What to buy? BMW, KTM, or ?

[xcmountain80]

So my dad and I are in the market for an enduro for some road tripin and back roading. I was looking at the BMW f650, and the KTM adventure 950, 990. Need to know the pros and cons maintenance, reliability, and so on.

Aaron

[Scott Brady]

[xcmountain80]

Whats he pop supposed to mean? Didn't you just get a bike or was that someone else.

Aaron

[marc olivares]

2 words...Triumph Tiger...that is all




sorry, i'm a bit bias
i have an 05'
cant get enought of that british love

[xcmountain80]

2 words...Triumph Tiger...that is all




sorry, i'm a bit bias
i have an 05'
cant get enought of that british love

I saw a few of those mixed in with a group of BMW's a couple months back on a group ride at a gas station, there must have been 50 bikes.

Aaron

[Scott Brady]

I do not have a bike yet. No time to ride it. I am interested in others response to this thread.

Hopefully this winter, with a full build and then ride next spring/summer!

[HMR]

You will find every possible piece of info you could ever want on each of those bikes here.

In the meantime... there's a pretty big difference in performance between the F650 and the two KTM's you mentioned. What type of riding would you like to do? Single track? Long stretches of highway followed by some fire roads?

The dualsport market continues to grow every year and it seems there are more choices now than ever.

In addition to the bikes already mentioned, here are some others to consider:

Single-cylinder aka "Thumpers"
KTM 640
Husqvarna TE-610
Suzuki DR650
Honda XR650
Kawasaki KLR650

"Big Twins"
Suzuki V-Strom 650 & 1000
BMW 1200GS & 1200GS Adventure

All of the above are great bikes and have loyal followings. Generally, the twin cylinders (3-cylinder for the Tiger) are "better" for long hauls on the pavement. I've owned the V-Strom 650 (totalled from a high-speed deerstrike), the KTM 950 Adventure and just bought an '07 BMW 1200GS. It's hard to pick a favorite as each bike has it's own niche. Good Luck and keep us posted!

[Flounder]

If you're doing much off road, that KTM is a monster. I'm pretty comfortable with most bikes off road up to 650cc but that KTM 950 would make me a little nervous off road. She's a biggie. I borrowed a buddie's 950 for a few days and while I loved it, I wouldn't want to be on anything other than fire roads with it.

It's all relative. Some guys take their GS1150s off road. No thanks.

[xcmountain80]

I think he was referring to the service schedule, not the service history. The 525 likes fresh oil on a regular basis (something crazy like every 15 or 20 hours . . .).

I'll check that out, thank you.

A

[xcmountain80]

...and see what fits.

Do you have any friends with bikes that will give you the opportunity to try them out? Put some time on each, like a couple of hours or so. Make sure that the seat is comfortable for you. If it hurts after a short ride think of what it will feel after a couple of days. You can get aftermarket seats to take care of that issue. One more farkle for the list.

I like the idea that you and your dad are getting the same bike. Less parts to carry, and just one bike to learn how to maintain.

It has an aftermarket seat (and the original) feeling the difference between the two was proof enough with my hands, my butt thought the aftermarket seat was nice.

Dad and I are not using the same bikes it at least now, but we will se what the future holds. It makes sense to have the same rides for similar spares and tools but again we will see. I plan on outfitting the KLR 650 with panniers and maybe usig a tank bag and back pack (1400 cubic inch or less) on the KTM. I think we can carry less equipment and keep the trip cheap. I found a 3 and 6 gallon tank for the KTM sooo this will be a fast improvement over the stock 2.1 gallon tank.

A