This post got WAY wordy. Sorry about that -- I tend to type a lot and analyzed probably way too many facets in my research. See the CLIFFS for a summary of this big ass post and all the important stuff. I split the sections up into headings with CAPS if anyone wants more info as to what I'm going to be doing with the moto: specifics on luggage, repair capability, potential used bikes I found, etc. The Cliffs section, though, should give you enough of the basics. CLIFFS Looking to possibly replace CBR250R with commuter (100% city commute) that can do dirt and adv touring plus some interstate slogging at 80+MPH. Desired features by priority from most to least: paved/interstate ability, MPG, offroad ability, weight, fuel injection, durability, range, price, lighting (work 3rd shift). Looking at G 650GS Sertao (or maybe regular), CRF250L, DR-Z400S/SM, KLR650. Probably new, but maybe used if a good deal. Local/Day Trips: 50-55% street (mostly city)/20% rough paved/35-40% offroad Touring: 40% street (mostly hwy or interstate)/5% rough paved/50% offroad. 20-60lbs luggage (depends on camping/fluids/food/camera gear). Solo. Lots of straight roads and flatland 'round here. No real motorcycle dirt experience (little here, little there getting from A to B w/ street bikes). Most offroad will be on graded gravel or dirt roads or sometimes nicer forest service/two track. Probably little single track or paths, if any. END CLIFFS See below for more details and info. Anyway, when researching ideas for a possible 2-4 week tour, it dawned on me that my CBR250R has largely been shoehorned into commuter duty soley for it's city gas mileage. Even then I'm still taking my V7 Stone or Ninja 1000 in a quarter of the time as I enjoy those better. I think it's wound up like this as the good sportbike roads require a 45m-1h interstate slog from my house, or 30-45m partial stop-n-go for okay-ish roads (and all the dirt/offroad stuff). The interstate slog isn't so great on the CBR but perfectly doable and touring is even more of a pain. I haven't been able to find a set of clipons or risers that situate me so I don't hurt my shoulders after a few hours -- oddly the Ninja is fine. I'd love the 250 more if I were in the mountains or something with good roads and corners. So I started mulling over the idea of selling the CBR250 and getting something that would be a good city commuter, but also be able to do some interstate slogging and hit some gravel/dirt roads and the occassional trail. So, some info I suppose. I've done a good bit of research already, but want to make sure my ideas are OK. INTERSTATE/ROAD/CITY/DIRT MIX Local/Day Trips +10% Highway and Interstate +40% City +20% Rough paved secondary +30% Graded Dirt, Gravel +10% Other Touring +30-35% Highway and Interstate +10% City +5-10% Rough paved secondary +40% Graded Dirt, Gravel +10% Other I have mostly zilch motorcycle off road experience (just mountain and some stunt biking with pedal bikes, plus some gravel/dirt on street bikes getting from Point A to B). I'm sticking mostly to graded gravel and dirt locally, and sometimes with higher quality forest service/two track. Probably very rarely any single track or paths -- especially locally. Touring might see more forest service/two track stuff, but I'd prefer to leave more complicated single track and the like for a 250 or something even if I wasn't fairly new to offroad. TOURING/PACKING I pack pretty light and if I'm not camping I can get away with 35L or less (depending on "extras" like camera ger) excluding any spares but including augmented repair kit. Camping it goes up to probably 70L including some food, mostly because I don't have a really small ultralight tent yet (closest is a 6.5lb 50sq ft Nemo). I'd estimate gear load at 15-25lbs non camping (tops, depends on camera gear), 30-60 lbs with camping (depending on carried food/fuel/liquids). Oh, if it matters, I'm 150lbs in full armored leathers. EFI VS CARB AND REPAIRS Ideally I'd like fuel injection. I understand carbs and all, but have never owned a vehicle with one nor worked on one, and I've been pretty spoiled by EFI. If the right bike had a carb then I'd probably go with it, but I'd aim for fuel injection if it's close. I can,do the usual maintenance: valves, tires, oil changes, etc. I'm good with electronics and can fab electronic stuff, but can't fab anything else: no welder or even a vice nor know anyone who owns them. So most repairs are outright replacements, but I can do those fine so long as it doesn't require fab work. I get zero actual enjoyment from doing work on the bike, but will do so if it's in my time/ability to save money. USED/NEW/PRICE I'm 50/50 on buying used, mostly because all my used vehicles have not been worth the savings: look good, check good, run good for a few weeks then blaarg. Waste too much time or money in repairs which kills the savings. I might buy used if it's a newer model or a good deal. Not a fan of "projects". OTHER Beyond that, I guess I'm impartial to wind protection and vibes (I ride a V7 Stone afterall), though *some* wind protection would be nice. I'd like good gas mileage and in-city ease of handling as I'd be using this as a primary commuter. My Ninja is 35MPG city and the Stone around 45MPG, so something better than that minimum. Higher is better. And something that I could develop in to as my skills improve without having to invest a lot in more upgrades, moreso if I buy new. Not too concerned on power (again, see CBR250 and V7 Stone ). I'd lean to lightweight and/or agile handling. I ride year round, so enough spare alternator juice would be nice for electrics + gadgets. I already have a set of Ortlieb waterproof soft bags and a SeaLine 30L drybag I normally use -- and would prefer soft bags for offroad use -- so I'm neutral on luggage. WOT-I-THINK AND WOT-I-FOUND I've been reading here on the Thumper subforum, some other forums, and doing other research, and I think I've narrowed it down to a G 650GS Sertao, DR-Z400S (or SM with a spare 21" front rim), a CRF250L, or a KLR650. So here I am begging for opinions since I don't know anyone personally who rides any of the above and I've only seen 6 Japanese dual sports in the past 2 years in person, and one BMW GS or RT at a stoplight once. From all my research I'm leaning the BMW, Sertao specifically. It gets good mileage, decent sized tank, has fuel injection, longer travel suspension than the normal GS, and 400W alternator. Plus a few "nice" things that I'd either install myself or would like but aren't required: heated grips, metal bash plate, taller wind screen, hand guards. Don't like the price nor the potential cost of replacements, but if I buy new it feels more of a value than the other Japanese dual sports. Seems like it's best for road use, too, with a little extra top end. Perhaps a little on the heavy side to be starting out on. I'd also consider the normal GS, though I dunno if it'd be worth the savings to drop the Sertao upgrades. I found a 2012 one at a dealer with 2800 miles for $8k. Saves a little off 2013 new plus no $700 freight or breakin service. DR-Z400S is the best off road by far and has cheap parts, but hard to find used around here. Probably the best to get familiar with dirt on as well. I worry a bit about the subframe and/or suspension laden down with camping gear, and flogging it at the 80+MPH for hours on the interstate in the local area. Durable and reliable when you lube, loctite, and do some mods. Small tank for the mileage IMO and I'd be pushing it in some areas I ride without extra fuel. Aftermarkets are there, however. I found a line on a 2006 SM version with all the usual mods (3x3, MT chain, Yoshi exhaust, etc) for only $4000 with 18k miles. Taking into account the Yoshi exhaust and all the usual mods done, that's a deal as far as I can tell, though I'd want to toss in the cost of a 21" rim, rotor, and a set of dual sport or knobby tires. The CRF250L is on the radar if I buy new but want to save money. Half the cost of the BMW and 100 lbs lighter (though still heavier than a DRZ), but I'm not sure how well it'd tour or run the intersate. My CBR250R is already getting close to it's max speed when I take the interstate, so a lower geared unfaired CBR250 I'd imagine couldn't keep up with traffic. Tiny tank and again, for some areas I'd be riding would push my luck without external fuel. I know it'd be great around town, though, and would be my first choice if I was planning on staying local and buying new. Fuel injection is very nice. I'm not 100% sold on the KLR. I know it's durable as all get-out, TONS of aftermarket ADV parts and accessories (and cheap spares). Usually a good value used, not quiiiite so much new. The stock tank is nice in size, but it's a bit hefty for my tastes and seems kinda...fat? I worry a bit about cornering clearances on the street from what I've seen in reviews and photos. Probably will need a suspension upgrade or at least stiffer springs eventually. At least I know it'll do everything I plan on riding. I potentially have a line on two used 2006 KLRs. One is mostly stock, but has luggage racks and centerstand for $3000 and 12k miles. The other is also an 06 fully loaded with SW Mototech gear: center stand, crash bars, hard luggage + racks, soft tail bag, hand guards, and a few other things I forget at the moment. $4000 and 18k miles IIRC. Both look good in photos, but I haven't visited in person. Oh, and a 2000 KLR rattlecanned camo looking otherwise stock with 30,000+ miles, but no idea on price. ZEE END Sooooo....did I cover all the bases? Any opinions or other things to look at? Oh, and any notable changes from 2012-2013 on the Setaro (I'm up to speed on the other bike's model changes over years). I'm not looking into KTM or Husky at the moment as the nearest dealers are many hours away. Granted, I rarely need to visit a dealer, but I'd prefer not having to rent a Uhaul and truck my bike 6 hours one way to a KTM dealer if it doesn't start and I can't fix it at home. Too bad as KTM does have some stuff I'm seriously eyeing. I thought about getting a used "learner" bike to start with that's cheap and then maybe reselling for something better later on. Though I'm hoping to get longevitiy out of this purchase, and there's that whole used vehicle curse I have. Hrm...side note. Anyone ever supermoto a GS, CRF250L, or KLR?
Honestly, get the bike that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. Have you looked at the Husky Terra 650 at all?
Mmmm...fuzzy. I'm off next week so I'll probably bang around the dealers a bit. Afterall, if I'm not comfortable on a bike then there's not much point. It's just that the cheapskate in me says "grab the farkled KLR, it won't come back to haunt you, honest!" but I just can't seem to bring myself to really like it. I did consider the Terra 650, especially the SM version and grabbing a 21" rim to swap for the front. But there's no Husky dealers anywhere within reason. The nearest is up outside of DC in Woodbridge which -- ignoring the horrible I95 corridor -- would still be about a 4-5 hour trip. With the usual traffic: 6+. I don't mind traveling far for a new purchase from a dealer, but I don't want to envision having to take it to a dealer for service or warranty work at such distances. But at least in this area I have all the big manufacturers but KTM or Husky as an option since the Ducati/Aprilia dealer started carrying Guzzi's.
Both the CR250L and DR-Z400s would be worse than the CBR250 for highway, so scratch them off your list. The G650GS sounds ideal. Might also look at the Husky 650s - Terra or Strada DR650 or Husky TE630 would do nicely too, if you want to save some money over the BMW G650 or new Husky 650s.
Le sigh -- logged out of ADV while replying. There's an X Challenge (not Country) in Raleigh, NC. 48,000 miles, $5k, no idea on condition or mods as there's no pic or discription. I did notice the local dealer has a 2007 F650GS with 18,000 miles for $5k -- ABS, heated grips, and centerstand included. The pic on the website looks like it has a lot of plastics rash, but at the same time the pic is tiny and heavily compressed. It could be a stock picture and the rashing compression artifacts, but does seem to have the listed accessories. I do agree 19 inchers would probably be fine for me. The tire selection of tubeless tires for the GS's 19" sized rims is pretty paltry, though, and even worse for the rear. I'd also imagine that a tubed tire would be easier to lever by hand than a tubeless, no? I eventually plan on keeping a set of knobbies around for dedicated off road use and wouldn't mind a little lever time to avoid having a spare set of rims also. The Husky TE630 and the new 650 were both on my list, as were some KTMs (640), but both crossed out due to availability and dealer location. There's only two TE630's in the US for sale on Cycle Trader -- for random example -- and all KTM's within 250 miles are MX bikes. This region is huge on cruisers, followed by supersports. I've seen more maxi scooters than dual sports around here. Anyway, it looks like the Setaro is a first choice if I can handle the seat height (or think the Touratech low seat might work). The F650GS would be a close second. Beyond that...um...guess I'll take a day or weekend trip to the Husky and KTM dealers outside DC. I really would like to stay fuel injected if possible
Kamikazekyle, man you are all over the place when it comes to bikes, I wouldn't have any ideas on what you wanted, or if you know what you want. Since I've had all the 650's out there, KLR, DR, XR, and BMW 650 I'd pick any of them, but the BMW would be my favorite. BMW is fuel injected, 65-70 mpg, large fuel tank, ABS brakes, and water cooled. The 19-21 inch front wheel on which ever model you choose is not going to make much difference in your type of riding, you will probably like the 19" better for all around riding. The new Husqvarna 650 is a nice bike and I would probably buy one if it wasn't for the unknown future on the company and what direction it will be taking in the future, plus there dealer network sucks. The BMW's X-Challenge (2007 production only) and the X-Country (2007-2009 production only) are getting harder to find, especially in nice condition. Remember BMW's parts are expensive in most cases two or three times what Japanese bike parts are, but their bikes are very reliable, the 650 is very very reliable. You might have a hard time buying used because of your unfamiliar knowledge of bikes, I would buy new, get the three year factory warranty, and ride it everywhere. If you go with BMW don't buy into the fact that the bike has to come back to the dealer for their service to be in factory warranty, it doesn't. Get the first service with the valve check and from then on do it yourself. BMW service will break a rich man. John
First and foremost, test ride what ever you can/are interested and choose what fits and feels best to you. Depending how much that some is and how much 80+ you want to do in the plus some interstate slogging at 80+MPH, I'm not sure I'd recommend a KLR, especially the older model. They'd do everything else just fine and dandy but on the interstate they tend to drink oil (so check your oil!) and you get blown around a good bit. Consider going to a 16 tooth counter-sprocket if you do end up with the KLR.
The X-reference was just a passalong to CanadaBiker in case he really wanted an X model I pretty much know what I want, just not sure which would fit the bill the best. From what I gather (including more reading and research) a G650GS or Sertao would fit the bill. A G650GS would probably be ideal until/if I start getting heavier dirt work (relatively speaking), though I'm still worried about the tires. Not really selection and less on size, but if the G650s or Setaro's are like the F650 singles where the rear is super difficult to change manually. $40 for an off-the-bike take in tire change at one of the cheaper dealers precludes me from having to sets of tires if I can't do it myself. Unless I go full bore and get two sets of rims or set the bike up with more dedicated off road tires 24/7. EDIT: I should mention I know I could just run some 80/20 or similar dual sport tires, but if possible I'd like to have a set of DOT knobbies for heavier off road use and a set of stickier (and/or long life) road tires for commuting and pure pavement use. And a quick skim of some of BMW's replacement parts on the G650's really isn't that expensive compared to what I'm used to: on par with my Ninja 1000. $45-ish for a brake lever, $70 for a mirror, etc. The little CBR250 is dirt cheap on parts, that's for sure, though it takes months to get anything. That's the one. I just couldn't quite get the hairball in the right spot to pronounce it. :) I think the BMW dealer might be the only shop to offer a test ride. The Ducati dealer sometimes does test rides of select new bikes and I haven't found any Japanese dealers that do test rides at all (in this area). They just host the corporate roaming demo ride events, so it gives me all of one or two days per year to test ride anything, assuming it doesnt' fall on a weekend I work. Anyway. As to how much is some, it depends :) Locally I can hump over to some more rural areas without ever breaking 60, and on my commute to work I only see 50 MPH for three minutes. The next potential areas for offroad -- or decent paved twisties for that matter -- are an hour's ride on the interstate at 75-80+ (depending on traffic). Travelling out of the area is possible without the interstate if you allot the time, and for touring I'd normally avoid the interstate whenever I can. But sometime's it's good or required to make time and there's that whole "it already takes me almost an hour to get out of the city via interstate" bit. I plan to take some trips further west in order to get to much better off pavement locations, but being right on the beach means that's a 2-4 day ride via interstate one way depending on location.
For me it was close between the F650 Sertao and a 690 Enduro. I ultimately went with the KTM mainly because of the weight difference. That being said the KTM will cost a lot more to get it setup for touring with auxiliary gas tanks, but after it is it'll be about 70 lbs lighter than the BMW (it is about 100 lbs less than the bmw stock) and that much weight makes the bike feel more powerful, and is helpful off-roading. That being said if I found a good deal on a Sertao first I'd probably have that.
I've kinda lusted after the 690 for a while (and to another extent the 500 EXC). You *do* get a pretty solid offroad package with the KTMs for the price and I am a fan of lighter weight. It'd be a hoot to supermoto. I wonder how much I'd have to invest to make it good for touring, if I could at all? I wouldn't mind dropping cash on something that feels like it's worth it to me. If you dont' mind me asking, what addons did you tack on, how much did it all cost, and how's the ride for the street? If I were just sticking locally I'd probably grab a used KLR/DR/XR to thrash around and be done with it. But with the need to tour to get to the really good stuff, something more road biased might be best -- as others have mentioned. On the flip side, I searched again for KTM dealers, and did find one in North Carolina about 2.5-3 hours from me. There's also one I forgot about perhaps 20 minutes from my friend's house (which in of itself is 3-4 hours away, but next to the Blue Ridge Mountains). I have Tuesday through Saturday off, so maybe I should make some road trips.
Take a sorted DR650SE for a test-ride. It'll smoothly run over 1000 miles of slab in a day @ 80MPH without burning oil. It'll run sandy desert singletrack without overheating. Bin it into a trail-side ditch at 50MPH, replace the bent handlebars for under $20, and ride the hell out of it some more. Yeah, it's carbed. So what? It's simple. Field-fix anything in the fuel system on the trail. Get 50+MPG if you're not wringing it's neck. Adjust the valves mid-TAT without needing shims. Load it like a packmule and ride it through Mexico. Need more fuel-range? Acerbis and IMS offer 5gal tanks, with Safari offering a 7.9gal tank that sometimes expands to almost 10gal. It's still lighter than a KLR or F650GS. Buy whatever you want for it online. Busted frame? Mild steel welds pretty easily, but they also pop up on Ebay fairly regularly. Lunched motor? Ebay sees plenty of those too. Wiring harnesses, carbs, shocks, seats, forks...you name it. Suzuki has been selling pretty much the same bike since 1996.
Welp, after hitting up Google Maps, OSM, etc and thinking just how often would I actually see anything beyond a dirt road or decent two track, I decided on the Sertao. The local dealer had a 2012 model with 2900 miles for $7900. It also included a set of Vario case racks and the OEM engine guard, so it was a bit better than I first thought. Minimal wear and tear, tires had plenty of life left, no leaks, no drops, suspension didn't stick. I tried a normal G650GS while I was there and thought it'd be a good standard naked bike, but not really different enough from what I already had. The dealer also threw in a set of like-new Vario cases with locks for $400, so I grabbed those even though I plan on using soft bags for off road touring. The hard cases would be good for general errand running and commuting, and for $400 it's in the impulse buy category accessory wise. PO traded in the bike a year after ownership for an R1200; guess he didn't like the 650's umph I managed to get the bike out and about on Wednesday and was thoroughly impressed. It handled whatever I tossed at it (around here and with my skill level...not all that much ) and romped over terrain at speeds my other motos would be dancing all over upon. Toss in 64 MPG for the day and I'm content. It does really open up some of the really twisty secondary roads in this area that are a bit too rough on traditional 17" wheels and short travel suspension, so even if locally it sees mostly pavement it'll still be very useful compared to my other motos. Now to figure out where I can take the thing off pavement. Tons of gravel and two track, but it's logging roads that are gated. Some gates were open and no signage, but I'm leery of heading through a gate on the East Coast even if it's open and there aren't any no trespassing signs. I *did* find a bit of forest two track and some gravel, though. Video for those curious (5 min mark): http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=I4V0AmjyyFo
Yamaha xt660r/x/Tenere would do all you want. Tough as an axe with good fuel economy and not bad at all on the highway. X is the motard version so less dirt capable but they will all suprise on a good motorbike road giving a hurry up to the sports bikes on the tight windy roads. So much fun the yanks don't get them cause they might hurt themselves, which is why they don't know much about them.