KTM 500EXC and Honda XR650L / @motogeo Review

Man do I love my 650L, such a sweet bike. Many upgrades available and the ability to build it for whatever you wana do. I recently did a full SM build on mine and with just and exhaust and some carb work the machine really came alive, easy platform to shed weight on as well. Lots of guys on the forums running 720cc+ and making buku power out of these old pigs... Great starting point and you have the extra 4k to upgrade the bike as you grow.

Apples and oranges

I have an xr600 and a ktm 690. Never use the XR.

And... the Ktm is like riding a board with a slight pad on it, the 650 is like a Cadillac

XR650 .... will nearly live forever with minimum maintenance ... its not a race bike, its not the lighweight, its not a beauty but it's a honest reliable companion which you can trust in :-)

On reliability and maintainabilty the Honda knocks the KTM into the weeds

Lol, I think Jamie is being a little kind here...that Honda is an old, middle of the road dual sport...its not great at any one thing..not super comfortable on the road..not real sharp or plush or powerful offroad... on the other side, the ktm 500 is an outstanding dirtbike...there's no comparison... i saw one of the comments below saying 'amazing the honda can keep up with the ktm' - thats because Jamie is a great rider and those guys are riding double track for the most part, not single track. get those bikes in technical dirt and you'd better hope youre not the one stuck on the honda!

KTM = giving up reliability for more performance.

The biggest difference is not weight it's maintenance

The old school Honda is very easy to maintain compared to a modern race bred 4-stroke like the KTM, especially when it comes time to make valve adjustments.

What a shitty video... :rolleyes

How the hell did any total fucking moron come up with this comparison? So let's compare a world beating desert race bike which has won more desert races than any other bike ever made in history V a plodding 20 year old dual sport which weighs more than the Empire State building and produces less power than an old man's cock spunking? Hey, what a great idea! While we are at it let's compare a F/A 18 Hornet with a WW2 P51 Mustang shall shall we? Well one goes a lot faster but HEY! the other is cheaper to run and the puny piss ant engine surprisingly lasts longer between re-builds as long as the owner hasn't died of boredom first.........

Should of been a XR 650R to be fair the KTM has twice the horse power.

Let’s see any other 20 year old bike that is still relevant today, yes the 650l is the legend all others with to achieve

Does Mr KTM know how to talk without smiling the entire time.

The xr is so much of a better bike for dual sport, better steat, better block, bullet proof, no electrics so nothing to go wrong,and the flywheel ... It's insane and perfect for adventure riding, u can chug along with no issues. It beats any other bikes in its class by miles (meaning the old bike such as dr650 or klr) and the ktm is a short skirt, short life, race bike


And u can't forget it's a fraction of the price

Eric B?!! What!! Where you been Bostrom?

I just picked up a low mileage XRL with CRF450R forks, LiPo battery, FMF...etc for $2200!

Xr650L looks like xr200

It's like comparing a donkey a race horse both gd but ud rather not ride the donkey

Obsolete video ...KTM500exc now has the 2019 CRF450L to deal with .....ktm says "gulp"

Ridden a KTM they're awesome but for $10,000 I'll keep my 20 year old used XR650L that is built out, lightened, suspension, pumper carb, pipe and I probably don't have $5,000 in it. More like $3500. Really it comes down to how deep are your pockets.

If you want performance, go with the Ktm. If you want reliability, go with the xr.

Motorcycles evoke comparative analysis regardless as to what range in any particular genre each machine occupies. They’re both motorcycles; so compare them.

tune in next week when man with roller-skates goes head-to-head with a guy on a kx450f...

The KTM is street legal BUT absolutely shit on road , if you want to be able to commute to work and ride trails DO NOT get the KTM .
Service intervals are in the Hours not thousands of miles .
If you want a full on enduro bike thats legal on road to get you from one trail via a road to next trail get the KTM .
I have owned 2x KTM's and in terms of build quality they are NOT Japanese quality

Manufacturers won't make a unicorn bike because it cut into sales of big bikes. Profits are in percentages and on a big expensive bike, this is $$. Closest bike right now I think is the Husk 701/KTM 690, don't go heavier than this and they are fully capable of big trips.

XR 52mpg = straight from the sales brochure. Try 40mpg on good day and 30mpg in the bush.

Compare them both in 5 years that xr will be on the same piston...the Ktm will be on its third rebuild

I’d like to see the Ktm win a baja race.. Honda xl650 is a Cadillac beast, maintenance, parts price(less to be needed on Honda) alone makes it a better choice.

80% rider 20% bike, all you need is two wheels and something that won’t leave you stranded with no tools.

Honda in 2050 running fine ktm. R.I.P. 2022

So the ktm 500 is new fast light the engine works a lot harder and thats great. But i would like to see a comparison of fuel economy maintenance interval and cost of maintenance sub frame. What its like when they break down on the trail.
Insurance cost. Could i ride it to work everyday in the spring summer and fall then go on long rides to some trails with friends. Or go on a long trip to like the other side of Canada. Up and over mountains through the bush long highways tundra mud with camping gear.
Some people like to just ride there bike to the local spot on the weekend, others want to live with their bike as apart of their daily life.

Nothing more than a ktm promo video. Xr all day for me. Released in 93 and hasn't changed yet still put to the test against new tech.

How are they on the road?

If this KTM live 20 years... i'm santa

good comparison! GOOD JOB! XR always WINS

Wtf the ktm doesn’t have inverted forks......is it 1985?

Today we're going to compare apples to oranges and tell you why the fresh oranges are more fresh than the 23 year old apple. I dont think the person looking to buy a xr650l is the same person considering a 500exc or vice versa, the only similarity they have is that they can play in the dirt.

That's not just some Eric. That's Eric Bostrom

ktm 690 enduro 2021

65hp? Lol. You were pretty close, they make 39 on the dyno. Only 26hp off not bad

Awesome dudes! I just resurrected my 657cc XR and feel I have a new Life! Happy ridings,,

The Honda is an Old Toad dated Honda needs to get off their ass and redesign this bike do yourself a favor spend the extra money and buy a KTM and forget it.

Compare the KTM to the XR650R. Short of the ebutton, it's a better bike.

Ktm 65 hp? More like 44.

A few more things to consider though such as service intervals. Maybe the Honda XR650R was a better comparison. Or Honda 650L versus KTM LC640.

I dislike orange.

Do a slow speed test, Xr wins.

XR all the way