Looking to get another bike soon. Currently riding a 73 cb350. So what im looking for is a bike that can cruise highway anywhere for 2- to 5 hr rides. Comfort(seat/vibrations) is not a huge issue as long as the bike will feel at home doing those speeds. For off road use i will probably only be riding dirt roads and wider trails(off-road novice) I want the bike to basically be a stepping stone to what might be me buying a bmw 1200gs one day. Im thinking the ducati is probably better for the road, but not sure if it can handle some if any off-road use. The ktm can handle off road but not sure how it will due long hauling. I like the supermoto look so Im also open to other suggestions. So lets hear what you all have to think. ducati Hypermotard 796 or ktm 690 enduro r Thanks in advance.
I wouldn't consider anything with a 17" front wheel if you want to do unpaved roads / easy jeep/quad trails. I think the KTM 690 Enduro is probably the best 50/50 dual sport on the market, but I don't think you're really looking for a dual-sport if you figure your goal is a 1200GS. How about a Tiger 800 (regular or XC) or one of the BMW 800cc options? Or, for less money, a used Wee Strom with mods. A Versys with a 19" front would be pretty bad-ass too. And you shouldn't ignore the venerable KLR650 either.
Thanks for the reply. About the 1200gs I meant stepping stone more as a size up from the cb350. I dont want to jump on a huge bike from my little cb. So it looks like the ducati is out unless i decide to completely write off dirt roads. Ill check out the klr as well.
The 690 can do highway speeds easily and I always ride mine 30-40 miles minimum just to get to the dirt roads and trails. I am only on the highway for at most 20 miles at a stretch and would not want to just drone along for hours on the 690. I have a KTM 990 Supermoto R and love it but would not want to do much dirt on it. It could do smooth dirt roads OK but the 17 inch wheels hit potholes much harder and the cast wheels could bend if you hit something really hard. Same for the Hyermotard. On the other hand the 690 is built very tough so you can beat the hell out of it and it just yawns. The 690 needs a more comfy seat though as the stocker is a torture rack. Also a small screen does wonders at highway speeds. Either of these bikes will seem crazy fast compared to your 350.
I would say from your description that the HM796 would be the better bet for you. The 690 is more dirt-capable, but is not going to be nearly as good for 2 to 5 hour rides. The HM796 is perfectly capable of dirt roads and wide trails. PhilB
I don't know if you plan on buying new or used, but be aware the rumors are that the current Hypermotard is going away, a new model will be announced soon and it will not be available with either of the current engines. New one is supposedly water cooled, 820cc, four valve, with about 115 HP. Lower seat, bigger gas tank. All rumors for now. Not an issue if you were planning on buying a used one. Also be aware that the 796 (well, mine anyway) will only go about 110 miles until the low fuel light comes on. If your five hour ride is on the interstate you're going to stop for gas three times... which will be fine because the stock seat isn't great for long rides anyway.
My current ride is KTM690, my last ride was a HM796, before that (among other things) was a HM1100. I can say, the Hyper is one fine handling bike, I liked the 796 better than the 1100 as for me it was more rider friendly, less surprising when twisting the throttle but still more than quick enough to entertain on any bend... -the seat was sh*t for anything more than an hour, I had an airhawk for long days... -the handling although brilliant, didn't accomodate relaxing...if you sat back and took in the view and hit a bump you'd be wrestling the front end back from a wobble...all was good if you stayed alert.... -Fuel was ok, from 160-200km on the 1100 to 200-300 range on the 796. -although good handling you'd be mad taking it on dirt...it's too nice Now, the KTM 690. -it's got fly by wire so has 3 settings to play with for the throttle, more can be loaded...I use "standard" as it takes off and lands nicely without jerkiness of the other settings, they would be useful on the track or a long mountain winding road... The touring ability is brilliant, I've just come back from a 4 hour ride to a friends place, first bike in a long time that i didn't have a sore butt!! (that includes the GS1200, also airhawk'd ) Seating position is great (I'm only 5'6"), the back seat has room for a luggage bag (andystrapz 18litre strap-on). Fuel is ok, only 200km range but that's ok for me..also, when cruising it's smooth as silk with clear mirrors over 5,000rpm (around 120 in top+). Accesories are good, you can get racks (big & small) crash bars, heated grips, handguards saddle bags etc etc, much cheaper than Ducati accesories, and as the Hyper is more sporty the accesories are not as useful, although I had a rack and good size bag on the tail... Overall both brilliant bikes, you'd have heaps of fun on either, I do miss the Hypers, the 1100 had a sound like heaven, the 796 was sweeter and still packed a good punch if you twisted it hard,,, But, in the end, the KTM is heaps cheaper than the Hyper (downunder), I think you'll love either one. Enjoy the ride here's mine.. just realised you were asking about the KTM enduro, misread.but, anyway now you know all about the Duke verses the 796... Oh well, give me a drink and I waffle on regardless
You can take a hyper on dirt roads just fine but it is definitely more fun on the road. I just spent a few 250 mile days on my 796, everything from short dirt roads to open highway. It will cruise just fine on the highway at 75mph+. Vibrations are minimal in the bars for me. The seat could use some work as I do get two pressure points after being in the saddle all day but I think my next investment is a Sargent seat so hopefully that fixes that. Weak points on the 796. The fork is soft. Fixes for that can be as cheap as $150 bucks for a Traxxion kit to $1500 for full on adjustable Andreani forks. The stock gearing is a little to tall in the lower gears so slow speed stuff requires a little more clutch work. I've read putting a 14 tooth up front helps with that. No helmet locks (I've added 2) Other than that, just put gas in it and ride. Does your 796 have any mod's at all? I'm usually in the 135 range before the light comes on. The week of riding in the mountains that I just did with my father in law ( He was on a harley so we were just cruising ) I was hitting 150 miles and the light never came on.
I dont know how many people who say you cant take a bike with a 17 front wheel off pavement have actually done it but it is a bunch of hogwash. The only thing I avoid on my supermoto is deep sand. That is more because of the tires themselves rather than the diameter, The tires you generally run on a 17 float badly in sand. I have two bikes with 17's and have seldom given them a second thought when it comes to where I ride. Ground clearance on the other hand can be a problem.
I agree, it's not hard to ride a 17in rim bike off road at all. Yes, at 19 or 21 will be better at it but the smaller rim will not be a big deal unless you ride very rocky or sandy trails. I have a motard and ride that off road with friends on dirt bikes. I can go where ever they go without much hassle. If your plan is to ride dirt roads and some open trails or fire roads, the hypermotard will do great. It's a very pretty bike though so that might hinder the type of off road riding as you won't want to bust it up. If you plan to do much of any highway riding, these bikes might not be for you. Some food for thought, check out the BMW f800gs or triumph tiger 800 as these will fill your needs just fine. A cheaper solution would be a dr650, although this would be best on dirt but capable of longer rides.
I remember Doug Henry lapping me over and over on a muddy day at the local MX track years ago on slicks! I guess he missed the memo that a 17" front wheel sucks in the dirt?
To me it sounds like a WEE or a Versys would be better for you than either of those. Twins are much better on the highway, they are more comfortable than either of your options, have greater range, and both are good steps toward a GS1200. I also agree that 17s are fine on mild dirt.
I'm going to vote for the tiger xc in this case. It sounds like it'll handle what you want to do off road just fine, and it'll certainly do highway work in relative comfort. Definately other bikes that'll work, bmw F650/800's are obviously in that mix and I've not ridden the tiger but I've read quite a bit and done the pathetic sit test lol. I'd sure like to have one....
You might want to look at range of tires that you can get for each bike. 690s run Dunlop 606 I like the rear hate the front. There is always TKC 80. One typically gets about 1500 miles of of DS tires. Motard tires are not much better. About 3000 miles for those guys. If you go with a standard tire size ADV bike then you can get some 4 to 6000 mile tires for them. I find that having one bike for both DS and paved road riding is all about trade offs.
Thanks for all the feedback guys. I still haven't made my decisions and don't really need to yet, as Im not buying until early next year. I think this im leaning towards settling for one bike now. Probably bigger to satisfy my highway needs. Then maybe just picking up a drz400 (or somethin comparable) for tooling around town and to satisfy my sm bug. That would allow me to just swap to some dirt tires and take the drz off round. So 3 birds with 2 stones?? haha
