If you had it to do over again....

[mokibear]

Would you buy an TR650 if you had it to do all over again? Why or why not?

I live in riding heaven (SW Colorado) and I know every inch of tarmac within 300 miles. I want to start doing more dirt exploring, but that often involves road riding to really get to where I want to go. Looking for a 70/30 or 60/40 (road/street) with some performance! I would use the bike around town too. I want to be able to pick it up if I drop on a trail, as I ride alone and I am only 150 pounds and 57 years old.

I can't think of a bike that fits what I am looking for better than the TR650, at least on paper. I long for a bike that can do several hundred mile a day trips on both road and street, handle a bit of bad weather, carry luggage, and have good performance!

I worry the suspension would be lacking, and that it might be hard to service/repair if needed.

I have tried:
DR650: decent street bike, suspension terrible, and a bit slow lack of fun motor
DRZ400: OK for dirt, 5 speed and ergos limit street use. Not good adventure bike for longer trips, A bit too tall for town
KTM 350 xcfw: sucks on street for longer trips, too tall for town, serious lack of torque when geared up for roads. (This was my dirtbike so I tried it for dual sport)
Husky 610, Great bike, but gave me a few issues and didn't 100% trust it. Suspension was harsh, and bit tall for town

Ideal bike would be at least 500cc, handle roads great, dirt roads and double track, and not be too tall or daily town use.

I ride a KTM 1190 Adventure with the 19 inch wheel for the street and just dirt roads. Too heavy and big for the riding I describe above but a hell of bike for sport touring and local day rides.

Is the TR650 for me?

 

[Ogre_fl]

Would I buy a TR650 again? Yes.

It has proven to offer a blend of street performance/comfort and off road capabilities that no current bike* offers.
I knew this the first time I test road it back in 2013.
I said to myself during that test ride that there is no way I am not going to buy this bike.
That this bike sells as cheaply as it does is just icing on that cake.

As far as repairs & service, in 4 years and 13K miles it has not needed anything I could not obtain or do.
I am hopeful the ECU recall/updates now allows for more service options.

Having owned 2 KTM 640 Adventures I will say you will probably be disappointed with the suspension.
I know I am in comparison to the KTM's.
That said its been "good enough" for most of what I do, but I can not ride this bike at the same speeds off road I can the KTM's.
It is also not in that same cost level as the KTM's were, not even close.
It is better than the Japanese bikes, but I keep getting closer to pursuing some upgrades.

*Maybe today the smoother 2017 Husky 701 might be in the running, I need to try one.
I dont think it will be as good a "street" bike as the TR650 based upon having ridden the older KTM 690's.
I am probably taller than you at 6'-6" so the 701 being taller wont be an issue for me.
The TR650 is remarkably "not tall" to me.

 

[mokibear]

Great input. My 29 inch inseams can be a challenge at times. For offroad, it's not a huge deal. But every day riding, getting on and off a bike around town, I like to be able to at least touch my toes and not have to take a running leap to get on.

There are two bike within a few hundred miles of me. I may go look.

 

[CarstenB]

i actually did. Sold the Terra i had in Australia and bought another one in the US as i was more than happy with it and didn't see any serious alternative on the market. If you know and accept the limits and fix the few serious issues like the air filter it will happily do what you are asking for. I got the fork working to my liking by putting a bit more and lighter oil in it and increasing the spring pre-load by 5 mm. No problems with the rear shock.
Just don't assume it is a serious dirt bike

 

[hasenpfeffer]

I like it. I've got over 10k miles now. I still don't see any other bike having the balance of on road/off road that the TR does. Would I do it again? Hard to say with all the variables that go into the moment, but likely yes.

My bike has performed very well compared to some. I have had very few stalls. I have never had it let me down when on longer rides. I took a week trip around Colorado roads last fall. I've done a fair bit of forest roads, but nothing as serious as single track, and it has performed fine for my experience. I've never done dirt with a bike until now, so I don't have any other experience to compare against.

After a handful of 0 speed drops in a day off road, I can tell you it does get very heavy.

I am on the fence with keeping it at the moment due to 3 things. First, I have had it for quite some time now and am starting to itch to just have something different. Second, my bike shimmies a fair bit around 80mph. I do more highway travel than I thought I would, and this shimmy is getting very stressful. I still may try replacing my steering head bearings to see if that solves it, but otherwise I'll be looking for something that can handle the high speed stuff more comfortably. Third, the airbox is the worst POS design ever, and you will need to perform a POD mod if you are to feel comfortable with the engine getting clean air. I haven't done this yet, though I have done several things to mitigate the airbox flaws, plus I practically never ride in dusty conditions.

I've done my own work on it, including valves. It's not for the faint of heart at all, but certainly doable, and slightly easier each time I do. The biggest repair problem is the dash/ecu/chip key. If there is any problems with any one of these components, the bike becomes a paperweight. But if these all continue to work, then it seems so far, everything else is fixable.

 

[Rapid Dog]

hasenpfeffer- Do your head bearings...



I've had mine for two months now. Don't even know why I bought it except my sickness to try different bikes, that, and I think my more serious off-roading days may be over (knees).

That said, I've tried a slew of dualsports big and small in the past 8 years or so. DRZ400, 950A, TE610, WR250R, 400EXC, and the best and last 450EXC.
That siad, after getting this one sorted I took a 700 mile shakedown road trip this weekend. The bike performed flawlessly in just about all departments.
If I wanted just one bike (I have an R12GS), this wouldn't be a bad choice.

As far as offroad, my opinion is that it's capable, just. Good enough on dirt roads, not so great on much else, especially sand.
I could upgrade the Avon Trailrider tires to some more dirty tires which would help.
But after riding an EXC for 3 years, I'm jaded...this bike needs a close to couple grand worth of suspension to make it a full-on dualsport.
(Fork conversion - cost of used forks, servicing them, $500 in Ratel conversion parts, plus an least $750 for a different rear shock, etc).

So I'm on the fence again about keeping it for very long. It's 150 lbs heavier than the KTM. I like the weight on road, but at a weak 66 yrs young, I don't want to have to pick it up on the trail.
If I was 57, it might be easier

I looked for a Dakar for years but I like the this Husky, probably better than that BMW-F.

(BTW- being on the fence, I'd probably sell mine...)

 

[mokibear]

hasenpfeffer- Do your head bearings...



I've had mine for two months now. Don't even know why I bought it except my sickness to try different bikes, that, and I think my more serious off-roading days may be over (knees).

That said, I've tried a slew of dualsports big and small in the past 8 years or so. DRZ400, 950A, TE610, WR250R, 400EXC, and the best and last 450EXC.
That siad, after getting this one sorted I took a 700 mile shakedown road trip this weekend. The bike performed flawlessly in just about all departments.
If I wanted just one bike (I have an R12GS), this wouldn't be a bad choice.

As far as offroad, my opinion is that it's capable, just. Good enough on dirt roads, not so great on much else, especially sand.
I could upgrade the Avon Trailrider tires to some more dirty tires which would help.
But after riding an EXC for 3 years, I'm jaded...this bike needs a close to couple grand worth of suspension to make it a full-on dualsport.
(Fork conversion - cost of used forks, servicing them, $500 in Ratel conversion parts, plus an least $750 for a different rear shock, etc).

So I'm on the fence again about keeping it for very long. It's 150 lbs heavier than the KTM. I like the weight on road, but at a weak 66 yrs young, I don't want to have to pick it up on the trail.
If I was 57, it might be easier

I looked for a Dakar for years but I like the this Husky, probably better than that BMW-F.

(BTW- being on the fence, I'd probably sell mine...)

Man, we might be brothers! Rapid Dog, Bigdog.... I think I would have the same issues. My KTM300 sets the bar, and all dual sports that I would consider fall SO short.
Yamaha is coming out with the Tenere7 hopefully, still won't be light but suspension may be better.

 

[Rapid Dog]

I wish Yamaha would come out with a WR450R. It just confuses me why they don't. Honda too, a nice 450 dualsport, rally styling or other.
The little WR250R is a very reliable and capable bike, but oh so down on power.
waiting...

 

[Kenneth Webb]

I would absolutely buy the TR again, even knowing the odds and ends that need to be addressed. I think every motorcycle would need a little attention on this and that. There is STILL nothing out there like the TR, able to do fairly difficult trails and still hammer across country at legal speeds, all day long. The suspension is a bit short, but in use I have not found it lacking at all, especially since I had the forks internals tweaked to make both function for compression and damping. Two of us, on TR's, did five of the high passes in CO in 4.5 hours, and I have spent hours on I10 in West Texas at 80 mph. The TR is like a modern KLR in my opinion. I've since purchased an Africa Twin, and have the TR for sale, but I will NOT be riding the AT in some places that I would take the TR. I think the TR is a long term winner.

 

[Rapid Dog]

Tell me more about what exactly you did to the forks....

 

[Kenneth Webb]

Look up a thread by engineerk9 in this forum. It may take some searching, but he worked out a mod to make both forks compression and rebound. I just gave his write up to my RaceTech suspension guy and he made it happen. It does make a difference. I am sure (I hope) engineerk9 will answer any questions you may have. The mod is certainly not as good as going to KYB forks, but it sure is easier, and beneficial!

 

[Newfoundlander]

I wish Yamaha would come out with a WR450R. It just confuses me why they don't. Honda too, a nice 450 dualsport, rally styling or other.
The little WR250R is a very reliable and capable bike, but oh so down on power.
waiting...

Honda should comeout with an electric start version of the XR650R and make it adventure based.

The motor in those bikes are bulletproof and oh so up on power!

 

[dmw_az]

The XR650R that I rode felt like it had about the same amount of power as my TR650. However, the XR was a LOT more nimble and the suspension gave me a lot more confidence offroad.

 

[Rickyme]

Ive recently bought a 98 Yamaha TT600r Belgarda which I intend to use for gnarly adv rides. Its has ohlins suspension, plenty of power and quite a lot lighter than the Terra. Shes a kicker only but quite easy to start when you get the knack. Id love to put the nearly 20 year old TTr up against a new 701 in the bush and I know what Id rather throw on the ground
Possibly put the rubbish Sachs fork back on my Terra and sell the KYB custom kit if I get a decent offer and just use Terra as my roadie.it would cost nearly 2k to finish off the suspension on the Terra with a hyperpro
I paid $2600 for the TTR with 13000km, My Terra has done 45000 Yammy needs a long range tank (acerbis 23 litre available) and suspension service but it is a beauty. its old tech and it is built with a strong sub frame Theres no EWS issues , battery or EFI and its nearly as comfy as the Terra

Oh yeah the Belgarda is designed and put together in Italy so its got a shit airbox as well.

 

[Next]

Still loving my bike. Had it since new and taken it all over the place.

I weigh between 165-180 depending on the time of year and the suspension has been great for me. My biggest complaint is the weight. It's manageable, but with luggage and camping gear (I am not good at packing light) it can be a pig in deep mud and heavy sand.

I have ridden the bike on parts of the TET, TAT, KAT, and everything in between. There are better bikes for specific applications but this bike will comply with almost (ALMOST) anything you throw at it.

For the price they are going for these days, I can't imagine a better dual sport deal. I'd love a 701 (especially in that mud)... but not for twice the price of what I gave for this bike when new. If I wreck this sucker beyond repair I might buy a new 701... then again I might look for a used TR650.

At 12k miles it feels like it's just breaking in.

 

[PaulC]

To be fair on the Terra you should be comparing it to an XL or XT. And yes you can custom order ohlins suspension for most yamahas.
The R&D happens at a state distributorship level mostly.

Going against this love fest

Warning Rant... We go MX'ing on the weekends with the yz450fs every chance we get. My sons 10 month old 16 model suffered a cracked frame.
My initial thoughts were the bike is a write off and held little hope for a affordable resolution knowing of the 1 month warranty for competition machines,
especially with 51hrs of racing. The local Yamaha dealership had shut shop and moved cities so I went to the next dealership.
Once I supplied the vin # Yamaha responded by supplying a new frame and covered all of the labour cost.
Cost to me $0, cost to Yamaha inxs of $3000. Start to finish less than 3 weeks.
Plus I received a letter from the Aust Yamaha CEO apologizing for any inconvenience!! Saying there was an issue with one of the robots at factory level.

Now I ask you, would bmw do the same? Me thinks not.
They shut down the MOSS giving us 2 out of 10 years support, ignored the air box issue and ignored the stalling issue for 4 years.
The bavarian motor works has lost me permanently.

I still love my terra, fortunately. I'm going to ride it into the ground. It's worth peanuts as a trade in.

If I had to do it over again

NO

Wait for the T7

 

[Rapid Dog]

Look up a thread by engineerk9 in this forum. It may take some searching, but he worked out a mod to make both forks compression and rebound. I just gave his write up to my RaceTech suspension guy and he made it happen. It does make a difference. I am sure (I hope) engineerk9 will answer any questions you may have. The mod is certainly not as good as going to KYB forks, but it sure is easier, and beneficial!

I contacted Race Tech here in CA and got two answers, one from the tech guy saying they'd done some work on Terra forks but not sure what.
Then another form sales who said they'd have to actually see the forks...
That doesn't give mme a real warm and fuzzy feeling...

I hope engineerk9 will answer too...

 

[sussurf]

engineerk9 has left the building.

I had my forks doen by Tery Hayes at Shock Treatment.
He replaced the valves with Racetech Gold, same springs but kept the "one leg compression, the other rebound" feature.
Forks are an improvement but it will nevervbe an enduro...

 

[Kenneth Webb]

I think engineerk9 put enough info on the site for a suspension guy to get it right. Mine did. Don at ZR1 in Tucson, Arizona.

 

[MadDogTR]

Would I buy my TR650 again? Well, now I would probably look at a 701. But if money and ride height were an issue, I'd absolutely buy the TR650 again.