The eternal dilemma - an XT660z or the more expensive (but veeeeery sexy) GS800 or KTM990!

My requirements are;
1. reliability
2. ease of getting parts in remote places
3. ability to repair in remote places
4. fuel range (tank size and fuel consumption)
5. ability to take a hit and keep working (ie fall over without killing it!)
6. handling 50/50 off-road / on-road
7. engine performance
Looks, brand cachet, are way down the list.

So without ever having ridden any, the way I see it based on my armchair internet research;

KTM990 (damn I love that bike! but)
- expensive (to buy and maintain),
- reliability issues,
- fragile
- hard to get parts
- poor fuel consumption
- hard to maintain yourself (seen the oil change procedure on this thing, what corporate brain surgeon dreamed that one up!)
- probably very difficult to get running yourself if you have a problem in a remote location
+ fantastic motor
+ fantastic suspension
+ reasonably light
+ good fuel tank
+ looks soooo goddamn sexy!

BMW GS800
- expensive (to maintain),
- more expensive than the XT660Z
- reliability issues,
- fragile
- hard to get parts
- hard to maintain yourself
- probably difficult to get running yourself if you have a problem in a remote location
- poor fuel tank (16L)
+ less expensive than the KTM
+ fantastic motor
+ good suspension
+ reasonably light
+ good fuel consumption

Yamaha Tenere XT660Z
- least brand cachet
- lowest 'quality'
- single cylinder
- average suspension
- average performance
+ well priced (relative to above)
+ reasonably cheap to maintain
+ can maintain yourself
+ parts readily available
+ can "bush mechanic" the thing back into shape and keep going
+ reasonably light
+ good fuel consumption
+ single cylinder
+ average handling and performance

The Ten is the top of my list as my intended purpose is along some of the more remote parts of the Australian outback, so reliability and ability to "sort things out" yourself if you should have a problem are paramount.

Having a superb but finicky athlete (the KTM) broken down in the middle of nowhere and having to wait 3 months while parts are shipped from outer Mongolia to be fitted by someone who has never even seen a bike like this, is of no use to me . . . or am I being overly pessimistic wrt the reliability and fragility of the BMW and KTM.

I would love to get some other views.

Perth, WA, Australia

You said there will be 50/50 on/off roading...
But...I think you have to decide how heavy offroading you have in mind.
If you will do only gravel roads, better trails... than you can choose BMW or 990.
If you will do heavy offroading, rocks, mud... than you should consider Tenere, because its lighter. Maybe on paper its not much lighter, but on terrain 15-20 kilograms makes a big difference.
I had 990, and sold it (also) because of that. It had great performance, but could not use it much on hard trails.
With Tenere I feel much lighter and confortable, the bike is a whole lot more agile.
Think about that too, when making decisions.

I would personally go for a ktm 690 if you intend to do anything more than a gravel road ,just get extra fuel tanks ,still cheaper than buying either a 990 or 800 gs .

Having ridden both the Tenere and 990 offroad in wales i would say the 990 is far easier to ride on the more difficult terrain as the weight seems a lot lower down and not top heavy ,but everyone feels different on each bike ,try a test ride on each one and take in some gravel roads

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OFFICIAL CRASH TEST DUMMY

The might all be sold as 'adventure' bikes, but they are three very different machines...

You can't really compare them on a specification level - you need to ride them and find out which 'feels' the best for you?

Or do what I do and just buy the one you like the look of best x

Jx

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"Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

JennyDakar.com

It's not so much the weight itself, rather how it's carried - the Tenere feels very light and nimble, and narrow in comparison, and also the geometry of the bike helps how it feels off-road... the Tenere rides like a dirt bike with a big tank, which is basically what it is...

Jx

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"Where we're going, we don't need roads..."

JennyDakar.com

Cant comment on the 990 but in my opinion the 800 doesnt feel as "dirt bikey" as the Ten off road it felt to me as just an off road spec tourer.
all depends on what you like, i prefer big singles over anthing for offroading, twins are better suited for the road.

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...On a steel horse i ride.

I realise now that my 50/50 onroad offroad spec is misleading; what I mean(t) is 50% on good road (tar, well formed dirt road) and 50% on poor road (dirt roads and tracks) with single and firetrail type tracks probably the worst I would normally encounter. Very little would be true cross country (ie. not on a road as such). In Australia think Simpson Desert Crossing, Birsdville Track, Great Central Road, Gibb River Road, etc.

On these sort of roads the softer GS800 is a defiinite option but my concern is the complexity, reliability & fragility of the GS800 (and the KTM). I read an interesting description where the author claimed he would choose the KTM (technically the far superior bike) only if he had a truck load of spares and specialist KTM mechanics trailing behind him at all times! Not an option for most of us (non-celebrity) mere mortals!

Go with your heart and your gut instinct. as JMo stated elsewhere something along the lines of : if you really want it get it as long as you are happy then who cares what anyone else/magazines think

I think I would also look at V strom and the new G650GS or has that just given you more to contemplate.

The KTM does look great in the Orange/Blue livery

If you are going well off the beaten track I would'nt consider any of the bikes and I would go for something much lighter. Unless you have long legs the Ten is still heavy off road. hey you can take them anywhere but if you go lighter you will have more fun and be less tired when you get there.

WR450, KTM 450 ?????? with bigger fuel tanks

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Ride On :tenere:Camel 2008XT660Z
harvey mushman did it in the dirt Uma 1994 TT250R