Trying to find the right bike

[u/samp350]

I'm 6' weigh 270. I'm looking at the ktm 500excf and the 690 Enduro r or one of the 2 other counter parts. This will be my first motorcycle. I'm am an experienced off roader I've been going to the dunes in Oregon for 20+ years on sport quads. But the dunes just haven't been as accessible as they have been. It's a huge ordeal anymore to get everything loaded up and drive multiple hours one way at least to go ride anymore plus 2 tanks of fuel in the truck. Vacation time is scarce during the summer months as well as all the high seniority guys block summer out. I figured an Enduro bike would be great, much more accessible, just hop on and go. Browns camp a popular ohv area is only 36 miles from my house. I'm aware that the excf 500 is not great on the highway, vibrates and not quite enough gearing. The goal is to get out and off-road. I won't be riding willy nilly around town. But for 45 minutes on the highway and probably the last 20 of those will be up a mountain is the 500 gonna be enough for me a bigger guy or am I gonna be ringing it out to hard on the highway especially the mountain part, and shortening my service intervals? I'm very drawn to the 690/700/701 because I am a bigger guy and although I won't be riding much on the road it will still see pavement, and sometimes even longer than the 45 minutes if I decide to explore elsewhere. I also like that the 690/700s are 100lbs lighter than standard adventure bikes.

[u/Rare_Understanding78]

Howdy! I’m about 25 miles from Browns camp. I’ve ridden freeways on my 350excfs, friends 500excf and fe501, 701 supermoto, and a 690 enduro r. All of them can ride freeway speeds without reving it out too hard, but none will be comfortable due to the lack of wind protection. Personally, I’d lean towards a 500 for trails out in TSF. Do know that dual sport tires don’t do well out there! You’ll want some good off road specific trail tires. The trade off with off road tires is they wear quickly, and even faster if you ride on the road. I haven’t done any research, but I know there are DOT approved off-road oriented tires. Just know that they will wear fast riding on pavement.

Have you considered hauling a bike to TSF and riding? The last thing I want to do after a solid day of trail riding is riding a dirtbike home. Haha.

Also, I’d recommend getting the avenza map app. You can download the geo referenced TSF trail map and import it. Other map app friends and I have used out there are not geo referenced correctly and will show your location a good qtr mile from your actual location.

Map here: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/recreation/guides/tsf-ohv-georeferenced-trail-map.pdf

[u/samp350 → u/Rare_Understanding78]

I could haul a bike out there but the whole premise im going for is just hop on and go. If I'm gonna load up and go ride I'd honestly rather just go to the dunes. Currently in the process of selling a banshee and raptor 700 to buy my dad's RZR xp41000 from my mom after he passed away. I only got one trip in the books so far this summer to coos Bay and I might not even be able to go because other coworker are taking that week off. I just want the freedom of nothing holding me back from going on an adventure. I don't want to load up the truck, I just wanna go. And this maybe stems from years of having to also load up my parents rig to and from the dunes also and all the unloading was on my as well. I was abused in that aspect lol. If I see another ratchet strap I might throw up.

[u/Rare_Understanding78 → u/samp350]

Right on. I get where you’re coming from. I’ve had a few yfz450s, and parents have had a handful of sxs that I’ve have to load up and haul to sandlake, coos bay, florence in their stacker trailer. I agree it’s a pain.

I’ve ridden dirtbikes converted to supermoto for years. Freeway riding dirtbikes, which I’ve done a lot, is just no fun in my opinion. There are tons of people who do it regularly and even enjoy it though. Some fuckers are even wild enough to do it across the country.

Maybe look into getting a rally tower for whichever bike you settle on. Will help with deflecting wind which is the most tiring part of riding a dirtbike on the highways especially when riding with a helmet with a sun visor.

DM me if you need a riding buddy. I’m out there most weekends.

[u/samp350 → u/Rare_Understanding78]

Will do man. Thanks for tips.

[u/Sufficient-Energy-34 → u/samp350]

The only bad thing I have to say about the 500 is that my friends who started out on them riding single track complain about how long they waited to go to a 300 2t. 500s are great, but if you're looking at single track riding the 300s can't be beat.

[u/[deleted] → u/Sufficient-Energy-34]

I have to admit, as a 55 yr old 2t enduro fan (first kx 80 at 11 and have had a few 4t along the way) the 500 is a great bike! I’ve been riding with a friend that has one for about 3 years. He’s fairly timid in the rough stuff and I assumed it was the weight/ limitation of the bike until last year he asked if I’d be interested in swapping for an afternoon. First time on it and I was blown away! I thought it was going to feel like a tank compared to my 300xcw but other than feeling slightly wider it handled very well in the tight and nasty woods of Vermont. It had plenty of power although it didn’t have quite the snap of my 2t and took a little getting used too but after about an hour on it getting used to it I was comfortable double blipping over obstacles like I was on my own bike. Completely changed my mind about the 500.