Quote:
Originally Posted by JMo (& piglet)
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That's a beauty. Looks $, but I guess we'll see.
Speaking only for myself, all I really want is a WR450R, or a 6-speed, EFI DR-Z. It doesn't need hard luggage, rally fairing, trick suspension, etc. Leave that to the accessories dept. and the aftermarket.
I would be thrilled with a long service intervals, ~35 HP with more torque than a 1/4 liter can provide, wide-ratio 6-speed tranny, decent left-over electrical power for accessories, 300 lbs wet, 36" seat height, $7,500, decent sub-frame for camping gear, in short a plain-old dual-sport with a little more beans. Not everyone is "ready to race"; I'm sure not.
This may be the only category in motorcycling that almost everyone agrees is virtually empty. Not everyone agrees on what spec machine should fill the void, but aftermarket can resolve some of the deficiencies from most people's wish-list, and if not, maybe KTM already has your bike. The 500 EXC looks amazing, but I'm not good enough to use it to it's potential, nor up to the $ commitment.
Seems like the first manufacturer to the party would sell enough to cover R&D before the other mfgrs caught up. I'd buy red, blue, yellow, or green; while I have some preferences, I am not brand loyal, and would buy from any of the big 4 Japanese mfgrs.