honda xr 650r vs ktm 640 lc4
 

Hello all,
having just done kazakhstan mongolia siberia etc an back home to ireland on an old xlr250 im about ready for a new bike, i learned alot on my first trip an know how i want to kit out my next bike,
in the mean time however id like a super moto for a bit of fun, now, in your collective opinions, would i be better off getting a ktm sm, then buying big wheels, tank an a screen etc, or a honda xr, then fitting new suspention, brakes, small wheels, etc,
OR an xr allready supermotod an buying the big tank screen etc,
plus, having only owned hondas i have no idea of ktms reliability, is it an issue?

does anyone know if the lc4 sm engine is the same as the lc4 adventure?

your comments, opinions, an slagging off for riding a 250 a third the way round the world (dont diss the xlr), are greatly appreciated,

thanks rossa

xr info
 

hi rossa
like you have done one big trip and have lots of ideas what i need to change for the next one. from talking to owners and researching the net i decided that while the ktm is a very capable bike it has a tainted record of reliability. it appears to be a highly strung engine and then there are chassis component failures. (i guess this will cause ktms owners to start telling me what i dont know but i took a long hard look at the tech section of HUBB. you will finds lots of probs if you trawl those entries) do the same for the xr and what you find is a bike that seems it can keep going whatever. look at all of rich lees postings, he has a lot of experience with xrs and is testament to what the bike can be put through. solution to my next bike was to buy a xr already supermotarded. i am not dissapointed. it is fantastic round the lanes, motards deliver holligan performance if you want it! i am also preping it for another big trip. a genuine 2 in 1 bike if there is such a thing. dont expect it to be comfortable, it aint yet but neither is the ktm. dont expect it to be pleasurable above 70mph it aint. beyond that its fantastic. also lots more hoda dealerships throughout the world. check out http://www.xr650r.us/ this lists all the common problems and is a good source of info.
hope this helps a little, happy bike buying.
Oz

Perhaps you should consider getting a 640 Adventure? I currently ride one and have previously owned a 640 lc4 with both motard and 21'/18' wheels. While you can definitely have a lot of fun on the smaller wheels with the right tyres you can ride pretty hard on the big hoops too, and the bike already comes with a big tank etc. Haven't had any dramas with my katies, but then again I've never done big mileages on one either. There's plenty of info from experienced owners on the advrider site if you want more specific stuff. I did a lot of research on this before I bought another one even though I had previously owned one I still wanted to be sure, if you look around I think you'll find that while they may be a bit more high strung, quite a few of the problems from earlier models have been sorted out - I've heard of plenty of jap dirt bikes killing pistons in 20ks and with the KTMs at least you get suspension worthy of the word...

Also I'm pretty sure the engines are the same barring exhaust and jetting stuff, but don't take this as gospel.

well?!, xr offcourse! parts are expensif but you don't need to replace them if you check oil and water now and then.

ktm is nice lots of second hand parts beceause they brake down everywhere unless we are talking about the less than 3 years old ktm's. jep high performance wears out quick, if you take a ktm take a new one every 3 year or so

Cheers lads
 

Thanks Oz, Patrick, LukeRobyn and Beat for your advice,

sorry i havent been online to reply sooner, were really out in the sticks here,

so i went an bought an xr650ry, all motarded up with wavy disks an usd forks an an akaprovic exhaust an a mikuni pumper carb, shes lovely, though i didnt collect it yet from scotland, no lights or ignition or indicators, should be fun getting her home,

does anyone know about the ry model? does it have a smaller tank, yer man reckons itll only get 110km to the tank!

also any ideas on some powerfull lights, without going big, ive plenty of time to kit her up for proper travel but in the meantime need to get her legal,

Thanks again for all your advice, i really appreciate it,
dont hesitate to get in touch if yier ever over on my islansd (its mine!)
there are a few backroads i dont know yet....

rossa