I´ve ridden a Beemer 650 Dakar in Peru. It´s a fine bike, but, IMO, more oriented toward pavement riding..that´s neither good nor bad, it just is. The 640 Adventure is set up to be a more dirt (road) worthy machine and has much of the same stuff as their rally bikes do. As far a KTM´s reliability for off pavement riding compared to the Dakar.....the KTM has got to be, hands down, the better choice! I´ve only got a couple of rides on my new 640 Adv, but it is really stable off the pavement. Great Suspension!! For more information on this subject, go to advrider.com.