A
dual-purpose motocycle by
Yamaha. It's the largest of Yamaha's dual family, the rest being the XT-225 and TW-200.
The
engine is really an
air cooled 346
cc four cycle thumper with
DOHC's and a
kick starter (odd, since the 225 has
electric start). It'll hold just over 3
US gallons of
unleaded, and the whole thing weighs around 300
pounds wet (with
battery,
oil and
fuel). Supposedly its basic designs haven't changed in years, just
aesthetic stuff (body color, etc). I know that the
cylinder head part number of my 2000 and 1996 models are both the same.
Not a bad little bike, I already have 1000 miles on mine. A bit
light to be taken seriously on the road, but it is a blast
offroad. Just make sure to remove the
turn signals before offroading, they easily get messed up in a spill. And put on some decent handlebar guards instead of the worthless Yamaha "knobs" that come stock. Don't expect to keep up with
motocross riders, but you'll be riding home while they're still loading up the
truck.
My only real problem with the bike is it's
transmission. It tends to stick in
neutral every now and then, especially if there's
Harley-Davidsons nearby for you to get embarassed in front of. And the neutral light lies time to time (it's on when the gearbox didn't hit neutral). Starting in the bitter cold isn't fun either, but probably since I don't know much about the personality of small engines.
Otherwise it's easy to maintain and easier to ride.
Apparently Yamaha has discontinued this model in preference of the XT-225 and TW-200. I was checking
yamaha.com for more info and the XT-350 isn't in the
2001 lineup.