F650 Funduro Vs Dakar

hi all

I posted this on another forum, but I don't think there's many on there that like to get muddy.

Has anyone here gone from a Funduro to a Dakar?

I have a Funduro at the moment. I haven't ventured off road with it yet, as I'm waiting for the Tourances to wear out and be replaced with something meatier. I'm wanting to trade up to something newer/more adaptable, and the Dakar (or even just the GS if that's the feedback I get on here) seems an obvious choice.

How do they compare to the Dakar? I know about the 21" front wheel and the ground clearance.......do they crash a little better (the Funduro has a lot of pretty plastic).

Anyone had both?

I've had neither but I'm going to stick my oar in anyway. If you're thinking of using it in the dirt then the Dakar is vastly superior to the standard GS which was quite road oriented with limited ground clearance. If you're heavily biased towards dirt then the G650 range is even better and the much lighter weight will suit your ends.
My personal opinion is the Funduro was a very under-rated bike known for excellent durability and fuel economy. The later machines were better and handle the dirt better. Perhaps someone can tell me I'm wrong but the Funduro seems to have evolved into the GS and the CS which was entirely a road machine.
For offroad use the Dakar is going to be a far better machine (and looks better) but for general use as a commuter I don't think there is going to be enough difference between a Funduro and GS to warrant the change. If you step up to the G650 though there will be significant differences and at the moment they are not holding their price too well whereas the Dakar always seems to be strong so the difference in cost is less than you might think.

Went from the Funduro to the Dakar.

First thing I noticed (after I had fallen off the Dakar) was how much taller it was and how much higher the CofG was when fully loaded with kitchen sink etc for a long trip!

If I still had the Dakar (I have the 1200GSA now) I would extend the side stand cos it has a serious "lean" on that can catch you out on an adverse camber road or on the rough stuff! And it can really take the rough stuff- never let me down!

Both bikes have been passed on to people I know and they are both running well. Funduro was a great bike but the Dakar was serious FUN!

Sean

the fundy was heavy, and the suspension was road,
it wasnt good off road at all, it always felt like a road bike to me, that could maybe go off road, anything beyond VERY light stuff was out of its depth,,
top bike on the road though

Mine coped with this quite happily!

Thanks for all your feedback guys.

I was just wanting to make sure the Dakar wasn't just a GS with nice stickers and a 21" front wheel. From what you are all saying, the extra suspension travel make it far better off road than the Funduro or the standard GS.

cheers all.

Just to clarify:

The Dakar and the GS have totally different suspension? It's not just the same components but dropped/lifted?
Will the 21" wheel go into the GS easily enough?

Nope the dakar and the standard height 650 gs have the same design suspension, only differance is the length. On the front its the springs, damper rods and stanchions that are different, the lower s are the same.

I think the rear shock is pretty similar, only differance between the two is that the dakar has an external oil reservoir 9and the travel and length are different obviously)

had a fundy for six years it dragged my fat arse plus camping gear ect all over the country never missed a beat not designed for mud plugging though