INDEX (extra notes further down) 0:58 Royal Enfield Himalayan 1:55 Kawasaki KLR650 2:28 Honda CB500X 3:09 Kawasaki Versys 650 3:49 Suzuki V-strom 650 4:38 Yamaha Tenere 700 5:17 KTM 890 6:20 Triumph Tiger 900 6:58 BMW F850GS FURTHER NOTES As clearly stated in the intro this is just about bikes between 175 to 220kg (385 to 485lb)! Viewers are asking why I didn't include the DRZ400, KTM 690, DR650, XR650L and SWM 650... these were all in our lightweight adventure bikes vid here: ua-cam.com/video/lsorI76PBYc/v-deo.html CORRECTIONS: The BMW's weight is actually 229kg according to BMW, the source we used was incorrect and was actually the 'dry' figure. KAWASAKI VERSYS WEIGHT? The green 650 appears to be 216kg wet weight, not 206kg. The sources we used appear to be incorrect. Himalayan owners are advising the seat isn't too hard. The problem is it's too soft so you feel the hard base of the seat! KLR650 owners point out that heavy oil consumption still occurs with sustained running at over 5500 RPM (80mph or 130kmh). Chinese made engines for BMW: Some find it hard to believe BMW uses Chinese made engines for some models. Info straight from BMW's site: "the Chinese manufacturer Loncin has been producing... engines for the BMW F 750 GS and F 850 GS. In addition, the midsize scooters BMW C 400 X and C 400 GT roll off the production lines here." www.bmwgroup-werke.com/berlin/en/unser-werk/internationale-produktion.html For the pedants, yes 'Himalayan' is misspelt in the graphics as 'Himilayan'. It should actually be 'ɦɪmɐːləjɐ' in Sanskrit. Subscribe for weekly adventure & dual sport vids! English not your first language? Heaps of subtitles... Safety & protective gear vids bit.ly/3BmKeGE Our dual sport & adv ride vids bit.ly/3HTdvvl Bike & product reviews bit.ly/3BrnVjq The more bizzare side! bit.ly/34ZschR The more philosophical side bit.ly/3v9nKYX Riding across Vietnam bit.ly/3pej9Rt DR650 project vids bit.ly/3gQEStP Check out our other channels too... Cross Training Enduro bit.ly/3Jncax4 Cross Training Trials bit.ly/3uUjwEm
You missed perhaps the best looking, torquey-ist and most fun adv bike in this category: Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC OR XE. Having gone from a Super Tenere and KTM 690 to one, I can vouch for it's amazing blend of freeway comfort mixed with superb dirt capabilities.
I ride an 06 Vstrom 650 and love the bike. It is trouble free and easy to work on yourself except as you mentioned the air filter is poorly placed under the gas tank. I am fairly short at 5'7" so this plays in to my choice as well but i mainly use the bike on road as any good riding areas local to me are still 2-3 hours away. Your videos are great, keep them coming.
Glad you are enjoying the Wee-strom, Scott! The test bike is my brother's and he just makes sure he's never riding in someone's dust so he'll probably only have to do the dreaded air filter every two years or so.
@@Badhagis at 5'7" the bike seems setup pretty well for me. The windscreen never bothered me although I switched to a table givi sport touring windscreen about a year ago. I now have a madstad bracket which makes the stock windscreen much better.
I think one very important issue when it comes to adv bikes is how the weight is distributed. I’m not a very experienced off road rider. I had a hard time handling my tenere 700 due to its top heavy character. I therefore changed to the ktm 890 adv R because of the low center of gravity
I own a 2017 KLR 650, have been extremely pleased with it. The bang for the buck is hard to beat. I also have a 2014 Multistrada which I wouldn't dare take near a gravel rd, the KLR is perfect for that. Reliable, simple to operate own and maintain (oil and filter change and chain service takes about 15 minutes and that is about all it needs.)
@@bryanreilly4117 The "doohickey" is not the main problem, the counter balance chain guides wearing and chain stretch is whats causing the "doohickey" too fail. They did update the chain guides. Eagle Mike is driving that sales pitch for the mod (and why wouldn't he, the new KLR is selling like hot cakes), doing the mod after warranty wont hurt, BUT if you check your guides and chain at 10K and replace them at 15-20k then the "doohickey" shouldn't fail. Sure some will, but I feel they are probably around the less than 2% mark.
Had both the 790 Adventure R and I now got the 890 Adventure R Rally. No issues and very happy. The engine is extremely well made, and the weight distribution of the bike makes the bike feel like a driving a big EXC.
I personally think the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled is also worth looking at. It has 19/17 wheels, 72hp twin cylinder with EFI, 209kg and 200mm suspension front and rear. Only downside is the small 13,5L tank and the single throttle body. The wheels are also easily upgraded to 21/18 by lacing on bigger rims onto the hubs. The bike has enough clearance for it. It's my personal favorite and probably my next bike (including a second set of wheels in 21/18 for the rough stuff).
Welcome to our dodgy channel! In this age of social media influencers making money out of promoting crap, we are more critical of the manfufacturers than most. Check out our vids below... Adventure bike & product reviews bit.ly/3DpEKxk Motorbike safety & protective gear bit.ly/3Dpb438 Motorbike setup bit.ly/3Dpb6rM DR650 project series bit.ly/3XOsPRK And finally our most popular videos... Best lightweight adventure bikes? ua-cam.com/video/lsorI76PBYc/v-deo.html Best midweight adventure bikes? ua-cam.com/video/LmhL_u8s8HA/v-deo.html The midlife crisis solution! ua-cam.com/video/LRQyEBY5YjQ/v-deo.html
I've had a 790 ADV R for almost two years now and I can safely say I have no major complaints. The bike has done everything I've asked it to do and then some. Currently, my only "complaint" is that my fuel guage has gone out. The bike still works though and I can counter that issue by resetting a trip meter after each fill up, knowing my fuel capacity, and watching my average MPG. There is the cold start issue that I've heard a lot of 790s have, but that I chalk up to it coming lean from the factory. It's been a great bike, and it's my first bike. It's gotten me through some fairly technical offroad which while challenging, I had total confidence the bike would get me through it. I also did a trip to Arizona from the Mid-Atlantic this summer that took about five weeks total. The bike had one major failure where the after market clutch I installed burned out the pressure plate. This is something I figure is my fault seeing as I never had any dragging or slipping with the stock clutch. The 790 is also resonably easy to pick up. When I was in Texas and doing some single track in soft sand, the front tire bit on a birm suddenly and tossed me down. As long as you do the pickup where you turn your back to the bike, it's pretty easy, even in soft, loose, sand. The bike is also extremely easy to work on. With a 10mm ratchet, T30, T25, and the occasional T27, you can basically disassemble the entire thing. It's got a seat that's about as soft as a 2x4 but as long as you don't ride longer than say 90 minutes at once, it's not much of an issue. The suspension is pretty stiff from factory so you'll get a lot more road feedback, especially when you put really stiff tires on. The gears also feel relatively short, but that's also likely due to how I ride - generally trying to keep it below 5k RPM when on the road. I even road through an entire winter on the bike, going out when it was 25 F on more than one occasion. With the opptional grip heaters, I was able to get through relatively short rides (45 minutes or less one way) with just summer rain gloves as long as the heaters were on fully blast. The 790 ADV isn't a perfect bike, but it's a damn good one. It does cost more than other bikes of a similar caliber but it's a lot cheaper and more reliable than the BMWs, plus it has no specialized tools needed to do most work. If you're getting to a point where specialized tools are needed, then you're either way deeper than you should be or you're a mechanic - the average rider will have everything they need to work on the bike as long as they've got a set of metrics.
KTM has always been good with ensuring you only need a few tools to work on the bike... unlike many other manufacturers. I'm glad you've had a good run with it so far, I'm sure many have. But there have been some horror stories too. KTM say the 890 will probably be made in China at some point so we are all hoping we don't see constant quality control issues popping up.
I have two 790's. Both brought at the same time with the same amount of kms. Both have had the usual KTM recalls done. One I've had no problems with. The other one has been in for the black dash, rear brake light staying on and also has been in twice to get the TPS reset, it's been fixed twice and and keeps going out of adjustment so it won't start cold without throttle. I love the bike, perfect for me, just some issues they need to get sorted out.
i am a total orange bike fanboi for 20 years now , id be the guy arguing with everyone saying they were unreliable a few years ago ......... ive had 7 but wont be getting #8 likely ever unfortunately
@@justsomedude445 I started riding KTM's back when people had never herd of them, I also worked as a mechanic in a KTM dealership. Since I left the dealership I have kept in close contact with some of the staff. After the things I hear, That's why I'll be changing to another manufacture. It's a shame, they use to be awesome bikes. Now just over priced and unreliable.
@@muddyfilms2632 LoL me 2 bought my first one mid 1990's...and yes the first 5 i had were reliable as anvils but they were also 1cyl and not fuel injected.? it breaks my heart to list all the crap ive had to do over and over on my 1090r ! i love the bike when its working right but i think a huge part of my problem is that my local dealerships svcs dept sucks bad and thats putting it mildly so i have to take it 2-3 hours away to be serviced unless i want to get it back worse than when i gave it to them , literally every time ive tried them even basic maintenance theyve managed to f//ck it up royally
@@muddyfilms2632 which also makes me mad because i am the most buy locally guy you would ever meet i never buy online what i can buy from a locally owned business and i do NOT go to walmart ever but im in a small town so in order to avoid this dealership i am forced to take my business out of town
I wanted to buy T7 but when I tried it it was too high for me. So I bought CB500X. Great bike. Went to enduro race one time. Just test run on first day. And I made it. I was very impressed. Would be even better with knobby tires (had TKC 70 at that time)
My final bike probably will be T7. But now i will be more than happy with cb500x. Because what i have learn in this life: You can't run before learned properly to walk. i am a beginner and it will takes alot of time to learn proporly my limits. Greetings from Sweden
I have a 2008 Versys 650 which has done over 100,000 km and still goes well and starts first crank every time. It is a fun bike. :) I take it on dirt roads very happily, but am cautious on rough sections. I've tried so many different 90/10 and 80/20 tyres - currently Shinko e705 (with a 170/60 rear). The tyre sizes limit your options but you can go with a 150/70 or 170/60 rear.
I owned a the v strom 650 xt for a year. As the review states, it was a heavy bikee and difficault to man handle. A lovely bike to ride and lowering kits available. Mpg wasnt great at around 60mpg. Seat was ok for 2hr rides, then needed a rest. No mechanical issues, lovely sound. Plenty of power. I'm going cb500x next.
I've ridden my dads 650 Vstrom a lot. It's heavy, ground clearance is minimal and at 60 k km it starts to show its age (2008, locks start to crumble and display is not fully working, seat is really getting hard). But it's such a nice bike for the road with a bomb proof and smooth but punchy engine. I used to take it for small trails and really push it to its limits and I had so much fun. Just needs good tires and maybe lighter sprocket ratio. Turning it in small space is tricky. Then dad got tired of bent skid plates and scratched plastics and made me stop. If it would have some more ground clearance I would buy it and strip it to its lightest. 650's engine is just awesome and makes enough power to hit rr tracks too so with good tires it's pretty much ultimate all rounder despite suspension is not really adjustable. I've got my self a G450X which is kind of odd bird, but suspension is good enough for MX tracks too. I'm dreaming of changing it to something lighter and maybe buy some old Super Tenere or GS or Africa Twin and lighten it up to its bare bones for ultimate all rounderism. Cause just can't afford T7 or 790.
I just bought a 2010 BMW f650gs, which actually has the same 800cc twin engine as the f850gs, just detuned a bit. While it's not suited for single track it handles very well on dirt roads and is considerably lighter than the f850gs at about 450 lbs with gas. The seat height is lower at 32 inches. More tech than I'm used to, but not too much. Love the switchable ABS and the gear indicator on the computer display, which also reads gas remaining, outside temp, various trip meters and some other features I'm still discovering. Also impressive is that at 22,000 miles when I bought it the computer and other features still work. When you're doing 40 mph on a dirt road it feels like 20mph, and it's fairly nimble. A good buy on the used market here in the US.
It would be interesting to see if your 2010 model actually had German made electronics, hence it all still working? With Chinese made engines in recent models, I'm guessing the electronics have probably gone the same way... wonder if they are still reliable?
Great comparison vid! I have owned by Vstrom 650XT for almost two years and love it. Spot on about highway comfort and dirt road capabilities. I ride 5 miles to hit pavement and my 650XT does great on dirt /gavel, but nothing aggressive. OK of some mild Jeep trails at low speed and being careful about ground clearance. I LOVE this bike for commuting, some short trips I've taken (nothing interstate yet). Power, handling, gas mileage (average over 60 mpg when riding very mildly). I'm 6'3" and 215 lbs and find this bike so very easy to ride. I did lower the foot pegs and added wider ones for standing. Also added 2 inch Pivoting Rox Risers bar risers, T-Rex crash bars. (My XT model came with a lightweight Givi skid plate - OK for light bumps, but not very think/strong. OEM tires are doing very well for my purposes, but plan to upgrade to Mitas E07s (which I have on my Versys X300) or possibly the new Dunlop Trailmax Missions when my OEM tires are worn. Seat is one of the best factory seats I've been on! Thanks again for your great vids!!! Geezer Wheels in SW Colorado (Yes, I'm a geezer, will be 74 soon.)
Great to hear it's worked out for you... and that you're still into riding in a big way. I'm a few years behind you but hope to plug away for many years yet!
@@crosstrainingadventure You truly amaze me. You have over 57K subscribers and this video is 11 months old, yet you replied to my comment the next day! Keep up the good work!!!
Will do. I try to at least read every comment. I find it a bit dissapointing that many channels don't even bother looking at comments, they tend to be in it just for the money unfortunately.
Combining dub techno background music with sarcastic jokes and honest information about adventure motorcycling: Probably the best thing you could do for mankind. I am for ever thankful.
Had a 650 vstrom for about 7 years, took it to crazy places offroad (slowly and carefully). Now on a T7 and it is like a 250 enduro by comparison offroad, it is superb, far better on and offroad. The 1 thing you maybe missed was how the weight is carried, some, definitely the vstrom, carry the weight real high.
It's a real problem with the V-strom, even worse with the Versys 650. I was looking at my brother's V-strom yesterday and if they rerouted the second exhaust header they could probably lower the engine quite a bit more and keep that weight down low.
@@crosstrainingadventure Agreed. I just saw a guy from the middle of europe doing some proper deep sandy hills on his vstrom 650. When I said I couldnt believe a vstrom could do it, the story came out... 21" front wheel etc etc etc :) The T7 still eats it for breakfast on or off road though ;)
Great overview. Thanks, also for the known issues. Further things to compare could be Service costs and petrol consumption (Travel range). Other than that, this helps a lot for decision making.
Cheers Stef. I did think about those two criteria but unfortunately the service costs vary from country to country. And I'm not really sure how much I could trust the claimed fuel economy figures of the manufacturer...
I think you are all forgetting the real deal: The BMW R 100 GS Paris Dakar! Same weight as the F850 GS. If you put the Siebenrock Big Bore kit on the engine you get 70 horses while gaining 35% torque as well as double ignition which lowers the fuel consumption by another litre. All that while having a 37 litre tank. And the best thing: you can repair the bikes everywhere because every tool is easily obtainable and they've build modular engines from 1969 to 1996 so you can swap the engines, the heads, nearly everything and after some tinkering you can still get them running.
I have the T7 and I love it! Really fun bike to hooligan around town on and does great on the dirt. A person really adept at dirt riding will probably have to throw some money at the suspension but for my skill level (intermediate) I just swapped out the rear spring to a heavier one which was $100 . The stock spring is just too light for most westerners (I’m 185lbs). I’m 6’0 (182 cm) and can easily put both balls of my feet down. I’m not particularly strong but I am athletic and have no problem picking my bike up in most instances., even done it against an incline. My only gripe is the seat for me isn’t very comfortable for long rides….but there are solutions for that.
I wan't caning the bike hard but I found the stock suspension great, Martin. So I'm intrigued by some riders claiming you 'must' get it all revalved and new springs at both ends.
@@crosstrainingadventure yea if you watch a lot of reviews they make it seem like a complete suspension overhaul is needed. Outside of a heavier spring (I was bottoming out) the suspension works great and I’d suggest to anyone to adjust the existing suspension before u think it’s necessary to get expensive suspension upgrades. My guess is for 90% of people it would be a waste of money?
In January i bought a Honda X500 adventure, great for back roads, but for dirt tracks you do need 50 percent off road tires, and ride it minimum second gear moving on to third gear on tougher terrain, third gear ⚙️ can handle it moving faster and standing on the peg's.
I've had a t7 for about 12 months, I've kitted it out with better tyres and have played with the suspension clickers. I've recently found a setting that feels good on road but yet to test it in some aggressive off road stuff. It's definitely listed correctly in your video. Does everything well but nothing great. Is a good all rounder in my opinion
Own a Gen1 KLR 650 and it WILL NOT DIE. Fixed the doohickey. Changed the oil regularly. 2 odd parts failures less than $30 each for parts and maybe 30 minutes in labor to fix. I've ditched it hill climbing, watched it tumble about 20 feet. Had it on an open trailer that jacknifed, the bike got drug about 100 feet as I regained control and pulled the carnage off the road. About to go ride it now. K, BYEEEEEE O=O
Being 5'7 I sat on the 22 KLR and just couldn't see myself taking it in any kind of off road condition. However, I've been leaning more on the CB500x mainly due to that low seat height and lower overall weight. DR650 isn't a bad choice either but I don't like carburetor bikes
I changed from DR650 to Tiger 800 XCx. The Tiger can ride dry trails, but it is not an enduro. But I ride it 1000 km on asphalt per day without fatigue.
@@crosstrainingadventure we love it! So capable in the rough stuff, and can chew up miles between us and said rough stuff. Also chews up my arse though, even with an aftermarket seat.
The tenere is pretty popular here in the states. Ive never done any adv riding but if I were to start I would have a hard time saying no to one. From what I hear and what I've seen other than being a little soft they're very sure footed trail machines.
Buying an adventure, not a street legal rally or dirt bike, do your own investigation of the bikes your interested in pros and cons, ride the bikes that are available, and buy what can pick up when you drop it and what you like. A few CB500X improvements, the 19 inch wheel was added in 2019. In 2022, before this "review" was produced; dual front calipers were added, the front rake was changed, front forks replaced and rear spring and shocks changed for more off road capability, but to maintain the $7,100 price, the forks are not adjustable. Seat height is 32.7 inches, insignificant under the 33 inches of some and the ridiculous 34/35 plus inches where owners have lowering kits installed. Very few adventure bikers with luggage and camping gear do the hard core dirt bike jumping logs, bogs, boulders, jumps, and hiking trail thrills. However, every bike listed can do mud, sand, gravel and forest roads with the right tires on it. Power, for what, going fifty miles plus mph on unmaintained surfaces or forest roads or making jumps is suicide on any bike loaded down with luggage and camping gear. All of the UA-cam reviewers of adventure bikes have one thing in common, too much emphasis on fast rally or dirt bike riding capabilities and not "adventure". The adventure bike is made for someone that wants to see and feel America on rural roads that take them to dirt, gravel, forest, logging, etc. roads to discover new areas and/or go camping.
I love my Vstrom but it is not the perfect bike for off-road as it is a bit top heavy and I don't feel connected to the trail. Sometimes I feel like the bike is taking me for a ride instead of the other way around. The other day I layed it down and tore my shoulder lifting it up! On the pavement I find that it is a nearly perfect touring bike and is a lot of fun and extremely reliable.
Thanks for the vid. So sad because the new Yamaha Tenere 700 cost as much as the F850GS in South Africa and what you get is a lot less bike for the same money.
Ouch. It's always a bummer when the national distributor decides to charge the maximum customers are willing to pay. We have that issue in Australia with KTM and Husqvarna. 😢
I actually think the V-strom 650 XT is a bit underrated. Sure it needs a few simple upgrades (and the right tyres) to cut it off road, but really nothing major. And if you do that it'll get you pretty much anywhere. It won't keep up with the T7 or the KTM in terms of speed in the rough. But it'll get you there. And unlike the KTM or the beemer it almost certainly won't leave you stranded in the bush. But yeah .. I'd wish they'd make a rally version too :)
Loving the KTM 790 Adventure R. Problem free so far at 9100 kms other that the 2 brake recalls. The rear was fixed before I picked the bike up new and the front return spring in the master was as simple as dropping the bike off on my way to work and picking it up on the way home. It's big, but it's also a lot of fun on and off road.
That is bad news. You want to have all the problems whilst still in warranty. Good luck. Mine is at the dealers. Immobiliser antenna issues after only 300km. Still ran ok, but wanted to get it fixed and it's still in warranty when the 'fix' needs fixing. ;)
It would be interesting to see if all the electronics are being made in China, Carl. I know not everyone has issues but there's a lot of gimzos that can potentially stuff up.
Is seems the Ducati Desert Sled might fit in that category. I realize it’s a scrambler with a small fuel tank with minimal wind protection, but I often see it compared to the tenere 700
Good looking bike... www.ducati.com/us/en/news/desert-sled-fasthouse-a-limited-and-numbered-edition-of-ducati-scrambler-to-celebrate-victory-in-the-mint-400
I'd like to see the SWM Super Dual added. I had a 2020 and loved it. A true dual sport heritage. No farkles, ABS only. Seat is terrible, you will want to shoot your butt on long rides. You can do serious off road work but not fast - suspension is not up to KTM. Extended highway speeds of 90 mph is within reach. Price points are good. Comes loaded. Great bike except for the seat. Did I mention the seat?
We covered the SWM in our lightweight adv bikes vid. Sadly it looks as though it's discontinued now. I was keen to review one but the distributor and local dealer wouldn't respond to requests.
2020 kawasaki 650 versys no problems great on the road. Likes to overheat if you get hot and heavy in the loss stuff. Put an upgraded cooling system on it and its the best
Good to know... it would be interesting to see Kawasaki 'adventurize' the Verysys more, then the KLR lighter and competing more with the XR650L and DR650.
Test drove the tenere. Absolutely love it. However it's not in my budget. So I picked up a 73 rd350 for $800 instead. Gonna weld up a 2:1 exhaust out of a kx500 pipe, 2:1 banshee intake. Lectron carb and taller suspension modern front end with some aggressive knobbies. Make my own adventure bike.
@@crosstrainingadventure I had a 96 rmx250 as my race bike a while back. Good bikes. Adventuring that bad boy would take some fortitude however! Cool to see some 2 strokes making long journeys.
My adv bike is a Moto Guzzi V85 TT and I think it is probably too heavy for this vid, but it has a nice accessible seat height, is adequate on dirt roads and is very characterful to ride. Not too hard to pick up either, although it had an almost empty tank when mine went on its side. Def more road than dirt focussed, but it gets under your skin. I was surprised you found the T7 more road focussed as I watch another Aus YT channel @MVDBRenduro who have one and they really give it some stick in the dirt!
@@crosstrainingadventure I have seen some YT vids of the bike being pushed hard, but am very aware that marketing is not real life. I think the V85 is a lovely bike, but def not an average Joe's perfect all terrain vehicle. I'd love to see you play on one though... although I think you'd possibly not do Moto Guzzi PR any favours! :D hahaha I have a V7 too, so am a fan boi of MG, but that don't mean they are the best for all jobs! :-)
Would choose the T7 to replace my Transalp 650, pity more suppliers don't offer tubeless wheels on adventure bikes, it's a major feature for me, maybe a Taureg in my future....
I must admit I hate fixing punctures so tubeless is a big plus. TUbliss make a set up that should suit the T7 front but the rear rims are too wide. 🤔 BMW have that neat feature where the spokes are on the very outer of the rims so they are tubeless.
Excelente video!!! 👍🏻 Y como siempre muy buenos comentarios. Yo probé Kawa y Susy 650. No me gustaron. Demasiado básicas. También BM800 y Ktm Adv790. Me gusto mucho la 790… tanto que compre una 😉 Y estoy encantado. Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷
Soy de Perú. Tb salté de una MT-07 a la 790 (esperaba la T7 pero llegó muy tarde). Veo muchas comparativas entre estas últimas pero ya estoy encantado por la 790. Estoy planeando hacer un viaje desde la frontera de Perú con Ecuador ( San Ignacio, Cajamarca) hasta Ushuaia. Saludos!!
Always regret selling my 2017 Kawa 650. Tons of fun. The perfect bike. I had hopes that they would make a more adventure type bike, lighter (200kg), give it at least 19 inch spoke wheels, seat not higher than the present 840mm. The new versions are just plain ugly.
Nice review . As my old body wears out I got rid of my V Strom 650 because I often ride into the high country by myself . Replaced it with a Versys X300 . I built my own steel skid plates for both and they held up to many hard rock hits . Many people are surprised with where I ride my 300 . I took a younger neighbor for a short off pavement ride . He was on his KTM 690 with a few more inches of suspension than me . Anyway , here is his video to see how the little 300 does . ua-cam.com/video/IgS-3igik3c/v-deo.html
I would think your Vstrom 650 would be a lot more comfortable than the Versys x300. I have that x300 and am going to be upgrading to a Tenere700. I'm 60 with bad back and knee and am looking for comfortable ergonomics. The x300 for me is a little cramped.
@@jimh2061 I make my own skid plates for both the Strom and the Versys and both have highway pegs . I have a terrible hip and can only stand to have my feet on normal pegs for a short time . The seat on the Versys is the worst seat on any bike I have ever owned . The lower weight and super easy clutch is so much easier on my arthritic hand . I find my body likes the versys much better , after adding an inch of foam to the seat . Granted on long highway the Vstrom is better . I solved that issue by buying a Vulcan 900 Custom for freeway use .
I have a hard time finding information about tall riders. I am 6'5" and would like to learn about making my bike more comfortable but it not easy to find the info.
I have a CB500X and live it. I added Rally Raid equipment but purchased T-Rex slid Plat and the crash bars. Rally Raid suspension and wheels. It is about 2.5 inches taller and 25 pounds more weight. I have been on month long trips and mostly camping. I ride solo and am 72 yo. It is annoying that all reviews are bias against honda. It very reliable just routine maintenance. You take the European bikes and have problems there are mechanics or parts to work on them. I do have other bikes, an AT, a cl360 EMP, a CT 110. And bought new a crf 300l Rally. At 1200 miles at a Wal-Mart and POS Harley riders totally destroyed it. Harley and the riders are bottom feeders as in another state on an older BMW 1150 gs at a gas stop and they burned it. Sheriff arrested them as they had felony warrants put the female for shooting an officer. Harleys to the hot place.
I grew up with Hondas and would love to buy an XR650L if they still imported them to Australia, Daniel. And I'd love a two stroke Honda dirt bike if they ever reintroduced those. I did have the CB500X for a few months but just felt too cramped on it. Enjoying the Rally Raid conversion?
Grazie elcalzo... we spend many hours checking all the forums and other social media to find out the main issues with each bike. Lots of work but it helps everyone to be an informed consumer. 😊
Guzzi V85TT ? Edit: ok just over the weight.. easy enough to get the weight down - drop the too hot exhaust with cat converter for a through Y pipe and new lighter can; heavy rear rail; rear foot peg brackets etc.. YMMV 😉
Unfortunately I had to set a weight limit or there's be too many bikes to cover, Michael. lol Also if someone is getting into adv for the first time I reckon anything over 210kg could be a real handful for rider not used to gravel roads. You're enjoying the Guzzi?
@@crosstrainingadventure yes, tho in lockdown.. it does everything I need and exceeds my ability these days if perhaps not my ambition and memories having ridden trail bikes 40+ years ago.. I have a few guzzis, old, new and all stone-axe simple, reliable. V85TT is surprisingly quite accomplished off-road too, even taken it round an MX track but you're right - heavy.
Where is the Suzuki Dr650? It is the best in its class for its price, its engine power, weight and the potential it has for any type of modification. It is the Glock of Dual Purpose Motorcycles.
your answer is a bit aggressive and you don't take any kind of importance to my suggestion, the Dr650se is more motorcycle, light and powerful than the ones you show in your video. you describe it because it is a good economic motorcycle and that it has been on the market for about 30 years
A bit aggressive? 😂 I'm simply pointing out it's in our lightweight adventure bike video. And I pointed this out in the pinned first comment... FURTHER NOTES! As clearly stated in the intro this is just about bikes between 175 to 220kg (385 to 485lb)! Viewers are asking why I didn't include the DRZ400, KTM 690, DR650, XR650L and SWM 650... these were all in our lightweight adventure bikes vid here: ua-cam.com/video/lsorI76PBYc/v-deo.html Yes, it's a great bike if it suits your needs. I own one. This is my fourth DR650 in 20 years.
I suspect most of our comments about the 890 would apply to it. There seems to be a pretty consistent issue with the first year or two of a new model hitting numerous problems and often some recalls as well.
Sad isn't it, that only the Japanese bikes are relatively free of issues. My Triumph 800 had infrequent electrical issues always after riding in rain. Corrosion on the contacts was always the problem. I wasted more RP7 on it than a life time of usage on other things.
From what I can see plenty of European owners have trouble-free riding, but it's a numbers game. E.g. A Japanese bike might have a 1% failure risk on a long ride, the Euro bike it might be 3%. And if you are in a remote area that could be pretty important... I was just reading a consumer report that found BMWs have the lowest satisfaction rating from owners for reliability despite the crazy prices. 🤔
I can answer just by the thumbnail. The KTM, The T7, then the triumph. All the rest can be pushed off a cliff. And the T7 only beats the triumph because of that wicked high sprocket. Other than that I take 900 over 689 any day
If that works for you... but I always believe there is no best bike that will suit everyone. Obviously if you want horsepower you'll go for the KTM or something similar. Reliability? Other choices...
Im after somthing fast and decent offroad but can travel long distance i love the KLR but its not exactly fast allthoug i dont know what the EFI upgrade is like exactly yet and i love the vstrom 650 but damn its fugly but its fast and goes well offroad
@@crosstrainingadventure yea i even thort about getting a royal enfield interceptor 650 and putting a set of dirt tires on it and turn it into a bad ass scrambler its realy reliable unlike their other bikes and even shits on BMW in reliability and price ive seen guys in india take them up some narly hills in rain hail or shine with clay like dirt and stock road tires and they do pretty well so with some dirt tires and bash plate it would be abit of a hidden gem
It might be the Himalayan then? We are trying to find a suitable bike for our dad but he actually dropped the V-strom at an intersection. He's about five foot eight and can only get his toes on the ground.
I was a bit stunned... and that was the list from actual owners warning others! But of course a lot of owners hit no problems at all. And KTM often seems to release a new model too early but fix those issues in the second or third year.
I didn't know BMW outsourced their 850 engines to the CCP! I'll stick with my R1200 GSA as it's paid for. I will confess, though I'd like to purchase a second lighter bike.
I love that you listed weights, front wheel sizes and seats heights. Three crucial factors for venturing off the pavement. Word seems to be spreading on how much easier the lighter weight bikes are which is great. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Mike! So many 'reviews' now focus on very experienced riders flogging the bikes in tough terrain when the reality is most riders aren't pro level and just want something easy to manage!
+1 on your inclusion of the Enfield. I have a 2021 and several thousand miles on it already. Great two-wheeled jeep. Not fast, but will get you anywhere under any conditions. Exactly what I was looking for when I bought it. And that's coming from 40+ years of riding everything big and small, including open class two strokes, Harleys, etc. Simple and rugged is more fun for me, ymmv.
The worst, most unreliable and most scummy bike manufacturer to ever exist. Not a surprise though, considering the fact it's an Indian company. No matter which industry we are talking about; Bikes, Cars, Tech, Clothes, Tools, Arts and even Entertainment industry, these people NEVER, EVER make anything with good quality, they are worse than those cheap Chinese and Taiwanese factories... German, Swiss and Japanese products will always be top notch. To anyone considering buying this bike, avoid this company and this bike like plague!
I've had a Himalayan for a couple years. I took it on a 2000 km trip last summer, sticking to back roads. It isn't built for highway speeds, but that's not what it's for. I think of it as a tough little mule that'll take me and my gear almost anywhere I want to go.
Agreed Mark, and I reckon anyone after a mule will appreciated it... good to see that it seems most, if not all, those early problems have disappeared.
It's my wife's favorite for 2 up on rough roads.. 2018, a bit lighter with no abs, has a LCG.. only issue was a FP relay replaced under warranty.. has idled and performed flawlessly since. Smoooth! and gets great mileage. We love our little mule.
I'm really interested in the Himalayan as a bad weather/light adv bike but anywhere I go here in the states is a 70mph interstate and that's not really it's strong suit. The one bike I think a lot of people are really wanting is a CRF450L Rally. Now that I would be looking into.
I had a Himmy and liked it a lot. 2018 carb model and didn't have any issues with it. I sold it because it lacked power on the highway. It will do 70mph but not much faster. I was able to get mine up to about 130kmh (80mph) flat out. I ended up replacing it with a KTM 390 Adventure and so far it's serving it's purpose well.
@@crosstrainingadventure It's got plenty of power on the highway, it's nice and revvy so if you do find it's lacking power for an overtake you can drop it down to 4th and it will happily accelerate. I did have problems with vibration but doing a pre-muffler/cat delete made the vibrations nearly completely disappear. Now it's a pleasure to ride long distance.
My phone with Google services also comes from China even if citizens can't use it that way :/ China is very icky but companies seen to have trouble making it work in other ways I guess
Up until a few years ago I had mixed feelings about Chinese bikes and products but with the downturn in the CCP's behaviour toward its own people and other countries lately I am personally opposed until they lift their game.
I’ve been looking at the NC750X recently. Not the most powerful (or off-road worthy), but for my needs, seems to be just about the perfect machine. An excellent do-it-all.
I have a 2015 KLR-650 with about 19,500 miles. So far it's ran perfect and I've never had the engine case open on it. I realize that some earlier doohickeys would actually come apart, but the later versions are solid. They do need the spring replaced but all in all, I'm quite happy with mine!
I own both a T7 and wr250x and will say the T7 it is a very nimble bike for its wieght. I was worried the extra weight would be an issue, but have not really had any accept when you come to a stop it will feel a bit top heavy in comparison to the wr250. Riding the t7 off road is very confidence inspiring especially when you swap the tires for something more aggressive for off road riding.
Love the V-Strom 650 XT for exactly what you said it's for. We travel together on the dirt, so when it topples over, there's at least two of us to pick it up.
I really like the engine on it too, Michael. Has plenty of power on the highway, personally I can't see the appeal of all those 1000cc and bigger bikes and the massive weight...
1st time going 2 up today on the 650 strom, interesting experience. At least the missis liked the 2nd half of the trip, for the 1st half she was scared and tense and messing my turns :) Seriously thinking of a back spring upgrade, any thoughts on that ?
@@crosstrainingadventure must investigate a bit, I found this Austrian couple on youtube going all over the world on a 1000 with modified wilbers suspension. Only the bike and the luggage are 360 kilos (they weighted it in a vid). So if that's possible, me and my half + 15 kilos of bags and luggage should be very douable. I just have to see how that will "mess" with my solo riding and of course ... the cost involved :)
Picked up a Tenere700 10 months ago.. Enjoy it for trails - 2 tracks. Also still riding my 1200 GSA.- when doing Highway miles and Gravel roads. or 2 up. So the t7 is my lightweight bike. Also like the seat height - since i am 6'5"
I waited for 4 years for the Yamaha T7 and was just able to purchase one a couple of months ago. Biggest negative for me is still weight but there is no such thing as a light twin cylinder. IMO the many positives of this bike and its capabilities far outweigh that negative. Of course it does help when you have a light dirtbike in the stall for technical single track. Use the bike for what it was developed for and its.....Nirvana! Case in point, tomorrow some of us hard core old timers are doing a 400 mile route through the Colorado Rockies about 60% road 40% dirt through 8-10 passes, could not think of a better bike to do it on than the T7.
Great to hear it's working out for you, Dirk. The only lightweight twin I know of was the Aprilia RXV450 at something like 125kg wet weight but it was so unreliable... possibly because they'd trimmed so much weight out of the engine.
My final bike probably will be T7. But now i will be more than happy with cb500x. Because what i have learn in this life: You can't run before learned properly to walk. i am a beginner and it will takes alot of time to learn proporly my limits Greetings from Sweden
got a second gen KLR a few months back and really like it. Its not fast but it will pretty much just tractor over or through just about anything you point it at.
@@crosstrainingadventure yes. I did the mod shortly after I bought the bike. The spring was still good but you can see where it had been rubbing grooves into the side cover.
I need a light Honda 400 x x Which is as capable off-roads as it is on road. The 500x sold in my country is more suited for roads. Then there is the Bmw 310gs but it's unreliable. BMW outsourcing key aspects has ruined their products making it unreliable.
Honda should bring back the old XR400 with upgrades... or even better the XR650R! They might bring out a CRF450L Rally perhaps. If so, I hope they give it a decent oil capacity though.
XR500L? I'd be interested in air cooled simplicity. Riding the XR650R and 450L back to back the L definitely feels a generation newer. The torque on the 650R is amazing though, barely need to shift.
Loving my T7, and I think you slotted it correctly in the mix! Great list! I do think that Yamaha missed a market by not producing a WR 450 R, as reliable as the 250 has been...still think there's room!
@@crosstrainingadventure I wish they would update a Tentere with Ye Aulde 660 monocylinder engine, with the same extra comfort of the nineties/millenial ones and the same price range ! In my neck o'wood, the 2015 version was not popular, but now its second-hand price is almost as high as it was brand new !
I have both the GS850 (LOVE IT!!!!) as well as the Himalayan (love it too). extremely different rides but both unique. Was very interested in the Triumph and BTW, the Rally Pro is about the same price as the 850GS. Either way, I do also really like the look of the T7. Would like to test ride some day.
INDEX (extra notes further down)
0:58 Royal Enfield Himalayan
1:55 Kawasaki KLR650
2:28 Honda CB500X
3:09 Kawasaki Versys 650
3:49 Suzuki V-strom 650
4:38 Yamaha Tenere 700
5:17 KTM 890
6:20 Triumph Tiger 900
6:58 BMW F850GS
FURTHER NOTES As clearly stated in the intro this is just about bikes between 175 to 220kg (385 to 485lb)! Viewers are asking why I didn't include the DRZ400, KTM 690, DR650, XR650L and SWM 650... these were all in our lightweight adventure bikes vid here: ua-cam.com/video/lsorI76PBYc/v-deo.html
CORRECTIONS: The BMW's weight is actually 229kg according to BMW, the source we used was incorrect and was actually the 'dry' figure.
KAWASAKI VERSYS WEIGHT? The green 650 appears to be 216kg wet weight, not 206kg. The sources we used appear to be incorrect.
Himalayan owners are advising the seat isn't too hard. The problem is it's too soft so you feel the hard base of the seat!
KLR650 owners point out that heavy oil consumption still occurs with sustained running at over 5500 RPM (80mph or 130kmh).
Chinese made engines for BMW: Some find it hard to believe BMW uses Chinese made engines for some models. Info straight from BMW's site: "the Chinese manufacturer Loncin has been producing... engines for the BMW F 750 GS and F 850 GS. In addition, the midsize scooters BMW C 400 X and C 400 GT roll off the production lines here."
www.bmwgroup-werke.com/berlin/en/unser-werk/internationale-produktion.html
For the pedants, yes 'Himalayan' is misspelt in the graphics as 'Himilayan'. It should actually be 'ɦɪmɐːləjɐ' in Sanskrit.
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You missed perhaps the best looking, torquey-ist and most fun adv bike in this category: Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC OR XE. Having gone from a Super Tenere and KTM 690 to one, I can vouch for it's amazing blend of freeway comfort mixed with superb dirt capabilities.
It was heavier than the criteria we set for midweight. We'd include it if we did a heavyweight adv bikes vid.
Yikes bmw puts Chinese engines in their motorcycles. Yikes. What has the world come to?
L
I ride an 06 Vstrom 650 and love the bike. It is trouble free and easy to work on yourself except as you mentioned the air filter is poorly placed under the gas tank. I am fairly short at 5'7" so this plays in to my choice as well but i mainly use the bike on road as any good riding areas local to me are still 2-3 hours away. Your videos are great, keep them coming.
Glad you are enjoying the Wee-strom, Scott! The test bike is my brother's and he just makes sure he's never riding in someone's dust so he'll probably only have to do the dreaded air filter every two years or so.
What did you do about the windscreen issue? I'm currently looking at an 09 Vstrom, and am curious about your overall impressions?
@@Badhagis at 5'7" the bike seems setup pretty well for me. The windscreen never bothered me although I switched to a table givi sport touring windscreen about a year ago. I now have a madstad bracket which makes the stock windscreen much better.
I think one very important issue when it comes to adv bikes is how the weight is distributed. I’m not a very experienced off road rider. I had a hard time handling my tenere 700 due to its top heavy character. I therefore changed to the ktm 890 adv R because of the low center of gravity
Good point, my Triumph scrambler 1200 is the same. Ok on dirt roads but I wouldn't do anything harder on it
I own a 2017 KLR 650, have been extremely pleased with it. The bang for the buck is hard to beat. I also have a 2014 Multistrada which I wouldn't dare take near a gravel rd, the KLR is perfect for that. Reliable, simple to operate own and maintain (oil and filter change and chain service takes about 15 minutes and that is about all it needs.)
They just keep plugging away, Hugh! Have you done the doohickey mod? I'm keen to see if they FINALLY fixed this in the 2022 model.
Man, I just picked up my 2022 KLR, they said the doohickey was undated !
@@crosstrainingadventure came to ask this. I think even the new ones still need it. Bummer.
@@markcollins5026 just in case you hadn't heard it's not fixed on the new models
@@bryanreilly4117 The "doohickey" is not the main problem, the counter balance chain guides wearing and chain stretch is whats causing the "doohickey" too fail. They did update the chain guides. Eagle Mike is driving that sales pitch for the mod (and why wouldn't he, the new KLR is selling like hot cakes), doing the mod after warranty wont hurt, BUT if you check your guides and chain at 10K and replace them at 15-20k then the "doohickey" shouldn't fail. Sure some will, but I feel they are probably around the less than 2% mark.
Had both the 790 Adventure R and I now got the 890 Adventure R Rally. No issues and very happy. The engine is extremely well made, and the weight distribution of the bike makes the bike feel like a driving a big EXC.
@David Squibular 17.000 km on the 790. 8.000 on the 890 Rally so far.
13,000 Km en mi 790s. Muy contento! He recorrido gran parte del Perú 🇵🇪
I personally think the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled is also worth looking at. It has 19/17 wheels, 72hp twin cylinder with EFI, 209kg and 200mm suspension front and rear. Only downside is the small 13,5L tank and the single throttle body. The wheels are also easily upgraded to 21/18 by lacing on bigger rims onto the hubs. The bike has enough clearance for it. It's my personal favorite and probably my next bike (including a second set of wheels in 21/18 for the rough stuff).
The revival of the scrambler has been interesting, I might do a vid about their history and some of the current ones.
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Its very easy
You buy the Tenere 700 .
Supercapable on and of road,
Light, bulletproof engine.
Without electronic bullsh@t and really fun to ride .
I've had a 790 ADV R for almost two years now and I can safely say I have no major complaints. The bike has done everything I've asked it to do and then some. Currently, my only "complaint" is that my fuel guage has gone out. The bike still works though and I can counter that issue by resetting a trip meter after each fill up, knowing my fuel capacity, and watching my average MPG. There is the cold start issue that I've heard a lot of 790s have, but that I chalk up to it coming lean from the factory. It's been a great bike, and it's my first bike. It's gotten me through some fairly technical offroad which while challenging, I had total confidence the bike would get me through it.
I also did a trip to Arizona from the Mid-Atlantic this summer that took about five weeks total. The bike had one major failure where the after market clutch I installed burned out the pressure plate. This is something I figure is my fault seeing as I never had any dragging or slipping with the stock clutch. The 790 is also resonably easy to pick up. When I was in Texas and doing some single track in soft sand, the front tire bit on a birm suddenly and tossed me down. As long as you do the pickup where you turn your back to the bike, it's pretty easy, even in soft, loose, sand. The bike is also extremely easy to work on. With a 10mm ratchet, T30, T25, and the occasional T27, you can basically disassemble the entire thing.
It's got a seat that's about as soft as a 2x4 but as long as you don't ride longer than say 90 minutes at once, it's not much of an issue. The suspension is pretty stiff from factory so you'll get a lot more road feedback, especially when you put really stiff tires on. The gears also feel relatively short, but that's also likely due to how I ride - generally trying to keep it below 5k RPM when on the road. I even road through an entire winter on the bike, going out when it was 25 F on more than one occasion. With the opptional grip heaters, I was able to get through relatively short rides (45 minutes or less one way) with just summer rain gloves as long as the heaters were on fully blast.
The 790 ADV isn't a perfect bike, but it's a damn good one. It does cost more than other bikes of a similar caliber but it's a lot cheaper and more reliable than the BMWs, plus it has no specialized tools needed to do most work. If you're getting to a point where specialized tools are needed, then you're either way deeper than you should be or you're a mechanic - the average rider will have everything they need to work on the bike as long as they've got a set of metrics.
KTM has always been good with ensuring you only need a few tools to work on the bike... unlike many other manufacturers. I'm glad you've had a good run with it so far, I'm sure many have. But there have been some horror stories too. KTM say the 890 will probably be made in China at some point so we are all hoping we don't see constant quality control issues popping up.
I have two 790's. Both brought at the same time with the same amount of kms. Both have had the usual KTM recalls done. One I've had no problems with. The other one has been in for the black dash, rear brake light staying on and also has been in twice to get the TPS reset, it's been fixed twice and and keeps going out of adjustment so it won't start cold without throttle. I love the bike, perfect for me, just some issues they need to get sorted out.
With luck they'll fix most issues after the second model or so... I just hope they don't increase if and when they swing over to Chinese production.
i am a total orange bike fanboi for 20 years now , id be the guy arguing with everyone saying they were unreliable a few years ago ......... ive had 7 but wont be getting #8 likely ever unfortunately
@@justsomedude445 I started riding KTM's back when people had never herd of them, I also worked as a mechanic in a KTM dealership. Since I left the dealership I have kept in close contact with some of the staff. After the things I hear, That's why I'll be changing to another manufacture. It's a shame, they use to be awesome bikes. Now just over priced and unreliable.
@@muddyfilms2632 LoL me 2 bought my first one mid 1990's...and yes the first 5 i had were reliable as anvils but they were also 1cyl and not fuel injected.? it breaks my heart to list all the crap ive had to do over and over on my 1090r ! i love the bike when its working right but i think a huge part of my problem is that my local dealerships svcs dept sucks bad and thats putting it mildly so i have to take it 2-3 hours away to be serviced unless i want to get it back worse than when i gave it to them , literally every time ive tried them even basic maintenance theyve managed to f//ck it up royally
@@muddyfilms2632 which also makes me mad because i am the most buy locally guy you would ever meet i never buy online what i can buy from a locally owned business and i do NOT go to walmart ever but im in a small town so in order to avoid this dealership i am forced to take my business out of town
I wanted to buy T7 but when I tried it it was too high for me. So I bought CB500X. Great bike. Went to enduro race one time. Just test run on first day. And I made it. I was very impressed. Would be even better with knobby tires (had TKC 70 at that time)
My final bike probably will be T7. But now i will be more than happy with cb500x. Because what i have learn in this life: You can't run before learned properly to walk. i am a beginner and it will takes alot of time to learn proporly my limits.
Greetings from Sweden
I have a 2008 Versys 650 which has done over 100,000 km and still goes well and starts first crank every time. It is a fun bike. :) I take it on dirt roads very happily, but am cautious on rough sections. I've tried so many different 90/10 and 80/20 tyres - currently Shinko e705 (with a 170/60 rear). The tyre sizes limit your options but you can go with a 150/70 or 170/60 rear.
Liking the Shinko, David? My brother is going to try those on his V-strom next.
I owned a the v strom 650 xt for a year. As the review states, it was a heavy bikee and difficault to man handle. A lovely bike to ride and lowering kits available. Mpg wasnt great at around 60mpg. Seat was ok for 2hr rides, then needed a rest. No mechanical issues, lovely sound. Plenty of power. I'm going cb500x next.
Yes the engine probably needs an update to increase that fuel economy. But the lack of updates is partly why it's so cheap of course.
I've ridden my dads 650 Vstrom a lot. It's heavy, ground clearance is minimal and at 60 k km it starts to show its age (2008, locks start to crumble and display is not fully working, seat is really getting hard). But it's such a nice bike for the road with a bomb proof and smooth but punchy engine. I used to take it for small trails and really push it to its limits and I had so much fun. Just needs good tires and maybe lighter sprocket ratio. Turning it in small space is tricky.
Then dad got tired of bent skid plates and scratched plastics and made me stop. If it would have some more ground clearance I would buy it and strip it to its lightest. 650's engine is just awesome and makes enough power to hit rr tracks too so with good tires it's pretty much ultimate all rounder despite suspension is not really adjustable.
I've got my self a G450X which is kind of odd bird, but suspension is good enough for MX tracks too. I'm dreaming of changing it to something lighter and maybe buy some old Super Tenere or GS or Africa Twin and lighten it up to its bare bones for ultimate all rounderism. Cause just can't afford T7 or 790.
I'd love to see them develop a rally version one day...
I just bought a 2010 BMW f650gs, which actually has the same 800cc twin engine as the f850gs, just detuned a bit. While it's not suited for single track it handles very well on dirt roads and is considerably lighter than the f850gs at about 450 lbs with gas. The seat height is lower at 32 inches. More tech than I'm used to, but not too much. Love the switchable ABS and the gear indicator on the computer display, which also reads gas remaining, outside temp, various trip meters and some other features I'm still discovering. Also impressive is that at 22,000 miles when I bought it the computer and other features still work. When you're doing 40 mph on a dirt road it feels like 20mph, and it's fairly nimble. A good buy on the used market here in the US.
It would be interesting to see if your 2010 model actually had German made electronics, hence it all still working? With Chinese made engines in recent models, I'm guessing the electronics have probably gone the same way... wonder if they are still reliable?
Great comparison vid! I have owned by Vstrom 650XT for almost two years and love it. Spot on about highway comfort and dirt road capabilities. I ride 5 miles to hit pavement and my 650XT does great on dirt /gavel, but nothing aggressive. OK of some mild Jeep trails at low speed and being careful about ground clearance. I LOVE this bike for commuting, some short trips I've taken (nothing interstate yet). Power, handling, gas mileage (average over 60 mpg when riding very mildly). I'm 6'3" and 215 lbs and find this bike so very easy to ride. I did lower the foot pegs and added wider ones for standing. Also added 2 inch Pivoting Rox Risers bar risers, T-Rex crash bars. (My XT model came with a lightweight Givi skid plate - OK for light bumps, but not very think/strong. OEM tires are doing very well for my purposes, but plan to upgrade to Mitas E07s (which I have on my Versys X300) or possibly the new Dunlop Trailmax Missions when my OEM tires are worn. Seat is one of the best factory seats I've been on! Thanks again for your great vids!!! Geezer Wheels in SW Colorado (Yes, I'm a geezer, will be 74 soon.)
Great to hear it's worked out for you... and that you're still into riding in a big way. I'm a few years behind you but hope to plug away for many years yet!
@@crosstrainingadventure You truly amaze me. You have over 57K subscribers and this video is 11 months old, yet you replied to my comment the next day! Keep up the good work!!!
Will do. I try to at least read every comment. I find it a bit dissapointing that many channels don't even bother looking at comments, they tend to be in it just for the money unfortunately.
Combining dub techno background music with sarcastic jokes and honest information about adventure motorcycling: Probably the best thing you could do for mankind. I am for ever thankful.
Our pleasure!
Had a 650 vstrom for about 7 years, took it to crazy places offroad (slowly and carefully). Now on a T7 and it is like a 250 enduro by comparison offroad, it is superb, far better on and offroad.
The 1 thing you maybe missed was how the weight is carried, some, definitely the vstrom, carry the weight real high.
It's a real problem with the V-strom, even worse with the Versys 650. I was looking at my brother's V-strom yesterday and if they rerouted the second exhaust header they could probably lower the engine quite a bit more and keep that weight down low.
@@crosstrainingadventure Agreed. I just saw a guy from the middle of europe doing some proper deep sandy hills on his vstrom 650. When I said I couldnt believe a vstrom could do it, the story came out...
21" front wheel etc etc etc :)
The T7 still eats it for breakfast on or off road though ;)
Great overview. Thanks, also for the known issues. Further things to compare could be Service costs and petrol consumption (Travel range). Other than that, this helps a lot for decision making.
Cheers Stef. I did think about those two criteria but unfortunately the service costs vary from country to country. And I'm not really sure how much I could trust the claimed fuel economy figures of the manufacturer...
I think you are all forgetting the real deal: The BMW R 100 GS Paris Dakar! Same weight as the F850 GS. If you put the Siebenrock Big Bore kit on the engine you get 70 horses while gaining 35% torque as well as double ignition which lowers the fuel consumption by another litre. All that while having a 37 litre tank. And the best thing: you can repair the bikes everywhere because every tool is easily obtainable and they've build modular engines from 1969 to 1996 so you can swap the engines, the heads, nearly everything and after some tinkering you can still get them running.
I have the T7 and I love it! Really fun bike to hooligan around town on and does great on the dirt. A person really adept at dirt riding will probably have to throw some money at the suspension but for my skill level (intermediate) I just swapped out the rear spring to a heavier one which was $100 . The stock spring is just too light for most westerners (I’m 185lbs). I’m 6’0 (182 cm) and can easily put both balls of my feet down. I’m not particularly strong but I am athletic and have no problem picking my bike up in most instances., even done it against an incline. My only gripe is the seat for me isn’t very comfortable for long rides….but there are solutions for that.
I wan't caning the bike hard but I found the stock suspension great, Martin. So I'm intrigued by some riders claiming you 'must' get it all revalved and new springs at both ends.
@@crosstrainingadventure yea if you watch a lot of reviews they make it seem like a complete suspension overhaul is needed. Outside of a heavier spring (I was bottoming out) the suspension works great and I’d suggest to anyone to adjust the existing suspension before u think it’s necessary to get expensive suspension upgrades. My guess is for 90% of people it would be a waste of money?
In January i bought a Honda X500 adventure, great for back roads, but for dirt tracks you do need 50 percent off road tires, and ride it minimum second gear moving on to third gear on tougher terrain, third gear ⚙️ can handle it moving faster and standing on the peg's.
I've had a t7 for about 12 months, I've kitted it out with better tyres and have played with the suspension clickers. I've recently found a setting that feels good on road but yet to test it in some aggressive off road stuff. It's definitely listed correctly in your video. Does everything well but nothing great. Is a good all rounder in my opinion
I agree, if I wanted something a bit more suited for long distance touring than the DR650 it would be my first choice.
Own a Gen1 KLR 650 and it WILL NOT DIE. Fixed the doohickey. Changed the oil regularly. 2 odd parts failures less than $30 each for parts and maybe 30 minutes in labor to fix. I've ditched it hill climbing, watched it tumble about 20 feet. Had it on an open trailer that jacknifed, the bike got drug about 100 feet as I regained control and pulled the carnage off the road. About to go ride it now. K, BYEEEEEE O=O
You have to love all the old Japanese 650 dual sports!
Being 5'7 I sat on the 22 KLR and just couldn't see myself taking it in any kind of off road condition. However, I've been leaning more on the CB500x mainly due to that low seat height and lower overall weight. DR650 isn't a bad choice either but I don't like carburetor bikes
I changed from DR650 to Tiger 800 XCx. The Tiger can ride dry trails, but it is not an enduro. But I ride it 1000 km on asphalt per day without fatigue.
You wouldn't want to do 1000km on the DR650, Igor. 🤣 At least not without a good seat and fairing!
@@crosstrainingadventure My DR was with a DRZ fork, procycle saddle, windshield, etc. But, It doesn't do the comfort that Tiger gives.
We just KNOW that you must've seen our review on the RE Himalayan when making this. It was following your advice we ended up going for two DR650's.
Actually I don't really watch any videos at all on UA-cam. How are you liking the DR650s so far?
@@crosstrainingadventure we love it! So capable in the rough stuff, and can chew up miles between us and said rough stuff. Also chews up my arse though, even with an aftermarket seat.
The tenere is pretty popular here in the states. Ive never done any adv riding but if I were to start I would have a hard time saying no to one. From what I hear and what I've seen other than being a little soft they're very sure footed trail machines.
Really well priced in the US.
Buying an adventure, not a street legal rally or dirt bike, do your own investigation of the bikes your interested in pros and cons, ride the bikes that are available, and buy what can pick up when you drop it and what you like.
A few CB500X improvements, the 19 inch wheel was added in 2019. In 2022, before this "review" was produced; dual front calipers were added, the front rake was changed, front forks replaced and rear spring and shocks changed for more off road capability, but to maintain the $7,100 price, the forks are not adjustable. Seat height is 32.7 inches, insignificant under the 33 inches of some and the ridiculous 34/35 plus inches where owners have lowering kits installed.
Very few adventure bikers with luggage and camping gear do the hard core dirt bike jumping logs, bogs, boulders, jumps, and hiking trail thrills. However, every bike listed can do mud, sand, gravel and forest roads with the right tires on it. Power, for what, going fifty miles plus mph on unmaintained surfaces or forest roads or making jumps is suicide on any bike loaded down with luggage and camping gear. All of the UA-cam reviewers of adventure bikes have one thing in common, too much emphasis on fast rally or dirt bike riding capabilities and not "adventure". The adventure bike is made for someone that wants to see and feel America on rural roads that take them to dirt, gravel, forest, logging, etc. roads to discover new areas and/or go camping.
I love my Vstrom but it is not the perfect bike for off-road as it is a bit top heavy and I don't feel connected to the trail. Sometimes I feel like the bike is taking me for a ride instead of the other way around. The other day I layed it down and tore my shoulder lifting it up! On the pavement I find that it is a nearly perfect touring bike and is a lot of fun and extremely reliable.
I know what you mean, especially with a full tank.
Thanks for the vid. So sad because the new Yamaha Tenere 700 cost as much as the F850GS in South Africa and what you get is a lot less bike for the same money.
Ouch. It's always a bummer when the national distributor decides to charge the maximum customers are willing to pay. We have that issue in Australia with KTM and Husqvarna. 😢
I own and love my Cb500x rally raid lvl 2
The only bike in this list that has been riding around the globe on an adventure I believe is the Klr?
I actually think the V-strom 650 XT is a bit underrated. Sure it needs a few simple upgrades (and the right tyres) to cut it off road, but really nothing major. And if you do that it'll get you pretty much anywhere. It won't keep up with the T7 or the KTM in terms of speed in the rough. But it'll get you there. And unlike the KTM or the beemer it almost certainly won't leave you stranded in the bush.
But yeah .. I'd wish they'd make a rally version too :)
Completely agree, Tobias.
Loving the KTM 790 Adventure R. Problem free so far at 9100 kms other that the 2 brake recalls. The rear was fixed before I picked the bike up new and the front return spring in the master was as simple as dropping the bike off on my way to work and picking it up on the way home. It's big, but it's also a lot of fun on and off road.
That is bad news. You want to have all the problems whilst still in warranty. Good luck. Mine is at the dealers. Immobiliser antenna issues after only 300km. Still ran ok, but wanted to get it fixed and it's still in warranty when the 'fix' needs fixing. ;)
It would be interesting to see if all the electronics are being made in China, Carl. I know not everyone has issues but there's a lot of gimzos that can potentially stuff up.
Is seems the Ducati Desert Sled might fit in that category. I realize it’s a scrambler with a small fuel tank with minimal wind protection, but I often see it compared to the tenere 700
Good looking bike... www.ducati.com/us/en/news/desert-sled-fasthouse-a-limited-and-numbered-edition-of-ducati-scrambler-to-celebrate-victory-in-the-mint-400
Really want that Yamaha T700 , seems like a no brainer , price is right !
I can see why they keep selling out....
I'd like to see the SWM Super Dual added. I had a 2020 and loved it. A true dual sport heritage. No farkles, ABS only. Seat is terrible, you will want to shoot your butt on long rides. You can do serious off road work but not fast - suspension is not up to KTM. Extended highway speeds of 90 mph is within reach. Price points are good. Comes loaded. Great bike except for the seat. Did I mention the seat?
We covered the SWM in our lightweight adv bikes vid. Sadly it looks as though it's discontinued now. I was keen to review one but the distributor and local dealer wouldn't respond to requests.
2020 kawasaki 650 versys no problems great on the road. Likes to overheat if you get hot and heavy in the loss stuff. Put an upgraded cooling system on it and its the best
Good to know... it would be interesting to see Kawasaki 'adventurize' the Verysys more, then the KLR lighter and competing more with the XR650L and DR650.
Sold all my adventure bikes for a CT125, more fun than all the other combined
😎
Test drove the tenere. Absolutely love it. However it's not in my budget. So I picked up a 73 rd350 for $800 instead. Gonna weld up a 2:1 exhaust out of a kx500 pipe, 2:1 banshee intake. Lectron carb and taller suspension modern front end with some aggressive knobbies. Make my own adventure bike.
Awesome, I love the old school approach. I used to ride with a guy who adventurised a Suzuki RMX250 of all things...
@@crosstrainingadventure I had a 96 rmx250 as my race bike a while back. Good bikes. Adventuring that bad boy would take some fortitude however! Cool to see some 2 strokes making long journeys.
My adv bike is a Moto Guzzi V85 TT and I think it is probably too heavy for this vid, but it has a nice accessible seat height, is adequate on dirt roads and is very characterful to ride. Not too hard to pick up either, although it had an almost empty tank when mine went on its side.
Def more road than dirt focussed, but it gets under your skin.
I was surprised you found the T7 more road focussed as I watch another Aus YT channel @MVDBRenduro who have one and they really give it some stick in the dirt!
Yeah the V85 would be in our heavy class... might do that vid one day! It's good to see they keep the seat height low on most of the big bikes.
@@crosstrainingadventure I have seen some YT vids of the bike being pushed hard, but am very aware that marketing is not real life. I think the V85 is a lovely bike, but def not an average Joe's perfect all terrain vehicle.
I'd love to see you play on one though... although I think you'd possibly not do Moto Guzzi PR any favours! :D hahaha
I have a V7 too, so am a fan boi of MG, but that don't mean they are the best for all jobs! :-)
Would choose the T7 to replace my Transalp 650, pity more suppliers don't offer tubeless wheels on adventure bikes, it's a major feature for me, maybe a Taureg in my future....
I must admit I hate fixing punctures so tubeless is a big plus. TUbliss make a set up that should suit the T7 front but the rear rims are too wide. 🤔 BMW have that neat feature where the spokes are on the very outer of the rims so they are tubeless.
I'm currently shopping for a mid adventure bike and the Triumph is $700 more than the BMW, however just trying to find some in stock is extremely hard
The new Aprilia Tuareg 660 is going to be interesting.
And horribly unreliable
Excelente video!!! 👍🏻
Y como siempre muy buenos comentarios.
Yo probé Kawa y Susy 650. No me gustaron. Demasiado básicas.
También BM800 y Ktm Adv790. Me gusto mucho la 790… tanto que compre una 😉 Y estoy encantado.
Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷
Soy de Perú. Tb salté de una MT-07 a la 790 (esperaba la T7 pero llegó muy tarde). Veo muchas comparativas entre estas últimas pero ya estoy encantado por la 790. Estoy planeando hacer un viaje desde la frontera de Perú con Ecuador ( San Ignacio, Cajamarca) hasta Ushuaia. Saludos!!
@@VituxoAnzen enorme viaje hermano Peruano.
Muchos éxitos con esa travesía.
@@tincho1979 Gracias 🌏
I like the Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha !!! and super reliable !
Always regret selling my 2017 Kawa 650. Tons of fun. The perfect bike. I had hopes that they would make a more adventure type bike, lighter (200kg), give it at least 19 inch spoke wheels, seat not higher than the present 840mm. The new versions are just plain ugly.
I had a 650xt vstrom and could not fault it. My prime reason was it was totally made in Japan.
How come the Moto Guzzi is not included in this shoot out?
We left a lot of bikes out to keep the video length down, so we tried to focus on the main sellers avaiable in most countries.
Nice review . As my old body wears out I got rid of my V Strom 650 because I often ride into the high country by myself . Replaced it with a Versys X300 . I built my own steel skid plates for both and they held up to many hard rock hits . Many people are surprised with where I ride my 300 . I took a younger neighbor for a short off pavement ride . He was on his KTM 690 with a few more inches of suspension than me . Anyway , here is his video to see how the little 300 does .
ua-cam.com/video/IgS-3igik3c/v-deo.html
I would think your Vstrom 650 would be a lot more comfortable than the Versys x300. I have that x300 and am going to be upgrading to a Tenere700. I'm 60 with bad back and knee and am looking for comfortable ergonomics. The x300 for me is a little cramped.
@@jimh2061 I make my own skid plates for both the Strom and the Versys and both have highway pegs . I have a terrible hip and can only stand to have my feet on normal pegs for a short time . The seat on the Versys is the worst seat on any bike I have ever owned . The lower weight and super easy clutch is so much easier on my arthritic hand . I find my body likes the versys much better , after adding an inch of foam to the seat . Granted on long highway the Vstrom is better . I solved that issue by buying a Vulcan 900 Custom for freeway use .
I have a hard time finding information about tall riders. I am 6'5" and would like to learn about making my bike more comfortable but it not easy to find the info.
We have a whole video on that topic, Eric
I will give that a watch
Man I Want A T-7 Grand Master Dragon Super Ninja Interceptor Hayabusa African Raide !!!
@ 6'-5" & 225 lbs.
But Have To Get Out Of Ca. First !!!!!
😎
I have a CB500X and live it. I added Rally Raid equipment but purchased T-Rex slid Plat and the crash bars. Rally Raid suspension and wheels. It is about 2.5 inches taller and 25 pounds more weight. I have been on month long trips and mostly camping. I ride solo and am 72 yo. It is annoying that all reviews are bias against honda. It very reliable just routine maintenance. You take the European bikes and have problems there are mechanics or parts to work on them. I do have other bikes, an AT, a cl360 EMP, a CT 110. And bought new a crf 300l Rally. At 1200 miles at a Wal-Mart and POS Harley riders totally destroyed it. Harley and the riders are bottom feeders as in another state on an older BMW 1150 gs at a gas stop and they burned it. Sheriff arrested them as they had felony warrants put the female for shooting an officer. Harleys to the hot place.
I grew up with Hondas and would love to buy an XR650L if they still imported them to Australia, Daniel. And I'd love a two stroke Honda dirt bike if they ever reintroduced those. I did have the CB500X for a few months but just felt too cramped on it. Enjoying the Rally Raid conversion?
Kawasaki Versys x-300 is a lighter twin with same HP as the KLR 650
That's why it was in our best lightweight adv bikes video along with the KLR.
i'm located in Italy and i am surprised by the fact that you nailed 100% all the good and the bad in all of those bikes... WOW.. Thank you Guys ..
Grazie elcalzo... we spend many hours checking all the forums and other social media to find out the main issues with each bike. Lots of work but it helps everyone to be an informed consumer. 😊
Guzzi V85TT ?
Edit: ok just over the weight.. easy enough to get the weight down - drop the too hot exhaust with cat converter for a through Y pipe and new lighter can; heavy rear rail; rear foot peg brackets etc.. YMMV 😉
Unfortunately I had to set a weight limit or there's be too many bikes to cover, Michael. lol Also if someone is getting into adv for the first time I reckon anything over 210kg could be a real handful for rider not used to gravel roads. You're enjoying the Guzzi?
@@crosstrainingadventure yes, tho in lockdown.. it does everything I need and exceeds my ability these days if perhaps not my ambition and memories having ridden trail bikes 40+ years ago.. I have a few guzzis, old, new and all stone-axe simple, reliable. V85TT is surprisingly quite accomplished off-road too, even taken it round an MX track but you're right - heavy.
KLR650 is in this class because its overweight. It’s closer to a DR650, XR650l, KTM 690.
True. The earlier models were substantially lighter and would have fit the arbitrary weight criteria we set.
you should consider the Honda XRE 300 from Brazil.
Somebody is good at wheelies
Love my T7
Where is the Suzuki Dr650? It is the best in its class for its price, its engine power, weight and the potential it has for any type of modification. It is the Glock of Dual Purpose Motorcycles.
It's in our lightweight adventure bikes vid, not this one.
your answer is a bit aggressive and you don't take any kind of importance to my suggestion, the Dr650se is more motorcycle, light and powerful than the ones you show in your video. you describe it because it is a good economic motorcycle and that it has been on the market for about 30 years
A bit aggressive? 😂 I'm simply pointing out it's in our lightweight adventure bike video. And I pointed this out in the pinned first comment...
FURTHER NOTES! As clearly stated in the intro this is just about bikes between 175 to 220kg (385 to 485lb)! Viewers are asking why I didn't include the DRZ400, KTM 690, DR650, XR650L and SWM 650... these were all in our lightweight adventure bikes vid here: ua-cam.com/video/lsorI76PBYc/v-deo.html
Yes, it's a great bike if it suits your needs. I own one. This is my fourth DR650 in 20 years.
Where ‘s the Guzzi v 85 tt ?
Let’s be honest. All these bikes will do the job these days. Just choose one that you like the look and feel of.
Thanks Barry👍
Any time 😎
the best do it all do it right is the 890 adventure
Surprised the DR 650 wasn't in the mix???
It was in our lightweight vid... too heavy for the criteria in this vid.
Not actually mid weight if they are more than 175kg. The 850gs is actually heavier than the old 1200gs !!
What about the new husky 901, compared to the KTM and the rest. I know it is too new but it seems to be a WTF why did I not wait!
I suspect most of our comments about the 890 would apply to it. There seems to be a pretty consistent issue with the first year or two of a new model hitting numerous problems and often some recalls as well.
Moto Guzzi V85 TT.👍
Sad isn't it, that only the Japanese bikes are relatively free of issues. My Triumph 800 had infrequent electrical issues always after riding in rain. Corrosion on the contacts was always the problem. I wasted more RP7 on it than a life time of usage on other things.
From what I can see plenty of European owners have trouble-free riding, but it's a numbers game. E.g. A Japanese bike might have a 1% failure risk on a long ride, the Euro bike it might be 3%. And if you are in a remote area that could be pretty important... I was just reading a consumer report that found BMWs have the lowest satisfaction rating from owners for reliability despite the crazy prices. 🤔
I can answer just by the thumbnail. The KTM, The T7, then the triumph. All the rest can be pushed off a cliff. And the T7 only beats the triumph because of that wicked high sprocket. Other than that I take 900 over 689 any day
If that works for you... but I always believe there is no best bike that will suit everyone. Obviously if you want horsepower you'll go for the KTM or something similar. Reliability? Other choices...
Im after somthing fast and decent offroad but can travel long distance i love the KLR but its not exactly fast allthoug i dont know what the EFI upgrade is like exactly yet and i love the vstrom 650 but damn its fugly but its fast and goes well offroad
Sounds as though one of the bikes in this vid, or possibly our lightweight adv bikes vid, will do the trick.
@@crosstrainingadventure yea i even thort about getting a royal enfield interceptor 650 and putting a set of dirt tires on it and turn it into a bad ass scrambler its realy reliable unlike their other bikes and even shits on BMW in reliability and price ive seen guys in india take them up some narly hills in rain hail or shine with clay like dirt and stock road tires and they do pretty well so with some dirt tires and bash plate it would be abit of a hidden gem
My consideration only in between himalayan or v storm since i'm short rider
It might be the Himalayan then? We are trying to find a suitable bike for our dad but he actually dropped the V-strom at an intersection. He's about five foot eight and can only get his toes on the ground.
@@crosstrainingadventure aiming himalayan,but in malaysia, himalayan is more expensive than v storm 650xt
And where 're Africa twin honda ?
Did you see our criteria for midweight bikes?
Why is there no Transalp here :(
As per the start of the vid, bikes still available brand new...
Thanks goodness the 790 only had a couuple of issues😉
I was a bit stunned... and that was the list from actual owners warning others! But of course a lot of owners hit no problems at all. And KTM often seems to release a new model too early but fix those issues in the second or third year.
They are mid capacity but not weight. And still high seat for a lot of people
I didn't know BMW outsourced their 850 engines to the CCP! I'll stick with my R1200 GSA as it's paid for. I will confess, though I'd like to purchase a second lighter bike.
love bikes made only in japan.
Do the versys 300 x !!!!!!!!!!
If we can get our grubby little hands on one... 😁
We'll put together review, smelled a bit of sarcasm that added the spice to the dish
I tried to hold back, Sam... but it got the better of me toward the end lol.
I love that you listed weights, front wheel sizes and seats heights. Three crucial factors for venturing off the pavement. Word seems to be spreading on how much easier the lighter weight bikes are which is great. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Mike! So many 'reviews' now focus on very experienced riders flogging the bikes in tough terrain when the reality is most riders aren't pro level and just want something easy to manage!
@@crosstrainingadventure I was about to point the same thing, Horsepower is useless offroad when a 220 kg bike is stuck in mud
@@crosstrainingadventure True, just like not everyone wants a 170 hp bike which very few can, use anyway…
+1 on your inclusion of the Enfield. I have a 2021 and several thousand miles on it already. Great two-wheeled jeep. Not fast, but will get you anywhere under any conditions. Exactly what I was looking for when I bought it. And that's coming from 40+ years of riding everything big and small, including open class two strokes, Harleys, etc. Simple and rugged is more fun for me, ymmv.
It's great to have this sort of option available!
The worst, most unreliable and most scummy bike manufacturer to ever exist. Not a surprise though, considering the fact it's an Indian company. No matter which industry we are talking about; Bikes, Cars, Tech, Clothes, Tools, Arts and even Entertainment industry, these people NEVER, EVER make anything with good quality, they are worse than those cheap Chinese and Taiwanese factories... German, Swiss and Japanese products will always be top notch. To anyone considering buying this bike, avoid this company and this bike like plague!
whatever bike one ends up with, no worries, there will usually be a klr nearby to pull em out of the woods🤙
🤣
Yup
Haha
KLR is the original king I don’t care what anyone says or how much faster other bikes may be…I love my KLR
@@ADVF800GS yessir, I figure I'm married to my '18
I've had a Himalayan for a couple years. I took it on a 2000 km trip last summer, sticking to back roads. It isn't built for highway speeds, but that's not what it's for. I think of it as a tough little mule that'll take me and my gear almost anywhere I want to go.
Agreed Mark, and I reckon anyone after a mule will appreciated it... good to see that it seems most, if not all, those early problems have disappeared.
It's my wife's favorite for 2 up on rough roads.. 2018, a bit lighter with no abs, has a LCG.. only issue was a FP relay replaced under warranty.. has idled and performed flawlessly since. Smoooth! and gets great mileage. We love our little mule.
@@sscbkr48 If only it was a mite less heavy…
I'm really interested in the Himalayan as a bad weather/light adv bike but anywhere I go here in the states is a 70mph interstate and that's not really it's strong suit. The one bike I think a lot of people are really wanting is a CRF450L Rally. Now that I would be looking into.
I haven't ridden the Enfield but with only 24hp I think 70mph would be horrible lol.
I had a Himmy and liked it a lot. 2018 carb model and didn't have any issues with it. I sold it because it lacked power on the highway. It will do 70mph but not much faster. I was able to get mine up to about 130kmh (80mph) flat out. I ended up replacing it with a KTM 390 Adventure and so far it's serving it's purpose well.
How's the highway cruising with the 390? That was the one place I didn't get to ride it...
@@crosstrainingadventure It's got plenty of power on the highway, it's nice and revvy so if you do find it's lacking power for an overtake you can drop it down to 4th and it will happily accelerate. I did have problems with vibration but doing a pre-muffler/cat delete made the vibrations nearly completely disappear. Now it's a pleasure to ride long distance.
I also fit bar risers to make the riding position less cramped. Much better now.
Building bikes in China where the party banned its use by the citizens...... That's bad optics.
My phone with Google services also comes from China even if citizens can't use it that way :/
China is very icky but companies seen to have trouble making it work in other ways I guess
I think this will be a very bad move for KTM in the long run.
Up until a few years ago I had mixed feelings about Chinese bikes and products but with the downturn in the CCP's behaviour toward its own people and other countries lately I am personally opposed until they lift their game.
I’ve been looking at the NC750X recently. Not the most powerful (or off-road worthy), but for my needs, seems to be just about the perfect machine. An excellent do-it-all.
Reliability wins hands down and Honda has that cornered.
Another great vid!
Loved the sandals 😂
Thanks Jordan! When only the best boots will do lol.
I have a 2015 KLR-650 with about 19,500 miles. So far it's ran perfect and I've never had the engine case open on it. I realize that some earlier doohickeys would actually come apart, but the later versions are solid. They do need the spring replaced but all in all, I'm quite happy with mine!
I did 30,000 kms on my 2015, never touched the doo!!
I own both a T7 and wr250x and will say the T7 it is a very nimble bike for its wieght. I was worried the extra weight would be an issue, but have not really had any accept when you come to a stop it will feel a bit top heavy in comparison to the wr250. Riding the t7 off road is very confidence inspiring especially when you swap the tires for something more aggressive for off road riding.
Love the V-Strom 650 XT for exactly what you said it's for. We travel together on the dirt, so when it topples over, there's at least two of us to pick it up.
I really like the engine on it too, Michael. Has plenty of power on the highway, personally I can't see the appeal of all those 1000cc and bigger bikes and the massive weight...
1st time going 2 up today on the 650 strom, interesting experience. At least the missis liked the 2nd half of the trip, for the 1st half she was scared and tense and messing my turns :) Seriously thinking of a back spring upgrade, any thoughts on that ?
@@crosstrainingadventure We call our V-Stroms "the big bikes", as in, "are we going on the big bikes today?" Plenty of bike for each of us.
I haven't doubled anyone on the V-strom so not sure about the rear shock in that respect.
@@crosstrainingadventure must investigate a bit, I found this Austrian couple on youtube going all over the world on a 1000 with modified wilbers suspension. Only the bike and the luggage are 360 kilos (they weighted it in a vid). So if that's possible, me and my half + 15 kilos of bags and luggage should be very douable. I just have to see how that will "mess" with my solo riding and of course ... the cost involved :)
Picked up a Tenere700 10 months ago.. Enjoy it for trails - 2 tracks. Also still riding my 1200 GSA.- when doing Highway miles and Gravel roads. or 2 up. So the t7 is my lightweight bike. Also like the seat height - since i am 6'5"
I waited for 4 years for the Yamaha T7 and was just able to purchase one a couple of months ago. Biggest negative for me is still weight but there is no such thing as a light twin cylinder. IMO the many positives of this bike and its capabilities far outweigh that negative. Of course it does help when you have a light dirtbike in the stall for technical single track. Use the bike for what it was developed for and its.....Nirvana! Case in point, tomorrow some of us hard core old timers are doing a 400 mile route through the Colorado Rockies about 60% road 40% dirt through 8-10 passes, could not think of a better bike to do it on than the T7.
Great to hear it's working out for you, Dirk. The only lightweight twin I know of was the Aprilia RXV450 at something like 125kg wet weight but it was so unreliable... possibly because they'd trimmed so much weight out of the engine.
My final bike probably will be T7. But now i will be more than happy with cb500x. Because what i have learn in this life: You can't run before learned properly to walk. i am a beginner and it will takes alot of time to learn proporly my limits
Greetings from Sweden
If you want a cheap and reliable all-rounder with good range. Then only one name remains: CB500X
got a second gen KLR a few months back and really like it. Its not fast but it will pretty much just tractor over or through just about anything you point it at.
Do you know if the 'doohickey' mod has been done yet?
@@crosstrainingadventure yes. I did the mod shortly after I bought the bike. The spring was still good but you can see where it had been rubbing grooves into the side cover.
Great, she should be tractoring for years now. 😁
I need a light Honda 400 x x
Which is as capable
off-roads as it is on road.
The 500x sold in my country is more suited for roads.
Then there is the Bmw 310gs but it's unreliable.
BMW outsourcing key aspects has ruined their products making it unreliable.
Honda should bring back the old XR400 with upgrades... or even better the XR650R! They might bring out a CRF450L Rally perhaps. If so, I hope they give it a decent oil capacity though.
XR500L? I'd be interested in air cooled simplicity. Riding the XR650R and 450L back to back the L definitely feels a generation newer. The torque on the 650R is amazing though, barely need to shift.
@@crosstrainingadventure XR650 Rally?
Loving my T7, and I think you slotted it correctly in the mix! Great list! I do think that Yamaha missed a market by not producing a WR 450 R, as reliable as the 250 has been...still think there's room!
How sweet would a WR450R be! Cush drive hub, bigger oil and fuel capacity, comfy seat, a fairing, and detune it a bit... I'd be all over that.
@@crosstrainingadventure Yeah, If Yamaha had come out with one before the T7 I'd have probly ended up with it too!
@@crosstrainingadventure I wish they would update a Tentere with Ye Aulde 660 monocylinder engine, with the same extra comfort of the nineties/millenial ones and the same price range ! In my neck o'wood, the 2015 version was not popular, but now its second-hand price is almost as high as it was brand new !
I have both the GS850 (LOVE IT!!!!) as well as the Himalayan (love it too). extremely different rides but both unique. Was very interested in the Triumph and BTW, the Rally Pro is about the same price as the 850GS. Either way, I do also really like the look of the T7. Would like to test ride some day.
Sat on a GS850 Trophy and man it felt great being 6’1 on that bike. Might buy as my first motorcycle