A few questions to TR650 owners

Hello guys, I'm new here!

I already own a wr125 but I need something that I would use most of the time on the road and occasionally on soft off-road. I will drive it with a passenger (my lady) most of the time so it has to be quite comfy for that as well.
The 650 Terra seems to be a very good bike for my needs.....and I'm really close to buy one! I'm just wondering about a few things:

- The engine. I've read lots on this, some saying it's great and some saying it feels like it has no power/torque. Where's the truth? Of course I'm not expecting race-bike performance...but at least I want to have a good improvment over my wr125. It has much more torque of course but the wr125 is more than 30hp at the wheel for 105kg, the tr650 is around 50hp at the wheel but with 70kg extra....

- ABS or not. The dealer would give me the ABS version almost for free (100€ extra). What concerns me is that the ABS version has a 17'' wheel instead of 18'' and I prefer the 18'' one (it also makes easier to find new tires), and of course the bike gets a bit lower with 17'' wheel and I don't like that either...I'm 1.81m...having said that ABS is quite an expensive optional and it looks a shame not to get it almost free!

- Passenger comfort. Is it nice to travel with somebody sitting in the back? Is he/she staying comfortable? Is the bike beheaving good?

- Spare parts. Ok I know about Pierer that bought Husqvarna and all of that. The thing is that surfing the web it looks quite hard to find parts for the tr650, for example what about the transmission (pinion etc) when it wears out, or what if I break the friction lever etc etc... it looks really hard to find TR replacements. Are they exactly the same as the bmw GS? are they interchangeable?

That's all for the moment, I will ask more as soon as it pops in my mind!

Thank you all and greetings from Italy!

that's just a matter of perception though. if you're used to riding something thqt's got 180HP then the terra will feel weak. if you're used to riding a moped it'll feel strong and fast.
i think the engine's great.

http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/model_eval/2013JanTR650.pdf has these stats on it. and i guess some of these things are with a really good rider. it's not lik i'm going to go make it do the same thing. but it's a stating point for you!!



0–1/4 mile ..................13.01 sec.@ 99.02 mph
0–60 mph ....................4.57 sec.
0–100 mph ..................15.27 sec.
Power to Weight Ratio ........1:8.46

As far as power goes, I highly recommend you test drive one. That was one of the selling points. Fuel injected, more power, more economy, just a smoother throttle response. Horse and buggy worked for many years, carburetors worked for many years. I don't think a car made today uses the old horse and buggy carbs. This is the 21st century, join us, you'll be glad you did.

You should be able to get any part you want from your dealer or directly through KTM at http://www.ktm-parts.com/OEMFINDER.html. Go there and browse. Any part, even the most trivial, looked available. For grins I did a mock order at KTM parts and it was like ordering at Amazon! I was surprised how reasonably priced the parts were. Parts will supposedly be available for 10 years by law or agreement for the merger, and I suspect they will not clear the shelves and throw all their parts away in 10 years and 1 day.

I share your skepticism. But, there is also no evidence that it is not true. Another example of "Trust, but verify"?? BTW, so the OP is aware, most, not all, engine and (I think) transmission parts are the same as the BMW model sharing the same engine and drivetrain and should be available through BMW. Other parts like wheels, shocks, brake parts, etc are not made by Husqvarna and should have abundant aftermarket replacements.

Ding, ding, ding... <----link

anyone else think it's weird that it'll get to 99.02 mph in 13.01 seconds, but takes 15.27 seconds to get to 100mph?

--Chris

It's those darn hard 40L+ panniers causing so much drag

thanks a lot for all the answers!!
just wondering on pax comfort, does anybody have a few more feedbacks on that? it's quite an important point

Not wanting to be rude, but I think the amount of seat required by the pillion is going to come into play here. She is less than 120lb. Someone who occupies more space might find the seat too narrow to be comfortable. My wife was surprised with how comfortable she felt on the pillion seat on my TR650, considering the seat is much narrower than the pillion seat on my DL1000. Mind you, it was only a short 20-30 minute ride, so she probably didn't have time to get too uncomfortable. She also rides and her bike has quite a good screen and her only complaint was the wind blast she was getting sitting on the back at highway speed.

The Strada wheels have "BMW" stamped on them.

Hi
Whats the difference between the Terra and the Strada? I see the color,the wheel sizes and the front fender and ABS on the Strada and also tires. Any other differences? I need 1 or the other. Im thinking Terra.
?

That's about it other than spoked vs. cast wheels. Supposedly shock valving may be a bit different and possibly a spark arrestor in the Terra for compliance with various state off-road rules.

I went Strada and just ordered up a set of spoked rims and fender to take off-road.

I did the same thing as IgnacioB. For me it was a means to get the best of both worlds.

Thanks,I just sold my last KTM today so there is now room in the garage.Now if I can just get rid of all this orange gear...