Which 650 to buy?

[warewolf]

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.

Ya kidding, right? My DR-Z250 was happy cruising at 110, except into a stiff breeze. Judging by the extra grunt I'd expect the 400 to do a lot better than 80. Even the DR200 would zoom along at 110 much of the time.

"Felt like it was thrashing its guts out" can be a red herring though. The 200 had a rough patch in the upper midrange before it came on song in the top end. If you thought that was all it could do you'd be mighty disappointed.

[Ixion]

The operative word was 'cruising'. It would have done more (not my bike so I didn't fancy finding out). But if I have 200km on seal to do each way I certainly don't want to do the whole way in the "upper mid range" , let alone flat out. Another matter if you only need to ride 20 or 30km to get off road. Like I said, it's somewhat of a Dorkland specific problem

[warewolf]

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.

How many hundreds of thousands of times have I told you not to exaggerate?

AKL CBD to bottom of the Bombays is 50km. You can turn off SH1 well before that and cruise out through Runciman or Nikau Rd, etc etc to Tuakau. Cross the Waikato R and you are in adventure territory - without leaving SH22 if you listen to all the down-country moaners on the last Grand Challenge! May not always be gravel but plenty of more interesting options than the main highway.

To the W/NW you hit the beach well before 100km.

One of the joys of adventure bikes, particularly the smaller ones, is keeping the thing zooming. You can't make up for lousy apex speed by cracking the throttle. You make use of the more compliant suspension and become more engaged in 'the ride', same enjoyment, lower number on the speedo.

[warewolf]

The operative word was 'cruising'. It would have done more (not my bike so I didn't fancy finding out). But if I have 200km on seal to do each way I certainly don't want to do the whole way in the "upper mid range" , let alone flat out.

Tain't nothing wrong with cruising in the top end, it's still cruising. The bike's got the revs, why not use 'em??

[awayatc]

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?

Carbs I can fix, fuelinjection I need to go to the dealer....
Carbs use a bit more fuel though...

[Qkchk:Me]

After reading your guys posts, the 400 could be a goer. A 250 is just way to small for us (would ring its neck off) and a 650 could also be the way but might be a tad more work.......... Guess we will have to take them all out for a spin and see want fits the glove.

[Crisis management]

The operative word was 'cruising'. It would have done more (not my bike so I didn't fancy finding out). But if I have 200km on seal to do each way I certainly don't want to do the whole way in the "upper mid range" , let alone flat out. Another matter if you only need to ride 20 or 30km to get off road. Like I said, it's somewhat of a Dorkland specific problem

Ixion, from Hillsborough it's 30 minutes to gravel north of here, 40 minutes to gravel south of here, I can do a beach ride on Muriwai, get stuck in Woodhill and find all sorts of little interesting places to poke around in.
It is a pain getting out of the city, and I envy the likes of Nordie boy in Nelson but there's still a lot of fun to be had without spending more than a few hours on the bike.

Quickies, I think you need to be looking at DR650's unless you want to seriously trail ride, the smaller bikes are ok but if you want to do a decent day of adventure riding on them the 650 is better.
Size wise, I'm 175 cm (5'9") tall, my DR is set as high as possible and I don't have any problems with it, ok it's a bit tippy toeish at some times but nothing you can't work around. If its a real issue, set the rear preload lower and you wont have any problems.

[clint640]

After reading your guys posts, the 400 could be a goer. A 250 is just way to small for us (would ring its neck off) and a 650 could also be the way but might be a tad more work.......... Guess we will have to take them all out for a spin and see want fits the glove.

Yep, definitely ride a few & see what ya like.

Be aware of the seat height on the DRZ400 though. They are narrower than a lot of the big bikes which makes a difference but they're still high, with the chair at 935mm only 10mm shy of a KTM 640 Adv. If you can wait a couple of months for the KTM 690 Enduro pictured above that will be a better bike in every way (apart from a touch less suspension travel) than a DRZ400, at the same weight, with a lower seat height at 910mm. It'll still be higher than a DR650's 890mm std / 865mm lowered though, & it'll cost more of course.

It's a pity there aren't more 400 trail-adventure bikes like the DRZ out there as it's a good size for NZ. Something like an updated e-start XR400 would be a good tool.

Cheers
Clint

[Transalper]

...
Size wise, I'm 175 cm (5'9") tall, my DR is set as high as possible and I don't have any problems with it, ok it's a bit tippy toeish at some times but nothing you can't work around. If its a real issue, set the rear preload lower and you wont have any problems.

Messing with spring preloads is not a good way to adjust ride height since doing that affects handling and after all it's handling that you set the preload for.

[Crisis management]

Messing with spring preloads is not a good way to adjust ride height since doing that affects handling and after all it's handling that you set the preload for.

Reasonable point, but the DR has poor suspension at the best of times and having ridden them with the rear set both soft and hard, I can't see any "handling" problems for adventure riding. On the road it just wallows a bit more when soft but doesn't stop you riding off the edge of the tyres and off road, well, it's a bit soft anyway so a bit less preload just means you bottom out sooner.
Adjusting the preload is an easy way of dealing with seat height tho when you're starting out, if good suspension is a requirement they probably need to be looking at KTM's rather than DRs.

[Transalper]

But the 650 has seat height adjustment available straight out of the box.
Surely you know about the second shock position on the rear linkages and the internal spacer change on the forks, with those features already there I wouldn't want to wind off the spring trying to acheieve the same effect. I've ridden mine with spring at several levels and maybe it's just my imagination but I reckon it made a difference in the dirt.

Do we digress.... DR650 would and is still be my choice. Couldn't go everywhere I take the CRF with the same enjoyment level but can go far enough and I do still enjoy a good all day sealed road run and touring on it.

[Crisis management]

But the 650 has seat height adjustment available straight out of the box.

Correct, but it's a more "permanent" setting change than 5 minutes with a hammer and punch winding off a bit of preload.
My thinking had been that initially they may have some concern over the seat height, it can be a bit daunting if your used to flat footing it everytime, but that after a bit of getting used to the bike the seat height would become less of an issue and the preload would be wound back on. It just seemed a simple way of solving a problem (seat height) that seemed to be a concern at this stage.
Like yourself, I think the DR is great all round bike, and I would hate them to be put off over something like seat height at this stage.

[Bass]

Reasonable point, but the DR has poor suspension at the best of times and having ridden them with the rear set both soft and hard, I can't see any "handling" problems for adventure riding. On the road it just wallows a bit more when soft but doesn't stop you riding off the edge of the tyres and off road, well, it's a bit soft anyway so a bit less preload just means you bottom out sooner.
Adjusting the preload is an easy way of dealing with seat height tho when you're starting out, if good suspension is a requirement they probably need to be looking at KTM's rather than DRs.

How do you make the ride soft or hard with the preload?
It's the same spring, it will move the same amount for the same load CHANGE regardless of where you set the preload.
Now making it high or low, I can understand.
However it also has a progressive linkage and so lowering it (softening it in your terms) actually increases the damping rate and the spring rate. So the real effect is to harden it surely?

Yeah, I know. Pedantic SOB

[Crisis management]

Yeah, I know. Pedantic SOB

I hate pedants, now if Warewolf turns up as well, I'm offing myself.

Putting it in my terms.....if I wind off the lock nutty things under the seat the back of the bike gets lower and sits even more lowrerer (technical term) when my delicate arse gets sat on it so my feet touch the ground easily.

If I do this the up and down suspensiony things still work ok for me and i don't fall off any more than I do now (at least once a day).

Happy now?? I hope it rains in Papakura.......rushes out to do rain dance

[Bass]

Happy now?? I hope it rains in Papakura.......rushes out to do rain dance

Thanks mate, the garden really needs it and if you could send some Ducatijim's way he would be really grateful, cos he needs it even more.

Anyway, just between you and me, I would not be at all surprised if the Quiks end up with a pair of DR's for all the reasons already mentioned. The price is really hard to go past at the moment.

Oh and I can understand why your arse is so delicate since you are still on the standard seat. When I have the Ohlins done, you can take her for another blast and you will be spoiled forever with your arse Corbin cosseted