I currently own a 1990 Yamaha XT 600. Got it for one heck of a deal after my XT350 was stolen. It is bone stock and I am looking to upgrade it. Wondering if anyone on here owns one or has owned one and done any changes to the carb or the engine. I am pretty impressed by it for a thumper but it isn't as popular as the KLR or the DR so I cant find too many aftermarket parts. I have found a lot of posts and reviews on using carbs off of other bikes and 4 wheelers to make it more powerful and not seem as dicey inbetween 50-60 mph, but I am not looking to make a frankensteins monster (as of yet 8) ). Just seeing what I can find to keep my baby up to par.
I had a late 80's (1988?) XT 600. It has that funky Yamaha 2 barrel carb that operates something like a 4 barrel carb on a truck/car. (as the motorcycle accelerates, the 2nd "barrel" comes into play.) It is a good carb for a stock motor but if you plan's are to bore out the engine you will find the carb to be the limiting factor. Aftermarket support for the Yamaha thumpers from that era are some what limited. (Xt 500, XT 550, and XT 600) mostly due to the fact Yamaha went in another direction and it is an older model.
If it starts and runs good I would just ride it. Yamaha made the XT 600 for a few years so there should be plenty of used parts floating around. They take a beating pretty well.
And just be thankful it is not a XT 550. They made that bike for only 2 years and it had several parts that are unique to that model.
I agree that carb is a booger to mess with and for sure limits the bike if you want to get more power. Ive seen carb mods from Raptor 660s to interestingly Ninja 350 carbs. For now I plan to ride it till the next bike catches my fancy.