Practical adventure bikes

[Henk]

I've got a TTR600 with a 20 litre tank. The only complaint now is the lack of electric start. Not a good two up bike but the perfect one up gravel road bike. There are plenty of good Dirt bikes and road bikes out there, adventure bikes are a difficult one though as everyone wants something different. I've done some light duty trail riding in Woodhill and Riverhead on mine as well as 350 k days on the raod. Wouldn't want to do an Enduro on it though.

[warewolf]

Yeah in the end the whole thing gets down to exactly what do you want to do with the bike?

G'day,

Well I hope the answer to the question is KTM 640 Adventure, 'cos that's what I've just bought!

Part of the problem with the term, "Adventure ride" in NZ is the wildly differing types of ride this covers. The beemer safaris come under this banner, which can be hardly more than a gravel road ride - in which case a roadie ridden carefully would cope. Then at the other end of the spectrum are the rides where all but a couple of hard-cores trailer their registered enduro race bikes to the event, and run with NHS rubber... and on road-legal rubber you get turned away from the more interesting sections.

I went with the KTM because there's bugger-all improvement left in it, just some tidying up around the edges. Big tank? got it. Big headlights? got it. Great suspension? got it. Electric start? got it. Fat bars, risers, hand guards? got it. Electrical socket? got it. You get the drift (pardon the pun!).

Seat height is a problem, but less preload and 28mm lowering links will mostly deal to that issue.

The 640 is hopefully a good compromise between serious dirt performance, and acceptable two-up road traveling. It's over 40kgs lighter than a 950 - as others have said, important when picking up the sucker - but also useful in the tight stuff. It's lighter than the F650 and more powerful plus better suspended. It's twice the price of a DR650 but hey! I've got the DR-Z250 as the cheapie, which is why I can afford the KTM.

[rogson]

Practical adventure bike....

Here is a picture of Freewilly (name courtesy of my wife).
Its the only one I have. I think it was taken in the parking lot at one of the Glaciers. It doesn't really show the arrangement made-up to accomodate the 21" front wheel but you can see the mudguard is yellow (the original mudguard doesn't work with the raised fork brace needed to accomodate the bigger wheel). I was in a hurry to find something at the time and got it for $10 from a wrecker. I was intending to replace it with something that looks a bit better (a better matching colour for a start) but it works and I haven't bothered to look around for a replacement. The luggage is a Givi box with two small backpacks strapped either side.

[clint640]

[QUOTE=warewolf]G'day,

Well I hope the answer to the question is KTM 640 Adventure, 'cos that's what I've just bought!
QUOTE]

I'm with you on that one, although the 640 Enduro hits the spot for me 'cos it's lighter weight & less breakable bits make it more dirt worthy, so I can go out & have fun on some of the easier trail rides. Bolt on my 20 litre tank & 'lil windscreen & she's almost as good long distance as the adventure.
It's all about what you want to do with it - I don't think there is a better bike available for what I do with it (much as I lust after that super enduro 950 I couldn't ride one in a trailride without it killing me) However if you are a shorter rider, or want to go 2 up with the kitchen sink onboard, a 640 probably won't do it for ya.

Cheers
Clint

[Oscar]

[QUOTE=clint640]

G'day,

Well I hope the answer to the question is KTM 640 Adventure, 'cos that's what I've just bought!
QUOTE]

I'm with you on that one, although the 640 Enduro hits the spot for me 'cos it's lighter weight & less breakable bits make it more dirt worthy, so I can go out & have fun on some of the easier trail rides. Bolt on my 20 litre tank & 'lil windscreen & she's almost as good long distance as the adventure.
It's all about what you want to do with it - I don't think there is a better bike available for what I do with it (much as I lust after that super enduro 950 I couldn't ride one in a trailride without it killing me) However if you are a shorter rider, or want to go 2 up with the kitchen sink onboard, a 640 probably won't do it for ya.

Cheers
Clint

Hiya Clint

Where's yer ride report for yer coast to coast effort?

[clint640]

G'day Oscar, It was a great trip. Give me a couple of weeks & I'll have a report up - my PC at the new job is a bit of a dunger so uploading pics will have to wait until I buy meself a shiny new laptop next payday & get it connected.

Cheers
Clint

[Cary]

With all these adventure bikes surfacing we may have to organise a ride

[Henk]

Stunning idea. Or we could tag along on the Coro ride this weekend and throw the Tapu Coroglen and 309 roads into the mix

[laRIKin]

Hi all other LC4 owners.

I to have a (03) KTM 640E.
Great bike on and off road, maybe better off road.
The 12L tank could be bigger as you get about 180-200k's to a tank. (I'm told)
And the seat is a bit hard for most people.
A sheep skin fixers that, I'm told.
Or you could get it reupholstered.
I have done 200k trip and my butt was OK. (got a hard a$$)
And you can get a larger tank but that costs lots.
And after 200k's on a big single a stop is a good thing. (vibe's)
I think that I will be keeping this bike for a while as it does every thing.
I could see me buying another one in the future.

[clint640]

Hi all other LC4 owners.

I to have a (03) KTM 640E.
Great bike on and off road, maybe better off road.
The 12L tank could be bigger as you get about 180-200k's to a tank. (I'm told)
And the seat is a bit hard for most people.
A sheep skin fixers that, I'm told.
Or you could get it reupholstered.
I have done 200k trip and my butt was OK. (got a hard a$$)
And you can get a larger tank but that costs lots.
And after 200k's on a big single a stop is a good thing. (vibe's)
I think that I will be keeping this bike for a while as it does every thing.
I could see me buying another one in the future.

Oscar & I have the 18 litre tank which gives 350+ km range (mine actually holds 20 litres) I usually leave the 12L tank on as most of my adv riding mates have 12L tanks & we work to their range when planning rides.
The KTM Hardparts 'comfort seat' is apparently only $200 ish which is probably cheaper than a reupholstery job.
How many km's have you got on the bike? - I found the vibes really died away after about the 5000km mark, these things take a while to run in. I've done a few 500+ km days on mine now.

Cheers
Clint

[Badcat]

Hi all other LC4 owners.

I to have a (03) KTM 640E.
Great bike on and off road, maybe better off road.
The 12L tank could be bigger as you get about 180-200k's to a tank. (I'm told)
And the seat is a bit hard for most people.
A sheep skin fixers that, I'm told.
Or you could get it reupholstered.
I have done 200k trip and my butt was OK. (got a hard a$$)
And you can get a larger tank but that costs lots.
And after 200k's on a big single a stop is a good thing. (vibe's)
I think that I will be keeping this bike for a while as it does every thing.
I could see me buying another one in the future.

hey lemans.
i had a 2002 supermoto and bought the comfort seat.
it's totally different, i would thoroughly recommend it.
before - an hour in the seat was all i could do.
with the comfort seat - changed to about 3 hours before the vibes got to me.
$200 sounds about right and you can keep it for your next KTM.

[laRIKin]

Oscar & I have the 18 litre tank which gives 350+ km range (mine actually holds 20 litres) I usually leave the 12L tank on as most of my adv riding mates have 12L tanks & we work to their range when planning rides.
The KTM Hardparts 'comfort seat' is apparently only $200 ish which is probably cheaper than a reupholstery job.
How many km's have you got on the bike? - I found the vibes really died away after about the 5000km mark, these things take a while to run in. I've done a few 500+ km days on mine now.

Cheers
Clint

Hi Clint

But I do not find the vibes that bad. (not $200 bad any way)
My bike has 7500km on the clock and you could be right that the vibes get
better, or you just get use to it.
It's not helped buy the tires that I run.(as off road as I can get and still DOT)
I do not ride the bike on road that much any way and off road I'm standing
most of the time.

What did you pay for the 18L tanks?

I have just cut 4 coils out of my springs (did 3 and last night did another)
As I found the front to soft in the whoops and jumps.
Have you derestricted yours?

[laRIKin]

hey lemans.
i had a 2002 supermoto and bought the comfort seat.
it's totally different, i would thoroughly recommend it.
before - an hour in the seat was all i could do.
with the comfort seat - changed to about 3 hours before the vibes got to me.
$200 sounds about right and you can keep it for your next KTM.

Gidday Badcat

As I do not ride on the road that much so its not a problem.
But if I get a SM as welllllllllll.
I would properly get a better seat.

[XTC]

The vibes on the XT are never intrusive but then the XT has a balance shaft...
I thought before I got it that for road use I may have to find some rubber pegs to fit but there is no need.

[clint640]

Hi Clint

What did you pay for the 18L tanks?

I have just cut 4 coils out of my springs (did 3 and last night did another)
As I found the front to soft in the whoops and jumps.
Have you derestricted yours?

I got the 18L tank thrown in when I bought the bike, so not sure how much.

I've still got heaps of adjustment left on my suspension, I've added 4 clicks over stock comp F&R, & 2 clicks more rebound on the back & she seems to go OK, I'm only 70 kg tho & I ride like a pussy offroad.

In terms of 'derestriction' I've taken off the solenoid switched vacuum bleed from the top of the carb if that's what you mean, didn't notice a big difference. Also I have made up a vented airbox cover, put on an SXC silencer, upped the main jet to 150 & pilot air jet to 47.5 & raised the needle clip to the 4th groove. All this has made a nice improvement - wheelies easier & a few more km/h top speed, sounds good too.

Cheers
Clint