last Saturday and had it back in the dealership first thing Monday morning. You quessed it! The fuel injection is crap and that's not under selling it. If you join the Yamaha Owners Club there are a few tips to reduce the effects but you'll never get it completely fixed. Now don't get me wrong, it's not all bad news for the XTX. It has a great seating position albeit a little firm and riding on Metzeler rubber this machine will corner like its on rails. Having ridden dirt bikes for years this bike is a slightly heavy crosser for the road and is a lot of fun in the sensible speed bracket, so you get to keep you licence (Nearly). It is an absolute blast on the twisties, which let's face it where it should be. Getting used to the big single after riding a 1000cc straight four takes a bit of thought, as dropping a couple and cracking the throttle open tends to only generates more noise or an ill advised trip to the rev limiter. However once you've mastered the low revs and the powerful torque from the basement, lifes a blast. I have done 500 miles on this machine in the last two weeks and it has returned 63 mpg. For that alone I can just about live with the "poor fueling at low throttle positions" as yamaha put it. My advise would be to test drive this bike before you buy one. That said, I will be keeping mine as it ticks enough boxes in the looks, performance and handling brackets for me to keep it for my daily commuting.

I have owned an XT660 for 6 months and hated it from the first day. The surging is ridiculous and the cutting out between 3rd and 2nd gear is just dam right dangerous. It vibrates like a jack hammer and more than 100 miles and I've had enough. It weighs a ton and weaves all over the place above 85 mph. I've tried the '07 model and that is just as bad for surging. You could try a power commander but you would be wasting your time as the problem is in the ignition timing and that is locked into the ECU. The suspension is rubbish and the brakes are nothing special. Good points. Erm.........looks good but that is all.

Well I bought this bike pre registered with 0 miles for £3495 so I think it has been a good bike and good value. Had I paid full price for it then I think I would have been upset. The good bits. The bike is quite friendly to ride and seems to be well put together The finish is good and seems to be robust, it has fair off road ability and as far as commuting goes, it is about as good a bike as you could get. Economy is great, I weigh 19 stone so I am a bit of a windbreak but still get around 55 to a gallon. The bad bits. The brakes are are a little bit wooden but not dangerous. However the real achilles heel of this bike is the fueling at low speed, getting back on the throttle on wet mini roundabouts is almost frightening and low revs power delivery can be very snatchy and these two factors ruin what could other wise be a very capable little bike. On balance the fueling problems out weigh all the good points of the bike but if you can live with that then buy one and enjoy it but don't pay RRP for a new one as thay are expensive for what they are.

This is the first time that I have riden a big single and I am really dissapointed in how poorly set up the injection system is. I now its the injection system because the TTR600 rides as smooth as smooth. I borrowed one of these whilst Yamaha tried to sought out my XT660X. I have rang Yamaha UK and spoke to customer services who claim its a characteristic of the bike and I should ride around it!!! Poor R&R if you ask me! Strengths: When planted, confident around twistys, looks great, reliable and sounds good. Good brakes, nice seat height for over six footer's. Weaknesses: Fuel injection is appalling, the will not maintain a steady 30mph without surging and hunting. Makes for a very stressful ride around town.

I bought my bike from new earlier this year and have so far done 4000 miles. I find the bike comfortable with the upright seating position. I use it to commute 20 miles to work and back. I try to stick to B roads to arrive at work with a big grin on my face. With all the traffic on the A roads and motorways, the XT is excellent for overtaking. The high perch allows you to spot gaps easily. It's never going to be a competition crosser so taking the bike greenlaning is always a handful. I let the KTM guys in my TRF group blast off down the lanes while I take my time, pick my lines and have more fun than I ever have on the road. The bike copes well in the mud with a decent set of MT21 road legal knobblies, but they are very squirmy on a wet road. For winter rubber or a semi supermotard ride, try the Bridgestone BT45's (21inch front avail.) for better grip and durability. Strengths: Easy to ride, cheap cost for replacement plastics, 65mpg, cruises at 85mph (with larger screen), great looking pipes. Although not a sports bike, people stare and double take when you ride past. Better in black! Space for all camping kit if you get a rack. Weaknesses: Change the rubber pegs for some metal ones. Get a decent bash plate and hand guards if you are going to take the bike greenlaning. It's a little heavy for a weekend trail/weekday commuter. The (well documented) fuel injection glitch it a little annoying so get it changed at the first service.

First thing that strikes is the poor injection / fueling which Yamaha have manged to develop. It's tricky at low revs, stumbling to maqintain smooth delivery. So bad when I first got this bike I took it in for inspection - ECU got replaced under warranty (generic fault apparantly - Yamaha need to do their design work prior to launch or it chaffs off their customers and increases their own costs). Dealers were slagging off their own supply chain - always a good sign of a harmonius company. New ECU made some difference but still nothing on more prehistoric Dominator engine. In fact dealer was bold enough to comment that Dominator was in a different class. Gearbox also poor - again typical as Yamaha dealer kindly pointed out. Hmmm, now they've lost me as a future customer. On the upside it's pleasant on the eye, good vision / seating position, pulls when you need it and breaks do a good job. Strengths: Handling. Pull over 3000rpm. Seating position when commuting. Weaknesses: Gearbox, fuel injection at low revs - MT03 has been revised. Decals have almost blown off.