Cheap $$ bike capable of cross country expeditioning?

[RHINO]

back when i rode my KLR650 (bought it new in 1990) the adv riding thing had'nt yet taken hold, EVERYONE thought i was silly to ride such a bike with a 6 gallon tank, let alone trail ride it. but i was jaded with visions of paris dakar and thats what i wanted to emulate, truth be told we all seemed to need help equally over the years.
it could be a handfull sometimes but if you really ride a bike, not just putter around, your going to find yourself in need no matter what you ride.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike big bikes. I decided between the WR250 and a DR650 litterally on the flip of a coin, because I could not decide which way I wanted to go. And I kinda regret the decision. I will have a bigger bike when I can afford it.

That being said, there are places that it's monumentally more difficult, and slightly foolhardy to go on a big bike. Likewise, places better suited to a trials bike than a 250. And distances better covered by bigger bikes. Different horses for different courses.

In my experience, 2 or 3 riders can go out and pretty much get through anything on smaller bikes. 2 or 3 riders on big bikes can still get into a situation where 1 bike may be unrecoverable. All riders could get out, but you might have to leave a bike behind. As I said, I've seen a KLR650 so stuck that 5 men were required to get it out. I'm just saying that, practically speaking, a big bike cannot in fact go "anywhere". You have to be realistic, just the same as you probably can't expect to get a Unicat through the Rubicon (too tight).

 

[Uglyprimate]

"Cross Country" entails being able to handle the long distance and any available road.

Dr650, KLR 650 or XL650 are really the only logical choices for doing it on the cheap.

Dirt road capable, freeway capable and able to load like a mule.

Sure, small bikes are easier in the jungles on pedestrian trails, but if you want to make time to outrun a storm across Wyoming on I-80, you need a bigger bike.

There's a reason the KLR has been around for so long and has such a cult following. They can be bought from $500 to $5500.

 

[coop74]

The original post i believe was for a long distance solo bike on the cheap. While I would agree that a 250 for the most part is a great bike If I was going to go really long distances I would go with a 650. The 250 when loaded down tends to have to work very hard if you are attempting to make any kind of big speeds. Also the sheer weight you might carry with a 250 successfully, because of the robustness of the frame, can be limited. Also real world pricing you can usually find both for a similar price give or take a few hundred dollars

Now I have a klr250 as well as a Klr650. Hands down I would take the 650 for a long haul ride with gear to sustain myself on the trip.

Coop

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I completely agree with all that, and think he needs a big bike for what he wants to do.

 

[grahamfitter]

I completely agree with all that, and think he needs a big bike for what he wants to do.

Remember that the OP doesn't know how to ride so while a KLR/DR/ETC650 may be the right bike for the end goal, IMHO its still better to acquire the skills with a lighter bike and then re-evaluate.

Having said that, I think I could have learned on a DR650 which has a reasonably low saddle (I'm 5'7 with 31" inseam) provided I stayed on the road and certainly away from mud. I don't remember a single occasion on the road where I came even remotely close to dropping the DR200 but thought it would have been different if it was heavier. On trails, I've dropped the 200 countless times in the mud and that feels too heavy after a while so lifting another hundred plus pounds would be brutal.

One thing the $1K XT550 has going for it is a kick start. I missed that piece of moto history and I've always wondered what its like.

Cheers,
Graham

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I think a DR650 is not an unreasonable starter bike. It's not that much heavier than a 250 street legal dual sport. And it doesn't have crazy power.

The first street motorcycle I rode was a Ninja 900RR... but that almost killed me. :Wow1:

 

[Uglyprimate]

If you're big enough to fit a KLR or Dr650, it's an easy first bike.

The KLR is possibly the lowest horsepower bike sold. With a low fuel level, it's easily manageable.

After a weekend MSF class, I doubt a KLR would have any intimidation left.

A 250 would lose it's appeal after two weeks or the first time you wanted to ride a four lane highway.

Or the first time you got passed by a semi truck (don't kid yourself about passing one of them)

All things aside, any bike is an adventure bike. People ride to Alaska (or even around the world) on scooters and mopeds.

 

[Luthman]

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike big bikes. I decided between the WR250 and a DR650 litterally on the flip of a coin, because I could not decide which way I wanted to go. And I kinda regret the decision. I will have a bigger bike when I can afford it.

That being said, there are places that it's monumentally more difficult, and slightly foolhardy to go on a big bike. Likewise, places better suited to a trials bike than a 250. And distances better covered by bigger bikes. Different horses for different courses.

In my experience, 2 or 3 riders can go out and pretty much get through anything on smaller bikes. 2 or 3 riders on big bikes can still get into a situation where 1 bike may be unrecoverable. All riders could get out, but you might have to leave a bike behind. As I said, I've seen a KLR650 so stuck that 5 men were required to get it out. I'm just saying that, practically speaking, a big bike cannot in fact go "anywhere". You have to be realistic, just the same as you probably can't expect to get a Unicat through the Rubicon (too tight).

Just saying that a heavier bike with lots of expedition gear attached would be harder to get out of a mud pit than one with no gear on it. And yes, please take my comment with a grain of salt.. I've taken my bike places my friends (and much better riders than I) said it would not go and had a good time... and again, there has been many more times I agreed with my friends and did not follow. My point is that it is an extremely capable ride and if you take to time to learn the idiosyncrasies of riding the top heavy machine, it will defiantly surprise you. Now having said that, I hate crashing and getting stuck. I hate fixing my bike because it broke because I did something silly even more, so there are a lot of places I don’t go, not necessarily because the bike will not do it, it’s just the “what if” factor is too high.
Enough of my mental vomit, here something useful.

When I got the bike it was not to long after seeing a national geographic show on someone’s adventure ride. I was in the market for a new bike and had always road big heavy street bikes. Doing some research and reading I choose the KLR based on the following, in order

Capability (on road being just as important as off road)
Parts availability
Price

Having the bike now, it is likely if I only have one bike it will be the KLR. It great for city riding, commute riding, distance riding (get a better seat) and off road riding. Will it go the same places as a small bike? No. but you can get on it at your front door and be in the mountains without stopping by the time your buddies get their dirt bikes loaded on the trailer.

If you choose a older KLR (pre 2008) there are some weaknesses in the engineering of the bike you will want to address- the bike is fine stock, but if you plan to get aggressive with your riding, do long distance or load it down with gear- do the upgrades.

Some resources:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/
http://www.klr650.net/forums/
http://www.klrworld.com/forums/
http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=27


the other cool thing you may want to look into, there is likely an adventure riding club in your area- get in with these guys if you can find one!!…. You will lean some really important skills, like how to change a tire on the trail and other things and can only taught by someone how knows how to do it.

WARNING- you you ride your expedition bike with your dirt bike buddies, you tend to end up as the chuck wagon (carry the lunch and beer)

 

[805gregg]

In Alaska they rent DL650 Suzuki V-stroms, maybe they know something.

 

[scarysharkface]

KLR 650. If you're worried about mud, carry a small come-along..

John

 

[Curtis in Texas]

Frankly, I ride an 06 KLR and love it. I carry a set of blocks and rope when I get too far in the back woods that the get offs are 100' down.
(An exaggeration, but you know what I mean.:bike_rider

But, let's get real here.
If your a first time buyer newbie, you need to start off on something that will give you confidence. Unless your a BIG Boy and need the power!

I have a friend who just returned to Texas from a ride to Maine on an XT 225.
He was headed to Nova Scotia but got turned back by bad weather. He can and will ride that thing to the Artic Circle if he decides to. Plenty of bike.
Heck, there is a guy on ADV that is riding a 125cc Postal bike (CT125 to us Americans) from Austrailia the Long way back to England. (Well worth the read)

Many years back and 40 pounds ago I use to ride to and through the Gunnison National Forest in Colorado on my Honda XL 175.

I concurr with the group and reccommend you start on something slightly used and cheap, preferable in the 200 to 300 cc range, then move up to something bigger as your experience and confidence gets honed.

I love to ride and quite frankly can afford any bike I want, but since I have the tendency to take maybe too many inpromptu dirt inspections, I ride the KLR because I don't worry so much about the falls or the rivers. I just dive right in. And I don't need a Brand Name to enjoy myself.

Find a local Dual Sport Group and hang out with them.
Let them help you hone those skills.
After all, lets not fool ourselves, Motorcycles are dangerous.
What you don't know can get you killed. That or a Stupid Chevy!

Definitly take the MSF Course. It will give you the base you need to live with.

Remember ATGATT

Curtis

 

[cstamm81]

sorry I haven't responded in a long time, but thanks to all for the responses. I should be able to make a really sound decision now when the time and $$ are there. I think the KLR650 is almost undeniably the way to go, as long as I can comfortably handle it as a noob. I'm close to 6' and a little under 200lbs, so I am thinking I would be in the slow lane with a 250 and gear. I would hate to feel underpowered from the get go. Leaving from PA, I would spend a ton of time on road to get anywhere fun, so I should be more concerned with the on road capabilities in all honesty. The KLR650's seem too popular to deny, and it looks like there are a ton for sale such as: http://poconos.craigslist.org/mcy/1368322721.html Only a few years old for under 3 grand seems to be normal, and seems like an easy price to live with.