WHICH BIKE? Share why you chose yours.
 

It would be good to know why people chose a specific bike - cost, brand, features. maybe it would help everyone get a better idea?

I currently ride a 2005 DR650 with 26000kms, not many mods apart from windscreen, heated grips and large fuel tank. Got it second hand, plan to upgrade suspension and fit a rear rack for soft panniers. Cheap so far.

thanks,
FR

DL650 Weestrom: Chosen for the deal on buying it, range/fuel economy and a reputation for doing most things quite well.

The dealers pushing their brands all shot themselves in the foot with offers that assumed I cared less about what badge a bike had and which Starbucks their other customers were drinking at. I can see there will be a Chinese brand in my future, but maybe not this decade.

Andy

Hi,

The Honda Transalp is known as one of the most relaiable bike on this planet. Many people before have done more then 200.000 km on the first engine. Also this bike is very cheap in Germany and many used parts are available in case of an accedent so i used it to go to university and later on around africa with it:

Riding the rough west coast through Africa part 3

For Southamerica i decidet to use the same bike as most of the the locals do: A Honda CGL 125. This bike is very cheap there, with it i dont look too fancy, all parts are available everywere and i dont had to ship my transalp:

Motorbike trip around Southamerica: Chile and Argentina part 1

Travel save, Tobi

BMW R100GS:

Chosen because we considered it to be the most suitable for a 2 up trip from the UK to Cape Town (21 years ago).

Still loved for it's comfort, simplicity, reliability and pure charm.

Lots of other bikes have passed through the garage in the intervening years and many are still there but the GS is the best all rounder.

I have an F800GS. I bought it new, as I want any issues to be my doing! Not the cheapest, but I don't drive so it's my only transport; this, in my mind, justified the expense! :innocent:

I bought it for a range of reasons. I'd seen many GS's around, but preferred the 800 to the 1200 having ridden both. Mine does 60mpg, even if I ride with more spirit; in my mind, this is really important if I'm riding 1000's miles. I like the fact that there's lots of Farkles already available, so I can choose from plenty of toys if I wish. With a replacement seat, it's very all-day comfy. I love this bike. In the past, I've thought about changing bikes often. Not this time. I'm going to ride it until it won't work any more (no jokes!).

Another main consideration is that my BMW dealership is excellent; they're very helpful, offering help well above what's required. It's for this reason I'd happily buy from them again.

Motorcycles are like wives.Some men are happy with just one .Some have to trade in from time to time as newer models come on the market and requirements change .

One is never enough. Bikes, that is. :thumbup1:

Yamaha XT600E: simple, reliable as a rock, easy to fix. Bought as a winter hack to save a beautiful Ducati from the ravages of a winter commute, but has been a well-loved 'second bike' while several 'best bikes' have come and gone. Downside: runs out of puff too soon, and not all-day comfy. Can't see myself ever selling it. A) its cash value is tiny, and b) it would be like kicking a puppy out into the snow.

Xt600z 3aj,

PROS:
Reliable
Big fuel tank
Very low tech= easy to fix
Parts easy to get
Relatively light weight
Cheap
Takes you anywhere
My heroes from the 80's dakar rally drove it


CONS:
Not very good for highway use
Some models have gearbox issues
Checking the oil is a nightmare
Rust quicker than a french car



.

Hi,

Dont make jokes like this. In other forums you can read more and more about the F800 is having serios engine trouble with only very little kilometers. When you go to change the oil on a japanese bike you have to change the engine on F800 :D

800GS.de - Motorschaden an meiner F800GS mit 17.000km
F800-Forum.de - F 800 GS - F 800 R - F 800 S - F 800 ST • Thema anzeigen - Motorschaden an meiner F800GS
Motorschaden F800 GS

The 1200GS seems not to be much better. Its engine even broke down with less then 50.000 km while a magazine took it for a test drive:

BMW R 1200 GS Dauertest : TOURENFAHRER ONLINE

Its not that i think BMW cant make good bikes i think they just dont want anymore. The old bikes like R80 etc. were really good. Now I think its like with the bulbs when they specialy reduced the live of a light bulb down to only 1000 hours to sell more of them:

Obsoleszenz – Wikipedia

Even TV stations start talking about companys who specialy reduce the live of there products now (just a quick google search):

Kaufen für die Müllhalde 1v5 - YouTube
'Verfallsdatum' für Konsumartikel und -geräte - Plusminus 29.03.2012 - YouTube
Kalkulierter Ausfall (Obsoleszenz) - was! 25.04.2012 - YouTube
Obsoleszenz: Elektrogeräte eingebautem Verfallsdatum - YouTube

I would only take a new bmw if i would get it for free like in long way round/down ;)

Hope all your "only transport" bikes reach more then 150.000 km too, Tobi

Yamaha XT 600 E: TOURENFAHRER ONLINE
Honda XL 600 V Transalp: TOURENFAHRER ONLINE
http://www.adventure-travel-experien...22.07.2011.pdf

The same for me and my '91 80GS, it is not the best at anything but is an excellent alrounder. There might be more up to date bikes out there now but for the price of one of them I can spend 6-12 months travelling on what I already own.

KTM 990 Adv

PROS
Its awesome

CONS
Its awesome
:innocent::innocent::innocent:

I can't help it, but the Guzzis really gets under my skin. The throbbing, mechanical sensation of that v-twin, the great geometrics giving ace handling (even the older ones are fantastic road holding machines), its simplicity, cheap spare parts - Guzzis just ticks off all the boxes in my book. I have a 2011 Stelvio NTX 1200 as my main transport, and a couple of older Guzzis as winter ride (850 T5 hack) and project bike (SP1000), respectively. I guess I've chosen bike by heart, not necessarily by head...

R1100gs
 

'98 R1100GS (considered the best of the R1100 series are '97-'99 bunch), mine's 255 000+ kilometers now, mechanically all stock minus few bearings.

It's an affordible 2up+full RTW luggage bike that can do reasonable offroad and definitely can take on full continents. It's a Land Rover Defender type of a bike, solidly robust yet capable design with few "buts" going along and a huge haters community shadowing it.


Pros:
- Cheap to run and maintain (at least compared to my previous japanese bikes)
- Really good stability and rideability when fully loaded (telelever makes all the difference for a loaded bike)
- Has a character - keeps you grinnin' and is photogenic too
- Economical on fuel per it's big bore torque - does 4.5-5L/100km average two up full luggage
- Drinks any cheap car/truck oil and poor quality fuel
- Relatively reliable and supereasy maintenance procedures (valves, TBs etc all directly accessible without messing around with plastics, hoses, radiators or frame parts)
- Robust and easy to fix (aircooled WWII technology mechanics, and the EFI it has is very primitive yet economical compared to carb)
- Almost no plastics
- Probably one of the least rusting bikes on the planet

Cons:
- Heavy
- Requires couple of important mods to make it 'perfect' RTW heavy duty bike (rear subframe reinforement)
- FD bearing (mine went around every 100 000km, but I can replace it even in the bush in around hour or two plus the kit is a lot cheaper and smaller to carry than a chain and a sprocket kit)
- controversal BMW badge (haters vs fanboys)

2009 XT660Z

Why? Well I wanted something new-ish after years of running old shonkers, and out of what's still available it's pretty much in a class of one.

- Cheap (rules out KTM and the big multi-cylinders)
- Efficient (rules out KTM)
- Rally bike looks (rules out more or less everything but the Tenere and the KTM ADVs)
- Proper off-road capability (rules out Transalp, V-Strom etc)
- Motorway capable (rules out sub-600cc singles and anything without a decent screen)

Plus my mate had one and seemed to be having fun. :D

What else is there?

I have made a lot of changes from the stock bike over the two and a half years I've had it, but most of the serious ones have been because I'm dumb enough to take it racing. If I was just using it for commuting, trail-riding and travelling it would probably still be pretty much stock.

2009 Suzuki DR650, paid $5000/3100 pounds sterling for a used one and at least the same again in mods, has screen, Safari tank with 700 km/400 mile range, comfy seat, air cooled, simple, reliable, easy to service, easy to fix with a big hammer, its taken my wife and me around SAmerica 2up, its been dropped more times than a buttered hot potato and it still going strong....

The only real weak point is the muppet riding it....

Its a shame you cant get new ones in the UK any more, or id have one over there too!!!

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/z...ing2012026.jpg

I have always ridden Meriden Triumphs Up until I retired and moved to France. The warm weather inspired me to take up biking again so I bought a BMW r80rt. good bike but after four years I just had to give it up.
Too heavy, too tall and just plain unergonomic. was always a clumsy thing.
I went to Uk to buy its replacement, I had two bikes lined up. an Enfield electra and a 1970 Triumph. as it happened I got to the Enfield first and bought it. Specifically it was an Electra. These have a good gearbox ( Quicker changes than with the BMW although there was nothing wrong with the BMW box, just slow to change). front brake as good as or better than the BMW, rear brake 100 times better. low speed handling and offroad handling is better but think past 70 the BMW is more stable on motorways,, But then 70 is approaching the speed limit for the Enfield :)
The Electra can easily be changed back to having the gearshift on the right and rear brake pedal on the left where they should be. This made the bike very ergonomic for me. gearshifting and braking now just happens without any thought on my part. I wrecked my right knee twice in car accidents and spent a few years learning to walk again. There are days when I would rather not have to kickstart a bike. I liked having electric start on the BMW so chose the Enfield model which also had an electric start. Since having the Enfield I do miss the virtually maintenance free shaft drive of the BMW.
What I also discovered in the couple of weeks before I fitted the RH gearshift kit was that the BMW was just awkward for me and much that I had blamed on having the gearshift on the wrong side was in fact due to the bike being unsuitable for me and not just the gearshift.

I have since ridden a friends MG Breva and have to say if I ever change the Enfield I would probably get one of those.

What I do find is although the Enfield is slower than the BMW in mph I seem to get more miles per day with the Enfield. This is partly due to it being easier to ride for longer and also I don't have to stop for fuel half as much. With a cheap (£200) aftermarket bigger tank I can get a 400 mile range from the same sized tank on the BMW that only gave me 220 miles.
People moan about having to check tappets every 3000 miles, but that takes less time than it does to stop and fuel up the BMW. It is also a LOT cheaper.

Yep, that's me.
I go out and pick up whichever "slut" takes my fancy, where ever I happen to be at the time.

Putting that another way, I get a bike local to where I happen to be in the world and ride that - then walk away when it is over.
I think this is a growing trend with the price of intercontinental shipping and the associated paperwork and miscellaneous costs (such as a CDP). Whether it be a local purchase or a hire bike, it makes sense to me.
Besides, there is so little time and so many rides out there.
As for which bike - well there is a forum for that, right here, but I like to play the field when overseas, but I have my regular rides in the garage back home :innocent:

BMW R100GS and Moto Guzzi
 

For me it's my R100GS PD. These bikes are versatile, comfortable and easy to ride over a long distance. Also airheads are well suited to shade tree repairs. For example, I've had the gearbox out of an R100RT and repaired it in a day on a Pyrenean campsite, when my brother's gear change spring broke on the way to Portugal a few years ago.

My bike has covered a huge distance (343000 miles). The engine has been completely apart once, because a pin that retains the front main bearing came out, allowing the bearing to move and shut off the oil supply to the heads. No damage was done and although I replaced the mains and big-end shells as a matter of course; it was not necessary to grind the crank. Apart from that it has consumed two sets of valves and guides, a set of rockers and a couple of cam chains. Oh and the cylinder heads have been dual plugged and gas flowed.

The gearbox has consumed three sets of bearings and one set of gears, and the drive shaft replaced three times; the last time with a shaft that has u/js that can be replaced. The final drive has never needed attention apart from an oil seal replacement. The clutch has been replaced once. The starter was replaced with one from a Japanese truck. The alternator was up-graded to 450W about 200000 miles ago.

The other make I like is Moto Guzzi. These have many of the attributes I admire in BMW airheads: comfortable, long-legged and easy to maintain. Overhauling the clutch or gearbox is quite a protracted procedure; I'd take on a clutch in a campsite, but I'm not so sure about a gearbox overhaul. But I guess with any bike, if your far from home you just have to get on with it, whatever bike you have.

On my way to Siberia earlier this year, in a Polish campsite I removed my paralever because I thought I could hear a gearbox output shaft bearing rumble developing. It turned out to be a false alarm, but my travel buddy PW took this picture to remind me not to be anal.......

I currently have 3 motorcycles:

A 91 Honda XLR 250.
This is my green laner, bought it because it was cheap and simple and forgiving. It'll go every where but not very fast.

An 07 Triumph Tiger 955i
I love this bike, it's my main road bike works as a commuter and a tourer and the triple engine just brings a smile to your face. As previous people have said I don't have a car so this can be a bit of a guilty pleasure.

A 2010 CCM SR40
This currently under prepareation to be my travel bike for my round the world adventure next year. the main reason we bought it was as because of the low seat and low weight combination and alsot he fact that it is one of the best looking bikes since the XT500. However if the tiger is a guilty pleasure then this is all seven deadly sins all in on little package with a short wheel base and punchy DRZ 400 engine it is the most fun i've ever had on two wheels.

More detail can be found here: The Bikes

Don't analyse
 

Back in the day, we bought our bikes because we liked them.
That was about it.
Advertising played a bit of a part and so did what your mates said and how they got on with their bikes.
They all broke down now and again and all needed servicing so I don't remember those things ever being a consideration.
After 'do I like it?' the other question was 'can I afford it?'

Anyway, pretty well all the bikes I've had, I bought them because I liked them. Liked the looks and how they felt when I sat on them. Particularly things like Ducati 900SS and the early Aprilia RSV Mille. And the Honda CB750 early in 1970.
With all those bikes, when the makers brought out newer versions with new cosmetics I always thought - 'what a crazy thing to do, they've made it pug-ugly! I'm glad I bought the earlier version.'
During all that time, I commuted to work in London by motorbike everyday, so that was in my mind as well. I did usually have a little 'commuter bike' but I always considered when buying a bike, including the CB750 and Ducati, 'will this be fun to ride to work on?'

There have been only two bikes that I bought for other reasons.
First, a Norton Commando. I started racing the CB750 and had great fun with that, and half-decent results. But in the early days of that bike there were no 'go-faster' tuning bits and I felt I could do better with a better bike.
I looked at the stats - who was winning the races I was in? It was always the Commando. At least 3 in the first 4 normally. And those stats led me to the worse bike-buying decision I ever made.
I swapped the CB750 for a Commando and immediately did better. It was like an express train on rails compared to the Honda.
Then it broke down in a race, my first ever did-not-finish.
And broke down again.
And needed a full week of work between meetings.
And broke down again.
It did finish races as well, and I always got better results than on the Honda. But the breakdowns were demoralising.
So being an engineer I looked at the stats again.
I had forgotten to look at the non-finishers - there they all were, mainly Commandoes!
I still wish I'd never sold the Honda - another year and tuning bits appeared on the market.

The other bike I bought without just deciding 'I like that' was the TTR250 for my African trip. I read Lois Pryce's book and that was enough for me, I went out and found one.

I'd say, go by gut instinct. Do you like the bike a lot? If you do, and then find there's a problem with it, well, liking the bike a lot will bring some enjoyment to fixing the problem and you'll learn more about it at the same time.

There's a saying, don't know where it's from: 'What gets analysed, dies.'
Analyse too much and your enthusiasm can die.

I currently have a Tiger955i and a Tiger800XC.
I bought the 955 after an horrific 7 years of grief with a BMW R100GS. The BMW let me down so often that I gave up getting it fixed and took a gamble on the Triumph. Bought the 955 new in 2002 and it's turned out to be the most reliable bike I've ever owned and is still sweet with 67000 miles on it. The only thing it didn't do too well was dirt. Although it's got me to the top of the Col Sommeiller and Fort Jafferau etc. I would never do it on my own because of its weight.

The 800XC came along, bought new, in June 2011 because it's the bike I was looking for before I bought the BMW. Fast on road. Good off road. Reliable so far (18K up). It is IMO the best all round bike on the planet.
Also, once you've been trippled you'll never go back.

I have had a lot of bikes (Jan Krijtenburg homepage (My bike history)) bit now my bike is a BMW R1100GS and I think it is the best bike I ever had.

I was looking for a BMW R80GS but found this R1100GS from 1997 with only 22000 km on the odometer and looking like new for the right price.

This summer I went to Barcelona in Spain and enjoyed it very much. I just want to change the original BMW awkward shaped panniers for aluminum boxes and I just ordered a spoiler on the windscreen to reduce windnoise.

This discussion will never die, as long as there are different bikes there will be a discussion about which one to choose, or which one not to choose.

I doubt the perfect bike exist (then we all would have one of them), the TransAlp is probably one of most endurable bikes ever make - especially the 600cc, not fast, not really pretty (in my humble opinion - would still like to have an 93 model), but they worked, and one can get spare parts for them all over - and you can fix them with a big hammer.

The African Twin is also a major contender, unfortunately it's as heavy as a truck (or a GSA), but they last (which is why one see so many of them).

Then there is the whole GS range from BMW, I've had the R12GS and GSA, on good roads, gravel, they are absolutely awesome, but not so fun when you have to pick them up. If you know what you do you really can get that bike to do some amazing things (and as I'm not one of these people, I suck).. The old R80GS PD, and possibly the R100GS are the best ones. If you really have hair on the chest get an HP2e (and money)... not as good as the old GS's, but in a league by it self. Currently I have an F8GS which I find suites my riding, can do highway, backroads, and if one wants a bit of adventure it can do that also - some people push them way over the limit, and live to tell the tail (see Adv. Riders F800 forum).

Then the Orange stuff, awesome, expensive to keep on the road, but ultimately everyone would love to have on - I still think the 950/990Adv. is the best designed adv. bike (the look of it), they are stilly expensive to service if one can't do it them self ... just ask an owner if they take it in to an KTM dealer for service. The 640Adv. is probably at the same league as the R80GS PD, unfortunately no long in production. Now they have the 690R which seam to be the ultimate thing, but not problem less. They are all made for massive amount of fun, but maybe not all for the long milage (I say some, not all).

Then the BMW X series, the xChallange was BMW's mistake, they produced something no one wanted (like the HP2e), then stopped producing them, and now everyone would like to have one (ok, maybe just me). Light, adequate HP, and a good engine... (Rotax in general rocks).

Then there is suzuki, yamaha, etc. they are not trying to take a mouthful out of BMW's cake, I doubt that it will even register in München (they need a LWR/LWD - unfortunately). Ok, the DR's great bikes, not really pretty, and they never really made it to Europe...

Triumph might be a contender with the 800, I just don't like Triump, I've had one, and don't want another....

Then there are the singles (ok xChallange was covered), but there is the XT's TT's, etc. interesting, and the XT660 is without a doubt a great bike.. just slightly underpowered for the size of it. The XT600 and TT600r are great bikes, and there is a reason why there so many of them - they work... One bike I would like to see in Europe is the Honda XR650 (not the old model), but Honda for some odd reason think differently.

Some mates and I have been discussing the perfect travel bike on/off at HUM (and on the road when meeting up), and right now it's 2v, ~160-180kg, 21" front, 18" back, (abs), maybe 650-800cc, 65-80hp, good seat, good suspension (or option to upgrade to some really good stuff), good for the eyes (like the KTM 9xxADV), and no silly stuff, like ugly plastic in odd places, etc. just a plain bike which is easy to fix - oh forgot not too much electronic, or at least something which does not stop working in middle of f... all no where. Oh, as I am slightly longer than most, high ...

I forgot one, the Dutch Diesel bike - excellent idea... only 3 (maybe 4) problems with it - 1) no clutch (really shitty idea), 2) no dealership support, 3) some of the more vital parts stick out in the wrong places. And it's a turbo diesel, which can make it difficult to fix, but hey, it's not slow. And it's silly expensive, way too expensive for any normal human being to buy on (same price as a BMW GSA..., guess what people pick)

So all in all, I think one could say that there isn't a perfect bike, or the best bike - they do not exist, what exist is the bike we have in garage... and it mostly always end up putting a smile on our face, no matter what.

Casper
(and I talk even more ...)

It does. The trouble is, you don't buy it you grow it and it will only stay perfect for as long as it lasts. This doesn't fit well with current thinking and is heartily discouraged by marketing people.


Andy

Casper, I agree with a lot of what you say and as you point out, it is possible to build the perfect bike, or at least a bike that 80% of travellers on here would agree is the best, but if it's too expensive to buy and doesn't have the international dealer network and spare parts back up it's no good for the overland traveller.

I still think that old ones are the best (TA, AT, 80 & 100GS). They come from a time where bikes had 2 wheels and an engine but didn't have all the unnecessary junk that seems to be responsible for most of the breakdowns. Of course, they also benefit from owners having many years of experience and devising suitable remedies for their weak points.

:thumbup1:

You've just described the F800GS and XT660Z haven't you? Don't forget that eFI was pretty much forced on manufacturers due to emissions controls but offers significantly better mileage and power....

I would accept that the benefits of EFI outweigh the downsides but the F800GS is still too overburdened with (unnecessary) electronics and exceeds the 180kg. 65hp from an XT660Z - you'll be lucky!

Well, you can keep dreamin' while the rest of us are out ridin'!

Casper wrote the spec. that you have quoted as mine but I do think it is about right although I would want at least 25 litre fuel capacity as standard.

I think the F800GS and the Tenere are probably the best options for 'out of the showroom' travel bikes available - your choice depending on which side of the off road/road compromise you want to be. Neither would match an AT or R100GS in my opinion.

.
For many of the reasons I will not buy a BMW motorbike.
Japanese every time.
I could go as far to say, that the reliability of almost all the Japanese bikes would be better than any of the BMW bikes.
Sure there are exceptions to every rule, but in the general run of things, the Japanese bikes win hands down.

Now the Africa Twin is sold, I have a hankering for the Varadero.

vette

bike
 

I have been owner of few BMW (K75,K100,gs100,900,115GSA,1200GSA) and many more jap bike and even KTMm , triumph and ducati , I love all of them but for ease of maintenance and reliability my jap bikes were the best of all . as far as price/reliablity/maintenance you cannot beat them . Sure my BMW looked better and have a better ground clearance , but they were also heavier and way more expensive . for my next RTW I will most likely choose Suzuki or Honda .

That problem was solved back in 2008 with new pistons, and also this problem didnt really affect the gs just the s ans st models which really suffered. All of which providing you have a full service history you are very likely to get bmw to pay for most or all of the repairs.
If there is a problem with their bikes and you support the network by using aftersales for servicing then you are likely to be treated very nicely if a problem arises.

Horse power to weigh ratio. I bought a new BMW F650GS in 2007 and rode to Tierra Del Fuego from the USA. That bike is single cylinder, chain drive, tube tire machine that gets 25km per litre, 62 mpg, at 100 kmh day in and day out. It has a 400 km range with no extra tank needed. It comes with heated grips, abs, and a good saddle. I rode it stock, including the chain. 52 hp, single disc brake, 380 lbs +/-.

In 2011 I bought a used BMW F800GS. I am short ( 30 inch inseam) so I lowered it myself. Had all the cool stuff on it. After 5000 miles I had a tank slapper wobble at 75 mph on the flattest, straightest, smoothest piece of asphalt in the world on the interstate at Lexington, Nebraska and destroyed the bike. I survived because the bike had crash bars and I wear all the gear all the time. The next day I went to the see the bike. It started right up and was rideable - barely. I had bent the frame - so I junked the bike. It was smooth, got 50-54 mph (so not good for RTW distance), stock saddle was comfy! I do not know what caused the wobble. It could have been the knobbies in wind. It could have been wind shear. It does not matter now.

I have purchased a new 2013 factory lowered F800GS. It arrives here shortly. I have kept my old F650GS single. They take money to maintain - but I am emotionally attached to a pile of metal and rubber. The F800 bare is 82 Hp, 415+ lbs. So I have voted with my pocket book. It still amazes me that I rode 18K miles to Ushuia Argentina without a scratch, but got dumped in Nebraska 5 miles from a hospital.

I live by these rules on adventure travel. Simple is best. One gets exactly what one pays for. I saw a lot of Honda transalps in Argentina because the rental agency rents transalps. Lots of BMW's in Chile, because they have a dealer in Santiago and the tour companies all use BMW. One should look to see what bikes the tour companies use for their guests. My observation is that BMW is used because they are durable and dependable.

My BMW's have broken from time to time. And I am not always happy with service or dealers. But the fact is that the bikes are tested, reliable, and German. Nuff' said.
Fritz

My bike of choice for the big tour was the Suzuki DR650SE. Why?

First of all I sat on it and had fun. And there are other reasons which compelled me to try the bike in the first place. Things like:

-the bike couldn't be any simpler. No electronics. Single cylinder. Carburetor. Tubed tyres. If you find a way to start her, you don't even need the battery.
-she's in fact so simple that even I can maintain and service it. Which means everyone can
-her design hasn't changed since the mid 90's. So she's well proven and weak points are all pretty much known and figured out.
-lots of aftermarket stuff is available to make her even better
-it's one of the cheapest 650ccm bikes to buy brand new
-she's one of the most light weight 650ccm bikes available...
-...but her frame can still hold up with a lot of luggage weight
-she runs even with crap fuel (85 octane) and cheap motoroil
-she can cope with pretty bad roads and even some off-road, even with me as a newbie rider.

The DR650 is only the second bike I've ever owned. On her I went all the way from Australia to Africa to Europe. And brought her back to Australia. And she's still running well. Apart from the regular service bits to replace every now and then the only extra replacement of parts she needed were new fork seals after 40000km.