If you were a Noob and had $15k max to spend...

A few years back I sold the Harley for similar reasons. No offense to those guys, but slow, noisy, handles like a tractor, and limited to about 150 miles per day (unless you buy touring class). A well made machine though.

I first picked up a dl1000 vstrom. That was a big improvement, but the bike over powers the suspension and brakes. The Dl650 would have been a better choice. I know several who have ridden these all over the country. They have a huge following, check out stromtrooper.com.

I then picked up a BMW r1200rt. Whoa! Now 600 mile days are comfortable and this thing is on rails in the twisties. This is THE bike for me.

I then picked up a Kawasaki versys. Well balanced, excellent in the twisties. My son has ridden the versys on several 4000 mile weeks and it does well. An awesome machine for a 650 standard.

I also picked up an r1150rt for friends and family to join in our longer days. An amazing machine for $6000 used.

Certainly my requirements are different than yours but if you have any questions about those, let me know.

One thing to consider is maintenance. The Bmw's and Harley run about the same on the higher end. BMW maybe a tad higher, but mostly due to the fact that I went from 3000 miles per year to around 10000. Seems higher, but mostly just tires. The versys is at the lower end. I have done it all myself, if you can change oil, chains, and remove your wheels for tire changes, it is really cheap.
Lastly, how long does it last. The BMWs exceed 100,000 miles with many on the road at 200,000.
I have had no issues with my versys, but I am guessing its life is around 60,000.

A recent article in MCN, the reviewer said if you can only have one bike it would be a bmw r1200gs.
I would agree with that. 600 miles per day on the blacktop. Fun on fire roads, etc. However, if your definition of adventure bike is more off road than on, I would go klr650.

Just my humble experiences.

You may want to look at the KTM 690.

It's true. I am not strong with bikes,but I've found that with a good service manual and YouTube, there isn't much you can't figure out. I did upgrade the tensioners on the Harley to hydraulic and replaced the cams while I was at it. That is in addition to routine maintenance.

'13 CRF250L (new).................$4.5k
(may be too small), or
'09 WR250R (stock, < 5k mi)
protective gear...........................5
'09 DR650se (stock <5k mi.) ......4.0
tools & manuals .........................5
gas, maint supplies,
days-off to ride, trip-expenses.. 5.5

Not sure you're really that much of a "noob" compared to many. Multistrada I suggested is a very versatile open-class touring and general purpose bike with 150mph sport-bike-humbling potential you could grow into. Still, they can be finnicky and tricky to work on (although the multistrada is pretty easy to live with by Ducati standards) so if you don't have a good dealer or experienced tech nearby, that might be a consideration. There's plenty of other good all-round bikes out there if you don't think you're a Ducati guy.

bikes for starters with mechanical know-how?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SUZU...o=1&ViewItem=&vectorid=229466&forcev4exp=true


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1990...o=1&ViewItem=&vectorid=229466&forcev4exp=true

A DR650SE or a Tiger 800XC can fit you well. You'd definitely want to try a few different bikes before buying though, as different people can have very different preferences.

The Tiger 800XC would be a good choice for getting across the continent and then exploring places like the Tuweap overlook near Grand Canyon, or Big Bend, via dirt. It's a nice-riding bike with a sweet motor...a lot of fun. It can just be a bit more complicated to troubleshoot if something goes wrong in BFE. Get a good roadside plan. The AMA has one for EVERY vehicle you own for like $30-$40/yr.

The DR650SE is much simpler and can be had for MUCH less $$. It runs slab pretty well for a thumper, but it IS still a thumper. I've ridden from Tyler TX to Melbourne FL in a day on mine, and got off the exit ramp with a grin on my face, so it'll do long distances. It just won't do long distances across west TX at 90MPH as easily as a Tiger 800XC would. The DR is the bike I would get for riding the world though, as 70-80MPH cruising speed is quite enough in most other places, with short blasts up to about 100MPH, and it's a fun bike even at sane speeds. Among many other things, mine has a better seat, better suspension, throttle lock, 5gal tank, touring pegs, lowered rider pegs, lowered passenger pegs (to put my feet back), and lightweight luggage that can haul the kitchen sink. All of these mods were extremely easy to do to this bike, and it travels MUCH better than stock. I like it considerably more on the slab than my streetbike now. The air/oil cooling seems to work better in the southern heat than water-cooling or air-cooling. The DR is crashable like a dirtbike, it rides like a cushy overweight dirtbike in the dirt, and I can pick it up by myself without a problem. Parts are easy to come by, as the bike hasn't really changed since 1996. The aftermarket can help you build it from mild to wild as your skills evolve. 50+WHP isn't hard to come by, and the engine is pretty smooth at 80MPH for a thumper.

Shop used and you could probably get both for less than $15K. If you get something like a used DR first though, you may find that it's quite enough for what you want to do once you uncork it and farkle it a bit. The stock carbing usually sucks, compared to what it can be like. I've seen DRs go in decent shape for $1000, but good ones usually run at least $2500, with $4000 being about as much as I'd pay for a used one. New ones aren't much more expensive, relatively, and Suzuki keeps offering 0% financing with good credit. There's no reason to pay a lot for a DR. It's a great exploring bike, so don't expect it to be a race bike, even if people HAVE ridden it in the Baja 1000 or in enduros. It's designed to be a bit more mellow...stop and enjoy the view, then hooligan a little.

I enjoy to trade bikes every few years, if I had 15K to spare and had to spend on bikes, this would be my lineup:

Buell Ulysses (07 - 08) maybe 6K
Ural Patrol (05 - 07) 6K
KLR650 (05 - 07) 3K

Buell for long distance touring, Ural for the groceries day and take kid to ride with me (I have no car) and KLR for daily commute, beat down bike.

Why not keep your Harley for the street and get a dirt bike as a compliment?

For me?

$4k Used Kawasaki Versys
$4k Used Suzuki GSX-R600 Track Bike
$7k+ Gear, Track Days, Rider Training

This is what I did. Doesn't sound like you're interested in track days but plan on budgeting SOMETHING for some good rider training.

If I was in your shoes I would spend about $7500.00 on a used KTM 950/990, and bank the rest of the money until you decide what type of riding you really like. The 9X0 bikes are as good off-road as the Japanese 650 singles, they will eat up road miles, they are comfortable, fun to ride and for the most part reliable.

I really appreciate all of the replies So a lot of people have proposed the 800XC. I've requested a test ride at a local dealer. Maybe it and a used WR450F? I may bust the budget!

Is this true? The big KTMs are as nimble as 650s? Is a KTM 990 comparable to an XC800?

Yes. I had a KLR 650 before my 990 and the 990 is much better offroad. It's a heavier bike, but once moving it feels very light, and the engine and suspension are light years better.

When I was looking to upgrade from the KLR I spent a lot of time comparing the 800XC, 800GS and 990, and in almost every catagory the 990 was the better bike - for me at least. If you're going to test ride the Triumph, you really need to ride the KTM as well.

I'd keep the Harley and add this:

http://houston.craigslist.org/mcd/3491855046.html


and this:

http://houston.craigslist.org/mcy/3478524447.html


Bank the rest and go for a nice long ride.

This was sort of my line of thinking as well since he suggested a $15K budget...that's a lot of coin to spend for another bike when he already has an expensive HD.

I assumed, probably incorrectly, that he bought the Low Rider new thus my suggestion to trade the LR on a touring HD for distance and comfort. If the LR was bought new the difference should be less than $7K for a new trade in leaving him $7-8K for almost any off-pavement oriented bike, bought new or used.

Of course if he doesn't want to spend $15K, he could sell/trade the LR for 2 bikes.

OP, try to determine what kind of riding you will actually do, not what you dream about as these are more often than not two different things. Is 80% or more of your adventure riding going to be off-pavement, dual track, forest service gravel/dirt roads or true singletrack. Is your highway use tooling around Houston and 1000 mile weekend trips or would you venture out and do 1-3 weeks at 4000-10,000 miles at a pop.

Once you figure that out then decide if you can "afford" (price, insurance, taxes, maintenance, garage space etc.) 2 bikes. If so what 2 (or more) bikes best fit the type of riding you plan to do.

My limited experience is that, even though the Triumph 800XC is a great "all purpose bike", all purpose bikes in general are usually not great at anything and tend to be owned by guys with only one bike. In other words 2 bikes, if budget allows, are always better than one.

I bought the LR used. It's an '03. I guess I'm not crazy about it because it's obnoxiously loud and I think, a bit slow. I don't know as I've never had another large motorcycle, but I would think it should at least have as much pickup as a fast car. I don't necessarily want to do 120, but I would like to get from 30 to 80 fairly quickly

Fair enough.

Value is probably around $7K and it should out accelerate 90% of the cars on the road from 30-80. If it won't the obnnoxiously loud pipes are likely part of the reason. Plus as a LowRider you leave a lot on the table in terms of cornering clearance.

Sell it and get one or more bikes that are more inline with your needs.

Thanks, that's why I'm trying to get opinions of people more experienced than me.

A Dyna Lowrider has is not truly a low rider. It has 30.5 right and 31 left degrees of lean angle available. (It handles just fine... 55mph through a 35mph marked corner speed is doable with room to spare on the FXDL)

By way of exapmle, some of the other models out there (including some Harleys) only have 24 degrees of lean available.