Wish Yamaha would bring the XT660Z Tenere to the US

[Rynn Storm]

Would be nice if Yamaha would bring the XT660Z Tenere to the US. Maybe with the success of the Super Tenere they will think about.

 

[~TABASCO~]

Ive read over the last year or so that the motor rev's high on the high way also was loud. (take all the articles with a grain of salt) Also the price would be pretty expensive, and the V-strom 650 is a pretty strong player in that market. That might be a tough sell.....

 

[digitalmoto]

I'd definitely give it a look if I had the option.

 

[~TABASCO~]

I'd definitely give it a look if I had the option.

I agree 100%... I think many others would aswell.. But when it comes to price the Vstrom 650 would probably kill it with the price.. IMOP, there would be people that look past the price and get what works best for them Etc.. But as a factory bringing in a new bike and such a large investment that's a tough hill to climb when your a good chunk above the other competition.. The factory probably knows that a lot of those sales would go straight to Zukster 650 because of the size of the bike and the price... Im a Yamaha man, If I didnt have the 1200 and they brought the 650 first, that would be the one I bought....... but the factory looks at the whole picture..

 

[big dave]

I was hoping that Yamaha might see the elephant in the room.

My strategy would be to pop the TDM900 motor into the XT660 chassis and perhaps even the 1200 motor into a TDM chassis.

Two parts bin specials which could really excite me

BD

 

[Tremor38]

I agree 100%... I think many others would aswell.. But when it comes to price the Vstrom 650 would probably kill it with the price.. IMOP, there would be people that look past the price and get what works best for them Etc.. But as a factory bringing in a new bike and such a large investment that's a tough hill to climb when your a good chunk above the other competition.. The factory probably knows that a lot of those sales would go straight to Zukster 650 because of the size of the bike and the price... Im a Yamaha man, If I didnt have the 1200 and they brought the 650 first, that would be the one I bought....... but the factory looks at the whole picture..

I'm thumpered out for now. If I could have the XT660 as a second bike, that's worth considering. No way I'd choose a 660 thumper over the XT1200 though.. The 660 is available here, but I feel there is more bike available for the same price tag. I'm thinking that fully half of the attraction to the XT660Z from statesiders can be attributed to people wanting what they can't have. As an example, I work on an aerial bombing and gunnery training range and there are certain days that we are closed due to maintenance. Guess which days we get the most calls from pilots or other customers wanting to use the range? Tell them they can't have something and they want it even more That's not to say there aren't people who are familiar with the bike and genuinely want it for tangible reasons.. Enough people appeared to want the NT700 until it arrived in the states and gathered dust in the show rooms. You make a very good point about price though. There aren't very many people willing to spend V-strom, Versys or sport bike prices for a thumper with a dated engine design that lags most bikes in its cc class when we breach the subject of power, regardless of its other virtues .

 

[Twitch]

I'm thinking that fully half of the attraction to the XT660Z from statesiders can be attributed to people wanting what they can't have.

Yeah, probably true, but it sure is a sweet looking bike. Even so, I wouldn’t have one alongside my S10. With the S10 and a little 250 dualie I’ve got about everything I like to do pretty well covered.

Photo from Big Dave’s Tenere Experience Thread. 8)

 

[Rynn Storm]

Ive read over the last year or so that the motor rev's high on the high way also was loud. (take all the articles with a grain of salt) Also the price would be pretty expensive, and the V-strom 650 is a pretty strong player in that market. That might be a tough sell.....

I would assume a XT660Z would pull some sells from BMW F800GS and Triumph 800XC. For street legal in the US, Yamha has a 250 and a 1200, nothing in the middle. For those of us that rather have a Yamaha ;D, the XT660Z would fill the gap.

 

[elizilla]

Enough people appeared to want the NT700 until it arrived in the states and gathered dust in the show rooms.

Actually, the non-ABS NTs gathered dust in the showrooms. 2010 ABS models were hard to find by this time last year. For 2011 they only brought ABS models, and they don't seem to have brought as many. The ones still languishing in the showroom are still those non-ABS models from 2010. The practical buyer who accepts that enough power is good enough, that they don't need a dyno chart that climbs two or three times higher than what they'll ever use on the street, is also the kind of rider that values ABS. There aren't very many riders in this group, but they are an under served market.

 

[macca]

Ran an Xt660Z for just over a year (then traded up to the 1200). The 660 is a bike that works better than its bits would otherwise suggest as it is very much built down to a budget (even it the price doesnt reflect it) . Its forks are non adjustable dont work as well as the 1200z but do the job asked (as long as that isnt too taxing). The rear shock is also cheap that works ok newish but can soon sag and loose damping. Bodywork switch gear are also speced down to a price but make it crashable (as long as you dont bust the tank) . The motor is also Slowww, yes it can be tweaked but even then i dont think its a match for a stock KTM 690 (or even and old LC4 640) . So yes the xt660 works but its not a miracle bike and isnt in the same league of quality bits as the 1200. If KTM had re-made the 690 in Adventure spec (subject to styling) i'd have bough that instead of the Xt660z. PS they buffet something awful, makes any buffeting the stock 1200 generates feel like a tickle from a light breeze. all just imo, also my gearbox was iffy on changes into 2nd (jumped out of gear more than I cared for, though traded it so never had that bit resolved),

 

[switchback]

The 660 is a nice bike but it is a big and heavy thumper. I don't see it going anywhere that the S10 can't especially considering that the S10 suspension is reported to be much better and the S10 feels less top heavy. I would like a FI WR450 with a street legal kit and an extra set of rims, then I would be set forever. It would be like ::26:: and then ::001::