I'll be in the market for a new bike soon, and I've more-or-less narrowed it down to two options: The Suzuki DR650 and the Honda CB500x with Rally Raid kit.

I've been around bikes for a while, and I've done a lot of reading, so I'm pretty knowledgeable about both (and other) bikes, but I've found it always helps to get some perspective from others.

About ten years ago, I took a three-month trip through Mexico and Central America on a 2005 V-Strom that was pretty much stock. The bike did great. I considered it to be about the perfect bike for me on the trip. I did hit a few gnarly roads that I had to go slow on, but outside of a couple of places like that, the V-Strom was just right.

I sold the V-Strom a few years ago and moved to Colorado, just outside Denver. It's time to get a new bike.

I do a ton of mixed riding and I put a lot of miles on my bikes. When I sold the V-Strom, it had 135,000 miles on it after about seven years of ownership and it never needed anything other than normal maintenance. My biggest complaint about the V-Strom was the low ground clearance and weight.

I'm not an adrenaline junkie, nor do I typically do long days in the saddle. My average touring mileage is about 225-250 miles per day, though a 500-mile day is not unheard of. I enjoy paved roads, gravel roads, and even some unimproved dirt roads, though I've never been a true dual-sport rider.

In the next couple of years, I'd like to head back south, through Mexico, Central America, maybe cross over to South America, and then beyond that, who knows? My next bike will almost certainly be the bike that I do that on.

I've always been a fan of the DR650, though I've never actually ridden one. My biggest concern right now is longevity. From what I've read, I should expect the single-cylinder engine to go about 75-80,000 miles before I'll need some major work. I don't like the idea of that. I'd really like to get something that can go well over 100,000 miles without blinking.

As for the CB500x, I have not ridden that either, but it looks like an amazing setup, but compared to the DR650, it's 50-60 lbs heavier and therefore a bit more of a handful off-pavement. I prefer lighter bikes. I have no worries that the Honda would take me probably 200,000 miles and it would probably be more comfortable in everyday riding.

So... what do you think? What bike would you like to have in and around Colorado, and eventually to the end of the earth?

Jamie

Hi Jamie,

Maybe you need to answer what kind of experience are you looking for?
Is having a bike that can do 100 000miles more important than living what you want to live?

I know which one I would pick. The one that is easier to push around, climb stairs, put on a small boat, ride in the mud and sand, ... My needs may be different than yours.

Patrick

I have owned one Dr which I toured 12 k kms around New Zealand on. I also ridden a Dr around 5 k kms in Bolivia. The Cb500x I have rented in Thailand and I did around 2500 kms on it, it was the standard version, not the RR.

The Dr are by many considered the best travel bike ever. Its lightweight (under 150 kilos dry) its almost bulletproof and very well suited as a travel bike. However it does need many mods to get its potential out, such as a bigger fuel tank, suspension upgrade, seat upgrade, etc etc. It will not do anything great but it will do all reasonably well.

The Cb500x - is also a good bike for what it is. Its a Honda and by that almost bulletproof, it has amazing fuel consumption, and with the RR kit its probably halfdecent on gravel roads. But with the RR kit its not cheap anymore. Its also quite heavy for what it is. I only found the wet weight for it right now which is 195 kilos, so probably around 180 kilos dry. And that is more than 30 kilos more than the Dr. And when going off tarmac we all know the 3 most important things is weight, weight and weight. So with that in mind the Dr would definetively be better off tarmac. But on tarmac the 500X would be the better imo.

So it comes down to what priorities you have, will you spend much time off tarmac? Or on tarmac? What other things are important for you? Fuel milage and costs?
You probably wont go wrong with any of those bikes, its just a matter of what prioities you have and what features that you find important in a travel bike.

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Its really down to personal preference, I nearly bought a V Strom 650 for our South America trip and 2 up it would have been a much better bike than the DR650 we rode, but now using the DR solo for Canadian back country trips is way more fun than a V Strom. If you are riding unsealed roads its a great bike. The DR also crashes well, I have dropped and crashed mine more times than a hot potato - no fairings or expensive plastics, simple CV carb and it has a huge following in North America with lots of aftermarket parts. However, they do need a lot of aftermarket parts and upgrades to get them decent to ride, namely suspension work, seat, bigger tank etc.

The CB500X has a lower seat height and carries its weight well, it is also a lot smoother with the extra pot and EFI - better on the highway with a 6 speed gearbox and it has ABS, with a Rally Raid kit they will go 90% of where a DR will go. As Snakeboy says, the full RR kit is bloody expensive, almost the price of a used DR650!

Id suggest taking them both for a test ride - fin a Suzuki and Honda dealer event where they do test rides - or better still find someone locally with a modified DR and even a CB500X

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'11 KTM 450 EXC
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Just to throw a spanner in the works, it might be worth waiting to see what ktm do with the 390 adventure, if they get the weight right the engine has similar power to what your looking at and is very good mpg too.

If you arent going to ride in North America, a DR650 will do great.

I you are going to ride a lot and rack up 135k miles again, consider another DL650 or a CB500 rally Raid like you saidé The CB will cot a lot more than a good used DL650.

I traveled two up on the wee strom in South America for 9 months and the bike did pretty well despite the obvious shortcomings.



BTW: it's for sale in Colombia. Do you want it?

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Thanks Patrick,

I guess that's the question I'm trying to ask. I'm looking for a bike that will do good on the canyon roads around my house, the odd forest road here and there, and can also get across the extreme mountain passes.

And in the next couple of years I've been tossing around the idea of heading south as far as I can go.

So what kind of experience am I looking for? I'm looking for a bike that will safely, comfortably, and reliably do those things.

I don't purposely seek out single-track or other off-road adventures... but sometimes I come across a track I want to go down, so you never know.

For the moment, purchase price and fuel costs aren't terribly important. I've been saving up for a new bike for a little while now, and even the DR650 gets decent fuel mileage.

It's a good idea to test ride each of them.

And I like the idea of a bike that crashes well. I did drop my V-Strom a few times, and fortunately never suffered any major damage, but I've read about many simple drops that destroyed plastic. That's a big factor.

I just can't imagine a KTM will fit my needs.

I'm not impressed by power specs.

I'm much more interested in long-term reliability, and though my experience with KTM is limited, my understanding is that KTM does not stand for long-term reliability.

Ha! I wish.

Glad to hear the V-Strom did so well in Latin America. It was originally the bike I was planning to buy again until I started expanding my search.

Jamie

So ... like you I live in CO - opposite side on the Western Slope - lots of mixed riding here as well - and as others have said - personal preference and riding style will dictate your choice ... keep in mind I ride solo in remote areas in the West regularly - no easy help / cell service, etc. and a conservative and intermediate level of skill off road / typically ride loaded with light weight camping gear in travel style ... here's my take

1. Currently have a DL650 - Awesome Road and gravel road bike solo and 2 up - as you've experienced - dangerous for anything challenging off road for my skill level and areas of back-country / available help, level of confidence - no fun to pick up off road - but bike is well set up to crash - loaded for travel with top box and soft panniers ... around 535-545#

2. Had a DR650 - DR was ok solo - better road than off road for me due to skill and the weight - although have to say and have seen this bike to be very capable off road in the right hands - just not mine - limped my way through the White Rim Trail in Moab loaded up a few years back, SAND kills my confidence even after several trainings ... cramped 2 up and not used this way very often by me - had all the usual mods to make it dirt worthy/ travel ready and "crash-able" - still a bear to pick up when napping, especially when loaded for travel - rear rack (no top box) and soft panniers - about 405-410#

3. Had a KLX250 - under powered for altitude - but easy off road and easy to pick up ... you are a slow moving target on the road with the 75 mph zones out by me - fully loaded up for bike camping and travel - topped out @ 65mph jetted and piped ... around 325-335#

4. And the winner for solo riding / travel / and off road ... my other bike ... a lightly used / lowered 2007 DRZ400S - not as good for long highway slogs as my DL650 the DR650 or your CBX RR choice; not as light or easy to pick up as my previous KLX250 off road - but easier by far than either of your choices - a whopping 46# lighter than the DR650 - your CBX RR splits between your old DL and the DR ... DRZ, fully loaded w/ bike camping and travel gear - soft panniers and rear duffel... around 340-355#.

For Me - the DRZ is good enough for a steady hour or 3 to safely travel on the posted 75 mph highway around me to get to dirt or gravel - it is buzzy at this speed, but manageable and I accept it - and - for my style of solo riding in often remote areas - a goldilocks between my DL650, my old DR650 and KLX250. Jenny @ Rally Raid makes the CBX RR look easy in all the "Hard" places I ride - as do others on their DR650's - that wouldn't be me ...

Overall Cost to achieve your mileage goal I think would be fairly equal - though it would be 1 CBX RR package or 2 fully done DR650's or DRZ400's for similar distance.

Gauge your Confidence, Skill and Where you want to go - pick the bike that covers the aspect of holding that confidence in the least desirable circumstances for your skill and is the least objectionable in it's area of weakness for where you want to go ...

Best

Hey Outwest,

Thanks for the response. It sounds like you and I have very similar riding tastes and abilities, and you bring up a good point. Almost all of my riding is solo, and I've watched a few YouTube videos of guys riding over some Colorado passes, and that gives me some pause. I'd hate to get in a situation that I needed help.

Actually, the DRZ was a big part of my interest in the DR650, and also my concern.

A few years ago, I had a friend/acquaintance with a DRZ400 who took some epic multi-month trip around North America. I really admired her bike; really got me interested in something like that.

But I noticed that she kept having problems with the bike. It seemed like it was breaking down every week. And then she had to have it in the shop for some major work at one point.

I asked her about it, and she responded with something to the effect of, "Well, it has 40,000 miles on it. Of course it's going to need some work."

...and that was kind of the deal-breaker for me. At the time, my V-Strom had nearly 100,000 miles on it, and it had never needed anything other than brake pads and oil changes. I would eventually put 40,000 more miles on that bike, again without anything but regular maintenance, before selling it. As far as I know, it's still on the road.

I realize her bike is just one example, and to her, the bike was still perfect for what she wanted, but I guess I got so used to the utter reliability of the big twin that the thought of a bike that needs an overhaul so "soon" turns me off.

It's hard for me to judge my own abilities... I feel pretty confident on a bike, and when I had my V-Strom, I took it in a lot of places where I was probably in over my head. Nothing dangerous, but just a lot of work. But I almost always made it.

I recall on my trip through Mexico, I met up with a rider on a KLR. We went up a rutted, gravel mountain road with tight switchbacks. On the way back down, the KLR guy said he was going to go on ahead because it was getting dark and his headlight was terrible. He wanted to get down to the bottom before dark. So he took off. I followed right behind him all the way down, and when we got to the bottom, he expressed shock that I was able to keep up with him on my "big" bike.

That said, I've never owned a real dual-sport.

In another incident, I led a group of riders on an afternoon ride through some moderately twisty roads in Tennessee. Several of the guys were on cruisers. One guy was on a sportbike. After lunch, I said to the group that the next section was especially curvy and I was going to pick up the pace a bit, and if they wanted to hang back, we'd all regroup at the next intersection. The sport bike guy was the only one who stayed with me, and when we stopped, he stated that he'd never leaned his bike over so far.

That's not to overstate my riding abilities, but it goes to show the versatility of the V-Strom. I'm kind of looking for the same type of experience.

As Snakeboy said above, I can't go wrong with either bike. But I'm just trying to narrow down the fine details to figure out if one or the other would be better suited for me.

Jamie

I'm liking the 2019.

Yep it has certainly got some great improvements for the 2019 model. 19’ front wheel, longer suspension, slightly different tuned engine (more low and midrange power) different bodywork and higher windscreen to give better protection to the rider. And a few other things as well...but it has gained a few kilos too.

https://youtu.be/R0oH1ReNg30

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

According the spec sheet, it's gained 1Kg.

Jx

Hi Cholo - never ;o)

Personally speaking (and I think I speak for John at Rally-Raid too), we don't feel the V-X300 offers anything significantly different to the CB500X - which has a lot more torque [at much lower revs] and is just such an all-round competent twin cylinder platform. (note. with the 2019 model coming with a 19" front wheel as standard now, it's an even better all-rounder).

Yes the V-X300 is around 20-25Kg lighter than the CB, but similarly John feels the G310GS exploits that similar weight saving more appropriately if you want more of a dual-sport biased ADV bike.

As I say, there is nothing wrong with the V-X300 as such (other than having to wring it to the other side of 10,000rpm to make max power and torque), it's just we both feel the CB does the twin-cylinder thing better, and the GS the trail-bike thing.

As a compromise between the two however, the V-X300 still has a lot to commend it.

Hope that clarifies things!

Jenny x

For the past 3 years my wife and I have been going back and forth between the DR650 and the CB500x too. I think we'll go for the 2019 cb500x stock, just add a skid plate, crash bars, maybe taller windscreen and soft luggage. There are many ride reports on ADV forum of DR650s in South America and Africa. We have enjoyed reading them, such as Mick and Tanya's Earth's Ends, and there was another one involving 3 climbers who climbed mountains riding south from USA. Most of these RRs involve a lot of wrenching on a DR.

Jamie Z i think one consideration which I have not seen you mention in the previous 3 pages is - How comfortable are you wrenching on the bike? For a DR, simple changes in elevation in Peru and Chile could require you to make adjustments to the fuel air ratio. Foul a plug from running too rich and you'll need to change spark plugs. The carb engine requires more work than the more trouble free EFI twin cylinder engine. But all these are not an issue if you are comfortable wrenching the DR. The cb500x helps mechanically noob riders like me. But when the sensors on the FI bike goes, I'll probably be stranded.

In preparation for our trip, my wife and I managed to learn the following on our Yamaha FZ6S over a few years from our mechanic friend- Change tyres, front fork seals, sprockets and chain, spark plugs, wheel bearings, all fluids on the bike. But we can't manage all electrical faults and the engine, so I expect the DR will have more "engine can't start" days, or "engine not running well" days than we know what to do. I know we will not be able to exploit the lighter weight of the DR, much as we would appreciate it, because we are not that kind of rider who's good with working on the carb engines, clutch plates, and electrical faults that are inevitable on a 6 continent, 200000km rtw tour we will soon embark on. I know we will regret it when the going gets too tough for the cb500x, but I also know the DR will leave us stranded probably more often, although its easier to fix at random bike shops in developing countries.

We leave for trip in October 2019. We are 10 months out. Buying the 2019 cb500x in USA and heading Ushuaia over 14 months. Maybe we'll see you on the road. Stay in touch?

With a carb in South America you need the jets required for running at 13000ft + on the Altiplano, it will make that part of the trip much easier.


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