Same ole question...which dual sport bike

Thanks to this site, I am going to sell my FZ1...I think (I love that bike).

I've read so many of the stories about off road riding that I want to try it. That and the fact that the squids have ruined Leakey for us. There has been a MAJOR crackdown out there if you haven't heard yet. Since I have the 03 R1 and the 02 FZ1, I really don't need both street/sport bikes and it would be nice to have a dual sport for commuting and being able to get off the beaten path to avoid any run ins with my license. (They were writing group tickets for 62 in a 55 in one example BTW...even if you get out of the ticket it isn't worth the harassment).

I do all of my own maintenance and work...it has to be reliable (I've seen dealers screw up as much as they fix) and want, like everyone else does, something that is:

the fastest, lightest, cheapest, longest range, best handling, do it all for nothing bike around that doesn't exist of course.

Common sense leans to the KLR650, Lust dictates the KTM640 Adventure, Brain says a XR650 with a street kit and bigger tank, and the DR650 can be had cheap in the used market while the F650 isn't dismissed either. I might would even be willing to spring for the KTM950 or a BMW 1150 (used) but I really want to sell the FZ1 and use the money to buy a bike and a Roadcrafter without incurring any other expense initially.

I never recovered from the lust or the Baja kitted TT500 that I had years ago and as you can see most of the choices are modern versions of that bike

I'll probably post this on the ADV site as well to see what advice I get.

Thanks.

I put some thoughts on the hijacked green thread. I don't like the KLR650, too danged heavy for a REAL dirt bike. The XR650 Honda or DRz would be my choice for sure. I know a guy here in town has a KLR he want's to sell, a 93, but knowing how he upkeeps a bike (or doesn't) and tears crap up, I wouldn't touch it if I wanted it... The KLR is a DOHC under bucket shim motor which, IMHO, for a thumper is a waste of time and just to get at the valves, you have to pull enough plastic to make a Gold Wing green with envy. It's not the bike for the self mechanic IMHO. I could set the screw adjust radial valves on my XL600R without even pulling the gas tank! It was an awesome simple motorcycle. I really haven't looked that close at the DRz650 give an opinion, but it can't possibly be as bad as the KLR. The DRz400 is water cooled, tough I'm not sure of the valve arrangement on it either.

I'd tend to go Honda. I've heard lots of stuff about the KTMs and like you I've not checked them out. I need to, they're neat sounding bikes. But, I know they're pricy. Beyond those thoughts, I'm a Honda kinda guy when it comes to thumpers. You just can't break the darned things. I've thought, too, of the XR400 a LOT. I could tard and street legal one of those, lots of stuff for them, and they're air cooled and easy to maintain and you can't break a Honda thumper with a .458 Win Mag. They're the most reliable thumpers around, I'm convinced.

The biggest thing you need to consider is what kind of riding you will be doing on the bike! If you plan on doing paved stuff with a mix of county roads that are hard packed dirt/gravel, then having an ultralightweight dirt style bike is not really the best way to go. It won't be very comfortable on the road. If you plan on doing trips, it won't be able to carry as much luggage. Generally, the gas tank range is less unless you do the Baja type mods.

For me, the GS works well because I do the bulk of my riding on paved roads. I wanted to be able to ride two up with luggage and not have the bike suffering under the load. It has great range. It is very simple to work on, including the valves. Dropping it does next to no damage if the engine guards are installed. And for the backroads, forest service roads, etc,... it works great. However, I have to cringe when I pass by the MX tracks that run off into the woods because there is no way in the world I would take the GS back into the woods on single track trails. For that I would like to have a DRZ400 or something similar. Also, the GS is not cheap.

What I have read of the KTM's is that they are much more dirt oriented than the GS. Also, they are a real **** to maintain and even an oil change is an expensive affair. But man don't they look cool!? The 950 really calls out to the Testosterone in me I have read that they are not real comfortable for the long haul though. KTM's are not cheap either.

The other "Big" bikes are the Vstrom 1000, Triumph Tiger, and the Aprilia Caponord. I have heard and seen nothing about the Aprilia. However, just because of the manufacturer, you can count on it being another of the big expensive bikes like the GS and KTM 950. The Vstroms are big bang for the buck but are pretyt much road bikes with the ability to hit unpaved stuff, similar to the GS. Tigers are similar to the GS. I don't think the Triumph has quite the aftermarket support that the GS has though.

I have not priced any of the smaller KTM's. But I have read that they too are a bit of a hassle to maintain. They are very dirt worthy!

All the KLR-650, XR650L, DR650, and smaller bikes will work off road, but even those are a bit heavy for single track type stuff in the woods. They are all great for dirt/gravel roads. They are much cheaper than the big "heavies", even with all the mods you might want to do. But I think for any of these bikes, I personally would not want to do much two up riding. If that is not a big deal for you, then these bikes may be a good way to go.

Good luck deciding!

Adios,

Two up isn't a problem with the present wife of 19 years. She doesn't like riding much. I think I'd have to buy a Gold Wing to get her into it so to speak.

You left out a better alternative, the VStrom 650. I don't like the liter bikes, way to heavy for anything "off road". ****, I did MX jumps on my XL600, weight less than 300 lbs with the battery eliminator and all that weight off it. It wasn't bad on road except for the clapped out seat and hot exhaust routing. It had a very supple suspension and could really float over a rough road. Didn't have a windshield, but that's a compromise I'd do without. I've been all over Colorado on an XS650 without any wind protection other than my helmet, no problem. I just tend to the lighter side of the off road experience. I've gone to big bend, like I say, on a 340 lb R5 two stroke. BTW, big bend isn't really "off road". You have to stay on the dirt roads, can't get off road. There are no trails an such you can do. Worst you'll see there is sand washes which can be a ***** on a heavy bike. I had expansion chambers, pure street, on that R5 and just wheelied through the washes, LOL. My buddy dumped his Vetter fairinged CB550 a couple of times, but he made it even on THAT pig.

I really like that VStrom 650 for it's combination of touring/dirt road/and sport capability and would tend to use it more like Scott uses his GS. It surely is NOT a dirt bike, but it would be real handy on a dirt road. Remember those pix of that road in Arizona, Scott? Well, at the end of the pavement was 15 or 20 miles of gravel road which lead to a little alpine lake. I surely wanted to get to that lake, sounded beautiful, but no dice on the Wing. THAT's what the big adventure tourers are about! I do too much true off road on a dirt bike and would use the motard version for commuting if I get that job in Houston. Reason I say that is I'd stay at Brazos Bend park and haul the motard on the trailer for the 20 mile ride on the freeway. It'd be perfect for that. I wouldn't make a serious long haul tourer out of it. But, with the addition of a Ventura rack/pack system to you could haul some stuff, I could actually ride an XR400 tard to Aridzona! In fact, I'd be very tempted to do that. I think it'd be a lot more comfortable than folding up on that SV, actually. At least I wouldn't have leg cramps. But, if that sort of riding was what I was doing exclusively, I'd want a bigger ROAD bike with more luggage capacity for sure. The VStrom 650 would be my pick, or perhaps that Rotax thumper powered Beemer with those ammo can looking removable bags. I see those things out west a lot and they're more in the KLR class of bike, but they're more set up for the long haul sort of adventure touring.

I have a smaller KTM, 620 RXC, but it doesn't look like there's a lot of difference between it and the newer and bigger KTM's. Awesome offroad bike, more ability than I can use anymore.

They are expensive, sit very tall, they aren't bad to maintain but getting parts for me hasn't been so easy (mines 6 years old now though). The seats are like concrete or at least mine is, no way I'd make 500 miles on it, though there are custom seats out there for them.

I've always been a work it myself guy too, I tried the dealers with that KTM and with my sportser, burned both times, guess if you want it done right ya still have to do it yourself.

If I get another one it will not be a KTM though, other cheaper bikes aren't that far behind it in off roading these days, and a lot easier on the wallet and the buns too.

I expect more and better dual sports over the next few years will come out if the current trends continue.

I've got the BMW F650GS thumper, and I like it. There are lots of folks riding them in the dirt, on the street and across the country. Check out F650.com if you're interested. The biggest disadvantages of it are (1) its a thumper, so it's somewhat vibey; and (2) it has spoke rims, so it uses tubed tires. Of course, any thumper is going to vibrate, and there's ways to minimize it on the F650. And spoke wheels are better offroad, but are a **** to fix a flat on the side of the road.

The 1150GS and the CapoNord have the ideal solution - spoke rims that run tubeless tires because the spokes exit through the outside flange on the rim. Very cool. Best of both worlds.

The WeeStrom (650) could be a good solution, but they are new, and you're not gonna find one at a price that will also net you a Stich.

VStrom 650

The VStrom is a nice bike but I think it may be too much of a street bike and not enough of an Enduro so to speak...not ruling it out by any means though. I can't buy a Suzuki anyway due to the good relationship I have with the Honda/Kawa shop. The good news is that Kawasaki is supposed to get a version of those bikes from their joint venture with Zuki.

The Stich is a desire not a requirement in this escapade

Well, there are vibs and then there are vibs. I'm sure the Rotax they use in the Beemer has a counter balancer and it's probably not that bad. However, Honda in my experience has the smoothest thumpers on the planet, very effective counter balancing. My XL wasn't all that buzzy until you got up around 80 and then it started to buzz a little more. Still, compared to an older non-rubber mount Sportster, it was a virtual Gold Wing, LOL! I sure see a lot of those F650s out west, though. They seem to be very popular long haul bikes and light enough to do some things the liter adventure tour stuff is incapable of off road.

The MSRP on the baby V Strom isn't that bad, but I'd have to add the removable luggage and such. All that is extra.

What I'm about wanting now, though, is not a long hauler, but more a pure street motard. I'd like the power of a big inch motor, but I surely like the XR400 for its simplicity and light weight. I think I'll wind up using an XR400 if and when I ever do MY project motard.