Which 650 to buy?

[tri boy]

Seems no one has ridden a XT660R? Would it be better to have fuel injection over carbs or is it all in the eye of the beholder?

Think marks had one, and maybe bvaut. PM those two.
I'm staying out of this one.
Whatever you get, you'll have to join the Adv assault rides. We are soooooo hardcore

[clint640]

I was asking about the KTM only making sure they are worth the extra $$'s over the Jap brands. Nothing worse than paying more for something when there is a cheaper alternative that is better.....

Is bike weight a huge issue?

Probably the best thing to do now is TEST RIDE!

For me the KTM was definitely worth the extra $$. The light weight & great suspension etc make it more offroadable than the competition, without giving up too much in on road comfort. (yeah they vibe a bit, but that doesn't bug me) That suspension is also nice on road, & the extra grunt doesn't go astray. If you have a look at a KTM 640 & a DR650 side by side it's not hard to see where the money has been spent. So for my money I got a more versatile machine.

Weight is very important if you want to trail ride the thing cos you're going to have to pick it up sooner or later. My 640 is 150kg, a DR is a shade more, they're OK on easy trail rides, but you need to be fit. I've picked up a mate's F650 off him & jaysus feckin' blasphemy that thing was heavy. There's a reason new MX & Enduro machines are around 100kg!

That a mag called 'Australian Road Rider' picked the Pegaso & the F650 is hardly a surprise as they are both at the road bike end of the adv big single spectrum.

Cheers
Clint

[gsp0702]

I have ridden the 660R, still need to compare with a 640 KTM which i will hopefully manage two do in a fortnight or so up in Palmy North. But my thoughts are pretty much as the thread. It seemed a pretty good bike, doesnt make as much power as the 640 (approx 10bhp), suspension i suspect wouldnt be as good, but compared to what i ride at the moment very light and flickable my first experience on a big single and it was fun, revved freely no issues with the fuelling (which i have seen mentioned as problem at low revs) great on back roads and non highway (motorways). In the right colour doesnt look bad just nothing special. Fergus at TSS sang its praises but thats probably because he didnt have a KTM 640 in stock for me to try, all in all a pleasant experience. But having said that i didnt buy one.

Also might be worth reading here for some more infor on XT660's:-

http://yam-xt.com/


Andy

[Ixion]

A point that needs to borne in mind by those in other parts of the country. If you are marooned in dorkland (as the Qks are) you have to tackle at least 100km or so of highway before you get to anywhere interesting for gravel/off road (there are small places closer, but nothing to justify a day let alone a weekend).

Several hundred k on highway needs a bike that (as the OP said) can handle sitting on 120kph.

Add to that roadgoing kit , lights etc, (who wants to have to trailer a bike, makes the whole exercise pointless IMHO), and the result isn't going to be light.

Just can't get round that, I'm afraid.

[Transalper]

.....That a mag called 'Australian Road Rider' picked the Pegaso & the F650 is hardly a surprise as they are both at the road bike end of the adv big single spectrum.

Cheers
Clint

was thinking the same thing after having similar conversations with some of the local experts, you have to look at who is testing them, you also have to take in to account the terrain they were tested on, as in the average trails and ground over here is a bit different to Auss etc.
Example: What's quotes as suspension a little too soft in one country might be just right over here.

[gsp0702]

Just looked at how much you can pick up a 2007 Suzuki DR650 on trademe and its quite a saving over the Yam, about 4k and the specs look similar although carb vs efi, and the Yams some 10-15kg (Dry weight) heavier.

Becomes tough to justify the xtra cost of the yam

[FlangMasterJ]

Won't be long till the new 690's come out

[warewolf]

Won't be long till the new 690's come out

Tease

[cooneyr]

Tease

Yes he is but what have you got to cry about.

Cheers R

[Qkchk:Me]

A point that needs to borne in mind by those in other parts of the country. If you are marooned in dorkland (as the Qks are) you have to tackle at least 100km or so of highway before you get to anywhere interesting for gravel/off road (there are small places closer, but nothing to justify a day let alone a weekend).

Several hundred k on highway needs a bike that (as the OP said) can handle sitting on 120kph.

Youve hit it right on the head Ixion!

Won't be long till the new 690's come out

Dropped into Motoworld Powersports (in Albany) on the way home tonight. Talked to Troy (such a lovely chap) he reckons the KTMs wouldnt be ideal for us due to the fact they are so damn tall! Had a look in @ Haldane in Ellerslie as well and sat on a 08 DR650. They certainly have a hard seat but how can you complain about the price? $7999 + on road is a shitload of bike for your $$. The savings can be well used for accessories and mods (like a gel seat for eg).

One other question came out of my tyre kicking today - Is a DRZ400 worth going for? Has it got enough stonk for road riding and how are they for trails. Sorry if Im going in circles here but if I can get as much info, I can make a better informed decision on what we should be looking at.

[pete376403]

Jeez, I'm like a cracked record on this. '08KLR, '08KLR, '08KLR.
The new ones are a long way improved over the older models in terms of comfort, wind protection, luggage carrying (standard,not aftermarket), brakes, suspension, lighting. Still have the same stone-axe reliablity, large fuel capacity.

And there's nothing cheaper on the road except a DR - but you'll spend more than the difference on a DR getting it to the same level as the KLR. The XT is several thousand more, the BMW Dakar (do they still make them?) is many thousands more.

[cooneyr]

Jeez, I'm like a cracked record on this. '08KLR, '08KLR, '08KLR.
The new ones are a long way improved over the older models in terms of comfort, wind protection, luggage carrying (standard,not aftermarket), brakes, suspension, lighting. Still have the same stone-axe reliablity, large fuel capacity.

And there's nothing cheaper on the road except a DR - but you'll spend more than the difference on a DR getting it to the same level as the KLR. The XT is several thousand more, the BMW Dakar (do they still make them?) is many thousands more.

I'll be a cracked record as well then - trail riding was mentioned. If you want to include some trail riding the KLR is at the wrong end of the scale. No doubt you are correct about DR vs KLR for gravel and sealed roads though.

Had a look in @ Haldane in Ellerslie as well and sat on a 08 DR650. They certainly have a hard seat but how can you complain about the price? ........

One other question came out of my tyre kicking today - Is a DRZ400 worth going for? Has it got enough stonk for road riding and how are they for trails. ......

The DRZ400 is a much better trail bike than the DR650 but it is getting up in height again and they tend to be pretty revvy on the road. From what I know they will pull out to 140kph but they are not really geared for long distance highway running. This could be fixed with new sprockets but it would ruin the trail gearing.

Oh and you complain about the DR650's seat then mention a DRZ400 in the next para. Have a look at a DRZ 400 seat before complaining about the DR650 seat The DRZ400 seat makes the DR650 seat look positively comfy.

Cheers R

[clint640]

I'll be a cracked record as well then - trail riding was mentioned. If you want to include some trail riding the KLR is at the wrong end of the scale. No doubt you are correct about DR vs KLR for gravel and sealed roads though.
Cheers R

I concur. The option of a lower seat on the DR is also a big plus for n00b offroadability, as is the narrower width which makes it easier to get a foot down.

Cheers
Clint

[Ixion]

One other question came out of my tyre kicking today - Is a DRZ400 worth going for? Has it got enough stonk for road riding and how are they for trails. Sorry if Im going in circles here but if I can get as much info, I can make a better informed decision on what we should be looking at.

I tried a DRZ400 before getting the XT (old model, aircooled XT). It would be a better off roader I think, but at motorway speeds it felt like it was thrashing its guts out. Comfortable cruising would only be about 80kph.

Really, for off road, 250cc is the ideal size. But a trail 250 is going to be a sad business on a long haul on seal.

[oldguy]

could try the DRZ400SM I think they are around 10 or 11grand thou.