I was thinking the same thing here. Adv Grifter, maybe you should read the post as well..............
The DR has simpler maintenance, screw valve adjust vs shims under buckets. The Husky no doubt has better suspension but is less proven and more complex, not sure what its' valve routine is but I imagine shims and overall higher maintenance. I have had a KLR, and a Husky 250, but neither for nearly as long as the DR. I road the KLR 2100 miles in 3 days across the US and I drove a borrowed DR from Melbourne to Perth, both worked. Have driven both in the dirt and the DR is just a whole lot more fun. The KLR is a good tractor but in comparison a slightly modified DR is a little hotrod
You come into this thread knowing that we're likely to be biased, so that's good. Why the DR? It's simple. It's durable. It's lighter in the dirt. Parts are available and affordable for maintenance, repair, and upgrade. The issues are pretty well known and sorted. This isn't a bike that will take a home-mechanic over a week to fix, whereas some more-complicated bikes have stumped a dealer shop for MONTHS. The KLR and TR are supposed to be more oriented towards pavement, but I think the DR is even a better foundation for a road bike than the KLR. The DR engine tends to be smoother, the DR tends to respond better to mods, and the DR isn't prone to burning oil...even running near redline. The DR can be built for over 50WHP, while I've never seen a KLR dyno graph of similar power. Even a 40WHP DR with a pumper carb can feel pretty peppy though. The air/oil-cooled DR also isn't prone to overheating like an air-cooled or a water-cooled bike is, and the oil-cooler can be bypassed, in a pinch, if it gets damaged. Try that with a radiator and you'll have problems. I wouldn't want to drop a TR in the dirt like I drop my DR. Parts are not likely to be as cheap or as available. I doubt that the KLR or TR would be as durable when used as a dirtbike either. Both the KLR and TR are also over 400lb, and the KLR valves need shims if adjustment is called for. I don't know about the TR, but the DR is screw/locknut that is simply adjusted. If you're going to stay on pavement and/or close to civilization, keeping the bike fairly stock, I'd be taking a long look at the TR. It reportedly has good power and a smooth engine for a thumper, and I believe ABS is available to you in Oz. That Rotax engine is a fuel miser too. If you're going off the pavement or away from civilization much though, I'd be very biased towards a modded DR...Throw on an 8gal tank, a comfy seat, and maybe a windscreen if you want to go long distances at slab speeds. There are MANY more aftermarket parts available for the DR right now too, and nobody knows how long Husky is going to offer the TR. By the time the aftermarket sells a decent selection, Husky may terminate it. Suzuki has been selling the same basic DR since '96. Parts are all over, and the DR is generic enough that even parts from many other bikes are easy to adapt. Many people swap on fully-adjustable dirtbike suspension, fenders, pumper carbs, etc. The DR can REALLY be changed from stock pretty easily. Do you want a modern near-stock commuter that you can play with in easy dirt, or do you want a simple and affordable roughneck bike that will go anywhere with maybe a bit less style? Range Rover or Land Rover? Me? I wouldn't want to scratch the Range Rover. You may want more posh.
Read the Post? What post are your referring to? If you mean Jay's Ride Report ... I've read it ... and his previous one as well where he blew up a DR in Alaska. Over the years I'm sure Jay has accumulated lots of knowledge and got tips from this thread ... among others. It is the wise man who uses his friends and their broad knowledge and creative ideas to solve the unsolvable.
Good choices. All three can commute just fine. The Husky is brand new so a bit untested. Hopefully it won't carry with it the many BMW problems from the F650/G650 on which it is based. IMO, the forks are under spec'd for off road use. (CORRECTION: Husky wisely went with 46mm Forks ... not the wimpy BMW ones) The Husky is the clear beauty in the bunch ... and has sharp clocks and switches ... and a great look. But how tough is it? The BMW's aren't very ... You do realize the Husky motor is a modified BMW G650 motor, made in Loncin, China. Husky claim more power and very good fuel economy. To me, the fuel economy is a very good reason to look at the Husky. How the bike will hold up to abuse and miles ... ? Unknown. If you plan to rack up high miles commuting and are a novice dirt rider ... then buying a NEW bike would be very silly indeed. I'd buy used no matter what. Save the big money for your R1200GS. (they are over $20,000 USD now) I've owned both the DR and KLR, as many here have. I prefer the DR650 for a number of reasons already stated. But a very well set up KLR can be a very good bike too. I've ridden a couple fine examples that made my stock KLR feel like JUNK. But the DR also responds well to a few well placed upgrades. Very good value IMO, trouble free and fun on easy off road. As a novice dirt rider I would start on every easy dirt roads. No deep sand or rocky mountain terrain to start. A smaller 250cc bike is preferable to learning dirt riding. Go ride a few bikes, see what works. Lots of Fish in the sea. Take care of your hand. Hope it heals up well!
Thanks everyone for the great replies! While long term I could see myself on a GS, I dont consider the other bikes (and their riders) as lesser for choosing a bike right for them. I've never ridden a GS so I may not even like them! At this stage I would consider a lower milage DR secondhand (as I do all my maintenance myself) as I have had 3 suzukis and all were unkillable (except for the aforementioned accident). Probably should have mentioned that commuting accounts for 15000k's a year for me - hence wanting a lower k bike. Ideally a cheaper secondhand dr, plus a set of rims &street tires with the ability to change to more dirt oriented ones for my adventures would be good. the lower price of the DR helps this along. I love to tinker, so along the way I woul look at some likely mods - Larger tank - i ride 300+k's a week and would prefer to fill it once. Brakes - had brembos on the gixxer and loved them! (aftermarket) Exhaust & airfilter - cheap performance Seat mod - comfort Suspension (get it sprung and valved for my weight) I knew the husky had a bmw engine, but wasnt aware of any issues on newer versions of them. Any thumper I buy will be less than 1/3rd the power of the gixxer, but as long as its spritely enough to 100(k's - 62mph) i'll be happy. This is my only vehicle so i will take reliability over outright performance! Would love to get a dirt only 250 and play, but cant afford champagne living on a beer budget (i'd say goon budget but most guys from the us wouldnt know what that was ha ha!)
Some nice pics. Thanks. Are they the new Kenda K784 tires? I'd be interested in hearing a few words on your opinion of them when you get back.
Yeah, Kenda Big Block in back and a Pirelli Scorpion Rally in front. This is my third K784 and I'm happpy enough with them that I'll probably get another after this one is gone. It's not quite as good a tire (for me) as the TKC80 but in the 150/70-17 size I run it is way less expensive. I don't have fun if I feel like I have to ride to baby my tires.
I had a KLR as a courtesy bike for a day or two, felt very tall and under powered. At the time I didn't have a DR so it's not a direct comparison but now I have a DR it doesn't feel tall or under powered. I like the simplicity of the DR. I had a ZX10 before the DR, so, like you, I went from a litre sportsbike to a 650 trail bike. I can honestly say that it's the best bike I've ever had. Like you, I also thought this would be a stepping stone to something like a GS or a Super Tenere but in all honesty, if someone handed me the keys to a brand new GS1200 and offered to swap bike for bike... I'd keep the DR. A bloke at work has just bought a Panigale and although it's gorgeous, if I had to ride it, I'd rather have my DR. As you know here in Australia we have very low speed limits that are enforced with zero tolerance it seems. I'm sure owning a gixer-thou for six years in Brisbane you are familiar with speeding tickets. You won't be having this problem with the DR, it's a pleasure to ride around town, and is known affectionately here as the bush-pig for good reason
Cheers. once my hand heals and I can ride again, i'll definately test ride everything. But the DR looks very tempting - its so cheap compared to any of the others (KLR excepted) and looks like its good value.
Keep an eye out for the promos, there's usually some sort of kickback deal that brings the price down to almost what the rest of the world pays for bikes. Sunstate have the best deal at the moment.
Here's a piccy: Looks in really good condition. In NZ the DR650 is now a learner approved bike because of its low power to weight ratio. Have you checked your regulations lately? Might be OK to ride!
You running that 150/70/17 on a stock dr rim? Tire shopping now, pretty set on a pair of 705's on extra set of wheels for those times I'll be doing more slab. Got 606's on original set of wheels but I burn these up pretty quick when much slab involved.
Most of Australia is using the LAMS system (Learner Approved) and WA will finally be changing over at the end of the year. I don't want to wait until then, plus if I get my unrestricted license now, I can use this bike to do my test. Although because it's summer and everyone is getting their license, I might not get a test until early next year, in which case it won't really matter I did a bit of work on the bike today. Unlike my beaten up old TT250, it was just small little tweaks I had to do. I removed the vertical section of the rack, fixed a couple of twisted/taped joints for the RHS rear indicator, removed the side-stand kill switch (which wasn't working anyway), re-routed the throttle cables correctly so they weren't being pulled taut at full lock and just generally had a good look over the bike. Does anyone know what this connector is for? Two of the connections are shorted with some wire and all four of them head back into the wiring loom. Unfortunately I didn't take note of which wires were shorted. It's located on the LHS near the CDI.
After spending $140 on gloves a bit ago that 29 degree ride in this morning finally did it for me. I NEED HEATED GRIPS. I see lots of models but can anyone point me in the right direction? I prefer the easier the set up the better.But I'll take anything at this point.
Ha! Found the culprit: clogged fuel filter (paper core). Replaced it with a new spare (copper core) and sanDRina runs like a champ! Went for a 60 km test ride and no issues. I think that was it Continuing south tomorrow Come on, motorcycle gods, what else you got? Let me have it. I got jolted last night and told myself that 'give up' isn't in my dictionary. I beat my demons back in their cave and listened to the advice from ADV brethren who directed me to inspect this part. If I don't make it to the next town tomorrow, I'll figure it out Thanks!!!