Anyone know anything about Motorbikes?

[lancer]

I'm looking to buy one and it'll be my very first purchase, these are the bikes i'm looking at buying.

KLR650 $5149
http://www.kawasaki.com/product_detail.asp?product=60&category=2&tag=motorcycle

XT225 $4099
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/products/unitinfo/2/mcy/6/9/0/yamaha_xt225.aspx

DR-Z400SM $6099
http://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/model.asp?id=97

F 650 GS $8890
http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/machine/models/model.jsp?model=f650gs

I'm looking into Dual-Purpose bikes for on and off road. Basically these all seem to be very good bikes for various reasons, but i just cant make up my mind about which one to buy. Does anyone have any opinions on any of these bikes.

Thanks

 

[Lee]

I know they are death traps, I tried a Scooter once, not mine I nearly broke it.

 

[ThePatriot]

Always been a fan of Kawasaki myself. At various times I've owned a KX125, a KZ305, a GPz550 and a GPz750 Turbo. I loved every one of them!

 

[lancer]

Patriot can you recommend any of those bikes?

 

[Evil Marge]

I don't know anything about bikes but I'd go with this one http://www.yamaha-motor.com/products/unitinfo/2/mcy/6/9/0/yamaha_xt225.aspx
We always had bikes when I was younger and they were always yamaha,although for years my dad rode an old BMA :laugh: I used to love going scrambling over the fields :cheeky:

 

[Kush]

yeah, as marge said, from my experiance yamaha is the best quality/durability/performance you can get, nothing to do with the price though, u more than what u pay for i guess

 

[Unleashed]

Get a proper bike - a good Harley for example!

 

[lancer]

I cant be dealing with harleys, sorry

 

[Evil Marge]

Get a proper bike - a good Harley for example!

Nah I'd like Billy Connollys bike,bet it makes you arms ache though :laugh:

 

[gonaads]

The Kawasaki has the bigger engine, more power but more bulky (337 Lbs) and less manuverable.

BMW... *gag* *cough* *puke*... ummmm, I don't really care for them. Too expensive just for a name plate. They're good bikes but... :dead:

The Yamaha is a more agile bike (238 Lbs.), smaller engine but their dual purpose bikes are quite good.

The Suzuki... too expensive for a 400. Plus it's still a bit heavy 295 Lbs (9134 kg).

I didn't see any Hondas on your list, any reason why not?

If it was me, I would go with the Yamaha, save some money. then spend the money you saved on some leathers, helmet and boots.

I've rode Harleys Hondas (that one damn near killed me) and Yamaha. I own a 1987 Yamaha sport bike.

 

[zeke_mo]

http://powersports.honda.com/motorc...=XR650R&ModelYear=2005&ModelId=XR650R5&bhcp=1

get one of those and buy a street legal kit

 

[gonaads]

I would go with the XR650L instead.

Here's an old Popular Mechanics article (2004) on four Dual-Sport bikes. It lists two of the bikes you are looking into. They list a Suzuki, but it's the DR650SE. The Yamaha is not included.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/outdoors/1278141.html?page=1&c=y

 

[zeke_mo]

The XR650L is geared for the road and thus you lose speed and low end power. I would just make the R street legal. It is a much finer bike.

 

[Xie]

You can tell Tittles hasn't been around much, or he would be all over this thread.

 

[LeeJend]

Motorbikes will kill you. They are underpowered with insufficient mass for stability. You need at least a 350 horse bike.

If you must get a motorbike don't waste any money on a helmet. You are already brain dead so the helmet is useless.

 

[ThePatriot]

I guess I'm very one sided as I would have a hard time going with anything but the Kaw. Kawasaki always took great care of me service-wise, and I always thought that they had the best built bikes ergonomically. They just felt good under my butt. I always had a hard time with Yamaha's. They just felt weird to me. Like it was designed for somebody else's body.

That being said, Gonaads brings up some good points. The Kaw is heavier, which may present a problem to an inexperienced (inXPierienced? :laugh: ) rider. But the extra power will come in handy when needed...either trying to get out of a nasty traffic situation, or a nasty off-road situation. The Yamaha may indeed be a good choice to save you some $$ to get gear with. Pleeeze don't listen to LeeJend the Comedian ...BUY AND WEAR A HELMET!!!! The Suzuki's have always been neutral IMO. Ok, but nothing special. The BMW's...PLEASE, I'm a workin' man, always have been...too rich for my blood!

Did I mention to WEAR A HELMET!? Bikes are great fun, but you can get into serious hurt without having good leathers and a helmet on. The GPz750Turbo I had was a bear. Had to sell it before I killed myself. It was FAAAAAAAST!!! But only liked to go straight. I should say that it turned better under power vs rolling off the throttle. Easy to panic and get killed. My point is, be careful until you get accustomed to the bikes nuances. And don't assume that the guy in the car pulling up to the intersection can see you. Drive defensively.

Damn, now I think I have to go buy another bike...

Let us know what you decide, ok? Any other questions, feel free.

 

[Tittles]

My Step dad has a XR650L and he has it setup to be road legal. He drives it to work and goes riding alot when we go up north. He just bout a BMW bike like the one u posted but a bit older. I would recommend the XR650L or the BMW because if u plan on riding it on the road to places it better to have a higher cc. My mom has a yamaha tt-r225 and that bike goes 59mph but will melt down if u have it ride open for a long distance. I know the XR650 is good for the road except u better find some good tires because if u ride the road alot your tires are gonna get worn down faster cause they are nobbies. If u need more info about either bikes i mentioned i can ask my step dad and see what he thinks about the bikes.

I have a 1978 dt175 so i cant really help u cause my bike is so old but runs like a champ . I hope to get my moms bike when she gets a road bike .

Edit: My step uncle and my step dads best friend also have XR650's and they both like them. If i could if would most likely get a XR650 but i dont have that much money :nervous:

Edit2: Yeah i kinda ment to say XR650R cause my step dad had the L which was more for the road and then traded it in for the R which was more for trails and what not.

 

[lancer]

Does your family know anything about the Kawasaki KLR650, thats what i am leaning towards, mostly for the middle of the road factor plus its 651cc, so its a little more powerfull, the yamaha looks fun, but i think as you said its probably too weak for me and i'll be more on road than off.

 

[Tittles]

LOL...well just to let u know the cc's are rounded up or down to a certain number. Like the yz 125 is really 123cc i think but they round up. I unno what the other bikes are but i know there cc's are rounded up or down.

I dont think anybody in my family knows about anything about Kawasaki's because we hate them lol. We like Honda's,yamaha's,harleys, and i from the looks of it BMW's lol. Yeah the Kawasaki page wasnt working for me at first so i couldnt really judge that bike so yeah. Look up reviews if there are any and see if that will help your choice .

 

[gonaads]

Damn, this thread sure got... ummmm, interesting.

Lancer, ummmm, how much experience do you have with motorcycles? How much have you ridden? What size bikes (if you have ridden)? It is kinda important ya know. You did say it's yer first purchase, but ya didn't say if you rode any.

The Kawy has a good dual cam liquid cooled engine, but it is the one with the smallest front forks, least amount of front and rear suspension travel. But it has a bigger fuel tank. Now an air cooled engine could be a better thing than a liquid cooled one 'cause if ya hit something going off-road ya could wipe out a coolant pipe or hose. But the Kawy does look like the middle of the pack choice.