Husqvarna 701 enduro !

[Farp]

I agree Scott, the TR650 and the KTM 690 are two totally different bikes and were designed for different kinds of riding. The KTM would embarrass the TR650 off road but you could put 10 to 12 hour days touring on the TR650 and still want to do more the next day. From what I've read about the KTM, riding 500 miles on the asphalt would not be much fun. The TR650 was much closer to the KLR in design concept but was also much more modern. I rode my TR650 with guys on KLRs and the TR650 would outperform the KLR in every category - except perhaps range.

I also agree with you about the small twin adventure. Just about there with the CB500X. I think if Honda would punch that engine out to 550cc and boost the HP from 47 to 55, put spoked wheels on it (keep the 17 inch front and rear - they work fine on gravel roads and mild 4WD tracks), reduce the weight to around 350 pounds, and keep the seat height at 32 inches you'd have the ultimate adventure/touring bike and Honda would sell them as fast as they could make them.

I like Cactusreid's idea about KTM building a better KLR. If they produced a 690 adventure bike with decent engine balancing and a comfortable seat with a height low enough (and level enough so that you don't slide forward) to suit those of us with a 31 inch inseam (my personal opinion is that the seat height should not exceed your inseam by more than 2 inches) I too would be all over it. Maybe Kawasaki will update the KLR to modern standards and give us the bike we want, or maybe someone else will. In the meantime all we can do is wait and hope.

John

 

[Old Phart]

IMHO the dream dual-sport would be a clean-burning 2-stroke, using a combination of high-pressure, direct fuel-injection and some sort of catalytic exhaust clean-up. Back in the mid-70's I had a Kawasaki Big Horn dual sport that had a 350cc rotary-valve 2-stroke engine that cranked out gobs of power. The bike was light (265 pounds), could go anywhere and was fast on the slab (1/2 hour from Horseshoe bay to Squamish on the old super-windy 99 highway). I seem to remember that it also had oil injection, so that one did not have to mix the oil with the gas.

Although a good road bike, the suspension was not up going fast in the rough stuff and I suffered many an injury pretending that I was an enduro rider. But it sure was a hell of a lot of fun to ride and was okay off-road if ridden at low speed.

Hopefully some manufacturer will reinvent the 2-stroke to meet highway emission requirements, equip it with decent suspension (not giraffe-high motocross!), and be able to keep the weight down to well under 300 pounds. It would be a winner.

 

[offworlder]

I'm enjoying all the input this thread has generated - albeit most of it has been heard before .
Sure, at the end of the rainbow lies the ultimate adventure/enduro, but until we get there, the 690/701 still gets my vote (for bikes that are actually available/still in existence), unless someone wants to "loan" me their 450 Rally:

I've done 600km plus days on my 690, from blasting along the tarmac, to blitzing across fairly rugged terrain, and I've never bottomed the suspension, nor hit the rev limiter . She's never left me stranded, and the LC4 engine is known for its reliability and long service intervals.
And with the longevity of the LC4/690, there's enough of an after market ecosystem to farkle to your hearts content:
- want a fairing ? There's a farkle for that.
- need an auxilary tank ? There's a farkle for that.
- looking for luggage racks ? There's a farkle for that too.

With the diversity of terrain and performance we demands of our bikes, no bike can (likely ever) check all the boxes.

 

[Farp]

No doubt the KTM 690 is a great bike to be on when the pavement ends but how would you feel about riding it from Vancouver to Crescent City California in one day? I'm looking for a bike on which you can comfortably do 1000 km days, get acceptable off pavement performance, and has a seat low enough that I can get both feet flat on the ground. The CB500X comes closest to that ideal of any bike I've found so far. On pavement it's about the most fun to ride of any bike I've ever had (I've owned over 3 dozen bikes) and is comfortable enough to do 1000 km days without getting severe numb butt. On pavement it gives me everything I need but off road, although you can take it over surprisingly gnarly turf, it won't allow me to ride as fast as I'd like. The CB500X is very close but still doesn't win the banana.

John

 

[rz35027]

KTM had the 950 SE, it was getting pretty close to an ideal dual sport... (still too heavy)

A smaller version, 70-80 hp V twin, 10 inches of quality wheel travel, 6 hrs worth of fuel and a "complete" frame would be a winner IMHO.

KTM parts quite commonly interchange between models (or used to), they could probably build a lot of it up from existing parts.

Nobody needs a 100 hp dirt friendly bike... how long is that knobby going to last? 4 hrs?

 

[W RON]

Nobody needs a 100 hp dirt friendly bike... how long is that knobby going to last? 4 hrs?[/QUOTE]

I got 2600k on my knobby this year , I'm good with that, love the power��
Ron

 

[Grove]

KTM had the 950 SE, it was getting pretty close to an ideal dual sport... (still too heavy)

A smaller version, 70-80 hp V twin, 10 inches of quality wheel travel, 6 hrs worth of fuel and a "complete" frame would be a winner IMHO.

KTM parts quite commonly interchange between models (or used to), they could probably build a lot of it up from existing parts.

Nobody needs a 100 hp dirt friendly bike... how long is that knobby going to last? 4 hrs?

Then check this out buddy !

Now that I could see getting possible noise complaints in some area's haha.

 

[Ti welder]

Then check this out buddy !

Now that I could see getting possible noise complaints in some area's haha.

I know a fella who made one of these out of a cbr 600.. The thing was absolutely useless

Remember when the AMA had 500cc dirt bikes? The 250's turned faster lap times!

I know melanie loves the 990, and seems to do quite well on it, but she could use a lower seat, less weight, and less power. And as mentioned above, better range

Ah to dream.... A 600 cc LC8

 

[rz35027]

Ah to dream.... A 600 cc LC8

Pretty much, bikes really need more than one cylinder for any kind of long highway running.

Once the 250's started making 40+ hp, the 500's were doomed. For anybody that can run a 50 hp bike (while it's making 50 hp) around an MX track: The factories are looking for you!

 

[Shuswap]

Really just sums to no manufacturer can/does make one bike that can do it all to a satisfactory level. An issue which is easily, albeit not cheaply, solved by having more than one bike.

Different jackets for different seasons, different bikes for different conditions. Still the best bang for the buck, in terms of money spent, in my experience.

 

[unsightedlight]

Why can't Husky just make it look like this... Its so frustrating. my 950 isn't going to last forever and so far there is nothing out there set to take its place save for some very significant and expensive modifications on a 690/701.

 

[offworlder]

Alright - here's another side of the 690/701 to stoke the fires ! Dual sport ? Triple sport !!!

 

[rz35027]

Haha, the essence of ice biking is sliding... (and not getting frostbitten). Styley advert though!

You should give it a try sometime, Kamloops still runs ice races I believe... a 690/701 should be a trench cutting beast!

 

[Razor]

I agree with Mark no bike can do it all but I,ve got the Britannia composite Lynx fairing on my 690 and combined with the GL Coyote I,ve done many multi day trips that have always ended with a smile on my face! As a matter of fact some of my longer days of blitzing the rugged terrain have been with Mark on his 690..... Even fully loaded the 690's torquey thumper just tractors on.

 

[unsightedlight]

701 Spotted at EICMA with factory adventure tanks.... Thinking the 950 might go up for sale

 

[caribooster]

Now that is starting to look like a true Adventure bike... :clap:

 

[unsightedlight]

All it needs is a Lynx R from Britannia Composites and its ready to go!
http://www.britanniacomposites.com/index.php/productmenu/lynx-r

 

[offworlder]

I want: