I enjoy unsealed-road touring. I am not interested in true off-road or forestry trail or farmland riding. Back in 2013 I bought a new KLR650. I really enjoyed it, but it had a couple of problems. It wasn't happy at cruising over 110 km/h; it would start to drink oil if you went any faster. Two other mates had KLR650s. They decided to cane them along at 130 km/h for a couple of hours and were shocked at how far their oil levels fell in that one afternoon. Don't get me wrong, the bike did have the power to jump up to 130 km/h for overtaking, but it really seemed happiest at 90-100 km/h. If only it didn't drink oil and had a 6th gear to let it cruise at around 115 km/h a little easier...
Now, 9 years later, I am going to get back into relaxed unsealed road touring. The problem is that I need to ride a lot of blacktop to get to these more isolated back-country roads. I need a bike that can effortlessly cruise at 110-120 km/h.
I have my old R6 that I love, so I a want a second bike that will not compete with it. I don't need more than 45 horsepower or so. (The R6 has 100 ponies at the rear wheel, which are plenty for me.) The two top contenders are the Honda CRF 300 Rally and the Honda CB500X (19-inch front wheel version).
I have test-ridden the CB500X and am impressed. I haven't been able to get my hands on a Rally to test ride. I have ridden the CRF300L, but it is way too "dirt bike-ish" for my needs. I suspect that the Rally will also be more "dirt bike-ish" than I need.
Can anyone suggest any other medium- to light-weight motorcycles (sub-200 kg) that would have the comfort and range for unsealed-road touring? I want at least a 19-inch front wheel. I first thought about the DR and DRZ Suzukis, but they have high, plank-like seats, no wind protection and tiny fuel tanks. The 2022 KLR650 is too heavy, lacks a 6th gear, and probably still is a bit of an oil-drinker if you push it beyond 4,500 rpm.
What are your suggestions?
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