Advice requested on next bike

First off, if this is the wrong forum, please move this post.

So, my '89 TA was stolen about 1 month ago 300 miles after I had spent 2 yrs assembling it from tubs of parts. I have been thinking about which bike to get next and have decided on the following options. I would like to stay below $3k, and the lower I go the more insurance money I have left over for farkles. I would like to have something that I can at least dream about riding on the TAT, but this bike will be a daily commuter. The wisdom of the asylum is requested and appreciated.

KLR650
Pros
Lighter than TA
Parts/Farkles readily available

Cons
Not as good on slab

DR650
Pros
Lighter than TA & KLR
Wife has one
Good aftermarket

Cons
No windshield stock
Stock seat sucks for long trips
Small Fuel tank

XR650R
Pros
Streetable in TX
Proven offroad pedigree
Fast
Have a spare set of forks on hand

Cons
Kickstart only!
No windshield stock
Harder to mount farkles due to dirtbikeishness
Apparently likes to eat rear tires
Short maintenance intervals


TransAlp
Pros
Unique
Smooth V-Twin
Very familiar with assembly
Already have XR650 Forks to put on
I liked the one I had

Cons
Would require a fly and ride to obtain
Heaviest
Plastics expensive and hard to find
Less aftermarket/ Stock parts harder to find

I believe I have hit most of the high points. I have ridden my TA and my wife's DR so I know how they feel. A friend is going to let me ride her KLR and I'm working on finding an XR to test ride. It will be about a month or so until I have the insurance money, so I have plenty of time to research and think about this. Thanks for your help.

Sorry for the format. I had it all spaced out into a chart & vBulletin deleted all my extra spaces.

Tim

Get the DR 650 and make it into the bike you want. You will NOT be disappointed.

For about $500 you can fix the cons on the DR650, I did.

I'd get the XR650R that motor is addicting and it's got the best suspension for off-road. The motor makes at least 10hp more than either one of those other bikes.

Add an e-start kit from baja designs and call it a day.

As to it's eating rear tires, that should be a pro.

Not to mention the lightest:
KLR: 435 wet
DR: 367 wet
XR: 300 wet


Get some supermoto wheels for around town and you'll have more fun than you thought was possible. Although you might end up getting arrested.

Why is the XR650L not on your list?

Better suspension for off road use and you have the electric start.

I've done a few parts of the TAT out west and most of the CDR. I don't think you want a true windshield. A flyscreen works well enough for me, plus a sheepskin buttpad is a good thing. You'll need a soft luggage system and can't avoid a bigger tank, though. I think you'll want about 200 miles range to do most of the stuff out west.

I vote the Suzuki.

I have a XR650R, and recently acquired a 2005 KLR in a trade. If I could only have one, I would opt for something in the middle. The XR is a blast to ride, but commuting sucks. The KLR is a great commuter and backroad bike, not the greatest off-road.

I'm voting DR based on what I've read. Plus your wife has one, so that's a pretty big bonus I think. Parts interchange if needed, swap bikes if needed, farkles fit both bikes for testing purposes, etc.

I'm not finding this e-start kit on B/D website, got a link?

According to some information on other forums, it's no longer offered.

Thanks for all the comments so far. I'm actually rather torn on whether to get another TA or not. I kind of like the rare bike thing, though I wouldn't keep it original, so maybe I shouldn't be allowed to touch a nicer one than what mine was.

The DR definitely feels snappier than what the TA did, but I don't know that actual acceleration was that different. I think I like the idea of the XR, but I am worried I would get tired of it as a commuter. I'm not sure why the XRL didn't make the list. I think I was thinking either go all the way to the XR, or get another TA if I stayed w/ Big Red. I'm a very analytic person so I can tend to overthink some things (like which bike to buy). Hopefully I will get a chance to ride all of them before I make a decision.

Any and all additional input is appreciated.

The DR can be made a hell of a lot "snappier" pretty easily too. Just open up the intake and exhaust, then swap in a flat-slide pumper carb...like an FCR39 or a TM40. Gear it with 1-3 more teeth on the back sprocket when it's time for new cogs. It'll be considerably peppier than stock.

If you want to go even more drastic, you can add a big-bore or hi-comp piston, big-valve head, port and polish, and a stage 2 cam. 50+ WHP is getting more and more common on DR builds. Tuning the suspension can make the bike more responsive too.

Another plus...It's nice having the same model of bike on trips. You only really need 1 set of tools, and some spares don't have to be doubled either. You can also troubleshoot with a ready supply of known functioning parts.

You are providing information which is inaccurate for an ever-increasing number of states in the US.

The XR650R was NEVER certified as street legal. The Feds are using a VIN database
to detect motorcycles which have been registered when the law, if adhered to, would have prohibited
such registration. Bikes which lack a VIN which correlates with EPA and DOT certification
will not be street legal in a growing number of states, and no kit from Baja Designs will
change this.

I just love advice from people like you, who have no idea what they are talking about.
What you wrote will lead some people into a mess of legal hassles which cannot be resolved,
if they are foolish enough to believe your erroneous information, and they will end up with
a bike which cannot be used legally on the road.

Best to buy a bike that was street legal from the manufacturer, and avoid trying to
beat the system. If you don't believe what I wrote above, spend some time on Google and
ask the people at your local DMV. We are in the 21st century now, and computers
are going to make gaming the system impossible for the average person. So the
XR650R will be a trailer-only bike, which is not what most people want when they are
in search of a dual sport or enduro bike.



.

In what states does the federal goverment have anything to do with vechile registration?

Oh because I've never ever seen any street plated XR's running.

99.9% of the time, if you get a bike with a title you're good to go.

Maybe you live in California or some other state with crazy retarded vechile laws.

My DR was one of two bikes I kick myself for getting rid of. I did Dual Sport competitions on mine so I put on a bigger tank, bash plate and pipe and higher bars, lower front sprocket. it was a monster in the dirt and on the pavement. The vibration was sort of disconcerting but riding knobs on the street with that torque was soooooo much fun. Powerslides galore.

Why did I ever get rid of this cornfed bikesquatch ?!?!? *sNiFfLe*

have you looked at the husky 610/630's? pretty close to your price range, and a pretty damn good bike to boot!

Quit your crying and go get another DR650 if was so wonderful. It is not a rare bike. Plenty for sale every where.

You left off better bikes to focus on the most common (minus the Trans Alp) and then say you like rare bikes.

How about these bikes:
Husky
Husaberg
BMW
KTM
Beta

If you're willing to go older and high-mileage, you can score a DL650 for under $3k with some patience. I paid less than $3k for my '04 last year and would do it again without a second thought.

If you're going single-cylinder, I vote for the DR with an aftermarket tank, and this is coming from someone who owns a KLR. The DR is better off-road and not that much worse on-road except for its lack of fuel. Add more gas and the DR is clearly the better bike if you ride a fair bit of dirt.

Thanks for the input so far. The struggle I'm having is whether to buy a bike for the riding I WANT to do, or one for the riding I ACTUALLY do. I was mostly satisfied with my TA, and had plans to make it better (XRR forks, etc). The TA was definitely more comfortable around town compared to the DR. I had it on some dirt roads and felt it handled well, but I never got the chance to play in much dirt before it was stolen.

I did look at KTMs but they seemed to be all more than I wanted to spend. I forget which model it was, but there were a lot more of the SM version but not many of the EXC version. They're not as common around here as they are other places. I'll have to get on SearchTempest later and look at Husa's and Husky's.

It's time to replace my Funduro.. But I'm looking more at the supermoto's.Bigger horsepower, less weight,six speeds. Some even ride by wire.
I'm between a Husky 510 or an Aprillia dorso 750.
The downside to these is range. but I'm in New england where there is gas available every five miles or so. Even in the sticks.

OP.........if you like odd-balls like the TA, look for an KTM LC4. Plenty of 'em around and for not a whole lot of $$$$. And your wife will LOVE riding it to.


Chris