Single Cylinder?

gqelements

gqelements

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other than gobs of torque, should one worry/know anything before getting into a single-cylinder bike?

I'm looking to switch to a more 'mixed-road' style of riding and have my eye on a KTM 690, but concerned about the 'single-cylinder' thing, hoping for good advice/guidance form the members here...

I tend to do about 15K a year, which includes 3-4 annual US trips to WV/OH. Will this puppy survive more than 60K on the engine?

I understand the 150km/h speed limitation (which is one of the reasons i'm actually looking at the smaller bike vs the 990), but will it comfortably cruse at 130 or do I really need to be looking at a higher displacement twin instead?
 
I've had all kinds of bikes. I'm currently on a DR650. I'm very happy with it. It may not be great for long-distances, but I can ride to the cottage (3 hours) on the highway, and then take it on all the cool trails & fire roads without hesitation. Try that with any other bike!

The single keeps up at anything less than insane speeds and is surprisingly smooth. (Cruises at 110-120 kph no problem) I frequently get comments from other riders who are surprised at how the DR keeps up.

I've heard the KTM's aren't as smooth as the DR650.

I like the simplicity and the tractor-like torque of a primitive single.
 
Single cylinders have a couple drawbacks compared to multi-cylinder engines:

1. If there is an ignition or carb problem on a single cylinder it's going to be more pronounced. If the spark plug is shorted or the coil fails you're not going anywhere. Compared to an inline-four if you drop a cylinder you can nurse it to where you're going.

2. Single cylinders tend to be harder on the piston and cylinder then multi-cylinder engines. The major and minor thrust sides get worn quicker than smaller pistoned engines.

The upside is that maintenance is a lot easier and swapping out a cylinder, piston and rings is quicker to do and costs a lot less than multi-cylinder engines.

I ride a DRZ and love it. I sold my R6 because I wasn't riding it any more because I enjoyed riding the DRZ more. I'm not going to break any land speed records on the bike but I have a bigger grin riding it.
 
sircastic said:
Single cylinders have a couple drawbacks compared to multi-cylinder engines:

1. If there is an ignition or carb problem on a single cylinder it's going to be more pronounced. If the spark plug is shorted or the coil fails you're not going anywhere. Compared to an inline-four if you drop a cylinder you can nurse it to where you're going.

2. Single cylinders tend to be harder on the piston and cylinder then multi-cylinder engines. The major and minor thrust sides get worn quicker than smaller pistoned engines.

The upside is that maintenance is a lot easier and swapping out a cylinder, piston and rings is quicker to do and costs a lot less than multi-cylinder engines.

I ride a DRZ and love it. I sold my R6 because I wasn't riding it any more because I enjoyed riding the DRZ more. I'm not going to break any land speed records on the bike but I have a bigger grin riding it.
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They'll rattle your teeth out, and every time you rip up a gravel road or roost your mates in the bush, you'll curse your tire choice on the interstate, and your Ass will plan on ending your life 1.5 days into your tour.

The wind will make your hands hurt and you curse the day you ever thought of riding a dual sport, until you find this really wicked gravel road in West Virginia that your SV-650 would have been a nightmare on. :beer:

Anyone who mentioned KLR or DR in this thread rides a bike that needs infrequent maintenance in comparison to KTM. Check your maintenance schedules and compare them to the big three:
Honda XR650L
Suzuki DR650E
Kawasaki KLR 650

Get used to vibration in your hands and foot pegs.

Blue loctite will be your friend.
 
be prepared to research, lol. Ron, you might wanna repost your comparison from your blog. It's pretty spot on to what I've read on ADV.

I would go with a twin adventure bike if the majority of roads (70%+) was asphalt.

The dual sport bikes don't really have that torque kick that I think you are looking for! They are in the more competitive bikes, but they suck for long distance.
 
I checked my manual for my KTM 690SMC. It states every 7500km replace oil/filter and inspect valve clearance. I think the 2012 690's are now at 10,000km intervals. Seems in line with the other bike manufacturers.

The new LC4's, with the counter balance, are suppose to be much smoother compared to the previous generation. My 690 is just slightly more vibey compared to my Scrambler with a parallel twin. And you can certainly tour on it.
 
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Some of the KTM singles shake the bike to pieces and shake the rider apart. Others are much better. Unfortunately, I don't follow which ones are in which category, just beware of the issue. I'm aware of one (ridden by another rider on one of our Deals Gap trips) that vibrated the license plate bracket apart, forcing the rider to bolt the license plate directly to the fender, and then it vibrated the license plate itself apart! (cracked from the mounting holes) He sold that bike and bought a KTM 950 Adventurer V-twin, and it has been good.

I know of another rider who had a KTM single (forgot which model) which had major problems with the valvetrain. Do your research. I wouldn't put the sort of blind faith into any KTM that I would with the Japanese brands. The DRZ400SM's seem to be almost unbreakable.

You will feel every power stroke on any bigger displacement single. That's just the way they are. The smaller displacement engines spin faster and then this is less noticeable. (I have a single cylinder bike, it's just not a motard - cbr125 - it runs smoothly, if perhaps a bit slowly ...)
 
I wouldn't put my blind faith on any bike, they all have their own issues. Agree with Brian, do your research on the specific models and years. Simply researching on say a KLR or (insert long running model here) that has been out for who knows how long will yield many issues that I'm sure are already sorted in the current years.
 
The LC4 vlave train needs the rocker bearings replaced somewhere around 20K. Cheap and easy if you do it before it seizes. It will cost you a camshaft it it seizes. Great motor otherwise. There's a guy on SMJ with over 100K.
 
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