New bike time (almost)

[.chris]

I am almost ready to move on from the 250 to something a bit more powerful.

Options I have in my sights so far

BMW G650 xChallenge

KTM 690 Enduro

Husqvarna TE610


I want a bike I can whip around town on (in a once/twice a week commute mode) but can also take it out in the forest/trails for a decent trail ride.
And micro adventure riding (1-2 days, not taking much gear), so it needs to be able to handle a the distance at open road speeds.

The 250 is pretty close to what I need, if only it had about 2x the power it would be about spot on.

Which would you recommend and why?
Also any other bikes I should be considering?

[Swampdonkey]

You have done your homework well...flip a coin ,they are all excellent choices.

[junkmanjoe]

i looked at the bmw, my mate has one the same.
very high and seat like a brick. his has been altered for comfort, much better.
i also considered the 07 klr650, value for your dollar, and i also ask the chaps on here for advice on bikes as well.
my self, i have settled for a 07 dr650.
ive owned a few road bikes cbr600 and others, the dr650 is nice and smooth on the road, easy to throw around town, and handled the last ride we did with no trouble, 240kms gravel seal and dirt, no vibrations, like a ktm i rode.
i feel i have a lot of bike for my money and for half the price as the ones your looking at.
i moved from a 91 xr600r, and im happy with my new bike.
at the end of the day, riders choice.
its a good jump from a 250 up to 650+ dont forget to hang on.......................
take them riding, all of them.

enjoy

[Dent]

The problem is there is no perfect bike for what you want.
Many have tried and failed.
I suggest you consider a cheaper (used) trail bike, with no rego, and a good shingle road and tarmac adv bike. A low km DR650 or KLR or even a Triumph scrambler

Ive got a gasgas 300 (2 stroke) enduro bike, great on the trails, ok in shingle but vibrates a lot if you try to cruise over 80km/hr, pretty bad on road for any longer distance, as the steering angle is setup for fast turns on the trail.

[Padmei]

Well its obvious from your choices yo have some dollars to spend so go for any of the 3. Pampa had a prob with his gearshaft breaking due to an off so I would maybe be hesitant with one till the teething troubles are ironed out. In saying that they prob have been.

Looking at your choices, as a KLR owner I would recommend that you stay away from them, as you seem to want off road over on road & in that area the KLR may disappoint. (I haven't found it's limits yet though)

[MXNUT]

Options I have in my sights so far

BMW G650 xChallenge

KTM 690 Enduro

Husqvarna TE610

Of the 3 bikes you have listed the Husky is the only bike really suited to a trail ride.

As has been already said here though there is no such thing as the prefect adventure bike as they are different things to different people,and having a cheaper trail bike and an adventure bike as well is probably the best option for covering all bases.

For the cost of 1 those Euro bikes you could buy two good condition used jappa`s

[zeRax]

drz400e man! wahooo !

spend some extra on a windscreen if your really going to use it to commute,maybe a seat, but the hard stock one will probably grow on you, i dont think ill bother changing my seat, if anything ill cut it down cause im a short fuck.
i commute on mine alot, 25kms each way and its all good for that, more distance than 120km odd and i would gear it a bit taller,

enough power to pop some wheelies and rip the ground up,
parts not a bloody problem

all depends how much street you want, those bikes are spensive in comparison!

oh, and far more crashable too i imagine !

[cooneyr]

The bikes you mention are all a fair bit heavier than the 250 and take quite a bit more strength/energy to throw around. I went from a DR250 to a DR650 and now onto a XTZ750 but when I had the chance to go for a spin on a TTR250 a few months back I was left thinking man I'd love to have a 250-400 as a trail/play bike as well as the XTZ.

If you have to have only one bike I'd be tempted to investigate the Husky as I understand it is closest to a big trail bike but only marginally so over the other two. If you can have two bikes I'd look at a DR/KLR for the commuter/light adventuring and a 400ish (DR400 or WR450 or 450EXC depending on your riding style and tastes) for a dirt/trail bike.

Also think about things such as fuel range and availablilty of aftermarket parts such as larger fuel tanks, other spares, servicing etc. You may find the KTM is much better in this respect. Not that keen on BMW cause of cost, cost of spares and the issues that Pampa has had with the gear slector shaft breaking.

If all of them are too big you may be better to get a WR450/450EXC/525 or 530 EXC and just learn to do your own oil changes and other maintenance.

Cheers R

Doh - just refreshed the page and see others have posted the same thing.

[CRM]

XR650? You could get some good low mileage ones for $6-7k. There seem to still be new ones overseas but not sure if they're available in NZ. Cheaper than the Europeans and lower maintenance. Lighter and better set up for trails than DR or KLR. Ideal for commuting or shorter adventure rides.

[.chris]

Thanks for the replies guys.

KLR650 had a look at these, as I have been happy with my kawa. But waaaaay too large and heavy, at about 190kg (compare that to the bmw 140kg) that is a pretty big difference.

DRZ400, I thought these only come in the motard version with 17inch wheels. But yep add that one to my option list. I am not sure I can get past the fact it looks like it's 10 years old, but will add this to the going to test ride list.

I did consider the mutliple bike option, keeping the KLX and having a more road orientated bike but I don't really have room for two bikes, and would struggle to justify the 2x rego/insurance etc.
I really can't be bothered having to do the trail bike on the trailer thing. And it would get expensive after buying a trailer + rego and whatnot and also the cost of one of these to ride on the road.
.

I have ridden the BMW at the sandpit (sand based trails north of auckland) and it felt pretty big and high, but still ridable, felt perfect out on the shingle road.

I am also considering a slightly older KTM 640 Adventure

After watching all the Dakar footage I have come to like the look of these. There are a couple of ex rentals on trademe which might be worthly of a look/ride.

There was a ktm 525 on trademe a while back with the larger tank and more comfortable seat, but after reading the ADV threads about using these for dualsport I am not sure going for a trail bike is the best option they seem to be pretty maintenence intensive and the bike is not set up to carry any luggage due to the light subframe, same thing applies to the wr450 and most other trail bike options.

I will give the 690, 610, 640 and drz400 a test ride before I decide.

[clint640]

For the cost of 1 those Euro bikes you could buy two good condition used jappa`s

Actually for the price of the KTM 690 you could buy a brand new DR650, and a near new trailbike... I strongly suspect they will drop in price soon though, the G-650 BMW has just dropped from $17K to $13K...

They're all big bikes for a lot of trail rides, but on paper the TE610 is the most dirt worthy of the 3. I've ridden a 690 offroad & it felt really good too though, the upcoming 690R with a bit more suspension travel might also be worth a look if any make it to NZ. The 690 has a big power advantage over the other 2 which you may like.

Cheers
Clint

[clint640]

I will give the 690, 610, 640 and drz400 a test ride before I decide.

Keep an eye out for the 640 Enduro too, they're more trail ridable than the 640 Adv. Another one to look for is the KTM 625 SXC, there aren't many around but they are the most dirt worthy of the previous generation KTM LC4 bikes.

Cheers
Clint

[Dent]

I find trailering is really the way to go if you want to ride hard off road. Usually its a group activity, so you would be going with 2 or 3 people in the car, bikes on the back.
From what you've said it sounds like you ride solo, so probably wont be pushing your luck on the dirt. In this case you may find the bigger bikes mentioned are ok for you and your intended level of riding.

[Paladin]

C.h.r.i.s. thx for posting this thread - had been contemplating starting one like this myself recently as I too have begun to consider what is going to be the next bike for me after this 250cc license restriction annoyance is outta the way!

I know the KLR650 is on the heavy side but apart from that it's a hell of a lot of bike for the money if you buy brand new has been my conclusion. If you are not going on lots of tight trails/single tracks it would do all you want. It's got a big fuel tank & comfy seat which will be a godsend after the KLX! Under $10k brand new!!!!! Mad!

That said I like you have been eyeing up the KTM possibilities due to it's offroad prowess, and the BMW 650 Dakar for its additional comfort on-road. If you want to go "all-rounder" but with less weight and keep price down I guess you have to have a look at the DR650 - it may not look at sexy as a Dakar but has an ongoing great reputation.

I reckon try to ride all of the ones you want to consider and that'll probably tell you what you want to know. That's my plan any how.

Damn tricky decision I know! Good luck with it!

[.chris]

I know the KLR650 is on the heavy side but apart from that it's a hell of a lot of bike for the money if you buy brand new has been my conclusion. If you are not going on lots of tight trails/single tracks it would do all you want. It's got a big fuel tank & comfy seat which will be a godsend after the KLX! Under $10k brand new!!!!! Mad!

That said I like you have been eyeing up the KTM possibilities due to it's offroad prowess, and the BMW 650 Dakar for its additional comfort on-road. If you want to go "all-rounder" but with less weight and keep price down I guess you have to have a look at the DR650 - it may not look at sexy as a Dakar but has an ongoing great reputation.

I reckon try to ride all of the ones you want to consider and that'll probably tell you what you want to know. That's my plan any how.

Damn tricky decision I know! Good luck with it!

If it was budget limited the KLX/DR650 would be a good option, but since I can afford the extra $, I can get something a bit lighter and more powerful.

But you are right on 2 counts, the fact its a tricky decision, and the fact there is no better way of telling than taking them for a ride.

I had a good ride on the BMW, and it seemed to suit me well enough and at 13k new (would consider a low km 2nd hand option for the right price) they are a pretty good bike.
The KTM looks better than the BMW and has a little more power, but at $4000 more its an expensive option.
The TE610 I am not sure the price of these, anyone know?
The DRZ400E, cheap as chips but ugly and old looking.