Mad-laners Megathread

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

woah woah woah, slow down a second - what's the xt600e like for pillion? The one and only thing bothering me about the DR-Z is that I'm planning on using it for a bit of winter commuting/road fun etc... but the 398 single doesn't like sitting at 80-90 on the motorway for very long (at best, the top end will need rebuilding, at worst it'll blow the engine apparently?)

A 600 with similar amount of bhp would be more suited to the motorway stuff I've got in mind (and it'd be easier to get to and from greenlanes)...

By the way this has nothing to do with finding an XT on eBay for £1700 (god dam you ebay!)

It depends how fat the rider and pillion are. Fat rider and slim wife is our experience, and we managed fine, but I had to sit further forward than I normally would as my wife had her coxix (sp?) bone on the rear rack. After she told me and I moved forward it was fine. Two slim people would have bags of space. Just look at the seat on the photo's. The bike itself is quite happy to carry a pillion.

80mph is about the comfortable top speed on the XT, but that's a true GPS 80mph, so that would be reading 90mph on a pointy SV650, or 85 on most bikes or cars. More than that and it feels like you are thrashing it. They do use oil, particularly at speed, and a 15-20k mile bike that's done a lot of motorway miles will probably oval the pistons and need a new head and piston or a re-bore, but those are both common problems for any large single so a DR650, etc would be exactly the same.

Get yourself a test ride on one so you know what you are buying. The DRZ is more fun to ride than the XT, just bloody uncomfortable. In terms of power there is nothing to choose between the two bikes as the DRZ is so much lighter, but the XT does have more torque. We also noted yesterday that it uses about £7.50 in fuel for the DRZ's £6.

[Paul the 6th]

lol don't worry sp I was only joking mate - did you ever get it sorted?

The DR-Z looks mint for off road stuff and ok for road stuff, bu the xt600 looks like it might be more suitable for what I'll be doing most of the time. Even if & when I do give green laning a try I'm gonna learn to crawl before I walk by sticking to gravel/light tracks rather than mud & slurry

big thanks to phil & col for complicating the bloody matter which an hour ago was black and white!

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

woah woah woah, slow down a second - what's the xt600e like for pillion? The one and only thing bothering me about the DR-Z is that I'm planning on using it for a bit of winter commuting/road fun etc... but the 398 single doesn't like sitting at 80-90 on the motorway for very long (at best, the top end will need rebuilding, at worst it'll blow the engine apparently?)

Without giving mine the kiss of death, i do them speeds a lot getting to and from places, it will sit at 80 all day long imo

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

I think that's just a case of what you are used to, I find the XT's throttle response better off road, because it's not as snappy as yours, if you want power you have to ask for it, but when you do ask for it you get it in bucketloads.

The DRZ does feel like more of an off-road bike, and that's because it is (they are a good strong bike Paul, and the front forks on them is top notch, it carries my 16 stone at 30-40 mph across the rough stuff no problem), but muscling the behemoth XT through the mud does make you feel, and sweat, like a proper man!

No, just you've got more to pull/move around, thats why you sweat
Take it from me, i was physically exhausted at times yesterday and rather sweaty.

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

and while we're at it, why oh why are ALL the DR-Z's in dorset, or surry, or sussex, or warwickshire, or gloucester..
Thats because all the cool cats are down here

XT could be a strong contender here phil! Whatchya gonna do about that eh?!

Fook all, its your money wasting, sorry spending lol

[Paul the 6th]

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Get yourself a test ride on one so you know what you are buying. The DRZ is more fun to ride than the XT, just bloody uncomfortable. In terms of power there is nothing to choose between the two bikes as the DRZ is so much lighter, but the XT does have more torque.

aye will do - already emailed vale motorcycles in cheshire (still over 100 miles from here but hey ho)... see what they say about a test ride

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

lol don't worry sp I was only joking mate - did you ever get it sorted?

New battery the next day and everything was fine

If you want to try greenlaning before you buy a bike, theres one here and may have a spare one soon too...

Originally Posted by speedplay

If you want to try greenlaning before you buy a bike, theres one here and may have a spare one soon too...

Paul, get your ar$e down here and try all three bikes!

I suspect the can im watching on ebay has a friend hiking up the price, same person throughout, w4nkers.

Originally Posted by speedplay

New battery the next day and everything was fine

If you want to try greenlaning before you buy a bike, theres one here and may have a spare one soon too...

That's just greedy, sell me one immediately for a crazy low price lol

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

that's the exact xt I've just found on ebay col just messaged to ask if it's still for sale....

If it wasn't such a ball ache to import a bike into Portugal it would have been gone! My mate whose parents live out there wants one for our holidays and they are not so easy to find out there at that money.

Originally Posted by specialone

Or........
There's something like this...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1997-KAWASAKI-...item3a5eadfd96

This bike went for £790, that was a bargain imo, lot of bike for the money and not much difference in power to my DRZ.