Adv. People, bike advice

[MysteriousR1]

I am looking to possibly buy a Adventure bike in the next few months. I have been looking around and theres not to much to chose from. Am looking for a bike that can do long distance with some dirt roads tossed into the mix. Am not looking for a powerhouse but something with a little kick to it. Proven reliabilty is probably one of the biggest things that I would want in a bike. Also one that is comfortable to stand up and ride.

I have been eyeing the BMW F800GS, but have heard of some poor reliabilty? The KLR650 just seems a bit to....unrefined for a lack of words. I have found that I am looking for a bike that mimicks my KTM Motard with the ability for long rides and some degree of comfort. What a limited market out there for these.

So what would your dream Adv. bike be?

[sandman]

how much do you want to spend?

for the money it's hard to beat a 06 or earlier tiger.


btw:i have my dream adv bikes.

for long distance and more road than dirt it's a gsa.

for more dirt than road its a 950 se

i looked at the 800gs, but it didn't really do anything for me and it's top speed sucked.

with all the acc the se is just about perfect. 240+ mile range on a tank and almost more hp than the rear tire can deal with.

for me the gsa needs at least 40 more hp

[gregp]

Wait for the new Triumphs?

[gregp]

..or maybe a V-Strom 650 with an XR400 front end?

[Chippertheripper]

Ktm 950/990 adv. Just enough scoot to make ya smile when you whack it, all day comfy, and with some more aggressive tires; the ability to go anywhere. Or wait for the yammy super tenere, like me.

[NobodySpecific]

I would wait for the new Triumph that's coming out. Since I bought my Sprint I'm completely sold on the triple engine, and it seems like it's going to be very off-road capable. If I ever buy an adventure bike that will likely be it.

[markbvt]

+1 on waiting for the new Triumph, if you don't mind waiting till next spring.

If you're looking for a bike for the rest of this season, just pick up a used V-Strom 650. Great handling, excellent reliability, good gas mileage, sufficient power. A new set of fork springs and fresh fork oil help the front end a lot. Turning it into a Thin-Strom helps even more (do a search in the Beasts subforum on ADVrider).

Another option might be an older BMW F650GS Dakar.

--mark

[R7]

Find one to test ride first. Something tells me YOU are not going to be happy flogging a bike down some dirtroads that weighs 1.5 times your R1

[Wanderer]

Honestly, they're all pretty good machines. F800, R1200, Strom, KTM.

Must admit I'm very interested to see what the new Triumph looks like though.

[Garandman]

I am looking to possibly buy a Adventure bike in the next few months. I have been looking around and theres not to much to chose from. Am looking for a bike that can do long distance with some dirt roads tossed into the mix. Am not looking for a powerhouse but something with a little kick to it. Proven reliabilty is probably one of the biggest things that I would want in a bike. Also one that is comfortable to stand up and ride.

I have been eyeing the BMW F800GS, but have heard of some poor reliabilty? The KLR650 just seems a bit to....unrefined for a lack of words. I have found that I am looking for a bike that mimicks my KTM Motard with the ability for long rides and some degree of comfort. What a limited market out there for these.

So what would your dream Adv. bike be?

Cliff Notes: If you are looking for something that is stone cold reliable, easy to work on, fun to ride, upright riding posture, and the ability to go on dirt roads, the Suzuki V-Strom DL650 or DL650A (ABS) is a popular choice.

I had a 2006 KLR 650. It has some pluses but is not great on street or off. Like many others I migrated to a DL650.




The Suzuki DR650 is generally considered better off-road and higher quality compared to the KLR. The Suzuki DR-Z400 is more capable on trials while still being able to travel at highway speeds but isn't something you're going to be able to cruise on for hours at 80mph with luggage.

The F800GS has a 21" front wheel, so it's better off roads. The F650GS has the same 800cc engine. They seem to be through a lot of the initial build quality problems they had, though they are not top tier in reliability. I looked at them both before buying my 09 V-Strom DL650 ABS (the 2005 I had did not have ABS).

The V-Strom has a 19" front and 17" rear. Suzuki wisely used the same tire size as the GS1200, so there were (and are) a ton of DOT knobbie, 50/50, 80/20, 90/10, and road-only tires available. The tire issue really set back bikes like the "pretenders" like the Versys and Buell Ulysses, which have 17" fronts and almost no dual-sport rubber available. I favor Metzeler Tourances.

Dirt roads like this are no problem.


For most people.....


While this made me turn around....


But there are tons of accessories available.


It's fun to ride just about anywhere.


And kid approved.


And they are less than $8K new and usually $4,000 to $5,000 used. The DL650 is more popular because it is lighter, better on soft surfaces, smoother, and cheaper to buy new. As a result, the used prices for a DL1000 are about the same as the DL650, but no ABS is available.

Popular sites are the Beasts section of Advrider.com, stromtrooper.com, and VSRI.info. V-Strom owners are considered to be one step back from a cult.....

[DoubleRGirl]

have you looked at huskies?

[Ducrappy]

I love my F800GS. I've never had any issues with it, and I think it's a blast to ride (on and off pavement).

The reliability issues that you've probably read about seem to have been taken care of with model year 2010. I have a 2009 and have had all of the issues taken care of by the dealership before they became a problem.

I also test rode: Moto Guzzi Stelvio, BMW 1200GS, and Triumph Tiger 1050.

The Stelvio is an interesting looking bike and cheaper than the 1200GS, but it doesn't seem to have enough power for its size, and theres a ton of vibration in the bars.

The 1200GS is a fun bike, but I like the feel of my 800GS over the 1200. The 1200 feels huge compared with the 800.

The Tiger 1050 is a very fun bike, but it's much more road oriented. It has more than enough power and great ergos, but I wouldn't feel comfortable taking it on gravel or dirt.

If I were buying this year or next, I would check out the F800GS, Multistrada, Triumph Adventure, and possibly the Aprilia Tuareg.

My advice is to take as many test rides on as many bikes as possible and find the right one for you. The great thing about the euro bikes is that the dealers tend to be great with test rides, unlike all of the Japanese shops around me.

[Ducrappy]

i looked at the 800gs, but it didn't really do anything for me and it's top speed sucked.

This is a very relative statement. I've had my 800gs up to 100 mph easily. Do you really want to go faster than that on an adv bike? If so, you may want to look at a sport touring rig instead.

[Garandman]

So, what did you get?

[MysteriousR1]

09 KTM 450exc. Love it. Their just isnt a bike in the Adv. market that really jumped out at me. So I went for a dirtbike that has a registration. Dont see myself looking back at that decision for a while.

The challenge of learning off-road riding is another aspect that I love about the bike. Considering I have never really ridden another dirt bike, the challenge of learning it is fun!

[R7]

It's to clean..and i don't see any tire studs yet?

[theothersean]

http://www.google.com/url?url=http:/...cTwD7RYWKmDZDA


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=A0d3B7MPqUg

just convert your R1 it would be a bad ass adv bike

[theothersean]

I guess the biggest thing to figure out what exactly you want to do with it .

I had a v strom 1000 that I started out using as only a pavement bike, then started exploring dirt roads with it , and it was well suited for it , but when I started going into the 2 track I found it to be heavy and difficult to pick up when I encountered gravity , hard to steer in the loose stuff, I then went to the klr, I have found it to do all that I have asked of it , I do not do single track with it but it does well on 2 track. it is like a swiss army knife , it will do it all but not well .

every tool in the army knife is functional but a stand alone knife is a better blade, a stand alone screw driver is better , you get the idea .

you will not get 1 bike to do it all well , but there are some out there that will do waht you want if you are honest with your self up front what you expect from the bike .


if you want to do a lot of pavement / dirt roads , or higher speeds ie over 60 mph than go for the gs1200, tiger 1000 or newer 1050 gs 800

if you want to go exploring 2 track , dirt roads, don;t mind slower speeds ie 60 mph and under than go for the smaller bikes KLR650 , dl650 etc.

I have found that I get more excitement out of being off road explloring , or on a dirt road breaking free in the corners at 40 - 50 mph than I did doing tripple digits on a sport bike . but thats me , everyone has their own thrill factor .

also if you want good information start searching around on ADV

http://advrider.com/