Hey all, Im thinking of purchasing a 2013 TR650 with only 1300 kms on it. My only concerns are parts availability and reliability of the bike itself. I have read that the tail section has the potential to fail if ridden offroad hard. That doesnt concern me that much to be honest. There is no dealer here in Newfoundland, Canada. However, there is a KTM dealer. Can i get parts through them if i need them? I searched for a oil filter earlier today and was amazed how hard it was to figure out what fits this bike. I think the K&N KN-151 fits the bike? I really love the look of the motorcycle. Just the future of the parts worries me. I dont mind working on my bike at all. I wont dig into a 4 stroke motor or transmission but i would tackle most anything else. Thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated. The trusty XR650L is my backup plan, but that bike doesnt get me excited like the TR650 does.
It is a great bike once you get it sorted out (i.e. remove the metal holder to keep the tail from breaking off, check a few things). Parts should be able to be obtained from your KTM dealer, or they can always be bought online. Every-so-often I think about switching, but I have mine too well sorted out and it has not given me any issues, so why mess with perfection! If you are really worried, call the KTM dealer to see if they would work on it should anything go wrong, or at least get parts in. If they don't want to work on it, check your BMW dealer to see if they would work on it as it is essentially a BMW.
I have a Terra, and it is my favorite bike of all motorcycles I have owned. TR650s have their issues that may or may not require your attention to sort out, so read up on lots of good info here and decide if it is for you. For me, the off-road/street balance, killer looks and higher performance threshold of the TR650 justify any pain-in-the-assery that comes along with owning a bastardized European bike over a DR/XR/KLR/G650. As far as parts go, you may have to wait, but you can get them. Oil filters and other consumables are no problem, and yes the K&N-151 fits. This is not the first discontinued motorcycle I've owned, and I'll wager, based on my previous experience with obsolete machinery, that: Consumables as well as parts most likely to fail during the life of the bike (stators, coils, MCs, etc.) will be easy enough to source for a long time. Some clever bastard (probably on this forum) will figure out a direct fix or an adaptation to a similar part from another motorcycle to address just about any part that is difficult to come by or unavailable for whatever reason.
As above, great bike - best dual sport I've owned (comparing to DRZ & KTM640) - exceptionally smooth engine, plenty of power and proven reliability: you'll find very few reports of serious failures or major repairs on these bikes despite there being numerous owners with high mileage. As for parts - many owners outside of Europe and US order online and while there can be some delays for some parts they'll all available (AFAIK). The weaknesses on the TR are easily (and cheaply) fixed. The tail guard, for example, is easily reinforced making it near impossible to break off.
"The trusty XR650L is my backup plan, but that bike doesn't get me excited like the TR650 does." There's a reason for that! Seriously, if you've read through even a portion of this thread you know there are issues, potential issues, frustrations with a motorcycle made for only 1 year and then orphaned, fixes and solutions, and even hopes of a real fix for its most significant potential problem. As for hanging onto the bike, a few folks have thrown up their hands in frustration, maybe a few more sold to get a bigger ADV ride or real dirt bike, but it seems the overwhelming consensus it that this is one way cool, capable bike that nobody else yet makes the equal of. So if it calls to you, buy it! Unique parts are available online and, as others have pointed out, the consumables are easily sourced. If you really need dealer support or are not the least bit interested in tinkering on your own bike, maybe it isn't for you. My bet? Welcome to the club! -Scott
Thanks for all the opinions. I have put a deposit down on the bike and i am waiting for it to be shipped to me from Ontario. Should have it by the end of the month. Anyone know what happened to this guys bike for it to implode the way it did? http://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/seven-lessons-learned-from-owning-an-exotic-motorcycle
Wow. He doesn't say much to give a clue. The few cases of catastrophic failure I can remember were likely related to the cylinder ingesting bad things...either dirty air over time, or coolant, etc. This guys problem sounds much more part failure related, not sure.
agreed, main issues with the TR seem to be overheating (blown head gasket, coolant in oil) and insufficient air filtration. Both could have played a role here but difficult to say. We have a few examples of high mileage (up to 55k km afaik) and i don't see any reason why the TR engine shouldn't be as reliable and durable as their siblings in the BMWs if those two issues are fixed. Except maybe that the typical Husky rider might be a little more demanding than the typical BMW rider...
Overheating was usually the result of trapped air in the cooling system. Properly burp the system and usually all is well. But, not everything falls under the same umbrella...other cooling system issues have been: bad radiator caps, pinched overflow tubes, bad thermostats. Many, many posts on the air filtration issue. The airbox in the TR is an extremely poor design and doesn't seal. It must be fixed. Most common method is to perform the "Pod Mod", which connects a silicone pipe directly from the throttle body to a cone style filter. Another method that keeps the airbox mostly intact is to seal the clam shell for real, and epoxy in a 3d printed frame to correctly mount a filter.
