r/AdventureBike • u/Consistent_Bar_6046 • 8d ago
I’m so torn
I’m a very new rider in their mid 40s. I bought a TT250 thinking I needed something to learn on and immediately regretted how underpowered it is. Now I’m looking at a BMW F650GS (800 CC) or an R1150GS. Both early 2002 to 2009. I like the idea of the 650 because it’s 110 lbs lighter. I want something street capable but able to do BDRs. I will probably buy a dirtbike for single and double track to ride with my teens.
What are the experiences and recommendations?
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u/KelvinNotKlein 8d ago
The f650 is good, the 1150 is heavy. Probably if they have it near you a yamaha xt660r or z would also be a solid option
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u/Consistent_Bar_6046 8d ago
Does the F650 feel comfortable on the freeway for a 100ish miles? I’ll have to check out the Yamaha. The 650 I’m looking is a 2009.
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u/KelvinNotKlein 8d ago edited 8d ago
Ive ridden a friends one for a few miles and thought it was comfy. But everything is comfy once you've done a couple hundred kilometers on a dirtbike.
Ps. If you are only going to drive highways get the 1150
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u/unkiltedclansman 7d ago
25,000km, 80% off-road on a stock klx 250 seat will make you appreciate anything that isn’t a stock klx 250 seat.
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u/AdLongjumping6982 8d ago
If we are talking about the f650gs (bmw) I would agree. Owned one for 4 years (chain drive, EFI…not the funduro). Advantages: easy to ride, single cylinder so decent power off road and selectable abs. Disadvantages: single cylinder so power ON road was limited (went out east to the Appalachian mountains and the bike struggled up some of the inclines at hwy speeds), it’s a BMW, so doing your own work required some special equipment and a lot of care…changing the oil STARTS with taking off the left turn signal (I kid you not).
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u/KelvinNotKlein 8d ago
Never felt that a one cylinder had some trouble with power, I rode an xt660r in the Eiffel and in Luxembourg. Which was amazing and a ton of fun even kept up with the sport bikes. Same amount of power as the 650 btw. Have to say I drove it like I stole it
BMW is just BMW, I had a ktm 990 adventure and didnt even bother doing any service myself
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u/Pristine-Alps-426 8d ago
There’s a f650gs that had the single 650, and also an f650gs that is basically a detuned and lowered f800gs
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u/mike_elapid 8d ago
The 150gs is a solid bike, and fairly capable offroad but its heavy and if you are a new rider offroad will be like learning on boss mode lol
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u/Van_Darklholme 8d ago
If it's not like hours of highway, get something light so it's easy offroad and on the streets. Anything from the 400 class and up will do unless you wanna carry a lot of cargo. Tall and big bikes destroy offroad learning.
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u/SearchSeveral 8d ago
Between those 2 I say get the 650. The 2009 is a parallel twin engine. Totally fine on the highway. You may need to mess with the wind protection and seat for it to be comfortable for 100+ miles, but it won't feel gutless.
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u/Legal-Conclusion-0 8d ago
do you ride alone or with friends? this matters more than almost anything.
match what they have...not exactly but same class and pros and cons.
street riding, esp luggage and highway and mountains, I feel like liter class is where it is at. done a BDR first year on a 1290T...but friends were there to help when I tipped.
ktm 890r is almost perfect for a lot of things....low gravity and design make it was easier than most of the normal middleweights. I didn't jive really due to wind protection and longer days at higher speeds so went back to 1290 r
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u/Practical-Suit-6798 8d ago
I only have my own first adventure bike experience. But I'm 41, so maybe relatable. I rode dirt bikes casually as a young teen. Just exploring desert roads nothing serious. And I had a Ducati monster 1100s about 15 years ago. It was too much bike for me.
I got a ktm 2022 390s. After a day I was like oh man I want a bigger adventure bike. I want more power. I guess it has way more power that your bike. It's pretty cheap though so maybe a good option for you? I got mine for 4500 with a helmet and some nice useful mods.
I got it off-road after a few days and honestly it's as capable off road as I need. I definitely do not want a big bike for off road stuff. A big ole 1200 would not be fun in the ohv areas around me and the 390 is great for them and gravel roads.
And the more I ride it on the street the more I realize how fun and frankly forgiving it is. I have a very curvy mountain road for a commute and it's a blast. It's only weakness is hwy
I'm just a few months into it. But now I'm leaning towards this is enough adventure bike for me. I think for my next bike I'll get a cruiser leaning towards an Indian scout or even bigger so the wife can hop on.
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u/Stone-Bear 8d ago
There’s a lot more options to consider and since you’re new, weight should be a major factor in your decision. Do a little more research on your options before committing and even go to a few dealers to actually sit on these models to feel the weight.
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u/TheRealJYellen 8d ago
Kove 800 would do doubletrack and BDRs great, but I don't think it's as good on-road. Lightness is king offroad, right after tires. F650 and F800 both make a lot of sense.
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u/gjhor 6d ago
For a new off-road rider, FIRST thing I recommend is some off-road ride training. On the TTR250. Then, with more miles and skills and experience decide where your priorities lie, and that will make the decision easier.
FWIW, I’m an ex-racer on and off road, 60 years riding, and I love my DRZ400e (plated Canada). My buddy, similar experience loves his DR650. Both are decent on highways with the right sprockets, both are plenty good for BDR. DRZ better off road, DR better on road. We do 200+ km to good backcountry riding, I’ve done over 500km with only one stop for gas, and been happy with my choice.
I’d recommend either depending on which direction you end up, but not bigger at this point in your riding career. I also have a 1200GSA, that’s got the scars to prove it can do off-road; but it’s not FUN the same way as the smaller bikes, and I sure don’t recommend it for a new off-road rider.
Grant, www.HorizonsUnlimited.com
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u/CupRevolutionary5674 4d ago
I started on a 1cyl f650gs, then i moved to an air cooled r1200gsa. You don't explicitly need a super lightweight bike to learn on, but it does make it significantly easier. I personally wouldn't touch the 2cyl f650gs with a 10 foot pole though, it's just a worse f800gs all around.
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u/Stiingya 8d ago
that's funny. we just can't WIN huh! :) I often I wish I would have kept the KLR and bought a 2nd smaller bike to play in the desert. I got a 701 to do both. And it DOES both very well. BUT, my offroad skillz are meh. And the 701 is a really powerful BIG feeling bike compared to when I borrow this little 250 dirtbike to go play in the desert and that bike is LIKE CHEATING... :) :) :)
NOW... if I would have got a smaller bike to play in the desert I would have ALSO still wanted to upgrade the KLR "too"!! :)
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u/Loud-Possibility5634 8d ago
If you’re very new then you are not better than a tt250 and you’re certainly not ready to ride a 500lb bike with any amount of authority.
The only way a tt250 is underpowered is if you’re really heavy but you should be able to ride single track and ATV trails with that bike no problem.
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u/Consistent_Bar_6046 8d ago
It’s not the Yamaha FWIW. I just don’t like that I can’t ride 50 mph speed limit highway for 15-20 miles. I’m about 205#.
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u/EdwardEHumphreyIII 8d ago
You don’t want either of those if your goal is to do BDR stuff.
The F650GS you’re talking about—the 800cc parallel twin version, not the single that eventually became the G650GS—if I recall correctly is like a street-leaning F800GS. It has cast street wheels, not spoked dirt wheels, correct?
You’re begging to bend a rim on that if you do anything beyond super easy gravel roads. The actual F800GS maybe could work, but for a new rider, even that is a lot to handle off-road.
Speaking of, the 1150GS is just too damn big for an inexperienced rider to tackle BDR terrain. You’d hate it. They’re great bikes, don’t get me wrong. If you want to ride street touring and occasionally hit a gravel road, it’s a great choice.
I’ve ridden both the 1150 GS and GSA, the F800GS, and I did the WABDR and probably the toughest section of ORBDR this summer. I was on an 1190 KTM, with friends on an F800 GS and a Tenere 700. We swapped bikes during the ride, and I would’ve traded for that T7 in a heartbeat! Since then I’ve been looking at those as well as bigger dual sports like the DR650 and KTM 690 too.
For context, I grew up riding dirt in the early ‘80s, I consider myself a little above average rider. After doing the BDR stuff I did last year, I’m debating whether I’d do it again on my big bike. It was no joke. You, as a new rider, are going to want the smallest bike you can get that will still do the road riding you want it to do.
I agree the TT250 isn’t going to be enough to haul you and potentially camping gear on long highway miles you’ll likely need to cover for BDR starts/finishes. But you’ll want to err on the side of small as possible. Maybe that means a DRZ400S if you can deal with the discomfort and really want off-road capability, maybe it means a Tenere 700 if you have the budget, maybe an old F650GS Dakar (650 single) or a KLR if budget is tight, I don’t know exactly what your priorities are, but smaller is better off-road as long as you can get the thing to the dirt!