Bike Suggestions

[Storz]

With gas prices continuing to rise and my Rover getting an awesome 15mpg I've started thinking about buying a motorcycle. In 2004 I purchased a brand new SV650 and put 10,000 miles on it in 6 months, absolutely loved that bike. I did a supermoto demo day and was instantly hooked, I traded the SV for a DRZ400-SM, which I managed to put 6500 miles on it in short order.

However I sold it all before moving to NC as money was tight and we had a wedding and a move coming up within a month of each other. I've missed riding ever since!

I'm looking at getting an older adventure type bike and using it for riding to work (40 mile round trip) and exploring the mountains here in NC. I've really never looked too much into this type of bike, and won't have a lot of $$ to spend (figure under 2500). Any suggestions on what to look for? Is the XR650 street legal from the factory? I know they have an awesome reputation, what about an older TransAlp? Are the older KLR650 and DR650s decent bikes?

I am open to just about anything.

Thanks!

Couple pictures of the past bikes...

 

[deminimis]

The XR650R did not come out of the factory as a street legal bike. I had one it it was great, but its kick start only. Mine sucked on pavement but it made for one of the best deserts bikes ever, in my humble opinion.

Now, I've got a '07 KLR for sale in the classifieds, so keep that in mind in case I'm being biased, but a KLR sounds about perfect for what you want to do. The KLR is basically a reliable tractor. Not sexy in any way, just very reliable. They are something of a jack of all trades, master of none kinda bike in my opinion. Just a good all-arounder. They are relatively cheap and there's a ton's of aftermarket support as well. Good commuter bike and a good bike on those dirt roads too.

Can't really comment on the other bikes you mentioned.

 

[Marcie's Disco]

Bang for the buck, it is very hard to argue against a KLR-650. Not at all sexy but they can do it all...that's their strength. As mentioned above the aftermarket is abundent. A benefit of a prolific aftermarket is that is you find used farkles for pennies on the dollar. A KLR will get you an inexpensive bike capable of reasonable commuting, weekend trailing and with a luggage system, multi-month travel. It's a Swiss Army Knife on two wheels.

 

[Cabrito]

Another biased KLR rider here. Tons of parts available, and you can get them cheap. I think they are sexy as heck.

I’d stay away from the older Transalp unless you are a Transalp fanatic. Limited support for that bike, and if you get an older one that was neglected you could have lots of problems. Finding one in good shape and cheap might also be difficult. Don’t get me wrong – I love the Transalp, and have always wanted one. I was always a big fan of the mid 80’s V Honda’s and, owned three of the V45 Sabre’s. The cooling system gave me fits on one of them because of neglect.

The BMW 650GS are getting cheaper all the time so that might also be a decent option.

Edit: The DR650's are solid bikes from what I hear, and you seem like a Suzuki guy..

 

[deminimis]

Another biased KLR rider here. Tons of parts available, and you can get them cheap. I think they are sexy as heck.

I gots ur sexy right here:

I mean, there's nothing sexier than a pair of hot twins under you.

 

[MarcFJ60]

The XRR was not street legal from the factory, but the XR650L is street legal (and more common than the XRR, I believe).

The general consensus with the big Japanese thumpers is the XRL is the most dirt worthy, then the DR, then the KLR. Street comfort would be the reverse. In addition, the DR seems to fit smaller riders better, while the KLR and XRL work a bit better for bigger riders. But everybody is different, so don't take any of that as gospel. Based upon that picture on the DRZ, I'm guessing your fairly tall.

I guess I'm biased toward the DR for the riding I do, but I am also 5'8". That being said, I personally think the KLR is really the only true "Adventure" bike of the three right out of the box (with the bigger tank and better seat). The others can be made into (even better IMHO) "Adventure" bikes, but need at the very least bigger gas tanks. You likely want a better seat or other solution (I'm sure you remember your DRZ seat - I know I'll never forget mine!). In addition, and I'm not certain of this, but I'm not sure how stout the XRL subframe is if you wanted to add rear bags. But I might be thinking of the XRR.

I think you would be hard pressed to find an F650 for $2500, but that would be another option. And yes, that KTM is sexy. But it ain't $2500 either.

 

[Storz]

Thanks for the great info Marc, I am going to start poking around a bit to see what KLR prices are like locally and go from there. Hopefully I'll be back on two wheels this summer

 

[Marcie's Disco]

Thanks for the great info Marc, I am going to start poking around a bit to see what KLR prices are like locally and go from there. Hopefully I'll be back on two wheels this summer

Not sure how far you are willing to travel to pick up a scoot but I have poked around the Atlanta, Ga Craigslist for the past 12 months and have seen fantastic deals on KLR-650s. Where many cities have one or two for sale, the ATL has a handfull and in various levels of mileage and farklization.

Not mentioned yet but popular concensus is to stay away from the 2008 models. They are said to have oil consumption issues. Just like Isuzu Troopers, not every one is an oil hog but a high enough percentage to discount the 2008s from consideration unless you are willing to do the top end as a preventitive measure. A few hours reading on ADV can give you all the info that can possibly be digested on the subject.

 

[Capt Sport]

Hey Storz,

Why not get another DRZ? The DRZ 400S is a great bike, I just picked up a used 2006 with only 2K miles on it for $2900. If you look around you can find some good deals on some nice bikes.

Mine is a blast on paved canyon roads, almost as much fun as your old SM. It rolls along at 65-70 really well. And, offroad it goes where I point it without complaint. The only thing that'd make it better is to change the tires. I'm still running the Trail Wings which aren't the best off road. But overall it's a great bike, and there are lots of them around. So, you should be able to get a good deal on one.

Good luck and enjoy what ever bike you decide on.

 

[Storz]

Def looking into DRZs as well, I loved my SM and really, really wish I had never sold it. I would go with another one again in a heartbeat, but want something for dirtroads/offroad as well. I didn't realize they had dropped that much in price though, thanks for the heads up.

 

[WU7X]

transalps

There is a guy in one of the Carolinas that rebuilds Transalps, then sells them on Advrider.com. I think if you look through the past year's bike sales pages you can find him. From what i hear, he does outstanding work.

Those bikes are workhorses and if taken care of properly should last a life time. That old Honda engine, although carburated, is SWEET.

For what it's worth, I bought an '02 BWM F650GS Dakar a little over a year ago, and I love it. A bit heavy, but you can ride it around the world and still find parts for it wherever you go. Even the older ones are still selling a bit above your price quote though. And remember, bikes are like mistresses; you'll end up spending much more than you thought just farkling it up. :bike_rider:

 

[Capt Sport]

Storz,

Look for an S model DRZ, they're the dual sport version, slap on some dirt tires and they're great offroad. Granted they'll never be a KTM, but for the $$$ and reliability they're hard to beat. I love mine and it's still stock, and I've had it up some pretty difficult trails. Check out the DRZ thread on Advrider, there's tons of info on set up etc over there. Also, check out Thumper talk. Both great resources no matter what bike you decide on for the purposes your looking.

http://www.suzukicycles.com/en/Prod.../DR-Z400/2011/DRZ400S.aspx?category=dualsport

http://www.thumpertalk.com/

http://www.advrider.com/

Mods: Not sure if it's cool cross linking forums but if not feel free to remove and let me know. Just trying to help out.

 

[Storz]

Thanks for the links, I've been a member over on ThumperTalk since I had my first DRZ

 

[RabidRover]

Best bang for your buck is a KLR. If you find one with the doo-hickey changed, the bike will run forever. I love my BMW but based on what you are looking for, it sounds like the KLR fits the bill and will cost you considerably less at time of purchase and maintaining going forward. My dad has a first generation KLR and loves it. If you look at the second generation, be careful of the first year as some of the bikes loved their oil :coffeedrink:

 

[rctr03]

i have an 09 klr that i paid 4,200 out the door last fall. love it!