Hey Outwest,

Thanks for the response. It sounds like you and I have very similar riding tastes and abilities, and you bring up a good point. Almost all of my riding is solo, and I've watched a few YouTube videos of guys riding over some Colorado passes, and that gives me some pause. I'd hate to get in a situation that I needed help.

Actually, the DRZ was a big part of my interest in the DR650, and also my concern.

A few years ago, I had a friend/acquaintance with a DRZ400 who took some epic multi-month trip around North America. I really admired her bike; really got me interested in something like that.

But I noticed that she kept having problems with the bike. It seemed like it was breaking down every week. And then she had to have it in the shop for some major work at one point.

I asked her about it, and she responded with something to the effect of, "Well, it has 40,000 miles on it. Of course it's going to need some work."

...and that was kind of the deal-breaker for me. At the time, my V-Strom had nearly 100,000 miles on it, and it had never needed anything other than brake pads and oil changes. I would eventually put 40,000 more miles on that bike, again without anything but regular maintenance, before selling it. As far as I know, it's still on the road.

I realize her bike is just one example, and to her, the bike was still perfect for what she wanted, but I guess I got so used to the utter reliability of the big twin that the thought of a bike that needs an overhaul so "soon" turns me off.

It's hard for me to judge my own abilities... I feel pretty confident on a bike, and when I had my V-Strom, I took it in a lot of places where I was probably in over my head. Nothing dangerous, but just a lot of work. But I almost always made it.

I recall on my trip through Mexico, I met up with a rider on a KLR. We went up a rutted, gravel mountain road with tight switchbacks. On the way back down, the KLR guy said he was going to go on ahead because it was getting dark and his headlight was terrible. He wanted to get down to the bottom before dark. So he took off. I followed right behind him all the way down, and when we got to the bottom, he expressed shock that I was able to keep up with him on my "big" bike.

That said, I've never owned a real dual-sport.

In another incident, I led a group of riders on an afternoon ride through some moderately twisty roads in Tennessee. Several of the guys were on cruisers. One guy was on a sportbike. After lunch, I said to the group that the next section was especially curvy and I was going to pick up the pace a bit, and if they wanted to hang back, we'd all regroup at the next intersection. The sport bike guy was the only one who stayed with me, and when we stopped, he stated that he'd never leaned his bike over so far.

That's not to overstate my riding abilities, but it goes to show the versatility of the V-Strom. I'm kind of looking for the same type of experience.

As Snakeboy said above, I can't go wrong with either bike. But I'm just trying to narrow down the fine details to figure out if one or the other would be better suited for me.

Jamie

This was my point above in stating that you would be on to the 2nd "next/different" DR/DRZ to get to the mileage you're interested in, having "used up" the first one so to speak, unlike your friend who was fixing a tired bike ...

If this "KLR" type of riding interests you More - get the DR or DRZ and live with the short comings on the road and having to replace the bike with another one to reach your desired 100k+ mileage using this model ...

OR... if this "Sports" type of riding interests you More - get the CBX RR and ... live with the short comings off road but get the desired mileage from the longer lived bike that this seems to be ...


And I agree with Snakeboy - the details are in the type of riding you Most enjoy and whether you're willing to replace a single cylinder bike every 50-60k or just want one, more road oriented twin that will take more abuse and therefore last the distance you ask of it but be more of a handful off road - though arguably better off road than your DL650 in selecting the CBX RR kit - what fun decision you have!
...

Best

2 cents coming in...

There really are no 'shortcomings' with the LEVEL 2 CB500X when it comes to the kind of 'off-road' riding you'd be attempting on a travel bike loaded with luggage - it will eat up everything you're going to be prepared to ride on an overland trip.

Equally, the DR650 is a great dual-sport bike that can also rack up serious mileages on RTW style overland trips - loads of aftermarket support, cheap (especially secondhand) - although you'll have to do quite a number of modification$ to a stock one to get it anywhere near approaching the on-road comfort and high-mile-munching ability of the CB, and it will still never be an EFi twin.

However, if you're also going to ride it unladen, just for fun, then the lighter weight of the DR is going to potentially give you a little extra margin for mistakes off-road, but don't discount the excellent and engine and transmission on the Honda - it makes it very easy and forgiving to ride off-road too.

Both bikes have been around the world, the length of the Americas and Africa too... If I was embarking on a long-distance trip, I would the CB every time. If I wanted to play around off-road and trail-ride at weekends, it would also be the CB - but the DR is great for that too ;o)

As others have suggested - it's probably best to get a ride on both if you can, see how they fit you, and tot-up just how much you'd need to spend on either to get them to the specification you desire for your planned trip... don't forget you can pick up used CB500Xs for around $3000 these days too now (the first ones came out in 2013).

Ultimately I consider that either will serve you well.

Jx

The biggest shortcomings I see with the CB500x is the weight and the bodywork.

My biggest complaint about the V-Strom was the weight. I pack light, but loaded up, it was a bear. I decided when I sold it that I'd probably get something lighter. While the CB is lighter than the V-Strom, it's still pretty heavy.

...and the bodywork. The first time I truly saw a 500x up close was a couple months ago when I hosted a motorcycle traveler who was riding one (in stock form). I was quite surprised at how much plastic was on the bike. One minor drop which lands the wrong way, and that's an expensive or ugly repair.

On the other hand, I've been very impressed with the reviews and videos I've seen of the Rally Raid kit on the 500x. There's no doubt it would suit my needs.

The DR is no lightweight either, I'll admit. But it's quite a bit lighter than the Honda, and from what I can tell, noticeably more off-road worthy. It's not like I'll be riding technical single track on either bike, but rocky jeep trails are in my future for sure, and the bike will certainly be loaded for a few days camping.

The biggest shortcoming of the DR that I can see is long-term durability, and to a limited extent, comfort on a long ride. I consider the carburetor to be a shortcoming too, as I quite often go up over 10,000 feet (3000 m) as well as much lower elevations. Other people say the carb is fine... so maybe that's not a concern.

There's a fairly newish CB500x for sale near me for what I consider a reasonable price. That bike is half the reason I decided to post this thread. It might be a good time to buy.

Outwest, you're absolutely right that this is a wonderful decision to have to make, but I've been debating this in my mind for quite a while. Some days I decide for sure that the right bike for me is the DR, and then the next day something will pop into my head and make me realize that the CB is the perfect bike. Ugh.

I'm tempted to just flip a coin.

Heh.

Thanks for all the ideas everyone. I really need to get on both bikes and see what I think. If I find a stock CB500x to ride, how similar is that to Rally Raid improvements? That is, is it fair to rate the CB500x in stock form if what I'm really after is the Rally Raid model?

Jamie

Hi Jamie - I'm not going to recommend one over the other - both will do what you ask, so it's going to come down to what are your actual priorities?

That said - as you are probably aware, I do have a lot of experience with the CB500X (and the Rally-Raid kit), so can certainly clarify any issue/s you may have with regard to that bike... and no.1 would be your concern with regard to the bodywork vulnerability... honestly, don't be - the bike drops and crashes exceptionally well. You may have already seen the Rubicon Trail video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7jpOMaGnps

...and if you watch the summary after the ride, you'll see none of the panel work was damaged at all, despite some pretty hefty drops on nasty rocks.

Now of course, you might be unlucky, but equally, in my experience, you need not worry - the bike is very narrow, and if you've fitted decent hand-guards (and bars), that tends to take the brunt in the event of a fall, while the tank/fairing body-work remains nicely tucked out of the way.

As for the weight - yes, it is a 200Kg machine, but it is also a very short and compact bike, so all that weight is very much between your knees, and it feels very nimble to ride. It might sound a little facetious, but really - it's only heavy when you have to pick it up - and as I mention above, the tractability and general forgiving nature of the power delivery means you very rarely end up dropping it in the first place...

As for how a stock bike compares to the LEVEL 2 bike (for those not familiar, that is +2" suspension and 17/19" wheels), it really is night and day... The best thing to do is to dip into the Rally-Raid CB500X thread in the Vendor section on ADVrider, as there is loads of information and customer experiences there - but in a nutshell, I'd suggest the LEVEL 2 spec really is the 'sweet spot' for this kind of genuine 50/50 all-terrain bike - in that it feels like a larger [ADV] bike on the highway, but handles more like a 650 thumper on the trails.

Ergonomically they are still similar of course (so if a stock one is comfortable and fits you, so will the RR version), but the quality of the suspension and overall stability and handling is significantly improved - particularly with the extra travel and larger 19" front wheel...

for info. this guy thought so too in a recent video (note. he has a DR650 too!) - he seemed to like it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqqCxB9JDSs


I'm confident you won't be disappointed - as you may know, I worked closely with John at Rally-Raid to create exactly the kind of 'adventure' bike around this twin-cylinder platform that we wanted to be just as capable both on and off-road... but equally if what you really are after is a large-capacity dual-sport, then the DR is an excellent and proven choice too.

I may well see you over on the other channel ;o)

Jenny x

Damn you Jenny,

I hadn't seen that video and you make a hell of a case.

What are my actual priorities? I guess that's why I'm here. I want a bike that will safely, comfortably, and reliably get me anywhere in the world I happen to be in.

For a time, it seemed obvious that the DR650 was the best choice.

The very early parts of your video reminded me of a road I took in Guatemala, which was challenging on a V-Strom with street tires. I barely made it. And when I watched your video I thought we were in the same boat until I saw the terrain you were taking that bike over.

You've made my decision even harder. Thanks.

Ugh.

Jamie

to be fair the ktm 390 adventure is not out yet so who knows what it will be like, the engine has been around a good while and I've not heard any horror stories but the new cost will probably similar to a used honda with the RR kit.

The Dr is 90's tech as in very old school but it works but the cbx is bang up to date. Jenny has proved how good the honda's can be with the RR kit.

Is there not anyone local to you that could let you try out the honda and the dr for a comparison

Hee hee - I concede that if you watch towards the end, I do say this is not really a trail for a bike like the CB500X, it's more a 250cc dual-sport/enduro/trials trail... but at the same time, I trust it also proves that if it comes to it, you can get a RR CB500X through that sort of terrain as well - without damaging it or yourself as long as you're careful.

And I think that is the crux of discussions like this on the internet - everyone things they need a faster, lighter, higher-performance bike - but that really only [begins to] matter/s in a competitive environment - if you're just trail riding, playing with your buddies, and especailly if you're traveling, then you really are never going to be pushing the envelope of what the bike can actually do - not if you have any sense of self-preservation [and of your bike], and in all cases it comes down to the rider, not the bike.

Of course I'm aware that in general, having something smaller and more nimble feeling is going to help a wider range of riders when off-road - certainly it can be less fatiguing, and/or help you get away with a clumsy mistake more often, and similarly makes it easy for more experienced riders to push their own envelope further (for info. Juan was riding my own XT225 in that video, and that is the bike I tend to take to Moab for messing around on the really technical trails there) - but ultimately, and particularly on this forum which is primarily concerned with longer-distance and multi-day/week/month type overland travel, the requirement for outright 'off-road' supremacy is very much second fiddle to the 'all-round' ability [and general comfort and reliability/low maintenance requirements] of a particular machine.

As I say, the DR650 is a great large-capacity dual-sport - it would certainly be my personal preference over the seemingly ubiquitous KLR - even if it meant having to spend some money to upgrade the suspension, seat and gas tank (and maybe a screen, although personally I don't find those essential) to make it more suitable for longer-distance travel. note. I understand that some people choose to re-lace with a 19" front rim (rather than the stock 21") to help lower the bike a little, improve the on-road manners, and allow a wider range of more adventure/dual-sport tread pattern tyres to be fitted.

Similarly, the KTM690 (or Husky 701) is a wonderful open-class enduro bike, that also happen to come fully street-legal - but they are hard-core and edgy, and very tall - and for most riders, they don't actually need 12" of travel to ride around the world comfortably.

Personally, I was looking for something that would eat up the huge distances you get in North America, while still being manageable on pretty much any trail you'd find on a Garmin map. The nice thing about the RR CB is that it gives you all the refinement of larger twin-cylinder ADV bikes, but is that little bit smaller and lighter, which immediately pays dividends if things do start to get gnarly.

Hope that helps with your confusion!

Jenny x

ps. I apologise for ending up spending much more than 2 cents on this conversation - but trust you consider it was money well spent....


photo. You can even get a bit silly if you really want to ;o)