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Hey folks, I was hoping you could help with my quandry. I'm really eager to get a bike to start riding in the spring, but I'm wondering if I'm asking too much in my search.

I want a bike I can use for daily transportation. Small grocery runs and such.

I want a bike I can use to commute on the freeway. I do frequent hour-long trips between Cleveland and Kent State University. It needs to be tolerable to ride at 70mph for that long. I don't ask much, just that my bones aren't turned to gelatin from the shaking. And that the mileage is decent, and I don't have to pull over for gas repeatedly.

I want a bike I can get dirty on. Single-track stuff is probably asking WAY too much of any bike on freeway-tolerable tires, but gravel trails, gentle cross-country, a bit of air in some quarrys and whatnot.

And I want a bike I can afford. Used Japanese machinery. I can't afford KTM or BMW adventure bikes, much as I drool over them.

So far the KLR650 seems like the closest thing, but I'm wondering whether it can get out of its own way on the freeway. And I'm totally open to other suggestions, I'm not afraid to do bolt-on modifications to get a bike the way I want.

Well, thanks for reading all this.

Whytegryphon has one, he set a good pace with his when I went riding with him. 40 over That's km/h though not m/h we were doing 140, which is something like 80mph I think. That single piston can fly!

There's also the Honda XR650L, the Suzuki DR650SE.
My choice is the XR650L. Sat on one at the dealership... mmmm, geoff want test drive.

Hmmm...comfortable, able to cruise the freeway for a pretty good distance, AND the ability to do some light offroading.....sounds to me like the V-Strom 650.

yeah the v-strom fits that bill pretty well. and is a lot cheaper than KTM or BMW

ZooTech wrote:Hmmm...comfortable, able to cruise the freeway for a pretty good distance, AND the ability to do some light offroading.....sounds to me like the V-Strom 650.

Those tires don't look too confidence inspiring off road. I guess light off-road to me means a lack of big rocks and holes on a dirt trail
Looking at that makes me kinda want one...

The Vstrom or the KLR are both very good machines and would fit your description well. if you are not considering new do not rule out the GS BMW as a pre owned bike. They still sell in SA at 50 000 kms and nobody blinks. They really are bullet proof. Check out the servicing costs on the Vstrom and Kawa. The KLR is very simple to work on yourself and isprobably the best value for money.

It's highly unlikely I could afford a BMW no matter how used! I absolutely crave a GS though, it'd be perfect for me, and I love the Teutonic engineering. Likewise KTM and Husqvarna.

I've heard varying reviews about the V-Strom's off-road capability, especially with concern to bottoming out and crunching the ill-placed exhaust, with many reviewers suggesting it's not suited for anything but well-packed fire roads. I've heard there are revalve kits available to stiffen up the suspension, but haven't been able to find any.

Off-road, I'm thinking some gravel and sand quarrys I pass on my commute that keep calling to me, and some worn-in but muddy and bumpy trails I know, as well as a bit of single-track that would take the bike up some steep inclines, but no rocks or mud. Obviously none of the bikes I'm considering could handle the same terrain that I'd throw at a 250 with knobblies.

I could stretch my budget to 4 grand at the absolute max for the initial investment. Broke college student for about another year.

Thanks for the comments so far, really have been helping my thinking.

KLR650.

It's really the best choice for you ... All of the reasons have been stated in one post or another

It's chosen by many for round-the-world travel and for good reason.