I'm here. I've been riding my RT but will be back on my 650 tomorrow. Like you, I can't part with mine. It's too perfect for too many roads.
In case anyone is wondering, after an entire riding season with my XCountry sitting in somebody else's garage, no regrets here. I did the right thing. But I agree with all the comments here. A great little do-it-all bike!
I've been planning a grand >7,000 mile tour of Alaska, Yukon & NWT next summer, remembering how sweet the big RT is for big miles at 80mph... gravel not so much... thinking seriously about getting a new or used F800 or R1200GS, aftermarket cruise control, or 2013 R1200GS with factory cruise... Then this rainy Seattle morning I buzzed out I-90 on my XCo (nickname: Honey Badger) -- DEFINITELY riding her on the big tour next summer. LOVE this bike!
I'm still here reading all the X-Co and X-Ch threads to stay up to date, even though my bike has been in storage, unridden, for just about a year now.
Curious how many KMs do you guys have on your XCountry? Looking at a 22KM 2009 but not sure on the expected mileage for this thumper.
Yeah. I've been following the new Husqvarna 650 series - Strada and Terra. It seems like a successor to the X bikes. Don't worry. I've not thought about getting one. Well, actually I did think about it but I'm not going there. Not yet anyway. Nah. I AM impressed that they've breathed-on the motor and get 58 HP out of it. New pistons and heads.
I'm still here. I can't think of a better do-all bike. I've been thinking about an r12gs or a 990adv for laying big miles down, but for the price I just can't justify it....plus i'd loose my trail-ability. I've also been wanting a hack to haul the dog/kids around, plus ride year round snow and all, but a Ural is the same price as a GS:huh So the little X is getting torn down for service and cleaning this winter. I guess I'll find out if the little chinese rotax is a 100k+mile engine or not.
I'm still here. Being all slow at getting my rack fabbed and have the bike so far apart doing it that I can't ride it. *sigh* Now it's getting all cold and stuff. But the rack should be done soon and is gonna be awesome. Picked up that XChal air shock, too, so looking forward to trying that out. --Donnie
I've been riding my XCo to work 3 or 4 days out of the week, and it's as good of a commuter bike as it is for trails and short tours. My commute isn't far, but I have to deal with the urban jungle of Los Angeles. That often includes 2 freeways, some beat up side streets, and the Cahuenga Pass, which lacks altitude but includes the mayhem of traffic around the Hollywood Bowl. One of my buddies at work rides a GS1200, and loves it, but he admits it's almost too big for city riding. The GS is his only set of wheels, though, so I'd probably do the same. I'm lucky that the Munichers have granted me a Z3 just for fun and an X3 for the rainy days, and so a G650 is plenty for all the other days. I put my Macbook in the trunk box and off I go! It cracks me up when the other co-workers see me ride up on the XCo are surprised I ride a motorcycle to work (in my business attire, no less.) Messy hair is a small price to pay for blasting along Forrest Lawn Drive at 7:30 in the morning!
The TR650 is not as nimble as the G650X off-road. With Its cheap frame It weights 45pounds more than the Xco. Still It'll be a better bike on trails compare to F800gs,F1200 gs... I was looking also at the technical data and so compared the ratio weigth/power: -TR650: 410/58= 7 -G650Xco:352/53=6.6 for the XCO
Mine is closing in on 37,000 miles. No issues yet valves have been good too. Still runs 80 mph with no issues. Burns no oil either!
Mine felt broken in at 23,000 miles and even got better gas mileage after a service. Sold it at 27,000......
Heres my ladys ride http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t109/rolandedge/012.jpg part way through a 5000k trip we did to north by west of Western Australia bike went really well still a few mods to do though
My wife's bike is still sitting on the sales floor in Seattle. It looks all lonely since I traded it in.... . I would love to see it go to a good home. It's nicely farkled. I did pull off the HP pannier rack with integrated Aux Tank and Wolfman Bags that I would consider selling. It's pretty much a bolt on system. Here are a few pictures: Just to be clear - in case I'm violating any ADV rules - I already sold the bike and have no financial interest in selling it other than hoping it finds an appreciative owner