www.DRRiders.com

You could butt I'd rather bash Harleys.

How much chrome does one need to polish after changing the oil on a Harley?

And btw, how many beers per mile do they get?

How much chrome does one need to polish after changing the oil on a Harley?

From my experience, that's why some guys ride the baggers or full tour rigs. they need somewhere to put their little spray bottle of super duper shine and little polishing rags so that whenever they stop to pose on the bike they can shine it first. Some of those Hardley Ablesons get pretty dirty driving to Starbucks around the corner to show off the new leathers you know.

Ha ha. I just spotted this. I'll tell my view on the maintenance thing. I think if the motorcycle is capable of outsmarting the guy trying to work on it...they should avoid owning one. I'm still trying to understand how working on a Harley can be difficult. It's basically an antique design that's been improved over the years (we make the same claim about the DR that has been unchanged since 1996). A Harley has separate engine, transmission, and primary's so the engine and transmission can be worked on without having to disassemble the other. That doesn't sound real hard to me. I suppose to those with no real motorcycle experience it's a PITA.

Any dry sump lubrication system will have more oil drains and screens to service. Comparing a dry sump oil change to a wet sump oil change is comparing apples to oranges. I'm not certain all the screens (frame/oil tank or even engine) need to be serviced at each and every oil change interval on a dry sump system anyway. Doesn't the DR 650 have a sump screen that requires splitting the case to service? No one in their right mind would do that without another reason to go inside.

Tech23

Thats the reason I don't own my KTM 950 anymore. On a long trips they are a pain if you do it right.

I thought it was great till I bought a DR650 and then I didn't ride the pumpkin much. I'm lazy I guess...

I may look funny on a DR650 with pelicans as a 6'-4" 260 pound fellow, but I get to ride more and don't put off oil changes...

Exactly....
DR's are over weight ill handling motorcycles for average Joe doing his or her plunking. Cause plunking is all a DR is good for.
KTM is for real hard core DIRT riders and for that comes higher maintenance unless.......you buy a KTM300 ..then you just ride and fuel it (oil change means adding oil to fuel ) and ride and repeat till the chain or brake pads wear out and then keep repeating another3-4 times. Air filter cleaning and gear oil change as needed to abuse and conditions....otherwise ride. Can not do that with any 4T...
No wonder I HATE 4T equipment and love the 2T cause I am cheap and lazy and just want to ride...not work on them.

KTM needs to come out with a 500cc plus minus 2T DI twin for there adventure bikes. At that point we can rewrite the rules of what will rule ...in the meantime a 300EXC with DI and street legal from the box will suffice wait ...yup ..my 300 is street legal ...well it has a plate

This is the exact reason I bought the TS. I am cheap, I am lazy, and GAWD do I love to ride

I would buy a KTM in a heartbeat. 2Trider is exactly right, they are a dirt machine made for a dirt oriented rider. There are some things that might be easier on a DR then a KTM, but you can't even start to compare them. The DR is not even in the same league as the KTM, not even close. The only thing that Suzuki makes that might even be kinda close is an RM.

Let's see someone do this with a DR:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLQLkoa8 ... r_embedded

or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2eUucG4 ... re=related

Lemme know when someone rides one of those small-displacement KTMs across a continent...stock.

In the first video, I don't even consider a lot of that "riding". As much as their feet are on the ground, it seems more "technical hiking, with a dirtbike between your legs". I doubt the vast majority of even 2t KTM owners are capable of crossing terrain like that on their moto.

We shouldn't be comparing them, you're dead right. A KTM 2-stroke and a DR650 are completely different bikes. The DR doesn't pretend to be a mx or enduro bike, and the KTM doesn't pretend to be a round the world bike. They are what they are. More performance means more maintenance, less maintenance means less performance. It's just how engineering is at present.

I would have a KTM in my shed any day if I could afford more than one bike, probably a 300 EXC if I had a choice.

I agree with Kommando - I don't see a lot of riding in the first video, and I'll go one further - I'd do it on a DR. I'd be a lot more tired at the top, but that's entirely doable.

On the second video - I couldn't do the up the tree trick on any bike - never been able to master going backwards. Other than that, didn't see a lot of really challenging terrain. There was one particular shot that looked like they may have hopped up a particularly large rock ledge or something, but it was pretty quick and I couldn't see well enough to say if it would've been doable on the DR or not.

That being said - if that was the kind of riding I was normally doing, I'd do it with something other than a DR. But if I want to go out and do that, the DR will take me there.