One Bike to Rule Them All? - Page 8

thumperpilot · 02-26-2013, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickgindy

Youll end up with multiple bikes. It happens to us all.

.

eakins · 02-26-2013, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amk

There are 650 ds older than dinosaurs, there are another which ain't reliable exotic and overpriced at the same time, and there is a new Husky, which is naked and going to be discontinued before the 2d year of production.

Tough choice.

yes I agree the is a big hole in the new & updated 650 dual-sport market.

it looked like Husky had a home run with it's new bike for the price, but the KTM deal has raised more questions than answers. The KTM is a sweet bike, but is $$$ and then requires work & mod$ to get it there. Then there are the Japanese, who are conservative and don't want to spend $ updating their bikes (DR & KLR) or even bringing them in (660 Tenere).

I went for the DR because it is a older and proven design and something I can rely on when i'm riding in BFE or Mexico. With the cheaper purchase price, I then upgraded to how I like it and my needs as it's a solid blank slate bike. It does not work for everyone, but works for me and many others.

I'm hoping the Japanese can finally push through one day and Suzuki updates the DR as does Kawi the KLR. Kawi, especially, could make one hell of a package with that 650 twin in a bike like the 800gs & 800xc design concept.

FishrCutB8 · 03-16-2013, 08:01 PM

I went and checked out a Multistrada. Nice bike and it's going to sound nuts to some of you I'm sure, but it really didn't appeal to me. It actually felt "small" to me. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it felt less substantial than I thought it would. Weird. Also, the tank issues put me off. I understand you can get the Caswell treatment as a remediation, but the fact they take the old tank out and put the exact same tank back in seems stupid to me. Couple that with 7500 mile service intervals and it just didn't feel "right"...seemed like a GREAT deal though: $7,000 for a bike with 1200 miles on it.

So, still going to look at the Uly, Tiger 955 (if i can find one...) and the Stroms (not sure the wee can handle two up effectively? Thoughts?).

Interestingly, I have also seen a couple of Tiger 800 roadies coming down toward my range...

BryanCO · 03-16-2013, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FishrCutB8

I went and checked out a Multistrada. Nice bike and it's going to sound nuts to some of you I'm sure, but it really didn't appeal to me. It actually felt "small" to me. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it felt less substantial than I thought it would. Weird. Also, the tank issues put me off. I understand you can get the Caswell treatment as a remediation, but the fact they take the old tank out and put the exact same tank back in seems stupid to me. Couple that with 7500 mile service intervals and it just didn't feel "right"...seemed like a GREAT deal though: $7,000 for a bike with 1200 miles on it.

Ya, the gen 1 Multi does feel small compared to a V or 800 XC/GS - at least to me. For me, its the cockpit that creates that feeling as well as the bikes overall narrow width. I still think the gen 1 Multi was a just a step away from a sport bike but the current Multi took a couple of steps towards the adventure bike 'model' - which makes sense based on how a lot of the gen 1 owners used and modified their bikes,

GordyOZ · 03-16-2013, 09:12 PM

Just last monday I threw my wife on the back of my wee=strom and took off for a town 70 miles away for a coffee and hamburger, mixed tar and dirt road riding, some steep hills and heavy vehicles to pass. The bike did it all without any stress or agitation, held it's lines everywhere, no need to peg back a gear to overtake on the hills and the wife has no complaints about the ride.

here is the clincher, the combined weight of pillion and rider is 429 lbs. The bike is a 2011 DL650 with a staintune exhaust, crash bars, soft panniers, top box and a B & B bashplate.

The DL1000 by all reports is a lot lazier to carry a pillion and luggage but when I rode one I found that it was a lot less balanced on gravel surfaces, the wee on the other hand just.

We are of to a rally at the end of april, 700 miles in two days of mixed tar and dirt roads, we'll see how that goes and report back

FishrCutB8 · 03-17-2013, 05:29 AM

BCO- the cockpit and narrowness you report are spot on. My SV 1000 actually feels more substantial than the MTS.

Thanks for the report on the Wee, Oz. is that a stock seat you're running?

Kommando · 03-17-2013, 04:24 PM

We ride a DR650SE over 100 miles at a crack, but we're fairly small people...5'8"/200lb/30"inseam and 5'4"/petite/30"inseam. It has about enough power with just a jetted carb and opened intake, but we're at sea-level.

I wouldn't want to go any smaller or less powerful for long trips 2up. We take breaks every 100 miles or so. By the same token, I wouldn't want to wrestle with something much taller or heavier by myself in muddy or sandy singletrack, and I'm ridiculously strong for my size. Riding with at least 1 other person is recommended for anything much heavier. Picking it up in sand or mud isn't the issue. Hauling it out of fender-deep burial in a hole that you can barely stand up in IS.

If you never ride slop alone, at my size, you could take a taller/heavier bike through the nasty stuff. Graded roads and non-technical trails would be a non-issue on something like a Uly with appropriate tires. One guy around here even rides his in the sand with us DR guys, and it has a bit more passenger room and comfort than a stock DR. He hauled me back to my bike after we had to drop one rider and his bike at the nearest hospital. It was pretty comfy, and had lazy torque for hauling 2.

FishrCutB8 · 03-18-2013, 08:47 PM

Most of my riding is going to be street, so the DR probably wouldn't be my first choice. Looks like it would be loads of fun in the dirt, though.....

FishrCutB8 · 04-01-2013, 01:25 PM

Ended up getting a great deal on the Tiger 800 Roadie. Thanks for all of the help and insight!

Can't wait to start racking up miles.....and Farkling!

Dubl-A · 04-01-2013, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FishrCutB8

Ended up getting a great deal on the Tiger 800 Roadie. Thanks for all of the help and insight!

Can't wait to start racking up miles.....and Farkling!

Beautiful bike!!! Might as well start depositing 1/3 of your paychecks in a separate account named "True Love"

FishrCutB8 · 04-01-2013, 03:19 PM

The Farkles Slush Fund has been started. Of course, looking at this thread, I should probably start the Second Bike Fund as well.

03-16-2013, 09:12 PM	#110
GordyOZ Adventurer Joined: Feb 2013 Location: Central West Noosouf whales or ONmeSTROM Oddometer: 61	Just last monday I threw my wife on the back of my wee=strom and took off for a town 70 miles away for a coffee and hamburger, mixed tar and dirt road riding, some steep hills and heavy vehicles to pass. The bike did it all without any stress or agitation, held it's lines everywhere, no need to peg back a gear to overtake on the hills and the wife has no complaints about the ride. here is the clincher, the combined weight of pillion and rider is 429 lbs. The bike is a 2011 DL650 with a staintune exhaust, crash bars, soft panniers, top box and a B & B bashplate. The DL1000 by all reports is a lot lazier to carry a pillion and luggage but when I rode one I found that it was a lot less balanced on gravel surfaces, the wee on the other hand just. We are of to a rally at the end of april, 700 miles in two days of mixed tar and dirt roads, we'll see how that goes and report back __________________ Never take a motorcycle somewhere where your brain hasn't been three seconds before

03-17-2013, 04:24 PM	#112
Kommando Grumpy Young Man Joined: Nov 2006 Location: Spacecoaster FL Oddometer: 3,754	We ride a DR650SE over 100 miles at a crack, but we're fairly small people...5'8"/200lb/30"inseam and 5'4"/petite/30"inseam. It has about enough power with just a jetted carb and opened intake, but we're at sea-level. I wouldn't want to go any smaller or less powerful for long trips 2up. We take breaks every 100 miles or so. By the same token, I wouldn't want to wrestle with something much taller or heavier by myself in muddy or sandy singletrack, and I'm ridiculously strong for my size. Riding with at least 1 other person is recommended for anything much heavier. Picking it up in sand or mud isn't the issue. Hauling it out of fender-deep burial in a hole that you can barely stand up in IS. If you never ride slop alone, at my size, you could take a taller/heavier bike through the nasty stuff. Graded roads and non-technical trails would be a non-issue on something like a Uly with appropriate tires. One guy around here even rides his in the sand with us DR guys, and it has a bit more passenger room and comfort than a stock DR. He hauled me back to my bike after we had to drop one rider and his bike at the nearest hospital. It was pretty comfy, and had lazy torque for hauling 2. Kommando screwed with this post 03-17-2013 at 04:31 PM

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03-16-2013, 08:01 PM	#108
FishrCutB8 ^OP Adventurer Joined: Oct 2012 Location: The Green Between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Oddometer: 83	I went and checked out a Multistrada. Nice bike and it's going to sound nuts to some of you I'm sure, but it really didn't appeal to me. It actually felt "small" to me. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it felt less substantial than I thought it would. Weird. Also, the tank issues put me off. I understand you can get the Caswell treatment as a remediation, but the fact they take the old tank out and put the exact same tank back in seems stupid to me. Couple that with 7500 mile service intervals and it just didn't feel "right"...seemed like a GREAT deal though: $7,000 for a bike with 1200 miles on it. So, still going to look at the Uly, Tiger 955 (if i can find one...) and the Stroms (not sure the wee can handle two up effectively? Thoughts?). Interestingly, I have also seen a couple of Tiger 800 roadies coming down toward my range...

03-17-2013, 05:29 AM	#111
FishrCutB8 ^OP Adventurer Joined: Oct 2012 Location: The Green Between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Oddometer: 83	BCO- the cockpit and narrowness you report are spot on. My SV 1000 actually feels more substantial than the MTS. Thanks for the report on the Wee, Oz. is that a stock seat you're running?

03-18-2013, 08:47 PM	#113
FishrCutB8 ^OP Adventurer Joined: Oct 2012 Location: The Green Between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Oddometer: 83	Most of my riding is going to be street, so the DR probably wouldn't be my first choice. Looks like it would be loads of fun in the dirt, though.....

04-01-2013, 01:25 PM	#114
FishrCutB8 ^OP Adventurer Joined: Oct 2012 Location: The Green Between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Oddometer: 83	Ended up getting a great deal on the Tiger 800 Roadie. Thanks for all of the help and insight! Can't wait to start racking up miles.....and Farkling!

04-01-2013, 03:19 PM	#116
FishrCutB8 ^OP Adventurer Joined: Oct 2012 Location: The Green Between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Oddometer: 83	The Farkles Slush Fund has been started. Of course, looking at this thread, I should probably start the Second Bike Fund as well.