Making a choice...

[GreatWhiteHunter]

Well, here I am again. I'm about a year away from making a choice for my next two wheeler. I have several bikes in mind and I'm not really sure which direction I want to go.

Dirt

Sometimes I think that I'd like to ride more dirt. That means dual-sport. Some people will say that the bike I own is a dual-sport (V-Strom) but that's not what I bought it for and that's not how it's currently kitted. I've put street tires, a huge trunk, monstrous saddle bags and have several pieces of soft luggage that I can use when needed. The wife and I travel quite a bit with this machine so its duties aren't likely to change. So that leaves me wanting a true on-road/off-road machine. Right now I'm thinking of three bikes to fill this need, no they aren't direct replacements for each other and two of them are pure lust machines.

Suzuki DR-Z400 or DR650 - for me these are interchangeable so I see them as one alternative. If this is the choice then it boils down to whichever I can find for less. Neither would stay stock, both would be used for short distance rides and either would carry me well through the woods.

KTM 530 EXC-R - A true street-legal dirt-bike. Fast and fun off-road with a race proven motor. Dead nuts in the middle in the price department.

KTM 950 SE-R - This is pure lust for me, or is it?

Street

I like to play. Sometimes I drive a little faster than I should and I often wonder what it would be like to have a truly amazing handling, pure street oriented, play bike. I'm not talking about a Hyabusa here, that's not my style. But there are a couple players in this field as well.

KTM 990 Adventure S - Fuel injected, off-road capable (somewhat more than the Strom) and reports say that this thing is an absolute riot in the twisties.

KTM 950 SM - Same motor as the SE-R but in SuperMoto trim. I love twins and this motor is one of the lightest, highest output twins made.

Ducati Multistrada 1100 S - I rode the standard 1100 last year and I have to tell you that the motor in this bike is simply amazing. So smooth from idle all the way through red-line that you wouldn't believe it. The difference between the motor/trans in this bike and mine are so many that they cannot be compared. True, the DL1000 uses a detuned version of the TL motor, but this Duc is anything but detuned. Wow, holy wow. I felt like I was on a dirt bike with super sticky tires. It was that much fun. The S adds full Ohlins suspension and many carbon fiber bits for about the price of the rear shock alone, so the S is the better deal, will hold the hghest resale and will offer more smiles per dollar, IMHO.

In case you can't tell, I'm looking for a play bike for me. This bike will probably not be ridden two up and will most likely never be fitted with luggage more than a soft bag or two. I'm looking for something to have fun on I'm just not sure which direction I'll be going. I shared my dilemma with you in the Decisions, Decisions thread in ATV's when I was looking for my next quad, so I thought I'd do it again.

Stay tuned friends, this is going to be fun!

[PJ]

Dual sport.....
The Suzuki's are plentiful usually....
The KTM's are the cream of the crop... but $$$$$
Good thing you have plenty of time to test ride them and make a decision... 

[Phantom]

I'm biased to the DRZ but it depends on what type of trails you will be riding the DR650 is big for the type of riding I do and the DRZ is even a bit heavy according to some guys I ride with.

Parts are cheap and maintenance is low on the Japanese bikes but the KTMs are race ready.

Here is a link to a guys site that is very informative... he reasons that by time you buy a DRZ and "kit it up" for serious woods work you may as well go Orange.
There is the maintenance and parts prices/availability to weigh though.

pachow.com

Personally the DRZ is good enough for me and 99% of the time it does what I need of it, parts are relitively cheap (just did camchain, rails and manual tensioner for $150.00) look up the KTM parts for a similar job

BTW the valve clearance was spot on after god knows how many miles since I bought the bike sans speedo and it was probably ridden hard and put away wet for most of it's life before me.

If you are going to ride the same trails as with the ATV you would be fine with the DR650 and have enough power to cruise the highway at 70-80 with no problem the DRZ I have 14-48 gearing on (stock is 15-44) so it gets a bit buzzy @ 65-70 but road riding is not why I bought the bike to begin with.

[GreatWhiteHunter]

That's why I like this site. You guys are my voices of reason. All valid points, repeated time and again across the airwaves of the Internet.

You're both right of course on the availability of parts/machines for Japanese mounts. I would even argue that a personally kitted machine would be better than an equally priced machine of a different flavor only because you built it for your specific needs. You tested it, changed it, tested it again and perfected it for your riding style and ability. Not to mention that paying for it over time could mean no money lost on interest charges.

There's one thing that neither of you touched on however. The one thing that I've been thinking more and more about over time. I want a bike that moves me. Not just across the ground and through the woods, but one that stirs my soul. I felt something when I test rode that Multi and I felt it again today when astride the SE-R. When you get a rush just sitting on a bike, that has to mean something.

[Kawazuki]

I have been looking at the DR650 also........

[dirtdame]

KTM's are light, fast and dependable, but as noted . . .  BIG bucks! 

What about the Honda XR or XL 650?  I think its about 359 lbs which isn't bad for a 650,  but for proven reliability, cost, weight and handling I think the DRZ wins. 

I go for my motorcycle license next weekend so I might be in the market for a D/S as well.  Depends on my tax refund check.  Also been thinking about a 4 wheeler.  Maybe I should just bank the $$. 

Naaaaaah!!!

[highgear]

Get the ktm. I've owned both a drz and a 450 ktm.

[ajd187]

Comes down to reliability and how you will use the bike.

I used to own a DRZ and it was used for everything from MX to road riding on the interestate.  It was OK at both tasks but great at neither.

However it was rock solid reliable and never needed anything but an oil changes.

[Rather-B-Riding]

ok, here's my take on the whole thing, and believe me, i am biased.
if you are looking for a great street bike and you mentioned the multi-strada,
take a look at the ducati monsters. you want a bike that has character, style, and
the muscle and handling to back it up, you can't go wrong.

if you are looking for a dirt machine, i don't think you can wrong with KTM.
but they are a little on the tall side. the only thing i have about the dual sports is
that 99% of the time they are more biased towards the street and about the most off-road
they will handle is some of the light gravel and dirt roads, nothing too serious (read: boring).

there are plenty of great bikes out there... since it sounds like for the street though, you are looking for fun,
check out some of the other naked bikes, Kawasaki Z1000, Honda 919, etc....
but i would still try to steer you towards the monster. if you are any bit mechanically inclined, you should check out the Monster competition. that bike is a blank canvas just waiting for someone to let loose some creativity and with some minor mods can really be awakened to live up to its namesake.
if Rage is still around, he can verify it for ya.....

[Phantom]

I'd have to argue the piont about a D/S bike being boaring and only good for dirt/gravel roads.

With the right tires and gearing they can be a pretty good machine.

[GreatWhiteHunter]

Rather-B,

You bring up some great bikes and you mention that one or two of them are tall, for me that's a pre-requisite. I'm 6'6" with a 36" inseam. Hard to find bikes that fit me. I'd love to get a sport bike or one of the smaller, naked Duc's but that's just not in the cards.

Dual sport KTM's are the real deal. These bikes are dirt-bikes with signal lights. That's why they're so damn appealing. :-)