This is my first post. I've grew up riding dirt bikes and quads as a kid and took a break from riding for about 25 years. I got a CRF250L just over a year ago and while I really like the bike, it sucks on my commute to work on the highway. I'm only on the highway for about ten minutes, but it feels longer because of all the vibration and floating feeling at 70mph. I have been researching which bike to get and I focused in on the BMW 650 Sertao. It is a bit out of my price range so when I stumbled upon a thread on ADVRIDER where someone mentioned the TR650, that really caught my attention. More power, better looking and lower price. I modified my CRF with a full FMF exhaust, EJK, sprockets, etc to make it have a little more power. I'd like to do the same with a new Terra. I'm in Phoenix and there are no dealers here that sell the bike, but a craigslist search pointed me to Performance Motorcycles in Tucson. Does anybody here have experience with this place? It looks like they're selling quite a few different Italian-built Huskies including the TR650. They're basically selling the bike for $5999 plus all of the usual dealer doc fees, freight, etc. Does that seem like a reasonable price or should there be some more room for haggling? Does anybody have experience from going from a 250cc dual sport to the Terra? Is it a good upgrade?
Hey dmw_az, That sounds a lot like my history with the TR650 Terra. I had a CRF250L for about a year and really enjoyed the bike. Great fun off road on OK for a short commute. The problem I had is that my drive to work is a 120km round trip with most of that at highway speed. 110km/h was pretty close to the top speed of the Honda and I started looking around for an upgrade. The TR650 Terra was the perfect fit for me. I can travel to work easily and still ride all the same trails I did on the weekend with the CRF. The Terra is noticeably heavier but makes up for it with more than twice the power of the CRF and can travel further on a tank load of fuel it also has a much greater load capacity for longer adventures. I recently purchased a 2nd set of wheels - the front off an old BMW650 funduro and a rear from a BMW GS650 and put some decent road wheels on them. I makes the commute better and only takes about 20 minutes to switch back to the original wheels with Dunlop D606's on them on the weekend. I can highly recommend the TR650 Terra. Hope you join our ranks soon!
Hi dmw az, I'm in Tucson and go to Performance for parts and service. They do have the moss tool, and Mike is a great service manager. Parts guys are good, and Bill is a good guy as far as salesmen. You might be able to get them down on the price. I think they have 500 wiggle room or more. They were selling the terra for 5499 plus plus awhile back. They were sold out when I bought mine, I had to go to California to get it.
Thanks for the replies guys. I met up with a guy this morning who wants to trade me his 2006 F650GS. Man, that thing was kind of a turd. It was very low to the ground and the seat to peg height was way to close for me. I couldn't wait to get back on my bike. I liked the size of the Sertao a ton better. I think the TR650 is a little better suited for a taller person than a regular 650GS, correct? I'm 6'1", so I'm no giant, but I feel cramped on a lot of the bikes that I sit on. I need to get down to Tucson soon to check out that dealer. Hey mag00, If I make a trip down there, would you mind if I took your bike for a little spin? The dealers in Phoenix don't allow test rides, does Performance do that? I've been exchanging emails with a sales guy named Phil. He said the 2013s were 5499, and the 2014s were 5999 and of course they don't have any more 2013s. I didn't know they have a Moss tool. That's a HUGE bonus.
Sure, in fact I would recommend riding mine with the mods and riding a stock one. Two different animals. I have a lowering link, so you should like the stock better. But you will love the extra power from the mods. I have to button my bike back up this weekend, hopefully. Been working on my recently acquired DR200. dying to get it out on some tougher trails the heavy Terra scares me on. I picked up a new front tire that needs to be installed also. So I'm doing alot of tire and wheel work this weekend argh. My homade irons are getting a workout.
Yah, that would be sweet. What kind of mods do you have? Does Performance allow people to take test rides on new bikes?
Hello Chaps, This is my first post (as well) after a year of research and reading every forum, article and Terra review. I have placed my deposit for a second hand Terra in South Africa (Cape Town) yesterday and must say i am excited. In essence im buying a bike that you can commute on but have a bit of fun on weekends. But the reality is that the Terra for me was such a good looking/stylish bike and was way more competitive in terms of value for money. Is also the lightest bike in its class and great fuel efficiency. Realistically the bike is an orphan so as long as you are prepared to tinker and make a plan to get some parts then this bike is for you. Do you guys agree? George
BIG mistake, dude. This bike is the worst. It 'll make you want to go out riding every bloody weekend. Time and time again. It is almost getting too much for me to be honest. You've pretty much spot on. It is a great bike, very versatile, but indeed it may be hard and time consuming to get parts. On the other hand, a lot of parts are shared with other BMW single cylinder bikes, so that often can provide a quicker solution.
