The Dakar has it's fans. be a very interesting Adv.Tourer.
so far...nothing.

Help Oh Enlightened One!
 

Patrick,

The more I read the more confused I get:eek3: !! I am planning on coming over to Phoenix in September to venture out for a year to North, Central & South America for a year or till the pennies run out. From all my research have nailed it down to a new 08 KLR650(one must have brakes I guess); Nearly new Wee Storm650 or 650gs Dakar? I am by UK standards a large bloke, medium in US then! 6ft and 100kgs, I will be carrying camping gear as well.

My routes will be 70/30 tarmac : Gravel I guess. I intend to test ride the Wee storm & Dakar next week, however not easy to take a KLR out here in the UK. I am no wizz kid with mechanics so simplicity and ease of maintenance is of importance to me. I am also concerned about weight & suspension issues.

Any help in the matter would be appreciated.

Cheers Mojo. :helpsmilie:

For ease of maintenance, you should be looking at either a DR650 or DL650, IMO.

The DR is more off road oriented, with the DL being more street oriented. I haven't read back to learn whether you're going 2-up or not, but any bike will suck panda bear balls when really riding off road, meaning rough and sometimes technical roads.

One-up for a year's worth of trouble-free exploring, the DR means you have the option of going on most all roads except for basic single track. The DL is only limited by weight, ground clearance and suspension on rough roads, being more of a road bike, and designed for that.

For the cost of a bare F650 you could outfit one of these two Suzukis and probably ride your dream without major problems, and have ergos to meet your comfort needs.

Bike problems are Suckus Maximus when on the road.....

Sorry for the confusion Mojo.

I've been there...
 

Two years ago I decided to buy either a KLR or a Dakar- that was the easy part. I went back and forth between dealerships and spent plenty of time on line doing the research. I finally chose the Dakar. People talk about the KLR being lighter as some kind of selling point. I always wondered WHY it was lighter, and wonder if many of the components are simply lighter/cheaper/weaker. No doubt the liquid cooling on the Dakar adds a few pounds. The reality of long-distance riding is that no matter what bike you choose, compromises must be made. I've spent quite a bit of time off-road on my trip, and the Dakar is heavy and heavily loaded- yet there are heavier bikes doing long trips. If only we could all ride like Tiger Woods- "OK boys, unload the 250 for me, load up the Dakar after you change the oil..." I've never ridden a KLR but am convinced it's a fine bike. Either bike will treat you right. Mine has given me over 30,000 miles of trouble free riding on 4 continents- and the party is just starting! Mind you, I take good care of the bike. Below is one of my buddies with his KLR- an unstoppable pair! His bike had over 65,000 miles on it when I took this picture- and that was almost 2 years ago (note the kickstand foot-print made from a piece of scrap metal Mel had welded on in Guatemala for a few cents- no fancy $50 part here). In the end, I think bikes are kinda like tires, people spend WAY too much time "worrying." Good luck with your trip, hopefully our paths will cross someday- preferably near a good pub! H.

Thanks Guys
 

Thanks for the input guys,

As I do not want to restrict my adventure have ruled out the Wee Storm. Shame as I realy like the ride of the bike.

Thanks Patrick, the plan stands to get to Phoenix in September and see the best deal I get for a used KLR, DR or GS. Have enrolled in a Bike maintenance school from next week! Lord help them for my questions?

See you guys on the road some day.

Cheers Mojo.

Just a note on mechanical ineptness I am no grease monkey but took the time to learn and then the time to set the bike up correctly and set the valves with generous help from others (including Mollydog fount of knowledge). Everything I took a shortcut on I regretted, everything I prepared well I have had VERY FEW problems with and carry about 10,000 miles so far.

good luck and travel safe.

Actually BMW have had many more problems with broken frames, shock mounts, footpeg brackets, and final drives (on twins) and so on.
Light is Right.

KLR650 Cheap uncostly way to go for a bit of everything
 

Have owned an older R100GS which was reliable and a great machine albeit a little bulky, never had a problem other than a burnt exhaust valve, but for a cheap alternative to the latest GS machinery and other jap jobs, I'd suggest the laughable KLR650 as having owned one for the last few years have stacked it a few times attempting to do motocross, ridden it for a few thousand k's in one hit and run up the back end of many a sport bike in the very twisty bits in the hills of Victoria, and had a ball doing it.

They dont handle particularly well at over 120kmh, (tyres make a big difference, knobblies, dualsport etc.) vibrate quite a bit at touring speeds, but are water cooled, have a large tank, tacho,fairing and a comfy seat which bodes well for all manner of riding. Jack of all trades, master of none comes to mind and a very easy bike to maintain.

The front brakes are crap and I've changed to an EBC 320mm rotor, stiffer springs and put on a centrestand and heated handgrips and a decent switchblock (lights, indicators, horn etc.)for a total cost of around $7,600 new all up, so try one out.

They dont do things as well as more expensive machines but will be right there with them for half the cost. :mchappy::funmeteryes:

Hi Bonzo,
Have you done much with yours two up mate? Or is there not enough room and not really a two up machine due to the vibrations? I think i have pretty much decided on a Wee or V Strom unless BMW launch the new 800GS early next year and that may come into the mix also.
Hey is your KLR red? You didn't happen to be out near Noojee with about 5/6 other riders 3/4 weeks ago did you?

Hey Mollydog do you know of anyone that has put DR forks and wheel on the front of a Wee to make it handle the dirt a bit better? Actually i'll do a search on ADV rider and check it out as i'm sure i read somewhere of someone doing that..



Chris

If they can't figure this out easily....well you get the idea. :scooter:

Yeh i actually thought it all sounded a bit to crazy for me and to be honest i was more just thinking about getting a bigger front wheel on it rather than changing the world...

You can do far travels on any bike, even one with every other wheel spoke missing, loose handle bars, no operating lights, blown shock, spewing forks, bad rings.....etc. :)

How you ride whatever bike it might be, is a huge difference.

The machinery used is more important now, at least as it's viewed by today's rider setting off on a long trip. So many choices....

Gs 650
 

Hi Guys

3 months ago I had to make a decision on what bike I wanted to buy for my "long" trips.
I wanted the BMW GS1200.
Anytime I travel to distant lands and meet other bikers on the road they all ride one. That speaks for itself.
Unfortunately I am to short to ride it (If I wasn't, that would be my choice, no doubt!).

I was looking for an alternative and checked all your previous comments on GS and KLR
EventuallyI opted for the GS650.
In the last 2 months I have travelled in Italy, France Spain and Morocco
I think the bike is confortable and reliable.
I only had 1 incident in Madrid where my battery was completely dry.
I believe it's nothing to do with the bike.
Probably the battery was cracked.
I'll have this issue checked when I am back in Italy in September.
One of the features I am really impressed with is the petrol consumption.
The bike can ride over 30km with 1 ltr! I think that's impressive.
Also quite handy when you have to ride 100s of kms before you can finally find a petrol station!

I wanted to give some feedback as your previous comments where very useful to finalise my decision
Never tried a KLR, so I can' really comment

Ciao
Paolo

Just look around you will see how many people use the GS650 for RTW trips. Here's one man thats still busy since 2005 and the bike is on 130000km, nuff said:mchappy:
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