Bike recomendation, trying to make up my mind
 

I've been comuting for almost two years now on a honda 125 dual sport 4 stroke bike, I really want to start travelling in my bike. My guess is that the longest trip will take but 1200 miles at the most and 70-80% will be in regular condition, the rest I hope will be offroad, Im really into exploring so i need a bike taht can handle it, Iv'e been looking at the ktm 640 adventure and the v-storm 650, the reason I've considered the suzuki is because i also need the bike to comute, and since a small % of my riding is going to be offroad, also im 5'69 and the ktm is very tall, but i want to know that the bike im riding is going to take me through any back road I want to explore, and can handle sand,I have a lot of sand here, I am in the caribean coast oc colombia. so the deal is, the suzuki is great for regular condition roads and comuting, and the ktm is great for offroad, I'd like to get some opinion's so i can make up my mind, also i really like the bmw f 650 gs, but it dont know just how reliable it is.

Thanx

Apples and orange - Sv and LC4...

Apples and apples - suzi DR650 and ktm LC4 ...

The DR is a lot chaeper than the ktm.

Basicly YOU need to decide if you want the twin or the single FIRST - the you can decide on the models ... twins - SV, tranie TDM etc ... singles - XL, DR, ktm etc... As yiu say twins - better on the commute. Singles = lighter weight .. better on the sand.

I'll be making maybe 3-4 short trips a year plus 1 or maybe two long ones. so the twin is more suited for the highway and comuting, but I dont' want to get to the point where i have to turn back because the v-storm couldn't handle the road, price is not an issue, because either i buy a new suzuki or a slughlty used ktm. anybody knows how the suzuki handles in the sand?

Fun bikes to ride
 

Hola,if you are talking of the V strom twin that might not be the best choice for sand riding. Do you have the DR suzuki available. Maybe a 400 or can you get the honda 400 single cylinder? Talk to locals that have bikes like you are thinking about to get some first hand imput. And if you ever make it up to Montana stop by.

I think im going to need good wind protection, let's say i go with the v-storm, are there modifications so i can make it more suited for offroad? also, just how reliable is the suzuki, my honda turn out to be very very reliable.

How about the Dakar version of the F650? It'd be a good commuter bike and with its longer travel and 21" front wheel should be good on the dirt too?
My mates had a bit of an issue with it's fuel pump though leaving him stranded a couple of times, although most Beemers are pretty reliable apparently.
Matt

The Wee-Strom has little ground clearance and a good skidplate will be important. Adding a centerstand will reduce the ground clearance even more.

They are very reliable bikes.

V-strom won't be easy to mount a decent sumpguard to as there's no lower frame rails to bolt it to.So whatever plate you make will have to be fixed to the engine itself(and have you seen how exposed that oil filter is????).
As has been said the only person who can make the choice is you in the end.Having a go on other bikes will help you make a better choice.But for long term commuting and reliability i would certainly NOT go for the KTM(cue moans from fans of the marque).Lovely offroad,loads of go but sadly not reliable enough for practical day-in day-out use(read the KTM problems pages here on the HUBB).

I just noticed that you're in Colombia.

From what you've posted so far, the right bike could very well be the DR650. IIRC, they're about $7,000us new in your country.

The dr650 is not my tipe of bike, and the bmw dakar is a very tall bike. After some research i found that v-stroms can be very off road oriented, given that i am not looking for speed when going off-road, i just want to be able to explore any gravel, sand.........etc road i run into. So the search has been narrowd down to a regular bmw 650 gs, and he v-strom, i love the bmw but parts availability is very poor here, you can olny get them in major cities, whilst there's a suzuki dealer in every single town here. I'm looking into the used bike offerings, so I'll post my findings for advice.

Thanx

Note the Dakar can be lowered.
Matt :)

The V-Strom is an excellent bike. It's the best choice for on-road, does gravel better than my KLR 650 did and with Continental tkc80's or similar dual purpose tires, will go nearly anywhere.
:euro:

If you're not going too far (1200 miles) why not try it on your Honda? The bikes mentioned are all great choices, but see how far you can go on your current bike. Worry about a new one when you really need it.