Ummm.... no . Having to change your oil every 15 hrs is not a Unicorn ADV it's a nightmare ADV !!! Thanks but no thanks...give us a properly suspended Versys 400x already!!! WTF or at least stuff a cb500 motor in a CRF450L like chassis! I am dieing on the vine here , come on give us these bikes already!!!
@@timcarter7051 I have a build thread on advrider for my versys 300. Swapped the suspension front and rear so I now have more travel and 11" of ground clearance (stock is 7). I do wish it had another 10hp but it's fine as is.
PPL on keyboards grizzling about short oil changes while others ride these bikes around the world and use their common sense about oil change intervals based on racing these bikes.
At 6’5” and 260 lbs., I rode my 2004 XR 650 R to S. America in 2006. The maximum weight rating (as stated in the owner’s manual) was 220 lbs.! I had at least 50-60 lbs. of gear hanging off the back in addition to my fat ass. This BRP took all the abuse I could give it. We left Kentucky in late August of ‘06 for Argentina. We made Santiago de Chile on November 1 st. of ‘06. It was two full months of riding every day with the exception of the two days to fly from Panama City to Bogota, Columbia. The point of this story? Don’t ever think that you need a huge Adv bike to travel internationally. We met many people traveling on bikes. One Dutch couple were traveling on Yamahas. He, on a 600 (the mule with most of the gear), and her, on a lighter 350! They were touring South America! You don’t need some super expensive Adv bike to explore the world! Maintain and use what you already own! It’s not about the bike. It’s about the trip and all the great experiences!
I just got a brp, sitting next to my 950 adventure. Whoever claims that a stock brp is not powerful enough for dirt roads or back roads is delusional. Plated, torquey, adequate weight for the money. Carry a spare cdi and gtg.
Built mine on a Husqvarna 450FE 2020 17l tank, steering stabilize,r seat concepts for the as, a rack for some soft cases and Haan wheels with cushdrive, cyclops 7.5" rallye light, Clake back brake clutch combo. best bike i have ever built... With the suspension mods it´s the most expensive to but it beats most of the other bikes by a lot..
The 480s a better choice as it runs much less compression than the 390, which is better for cooling and having to run 91 octane fuel if your out in some woop woop town which i found out a few times.
Exactly, riding on a European adventure you'd be changing oil every 3 days! these bikes are fine to chuck on a trailer and head down your local green lane, or maybe ride there and back. But cross multi borders? Give me a Himmy a Tiger or a Vstrom any day, if you want more woops and ruts then Husky 701 or KTM 890 are great. The bikes listed are good for a day or so, but I wouldn't have coped with the luggage for my 5 week trip round Spain.
exactly that's why i'm hoping we get a 490 adventure r. or they do make the 390 rally. Perfect amount of hp to still go triple digits if you ever needed to, and light enough to be very capable off road.
I love this idea. Coming from dirt bikes and mountain bike riding I would really only want to use asphalt as a means to get to more dirt without an adventure bike weight or price.
Plated 500XCW with a Rekluse, 4 gallon tank, balanced wheels, Mako360 w/ Scott’s, Athena ECU w/ traction control, SC wide seat, PMB rear rack, Mosko 40 Reckless, heated grips and an XL80 headlight made for an awesome steed on a 1500 mile CA/NV BDR ride this past Spring. Serves as my Hatfield-McCoy bike too 😎👍
DR650! Light in comparison to a adv bike, and less of the draw backs mentioned about these enduro bikes. Not too heavy to pick up on your own, but yeah, haven’t taken it on proper single track yet
Fingers crossed that Suzuki develops the DRZ/DR and soon starts selling these models globally with EFI and Abs. The Sv650 gets a new parallel twin engine...only the DRZ/DR doesn't get any heavier!
@@dualsportscandinavia353 Am in my late 60s. Started on a DR but found an XR 650r Honda that does everything better than a DR until kick start only almost finished my knee. Now am on a KTM 530 and loving it. Have put 26000 kms in about 5 years. only a big tank, full soft on the dampening adjustment and a slight gearing change.
@@martykath4427Ace! Do it all Ds/Osb´s like Fe501 500 Exc Wr450f increase among everyday riders. Some with smaller rally-led-towers. In terms of improved road performance, after wheel balancing, does anyone have experience that steering dampers e.g. Scotts or Msc increase stability? Steering dampers are common on sports bikes and supermotos.
If it was me I would go with the Honda. The weight and stalling at low speeds is fixable. Reliability and comfort is important for me! You forgot about your own bike. It’s cheap, Reliable and with some mods it would make a great little adv bike. it’s lighter than the Rally stock and doesn’t have that big plastic side fairing! Just a thought. Keep up the great content. Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦
Let’s be honest, if you want a Light “ enduro bike “ than you probably want it for snotty riding , and not really an ADV bike , more of a Enduro wetting it’s feet 🦶 into dual sport land . Really the only bike that comes close to Enduro / ADV / dual sport is the Husky 701 / KTM 690 . And the AJP PR7. BUT as single cylinder bikes still lack on the WIDE on road sections. Basically you need two bikes ONE ADV and one ENDURO.
not really, some of us are to broken to have the strength to lift up the bigger bikes when they decide to have a nap 😥🤔 plus there is nothing better than a light bike for when the track turns into crap 🤣😁 mind you if i had the cash i would love to have 2 bikes 🤪🍺 (and a helper)
I set up my WR250R to be a lightweight adventure bike. Wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve Been highly considering jumping to an even lighter bike. Because I’ve done the proper ADV bike route, and when riding alone, the thing that sucks the most is getting to a trail and then having to turn around do to the safety factor of having no one to help if you get to tired to lift the bike.
@@jefftaswelder9154 I just came back from the Flinders Ranges , and ALOT of riding we did was snotty ,Rocky , sandy creek beds you get the pitcher 😂😂. The mids did most like the 701 and DR650 , but the bigger ADV bikes like the AT struggled , BUT the BIG open sections they eat it up and the mid weighs didn’t like as much ( let alone a KTM 500 ) . I also am very broken 54 years old and 30 Army , when I drop my bike now I wait for someone to pick it up 😂😂😂, so I tend not to ride real snotty stuff if I can help it . If your trip is going to be 90% ADV ( then take it and suck up the snotty ) and make the most of the comfort, if it’s 90% snotty take an enduro bike - on a trailer to the riding and have a play . Or even the 300 Rally I would add to my first list of mid weight Dual sports . And it’s quite comfortable. But it’s ALWAYS a compromise. That’s why I own 4 bikes . Also like tyres I only run road tyres if most of my riding is road , as in I want maximum grip on road if I’m spending most of my time on it Same with off road I run nothing but road legal knobs as that’s were I’m spending most of my time . NONE of this 70/30 crap . I want FULL traction both on and off road .
I probably would have gone with the CRF450RL if they sold them in Australia, instead I ended up going with the WR250R because I wanted the best bike that I could do enduro rides + adventures on, that didn't destroy the bank.
Why don't they sell 450RL's there? If Yamaha can sell WR450's, why can't Honda sell their 450's? It seems just as odd that we don't have a street-legal WR450F in the U.S. I would buy one without hesitation. By the way, if you have an interest in CRF450's, why not get a WR450?
I have 32,000 issue free miles on my CRF450L. None of the competitors can boast that without rebuilds. And the flame out issue doesn’t require a Vortex. One simply needs to adjust the throttle and idle properly. Use HP4 oil if you buy one.
I’ve had 3 DRZs and got my 450L for $9999 OT the door. I could add $4,000 to a new DRZ and still not have a stock 450L. The DRZ was awesome 24 years ago. But no FI, No modern suspension, no 6th gear, no aluminum frame and so on……
all these bikes are too high strung to be a adv bike. Service intervals are way too short. If I want to do a 10k mile round trip to AK that would be way too much stops for service in one trip. Maybe riding around the UK they would be fine but not in the US.
You are not alone in wanting to buy these bikes ツ Drz400 is probably the closest bike. But only for those riders who live in a country where the DRZ is still sold new. Otherwise, the KTM 490 Enduro and Husqvarna 501 Enduro would have been a sweet spot. There is a big gap to fill between bikes with long service intervals DRZ400 vs DR650, XR650L, 690/701Enduro.
@@dualsportscandinavia353 What is it they need anyway to up the service interval? Is it possible to make a 200 lb 300-500 cc bike with 6k oil change? Indeed, the 501 and 490 enduro would be great adventure bike and daily commuters if it wasn't for the 1k oil change interval.
To be honest the adventure bike is a niche to be honest right now everybody's just jumping on the bandwagon because it's just the new big thing just like super Moto's was the big thing and then cafe racers was the big thing and now it's overweight adventure bikes and naked
690 enduro r/701 is already the perfect adventure bike platform. problem is ktm never bothered to fully develop it into an adv bike. they got close with the 701lr then canceled it. 790/890 are actually quite heavy. they oddly made a 701 svartpilen but not a full adv bike with proper fairing, tank and subframe.
Ive ridden my 690 in backwood singletracks and then 5 hours to bike week with the same tires. I have since purchased sm wheels. Very sick bike. Only like 320lbs
Turned my 690 Duke into a solid everything bike dirt , street, larger fuel tank than the Enduro or MX bike. They never mentioned that. In AK or I imagine some South American countries crappy fuel and longer distances between fuel stops play a major role in your travel plans?
I rode a buddy's KTM 500 excf and that thing was harsh. It had very intense vibrations at every point of contact and at all the rev ranges I rode it at, including idle. I rode it for about half an hour and honestly couldn't wait to get off by the end. The suspension was great and so was the power and acceleration. I just couldn't deal with that kind of vibration. It was like trying to ride a jackhammer. I don't know if that's normal or if there was something wrong with my buddy's bike. I have a Honda CRF250RX which I've turned into a dual sport (just to connect trails). With its narrow range 5-speed transmission it's not comfortable at any speeds above 60 mph (about 97 kph). But at speeds of 60 mph and below, it's way smoother and more comfortable than my buddy's KTM 500 was. So I figure that either I'm just sensitive to vibrations or my buddy's KTM had some sort of issue because I can't understand how a bike so rough like that could be so popular. Anyway, for me, if I were in the market, I'd get the Honda CRF450RL. I've not tried the CRF450RL but another friend of mine had one which he traded in on a CRF250RX because he was only riding single track and had no need for the road legality and he says the 450RL is way smoother than the CRF250RX.
We have three customers that buys brand new 500 every 2 years and we fully equipped them from headlights to heated grips luggage racks they're always really fun projects great platform to dual sport.
One potential point of interest. The 390 Beta has the the longer stroke vs the 500 Beta. That might translate to more vibes at highway speeds. The 500 is only a couple pounds/kgs heavier than the 390. I have often thought about trading/selling my 250L and my Xtrainer for the Beta 390 (or 500).
Don't overlook the 430. It makes nearly as much power as the 500 and has less reciprocating mass. That's what I've chosen for my adventure platform. I was steered away from the 390 by the dealer due to vibrations. My 430 with a Warp 9 cush-drive rear hub is very roadworthy.
One thing you omitted Solid is that the 2023 Beta range now come with traction control as well as the 2 stage mapping switch and that Beta also make a Racing version with Kyb suspension.
Any of these are only good for short trips. I would not want to spend 7-8 days doing a BDR on such small uncomfortable seats. Fun to rip around on for a few hours a day maybe but not 8hours a day for multiple days. Plus who wants to have to stop once or twice on a trip to do an oil change?
2012-2015 WR450 should be on here…Shit any year WR450 should be on here. I would take that over all the bullshit you have to do to a 450L to make it even rideable
I have a 2019 CRF450L built up as my lightweight adv bike and, for me, it is a good fit. I run the vortex ECU which fixed the snappiness in first and it has not stalled on me in the last 2.5 years. I recently fitted a rekluse clutch which is great in technical tracks and added extra fuel via IMS tank + rotopax for when need range for 300+km. If not riding it hard/enduro you can easily stretch the oil changes out to 2k. As you pointed out the bike has a full rear subframe was which was another reason for my selecting this bike as give more options for luggage. Had the bike since it first came out and still loving it.
One more massive plus for the Beta's is that you can bolt on a kickstarter. If I were starting over on the light adventure route it would be with 390. Also congrats on the growing family Solid.
Hey solid. Great review. I have a 2016 beta 480. Fantastic motor. Gotta say the front end lacks trail feel. It needed a big of sorting to get it right. I think they improved them as time went on. I also changed out the regulator with a MOSFET Reg. Some betas including mine let go of their starter motor magnets. Something worth checking. I had a Husky 630 . Loved it. So I'm keen on how the swms are going
@@joshuasarfati5520 beta 390rr 2019. swiss knife. can do anything, can stand anything.... If you travel pure offorads on trails at 70 kmh + and single and hard parts, with light luggages, you will still be under max 5.5 l /100 km, if precautious. 13/50 for hard, 15/50 for all around offroad. Just swap the front sprocket, no need to change chain length... ;) LOVE this bike. Got too the IMS 12L tank for rally raid race. good one, doesn't open your knees, nice narrow profile.
The 690/701 really need to be on this list. Most of us do BDR/TET so don't need an ultralight but fragile enduro. The 701 with an adventure tower gives me my unicorn, with a decent seat and an oil change after every big trip (3000 to 5000km). Easy to get luggage to fit, and tonnes of accessories if you want to spend money. For really snotty stuff, there are better bikes but I've got through everything I've pointed my 701 at and I'm a very ordinary rider.
@@jandbco that 501 may well be the bike I wish I'd bought but in 2016 the 701 seemed the best bet. I'm doing a big trip with 4 friends. 3 x 701, 1 x KTM 500 and 1 x EXC450. We lads on the 701s are the least worried about getting round. It'll be a TET, probably Spain and a bit of the Pyrenees. I'm giving away about 40kg and a bit of ground clearance to the 500, but I'll trade a bit of weight for a less highly strung bike, with a cush drive and 10,000 km service intervals (10k is pushing it though IMHO, 5k is more like it looking at the state of my oil). These bikes are all compromises. The 690/701 sits between a full on enduro and something like a T7/Norden/890. Works for me.
@@dualsportscandinavia353 well, it has spat out 2 clutches but now has a Rekluse which I'm not sure about but when (not if) my 2016 clutch plays up it is easy to adjust, like in 20 seconds with a 4mm Allan key.
I don't see how many of these can be called adventure bikes with such short maintenance intervals. Most of those you would be changing the oil at least once a week, and adjusting the valves every other week. That's ridiculous on anything but a race track.
Honda XR650L - archaic technology - pretty bullet proof - 133 kg with tank dry after serious weight redux. 149kg bunkering 19L in the long range tank. Best seat in the business, plenty torque - runs all day at 120km/h
My 2019 KTM 690 Enduro while not “ultra” light has made for a great lightweight adventure bike. Long service intervals, decent suspension with a modest seat height and a motor that is surprisingly smooth and versatile.
Agree, but seat height? You have, I think, a Flemish name, and you are the tallest people in Europe, but at 183cm (I'm the short guy in my family) it is about as tall as I'd want!
@@TheIdlesurfer Yea the 701 is very near my limit for height (I'm 5'11"/1.8m). With sag properly set I'm on my toes (not quite TIPtoes... but not far off).
701 Enduro, Fe 501, 690 Enduro and 500 Exc have really meant a lot to the dualsport community. When the Big4 have lost their mojo. Even though 690, 701 is a little too heavy for e.g. uphill and gnarly single tracks. How do you experience reliability, do you have any issues with false neutrals?
@@dualsportscandinavia353 I have 10K miles/16Km on my 2019 and other than an early countershaft seal leak it has been faultless. I did replace the OEM clutch slave cylinder with an Oberon unit as this has been a known weakness for this bike. No false neutrals or any other nuisances. I have a 350 for tighter trails and more dual sport rides so the 690 works well as my lightweight adventure machine.
Define ADV Bike. These things are cool offroad, but packed flr travelling they might not do the trick anymore. Long stretches of tarmac with heavy loads are not the way of the real dual sport 1-cylinder.
I think it really depends on where you live. If you're in Western Australia like Solid is, or much of the Western USA, good trails might be available the instant you leave city limits, whereas in Europe or the dense parts of the Eastern USA (for example, where I live in Maryland), the 1-3 hour stint of tarmac becomes necessary to reach interesting trail rides. Adventure is relative!
Come on boys, if your riding enduro off road or even just gravel, you can’t deal with the bike on pavement? Pffft, just do it….after a seat swap off course 🫣
The middle weight segment is the happy medium. A good rider can cope with the weight in the right situation. And, pack LIGHT! Adam Riemann, for example, can ride the tits off anything. Do you really need that monster tent? Pack a tarp, for example. Need that five pairs of underwear? Take two, made of wool, so you can wear it for more then one night. Need luxurious cooking? Take a basic stove and 24 hours of dry food on a longer trip. Spend money on a lightweight backpacking quilt, instead of the cheap, heavy Anaconda store special, need your SLR and 25 lenses? Your phone is good enough these days. Take a drone? Can’t fly it legally in most places, so leave it at home.
A beefed up replaceable tail frame or would be a good thing. Also, lowering the suspension two inches and tuning them for the extra weight is an amazing thing to behold. You won’t miss the ground clearance one bit but will love the usability off road.
This is the way adventure bikes should be I'm sorry but like when you take a Harley-Davidson and put knobbies and bags on it and raise the suspension that's not a f****** adventure bike please like I'll probably guess like out of all the Harley-Davidson trans helps all they're probably be like maybe two or three of them that actually Hit the Off-Road to be honest a lot of these guys going out and buying these adventure bikes never hit a trail before in your life you're a bunch of posers and they buy all the gear and they buy all the f****** jackets and boots and they go out there so they can look real cool but never hit any off-road
I went with the Beta 430RR with 15/45 gearing for the road. I originally wanted a 480rr but none were available at the time. The 430 is perfect for me it can easily do 120km/hr on the road and is equipped with indicators/ horn and mirror as standard to keep me legal. The only thing that needs changing is the seat which is like sitting on a piece of concrete. Beta also do an internal lowering kit of 25mm or 50mm which is a great option though it is expensive.
so basically none of them, unless you plan on bringing plenty of oil for every other day oil changes, only seems viable if you also plan on dumping spent oil on the ground too. with a fresh filter new oil and 3 liters reserve i can travel 15,000 miles without having to worry about exceeding manufacturer's recommended service interval. only one oil change required.
Over half way through and not one word about seat comfort. One of the most important things about riding all day long which equals adventure bike. Don't forget reliability as well.
The 390rr is thought to be the sweet spot in the Beta range.The 480rr is a beast off road with a lot of power/torque I compromised and bought a 430rr. The only difference in the bikes is the bore width apart from that they are exactly the same.
@@miro_s I have no experience with the Ktm 350 but you need to remember that the Ktm and Beta engines are different. For example the Beta engines are double overhead cam where as the Ktm engines use a single overhead cam. Personally if I was buying a Ktm then it would be the 450 as the 500 has bad vibrations when revved.
I've been trying to work out the best way to go for a light weight adventure bike, and have finally settled on the new KTM 690 as the perfect balance between good big power and on road load carrying ability. Coming in at 160 wet it's 45kgs lighter than the T7 and still has big power and great service intervals as well as loads of aftermarket support. Great video guys the light adventure is definitely the way to go
Great choice. I've got a 701 enduro and it's been incredible. I can hang with the supersports in the curves, the big ADVs on ong stretches and it's light enough to work on all sorts of trails
Another great video, Barry! Your ideas here are basically what my son-in-law and I have done with our Husaberg FE390s. Seat Concepts (or some kind of upgrade) seat is a must for multi-day trips, and recently I have become a huge fan of the Sit-N-Fly air flow slip on seat cover. After about half of the TransAmerica Trail (over 2000 miles) I think we're getting it tuned in. Thanks for all your vids. GeezerWheels in S.W. Colorado
Unfortunately, however you paint it, these bikes still have the drawbacks they've always had and why they're not used as adventure bikes. OIl change/service intervals and a serious lack of fuel capacity for a decent range. They're great at what they're designed for which is performance, not distance.
The 430/480 is the bike to get way better then the ktm! The twin cam motor is smoother on the road & the counter shaft don’t wear out like ktm’s do & makes 44.5/47 rwhp for the 430/480
Seeing guys on full adv bikes on some of the local trails here in Texas told me they probably aren't what I'm looking for. Riding 250's on the roads and trails both in Los Cobos Mexico, and Salento Italy, I'm pretty sure smaller lighter bikes can get me everywhere I want to go.
bought the 2023 beta 500 rrs and i can confirm the electrical issues. rode it a mile and it broke down. one good thing about beta though is that they make good on issues, sent out a whole new wiring harness in a day for free and now the bikes back up and running
NONE of these are adventure bikes. You showed zero carrier packs and racks installed on them and no talked about long road use other than sprocket changes, but what about added weight and speed. They're more or less mountain bikes with motors for rev junkies for weekend rides.
The problem with turning enduros into adventure bikes is the maintenance, not necessarily the size. You don't tour on enduro bikes because you of the maintenance intervals on the high rung smaller engines.
I, like many others, have been trying to solve this problem for a long time and the thing that doesn’t get mentioned here is availability of larger fuel tanks. In the American west where I ride, the best rides are not close to gas stations. If you can’t stretch the ride to convenient stations, you can blow through a gallon just getting off the trail and back, which is a third or more of the total capacity. Perhaps I’m missing something, but I’ve looked in to all these and can’t find big tanks for any of them.
Look into the Giant Loop foldable fuel 12:26 bags. They come in a few different sizes. I got an 8 liter version. Much better solution than rotopax. They roll up quite small when empty. The price is good too.
From a "KTM" owner (FE501) the power is totally fine, the 450s are way more bat shit in my experience. Unless a 500 is your very first bike, totally nothing to be over whelmed by.
Royal Enfield Himalayan. Get the concept here but let's face it most of us will spend 90% on the road and a few more percent mooching about, so pursuing these hybrids is a pursuit to have a shit road experience for some once in a blue moon off-roading. Any bike regularly used off-road is in shit state in no time and needing parts. It's motorcycling's equivalent of the VW Camper. Great in theory but in practice you're spending a shit-tonne for a couple of underwhelming nights.
AJP PR7 650 ADVENTURE. AJP SPR 510R ENDURO. Fantic XEF450. Kove 450 Rally. SVM 500 DualSport. GAS GAS 500 ES are available to order. Is the SPR 510R Enduro worth having? If there was a bike; with low weight, long intervals + low end grunt between 500 Exc ´n´ 690 Enduro, it would be spot on. Same with CRF300L/450L/RL ´n´ XR650L. Riders re-build DRZ400/DR650 with parts from RM-Z, small Enduro LED tower, fuel injection and Abs kit ie what the manufacturers should have done years ago!!
690 is often bypassed as too heavy compared to 450s but the 690 is an easy 100llbs lighter than any twin and only 40llbs or so heavier than the 450 but so much more power! Better on highway and much longer intrevals between servicing. The 690 is amazing in the twisties and it is honestly not bad on long highway drones especially compared to trying to do long miles on a 450 or smaller which can be miserable
Hey Solid, what are your thoughts on using a farm/agricultural bike as an adv bike? eg Yamaha AG200, Suzuki Dr200s, Honda CTX200 or even the Honda CT125 (though it's a little overpriced in my opinion)
P.S. With some of these bikes you'd have to pack all fluid and have your buddies lug your gear since you'd have to change your fluids every other day on a longwinded treck....
Trying to decide whether to go with a new Husky 500 or a used 701. KTM isn't totally off the board either, but it comes down to parts availability where I'll be riding. A tour starting in Norway and ending up in South Africa without any ferries are in the planning stages. Husky parts might be difficult to get locally, but I do have contacts that are able to ship directly to where we are at the time. Anyways, interesting comparison! :)
If these bikes had longer service intervals, they'd be great adv bikes. But hell, even my little klx250 can go 2500miles/4000km before even thinking about an oil change.
I'm going to argue the DRZ400 is the perfect bike for that reason. The DRZ 400 does ok even on the highway 65mph or under. Or that you have to gear it up, but honestly wind isn't fun over that speed anyway. I tend to stick to the 55mph road for that reason.
Nice list. I'd like to "adventure" a wr450f. Larger oil capacity, a sixth gear, a full set of lights, a heavier sub-frame, and that's about it. Then I'd throw on a nice seat and soft bags after that. Done. I like that 5 valve engine
Re the 500 seat height, I rebuilt my seat for greater comfort and had 40mm removed from the suspension travel, resulting in a 910 mm seat height. Of course, here in Australia you can’t buy the CRF450L and 2nd hand bikes are out there at a similar price to a 500. Don’t forget the 17 onwards 500 has a very good basic traction control.
It does if you are in the mountains or something. Honestly there isn't anything crazy out in the prairies for me. I'm kinda ok with my DRZ 400S on anything out here.
I have the BETA RR390 and love it! Except for the seat(ultra hard). Ya can buy a softer version . But that is my only issue with it. Once the suspension settles in the ride height is very good. I'm 5' 11" and can comfortably sit there with both feet on the ground rather than having to sit off to one side when stationary. Love it.
A cheap way to lower the Betas an inch or so is to take all the preload out of the rear shock (assuming your weight and riding style allows you to do so), then add handlebar risers and raise the forks in the triple clamps. Raising the forks not only lowers the front but also corrects the steering geometry change due to the extra sag in the rear. I was able to lower my 430 37mm this way.
That's why I got rid of my beautiful Kawasaki KLR 650 and 07 model with everything and the kitchen sink with the aluminum panniers on it I got tired of falling down and the bike was so heavy I was taking a big risk going so far into the Wilderness with it trying to use it like a dirt bike no way I got rid of it now I don't have anything I don't have a lot of money to play that game I need an old school bike where my feet will touch the ground that's ridiculous adventure bike with all the extra gear weighted down and when you get off road you're taking a big chance you may never come out of there again. I'm lucky I survived it
@@Quantalume I'm 5 ft 9 in tall and tried every trick in the book to get my feet on the ground on my 07 KLR 650 adventure bike I even slid the front forks up the tubes up had lowering link expensive low profile seat plus lowered the main shock under the bike as far as I could it was ridiculously heavy that bike I could handle it but I fell down about five times in a year and a half off-road and it was getting very dangerous. I live in the Ozarks and I go way back wilderness. top of it I'm almost 67 years old and I have a spinal cord injury it was a challenge but now I have no bike,I sold my beautiful KLR had everything in the kitchen sink on it the aluminum pan years I loved it for packing down with Camp gear. now I got nothing sold my KLR for only 2700 bucks and now I can't afford a bike. and can't find low bick war my feet will touch the ground!. sad cuz I need it to keep my heart pumping:-)
@@markeverson5849 Have you looked at the KLX 230 S? It's a couple of inches closer to the ground compared to the KLR and only 295 lbs. Yes, only 233cc, but probably fast enough for two-lane backroads.
These all sound like good starting points for someone looking for that Unicorn. As you say all have drawbacks and need some (often expensive) mods but as this type of bike is not in any manufacturers line up you just have to pick a platform and then build your own.
Good overview but would have been better to see actual adv-light versions of these bikes, all loaded up with bags, instead of all the file footage of crazy enduro stuff.
I just got a used 250 exc-f and its a literal dream bike for me. It’s my first bike so the small cc is great for building confidence. The bike’s been modded more for single track trail riding than adv but that doesn’t hold it back at all. The exc-f line is the best.
That's good news. I about to add a Beta and was hoping I would still be happy using the WR250R on longer easier rides. It's just so much more cheaper to operate.
I've had both the 450l and the 509 exc. The 450L i did every upgrade available. Its a great bike' I just felt the weight. I now am on a 500 exc with moderate upgrades. For offroad the 500exc is leaps and bounds ahead of the Honda. But on the road. The Honda cannot be touched. Its so refined, but I buy these bikes for the offroad capabilities. So the 500 exc for me
A lot of this depends on where you live and where you can ride. Throw in your age and skill the perfect bike could be vastly different. For me, a softroad adventure bike and a wash and wear dual sport for off-road
I agree.. why make it a maintenance adventure?..I may change oil every 1000m, but only when I'm home.. I prefer a carb & no extra electronics, I'm no competitor, just crave reliable longevity 👍
For most of us in Europe such a light bike is basically over... pardon me... underkill. In most countries here, single trail riding is not legally possible, so we don`t really need such an ultralight machine. In Germany as an example is not even any legal riding on logging roads. Here in Sweden as N and FI we have tens of tousands of km of gravel roads. For those a 690/701 or even 790/890/901 work great, offer more comfort and don`t need several oil changes when I am out on a multi week trip - which might easily add up to 5000...8000km. On top of that with a little bit more luggage ( like additional hiking gear) the balance of a 901 will be much less set off than on such a light adventurized enduro. I understand that it`s of course a totally different story in regions were terrain riding is legal.
