xchallenge or xcountry?

[coolhands]

OK I'm about to buy a new (secondhand) bike. I want an xchallenge, no doubt about it. However, there is a choice in a way, as the xchallenge I want is £4300 + £116 delivery to me (as I'm down south) in mint condition, but there is a xcountry for £3750 that I could go and pick up & ride home (no cost).

So, that's around £650 difference in realty even though it doesn't seem like it IYKWIM

That (to me, unfortunatley) is a significant difference. on advrider I know many of them have used their xcountry off road and they are basically the same. What do you think? The reality is I mostly just commute to work (london); but I dream of always doing adventure tours off road, and love the style of the off-road xchallenge (I'm not ashamed to say).

I hope you kindof get my dilemma. I really want the xchallenge but £650?

Here's two pictures cos the dealers websites are so dreadful

Ideally this would be me:

 

[Mav]

They share a lot of parts so, in some respects, they can both be made to do what the third image portrays.

To be honest - the bigger variable is your riding experience and height. The XChallenge is quite tall and with the air shock has more sag, which in turns make it harder to get your leg over... so to speak

The 19" front wheel of the Country makes it turn easier on the road - it's one of the more common conversions that people do to HP2s to make them better adventure tourers. If you're a more experienced rider and/or expect to do more gnarly off-road work, the 21" wheel is preferable. You can still learn on a 21" wheel (I did) but it's not as easy to develop your cornering on the road.

Of course, the cool factor should not be disregarded - if you don't like it, you won't ride it as much.

HTH

PS: Welcome to the site

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Ideally this would be me:

Then it has to be the XChallenge

The XChallenge in question @ Cooper BMW, I have seen and had a good look over and it is very good, looks like it has never been offroad and comes with handguards and R&G Tail tidy, which is a bonus..................plus 12 months BMW Approved Warranty and Breakdown, worth £300..........so all in all, it's an ok deal and see if they will deliver for free

I was thinking of selling mine.........................until I went into the garage 30 mins ago.

They are a very nice dualsport

 

[Rushy]

That X Challenge looks well tidy but fairly standard and quite expensive at this time of year. The problem is they don't hang around for long now as they get harder to find in that condition. Dont forget you will have to budget several hundred pound to make it look like the 2nd X Challenge in your piccies too.

 

[coolhands]

thanks guys - jonny - I'm the same coolhands as on advrider (do you have differnet name on there?). I've spoken to the sunderland bmw and its nice to know someone like you has actually seen it and can confirm it's genuinely clean. The salesman is very keen!! I guess sales are slow at the moment.

My drz400 gets picked up on Thursday evening so after that I'm ready to make a decision.

hmmm...

the problem with the xcountry is I don't like the look so much. it looks a bit pansy-ish? i.e. not hardcore at all.

I don't think I can bring myself to get the xcountry even though it is prbably more logical!

 

[coolhands]

ps they wouldn't budge on the price. best I could get was discount of 15% on the lowered seat which works out about 20 quid. come to think of it that's another £106 cost though I need the lower seat as I'm only 5'8". I think I could live with the height of the bike as long as I had the lowered seat.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

thanks guys - jonny - I'm the same Coolhands as on Advrider (do you have differnet name on there?) . I've spoken to the Sunderland Bmw and its nice to know someone like you has actually seen it and can confirm it's genuinely clean. The salesman is very keen!! I guess sales are slow at the moment.

My drz400 gets picked up on Thursday evening so after that I'm ready to make a decision.

hmmm...

the problem with the xcountry is I don't like the look so much. it looks a bit pansy-ish? i.e. not hardcore at all.

I don't think I can bring myself to get the xcountry even though it is prbably more logical!

I am the same persona on all the interweb

No, I looked at it before Xmas and it is very clean................couldn't see a mark on it

The warranty/breakdown is worthwile IMHO, not that much goes wrong - but it is a sale bonus and I've used the recovery for a flat tyre once or twice

If you don't like the XCountry, then you'll always wish you had the XChallenge and the suspension/subframe layout for the XChallenge is better for offroad, plus the 21" wheel (you can always get a XCountry front wheel, if you need it)

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

ps they wouldn't budge on the price. best I could get was discount of 15% on the lowered seat which works out about 20 quid. come to think of it that's another £106 cost though I need the lower seat as I'm only 5'8". I think I could live with the height of the bike as long as I had the lowered seat.

Just lower the standard seat professionally and add some gel, by someone close to your home

Don't buy the low seat it's crap, even more uncomfy

Also in time............you could get a lowered shock too

 

[Stumpy]

SWMBO has an XCountry and its a great bike however I'm with JB on this one. The XChallenge is always going to be more desirable as its a proper dual sport bike. It may be more expensive but I reckon it will always be worth more.

 

[Mav]

Just lower the standard seat professionally and add some gel, by some close to your home

Don't buy the low seat it's crap, even more uncomfy

Also in time............you could get a lowered shock too

You can also drop the front forks 1/2 to 1"

And at 5' 8" - you could easily get used to the height particularly on such a light bike.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

You can also drop the front forks 1/2 to 1"

And at 5' 8" - you could easily get used to the height particularly on such a light bike.

Seriously they weigh about 144kg dry, so about 155kg with fuel etc

How heavy is a DRZ 400S

 

[rossi]

Dont forget you will have to budget several hundred pound to make it look like the 2nd X Challenge in your piccies too.

If it helps your decision...

I can do you a screen cheap, see Jester's screens on adv, that's me. The front mudguard extender from Touratech is worth having but expensive for what it is. I never got round to making those as I already had the touratech part but it shouldn't be too hard to sort something.

Check the touratech website at the moment as they have some parts on discount. Don't go direct to the webshop. From the homepage there is a link to the discount items on the top right. There is a rack and a few other parts for the Xchallenge reduced.

If you do find the bike too tall, and want the look of the challenge with smaller wheels you could trade your 18/21 wheels for my second set of wheels which are 17/19 from an Xcountry. I don't know where down south you are but if you wanted to try a low seat before you make up your mind I have one of those as well. I find it OK and I find it does make the bike easier to manage off road, especially when you need to put your foot down and there is a hole next to the bike. (Why do you always need to put a foot down on the downhill side? ) On road is fine with the standard seat but I am a bit taller than you.

Cheers
Rossi

 

[frostyuk]

on biketrader there is one

2007 Reg 252 miles 652cc £4,195

listed as an xmoto from midlands superbike but pic is an xchallenge, has been on there a while and also on their website

i've just come from a drz to an xch as well although bad timing weather wise i find with the low seat the bike feels shorter than my old drz

road an xcountry on the ors course before i started going out on the lanes and liked it but not enough to buy one, used an xch on the l2 ors and loved it so much i bought one

 

[coolhands]

cheers

that one on midlandsuperbikes has sold - I had already rang them. I don't know why they keep it listed?

I'm pretty much sold on the xch to be honest. Just waiting for my drz to be picked up and I've got the money in my hand, before I ring up and spend what I ain't got

 

[Rushy]

cheers

that one on midlandsuperbikes has sold - I had already rang them. I don't know why they keep it listed?

I'm pretty much sold on the xch to be honest. Just waiting for my drz to be picked up and I've got the money in my hand, before I ring up and spend what I ain't got

Decision made

 

[HonestJohn]

Right decision!

Hi, I'm pretty new to green lanes and offroad, and went for an XCo - because of availability and price (I got a clean 3,500 miles 07 for £2,850). I'd ridden both XCo and XCh at the BMW ORS school in Wales - and if the price difference for me had only been £600, I'd have gone with the XCh. Like it looks like you have. And I may yet, next season ...

Lots of comments above I agree with - couple I'd add.

XCh 21" front gives you much more choice of serious tyres - XCo is limited to TKC80 (which is what ORS use on both bikes) which my local TRF guys consider to be a road tyre relative to their seriously gnarly tyres

For me, XCh rides off road with a laser precision directional feel compared to the XCo, which is rather softer in the line it takes. The 21" front tyre has a much narrower profile, which I guess helps that. Downside (which may not matter to you) is the 19" gives a much faster turn/easier tight turning. On road, that difference make the XCo a real hooligan of a bike - just great fun!

Enjoy your XCh!

 

[ExpatinIstanbul]

You're having the same dilema I just had on buying a DSLR. In the end it's always worth buying the one you hanker after, if you can afford it, any compromise will be just that and you'd always be thinking of the one that got away. Personally I can't stand the look of the XCountry, the Challenege looks a whole lot better, and looks count for something. I don't own a mirror, so I can say that.

 

[powroll]

it looks a bit pansy-

Tell Yaniv its not hardcore!!

the problem with the xcountry is I don't like the look so much. it looks a bit pansy-ish? i.e. not hardcore at all.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KopW...BC675FE6F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Seems that Coolhands has bought the wrong bike

He didn't go for a G650 at all.................he went for a Dakar 650

Now he is worried it is too lardy offroad

Best to ask, Phil