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I'd say the new Versys-X 300 is a pretty good contender to take over the KLR's spot. 35HP EFI P-twin, 386lb wet weight, > 200mi range, 19/17 spoked wheels, and so on...
2023 KTM 890 Adventure R
I was just looking at that. It looks like a decent bike I just wish they'd put real suspension on the front. The rear you can at least upgrade the shock later.
Jeff
I hadn't seen that 300. Gosh, that is pretty sweet. What I wish my DRZ400 were in some ways.
Is it offered in the US?!
Emulators and springs solves the front end concerns. If it's shared with the EX300 there may even be better options thanks to the racing world. Maybe.
Yes it's coming to our shores.
https://www.kawasaki.com/Products/2017-Versys-X-300-ABS
2023 KTM 890 Adventure R
meh 34hp...can't slab optimally...385lbs
actually, ya...that does match up against KLR
FREE $10 UBER CREDIT W' PROMO CODE --> PON41
1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
Whoa, just going to look, the versys650 got really sexy this year. That black one with the little hint of green is sharp. For a street bike, that is...
Cliff's Cycles KTM
NETRA enduro B-vet
Close your eyes, look deep in your soul, step outside yourself and let your mind go.
The [295 lb wet] WR250R cruises easily at 70-75 and people report much higher top speeds.
The CRF250L will *do* 70-75 in a full tuck, but neither rider nor bike are really enjoying that for a long stretch. I would believe the WR is capable of more, but an extra 10hp would go along way at that margin.
-Jared
ZX-4RR, R1200GSW, 701 E/SM, Hyperstrada 821 (FS!)
Cliff's Cycles KTM
NETRA enduro B-vet
Close your eyes, look deep in your soul, step outside yourself and let your mind go.
I've been fairly mortified with the CRF250L. Slower than my DRZ400 and yet still heavier too. I guess it's a solid commuter appliance. But on the excitement scale it's way down there. None of the running gear is that good either. IIRC the front suspension is not externally adjustable in any way, even though it is a modern looking inverted setup.
I think a used DRZ400 is a better move over the 250L. Honda releasing it actually lets me not be so cynic about Suzuki not updating the DRZ in 17 years now.
Kinda yes, kinda no. They'll do it on flat ground, but I wouldn't want to tour with one. Add a hill and you're dropping a gear and pinning the throttle. I can't imagine being happy with them carrying stuff. I consider commuting in a dense metro area on one where speeds stay under 70 to keep costs at a minimum. They get retarded mileage if you're not crazy with them.
Gearing for the woods actually has them cruising easier on the highway but they spin to the moon.
Passing on a 250 is, well passing on a 250. They teach you patience
Last edited by e30addict; 03-15-17 at 08:54 AM.
2012 Tiger 800 XC
Absolutely, yes, much more reliable. Until it breaks. The question for a bike like that isn't really reliability as much as fixability. Yep, FI will get you farther, but *if* it fails, carbs are much more fixable under primitive conditions. As I said, if I expected to have access to civilization, I'd take an FI bike. If I was going to be really out there, I'll go with as simple as possible, with the least electronics that can be had. Few places in the world are like that anymore, so the useful need for a bike like the KLR650 may be coming to an end, but that kind of a bike is still a good option for those few places and times where you're really on your own.
PhilB
"A free man must be able to endure it when his fellow men act and live otherwise than he considers proper." -- Ludwig von Mises
1993 Ducati Monster M900; 265,000 miles -- killed by minivan 30Oct17
I understand the logic here, but I don't think FI is that much less fixable than a carb today. An injector would take up virtually the same real estate in a trekker"s luggage as a carb kit. With proper filter maintenance (fuel and air) both systems should have the same needs: none.
That said, the only guy I've met thats gone the distance (from NH to South America) has done so on that mythical beast the wrr. And every klr I've seen meandering trout the countryside has had parts rattle right off of it.
but alas we're straying further and further from the AT.
Cliff's Cycles KTM
NETRA enduro B-vet
Close your eyes, look deep in your soul, step outside yourself and let your mind go.
If either the KLX250 or DRZ400 were EFI bikes, I'd probably own one instead of the 250L. Of course those carbs are reliable enough, but I still don't want to deal with them. It does *no*t make much power, and if I weighed another 25-40lbs I could easily imagine it going from "yay pin it through the gears" to "man this is pokey." Similar thoughts on the stock suspension; for me it's plush without feeling clapped out. I've also never ridden a real dirt bike, so I just fundamentally don't get it when people complain about its weight. Wish they all came with 3 gallon tanks though.
-Jared
ZX-4RR, R1200GSW, 701 E/SM, Hyperstrada 821 (FS!)