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For some reason adventure bikes just seem to get heavier each year (or dual sport bikes easily converted) - fine if you spend most of your time on the highway. But if you like the rough stuff as well then weight becomes important. Keen to hear what has worked for you. This was my journey toward my latest lightweight adventure bike.
CRITERIA
- Between 105kg and 175kg dry weight (all figures below are estimated dry weight)
- Good balance between performance and reliability
- A decent sized fuel tank
- Preferably a 21" front wheel
- Decent oil capacity and oil change intervals
- Still available in 2020 as a new bike.
https://youtu.be/lsorI76PBYc
WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THOSE OLD MODELS?
There used to be a lot of bikes that came close to this. The Husqvarna TE610. KTM 640. Honda Dominator NX650. Honda XR650L which they stopped selling here years ago. And Yamaha's old XT600 before it evolved into the super obese T7. My personal favorite? The Honda XR650R - why didn't Honda convert this to adventure bike and clean up? Sigh.
105KG TO 120KG ADVENTURIZING A BIG BORE DIRT BIKE?
Usual issues with a small gas tank, small oil capacity, terrible seat, higher maintenance engine, weak subframe for luggage, rough on the road and potential gearbox wear due to no cush drive hub. It gets expensive trying to fix those issues, and most of us find it's too much of a compromise when on the highway. I did look into the Beta RR480 as a light adventure bike.
~122KG HONDA CRF450L
This detuned version of the racing model was much awaited by some adventure riders but it still has most of the problems above. In fact Honda states the oil must be changed every 600 miles, simply too often for serious adventure riding. Lets hope Honda develops a proper rally or adventure model soon, as they did with the 250 model.
~130KG JAPANESE DUAL SPORT 250s
For years these have been very popular in the USA as cheap light weight adventure bikes. The WR250R is the most expensive but has the most powerful engine and best suspension. The Yamaha XT250 is the cheapest and has the lowest seat height. The Kawasaki KLX250 and Honda CRF250L are both popular too. Of course the limited power is an issue for many, and the Suzuki DRZ400 is a common preference when it doesn't weigh or cost much more but has way more horsepower.
133KG SUZUKI DRZ400
Largely unchanged for 20 years, thousands of riders have slapped a big tank and comfortable seat on this bike and ridden all over the world. I have owned three of these and loved them once you make the necessary mods. But that engine can get buzzy on the highway compared to bigger bikes. Why can't Suzuki put a sixth gear in?! See our review here.
145KG HONDA CRF250L RALLY
Honda modified their CRF250L into this rally bike. It looks the part. A windscreen, dual LED headlights, bigger fuel tank, 1.8L oil capacity, better suspension. Unfortunately it also got a lot heavier in the process.
146KG KTM 690 / HUSQVARNA 701
A bit heavier and a crazy amount of horsepower. Some guys love them, others hate them. Some find them reliable, others don't with failing of the two ECUs, fuel pump, rocker arm bearings, electrics in general etc. Some mechanically minded riders just carry various spares and manage long trips anyway. See our review here.
~153KG SUZUKI DR650
Mostly unchanged since 1996, this cheap reliable air cooled workhorse is still popular as a few cheap mods can fix the known issues and transform its handling and power characteristics. If you like tweaking a bike into shape, you'll love it. If you want to buy a ready made adv bike, look elsewhere. We compared it to the XR650L and KLR650 here.
~155KG AJP PR7
It's been around for a few years but there's so little information from owners as to it's long term reliability. I contacted the Australian distributor and local dealers regularly to do a review and never got an answer. It looks great though.
158KG KTM 390 ADVENTURE
Cheap, great fuel and oil capacities, and a zippy engine. But it's only got a 19 inch front wheel and those spindly looking cast wheels so it's really more of a small touring bike. Plus it's made in India so time will tell if it doesn't hold up as well as the Austrian built KTMs. There are rumors it may be assembled in China soon.
169KG SWM SUPERDUAL
We mentioned the excellent Husqvarna TE610 earlier, it has slowly devolved into this much heavier beast. The specs look good except for that weight. And unfortunately it's still largely an unknown quantity as their are so few long term reports from owners as yet, and a substantial amount of the engine is made in China.
175KG KAWASAKI VERSYS & BMW G310GS
Unfortunately they only have 19 inch front wheels. But they are surprisingly cheap and under our weight limit. If you are mainly riding highways and occasional easy dirt roads these might be worth a look.
176KG KAWASAKI KLR650
Just over the chosen weight limit. The KLR is similar to the DR650 but more suited to highways and easy dirt roads due to its weight, big fuel tank and fairing. See our vid here comparing the old style Japanese 650s.
AND THE WINNER IS.......?
Well there is no winner, of course. Bike magazines love to pretend there's a best bike in every class but it comes down to what suits you.
Me? I was tempted by the SWM Superdual but it's still a relatively unknown quantity and heavy, so I have just purchased another Suzuki DR650 (my third one in 20 years). For me, it ticks all the boxes. Cheap. Reliable. And with a few basic mods you can transform it into a great lightweight adventure bike. See our tongue-in-cheek review here which explains why.
CRITERIA
- Between 105kg and 175kg dry weight (all figures below are estimated dry weight)
- Good balance between performance and reliability
- A decent sized fuel tank
- Preferably a 21" front wheel
- Decent oil capacity and oil change intervals
- Still available in 2020 as a new bike.
https://youtu.be/lsorI76PBYc
WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THOSE OLD MODELS?
There used to be a lot of bikes that came close to this. The Husqvarna TE610. KTM 640. Honda Dominator NX650. Honda XR650L which they stopped selling here years ago. And Yamaha's old XT600 before it evolved into the super obese T7. My personal favorite? The Honda XR650R - why didn't Honda convert this to adventure bike and clean up? Sigh.
105KG TO 120KG ADVENTURIZING A BIG BORE DIRT BIKE?
Usual issues with a small gas tank, small oil capacity, terrible seat, higher maintenance engine, weak subframe for luggage, rough on the road and potential gearbox wear due to no cush drive hub. It gets expensive trying to fix those issues, and most of us find it's too much of a compromise when on the highway. I did look into the Beta RR480 as a light adventure bike.
~122KG HONDA CRF450L
This detuned version of the racing model was much awaited by some adventure riders but it still has most of the problems above. In fact Honda states the oil must be changed every 600 miles, simply too often for serious adventure riding. Lets hope Honda develops a proper rally or adventure model soon, as they did with the 250 model.
~130KG JAPANESE DUAL SPORT 250s
For years these have been very popular in the USA as cheap light weight adventure bikes. The WR250R is the most expensive but has the most powerful engine and best suspension. The Yamaha XT250 is the cheapest and has the lowest seat height. The Kawasaki KLX250 and Honda CRF250L are both popular too. Of course the limited power is an issue for many, and the Suzuki DRZ400 is a common preference when it doesn't weigh or cost much more but has way more horsepower.
133KG SUZUKI DRZ400
Largely unchanged for 20 years, thousands of riders have slapped a big tank and comfortable seat on this bike and ridden all over the world. I have owned three of these and loved them once you make the necessary mods. But that engine can get buzzy on the highway compared to bigger bikes. Why can't Suzuki put a sixth gear in?! See our review here.
145KG HONDA CRF250L RALLY
Honda modified their CRF250L into this rally bike. It looks the part. A windscreen, dual LED headlights, bigger fuel tank, 1.8L oil capacity, better suspension. Unfortunately it also got a lot heavier in the process.
146KG KTM 690 / HUSQVARNA 701
A bit heavier and a crazy amount of horsepower. Some guys love them, others hate them. Some find them reliable, others don't with failing of the two ECUs, fuel pump, rocker arm bearings, electrics in general etc. Some mechanically minded riders just carry various spares and manage long trips anyway. See our review here.
~153KG SUZUKI DR650
Mostly unchanged since 1996, this cheap reliable air cooled workhorse is still popular as a few cheap mods can fix the known issues and transform its handling and power characteristics. If you like tweaking a bike into shape, you'll love it. If you want to buy a ready made adv bike, look elsewhere. We compared it to the XR650L and KLR650 here.
~155KG AJP PR7
It's been around for a few years but there's so little information from owners as to it's long term reliability. I contacted the Australian distributor and local dealers regularly to do a review and never got an answer. It looks great though.
158KG KTM 390 ADVENTURE
Cheap, great fuel and oil capacities, and a zippy engine. But it's only got a 19 inch front wheel and those spindly looking cast wheels so it's really more of a small touring bike. Plus it's made in India so time will tell if it doesn't hold up as well as the Austrian built KTMs. There are rumors it may be assembled in China soon.
169KG SWM SUPERDUAL
We mentioned the excellent Husqvarna TE610 earlier, it has slowly devolved into this much heavier beast. The specs look good except for that weight. And unfortunately it's still largely an unknown quantity as their are so few long term reports from owners as yet, and a substantial amount of the engine is made in China.
175KG KAWASAKI VERSYS & BMW G310GS
Unfortunately they only have 19 inch front wheels. But they are surprisingly cheap and under our weight limit. If you are mainly riding highways and occasional easy dirt roads these might be worth a look.
176KG KAWASAKI KLR650
Just over the chosen weight limit. The KLR is similar to the DR650 but more suited to highways and easy dirt roads due to its weight, big fuel tank and fairing. See our vid here comparing the old style Japanese 650s.
AND THE WINNER IS.......?
Well there is no winner, of course. Bike magazines love to pretend there's a best bike in every class but it comes down to what suits you.
Me? I was tempted by the SWM Superdual but it's still a relatively unknown quantity and heavy, so I have just purchased another Suzuki DR650 (my third one in 20 years). For me, it ticks all the boxes. Cheap. Reliable. And with a few basic mods you can transform it into a great lightweight adventure bike. See our tongue-in-cheek review here which explains why.
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