Which of these three bikes would make the best... | Page 4 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Which of these three bikes would make the best...

Which is the best commuter and dirt road/trail pounder? (Or, help me choose my next commuter)

  • KTM 390 Adventure

    Votes: 4 33.3%

  • Honda CB 500x

    Votes: 3 25.0%

  • Suzuki DRZ400SM

    Votes: 5 41.7%
  • Total voters
    12
Roadghost said:
But your ADV has cruise control, traction control, ABS, lean control. Just let the bike do the work.
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Actually, my ADV has none of that. Only controls I have on my dash and bars are lights, horn, ignition and turn signals:

Graystokes%20Watercrossing-XL.jpg


Oh, and 40hp of single cylinder fury!!!
 
Roadghost said:
But your ADV has cruise control, traction control, ABS, lean control. Just let the bike do the work.
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damn, you didn't read his previous posts on it or you'd know his tech is budget.
 
Lightcycle said:
Yeah, I'm not a f-n baller like the rest of you guys on this thread. Friggin' Harleys, Stupid Dukes and S1000XRs.

I'm unemployed and I live in a tent.

And I'm slow.
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yeah but no kids so you're still winning!
 
  • Haha
Reactions: TK4
Evoex said:
challenge accepted!
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We will do it in the spring. I have 2 identical 1981 Yamaha vtwin litre bikes. Best of class in their day, we’ll go for a day romp. Bring a diaper.
 
Mad Mike said:
I have a stable of antique bikes, to me that raw, unrefined, man and beast feel puts a thrill into the ride.

I wonder what it would be like for a competent 30 year old rider to jump on a 40 -50 year old litre bike and go for a spirited ride with me.
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It would not be much of a race.
 
bigpoppa said:
would the drz really be better on the road/highway than the 650s?
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Absolutely not. I've owned all three, a 99 klr, 2011 klr, 2005 dr650 and a 2007 drz 400. The only place the 400 is better is the trail.
The klr is miles better at highway and commuting than either of the other two, and if you give it a chance it's actually a riot around town.
For trail use you really need to be honest with yourself. Are you going to be running easy gravel roads and two track lanes? Or are you going to be miles offroad, deep in a rock garden solo?
For commuting and light gravel/trail use it's hard to beat the value of a used klr. And it gets 400km on a tank.
The 400 gets old fast. Its lacking for the highway if that is included in your commute. The seat is horrible for extended road use and you may as well buy new for what a used one is going for.
The dr 650 doesn't have the road manners of the klr, but does edge it out on the trail. It has a small tank and is oil cooled so does run a bit hotter in traffic or slow trails.
Personally I could take my klr almost anywhere I could take the other two, just at a different pace.

Sent from my SM-A530W using Tapatalk
 
Roadghost said:
Yeah and weight is a big factor off road - as much as clearance. I thank everyone for the input, went out today and took a really good look at all of the bikes (again) and went for the KTM 390 Adventure. I looked wistfully at the super-fantastic KTM 690 Enduro R as I made my purchase, I can tell you, it conjured up shades of my lost youth, but at $13,000 I could have bought two 390s.

-- The DRZ400, absolutely would hang the rest of off-road. No contest. But it's old carbureted design and low compression, meant comparatively poor fuel mileage and highway performance. A small tank meant my lazy backside would have had to refuel every day (likely in the AM when I'm late for work). I also would have been into too many mods to get it to where I wanted it.

-- The CB500Xa sat like a wallflower in the back of both dealerships as the salesmen all tried to sell me an $11,000 650 VStrom. It seemed no amount of convincing could get the guy off the VStrom push. At least I learned that the 650 VStrom is a measly 20lbs heavier than the CB500x lead sled. Comfy as the CB was and the best product support next to Harley Davidson, I just couldn't go for its 9 year old 430lbs wet Kawasaki Concours vintage design. I'd visions of disappearing somewhere in the back woods of Nova Scotia, trying to get the overweight thing out of a mud-bog, refusing to lose my 8 bucks.

-- Finally there was the KTM. Hopelessly low-slung for an off-road bike. In fact, off-roading with it is going to be more of a fantasy, if not a hilarious joke. But at its weight at least I'll have a fighting chance wrestling it out of that black peat quicksand we had to go through back in the day (well probably not, but if I bring my 6' 4" son I'll watch as he gets it out for me). Otherwise I can't argue with a 400km fuel tank, 326lbs dry weight, a standard bike riding position, lower insurance (I checked and it's the lowest of all three) and 70mpg and a state-of-the-art computerized display with a slew of confusing options. I bought the optional high windshield with it.

Not exactly what I wanted. Sort of like getting to 3rd base and getting c-blocked. But it's a nice little bike. Maybe when they come out with the 390 Enduro R in a couple of years I'll trade it in.
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Nice. The are a sweet bike. I haven't had the chance to ride one but I checked it out at the bike show pre covid. I really like it for the price point if you buy it for what it is. I'd have a ton of fun back roading with one of those, I'd just avoid the gnarly bits.

Sent from my SM-A530W using Tapatalk
 
Hardwrkr13 said:
KLR650. You say some trails could get rough. Buy the KLR as it's hard to kill and easy to fix. It'll do everything on your list.
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I'ved owned a DRZ and still have a KLR. Both will do what you want. The DRZ is better in the woods and easier to pick up than a KLR
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