I am just back from south america. One thing is now sure, my next trip will NOT be on my BM fu*k*ng W! My bike is a dog. An absolute piece of crap! I need a proper bike for my next trip, reliable and simple! Honda or Yamaha.

Looking at the FMX650. Just wondering if anyone got one already and ideas of how that could fare on an overland trip? (Next one will be London Sydney via russia, mongolia...)
It is a bit too high for me but surely by changing the suspensions and scooping the seat, I could lower by 3 inches....

Any thoughts welcome. Cheers,

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

It's a supermoto basically:-

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ood-idea-33857

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Dave

Maria,

I understand your frustration with your BMW. I would recommend the XRL for a few reasons:

Weight: 147 kg VS 163 kg (that's a 16 kg difference !!)

Stuff: more tanks, racks, etc, available for the XRL

Simplicity: One exhaust, less breakable plastic, better fender coverage, more rear susp. travel, front fork not inverted (more protected), common wheel sizes for tire availability, etc.

Better seat padding!

IT'S ALMOST 1/2 THE PRICE OF THE FMX !!!

The only disadvantage (for you) is the seat height, but there are options to adjust that.

FMX
Honda FMX650 Funmoto

XRL
Honda XR650L

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http://www.aroundtheblockmotoadventures.com/
'We build the bike (in Peru) for your Epic Ride of South America.'

I think a XRL like mine is way to high for you.Try to find a decent dominator(same engine as my XR and FMX!) or go to an DR 650.
How did you find the old island?
Here as usual mate,sun and asados
hahahahaha
Karl

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http://vientoderipio.blogspot.com/
America is a nice continent,not a country.All people who lives in this continent are americans.Discover it in peace!

hi guys. I am basically looking at bikes that would be widely available in the UK. The new Tenere is nice too, but then too high as well. No rush, I have a couple of years to find the perfect bike!

Hi Karl, yes back in the old Island! Cold and wet for now! Bikes arrived ok. Missing the new continent!

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

I asked a similar question a few weeks back and didn't get much response... I thought the FMX might make a good hack - simple, strong engine (with electric start!), and as you say, they are pretty cheap/available here in the UK...

Mind you, I think part of the reason you feel comfortable on it is the 17" wheels? - if you changed them for 18/21s then it would basically be as high as an XR650L?

I rode a friends DRZ400SM in the USA and was surprised how 'little' it felt compared to the regular (18/21 wheel) S or E version...

I guess a good compromise would be to stick with the 17" rear wheel and fit a 19" front rim so you have a better tyre choice for all terrain riding?

I also wondered about fitting a larger tank (say the Acerbis one for the XR650R that I have), but looking again at the machine it would probably be difficult to do without looking like a dogs dinner? The standard FMX fuel tank would be way too small for any decent range.

Going back to the DRZ400 - maybe that's the way to go? there are plenty of parts available (tanks/luggage racks etc) and it will sit at 70mph quite happily all day...

Hope that helps?

xxx

Import one from Spain? France? Germany?

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Thanks guys. Nice photos Patrick! I am green with envy... I can't wait to get back on those dusty gravel roads now!

I will look at all these bikes you guys suggested. Ideally my next bike for the next big trip should be around 150kg (or lighter) , with a simple, reliable engine, comfortable at speed on long rides on straight boring roads and easy to handle on dirt.
All the bikes you mentioned are really tall, so the main thing for me will be to find out how much I can lower them. I've learned the hard way that with a fully loaded bike, off-road, if I nearly touch the ground with my toes, the bike will be down each time I stop on uneven ground!
Second thing will be to decide if the hubby keeps his bike or decide to buy the same than me. It has been very useful during our trip, everytime my bike went wrong, we had the Dakar to compare. Downside is that the choice of bike would be a compromise. He is tall and prefers a bigger bike, I am small and need a smaller bike....
We have 2 or 3 years to think, prepare and see... Feed back / bike reviews from travellers are useful.

ALso thinking of the TTR600... light, not too tall...

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

How about an XT660R. Its not quite as tall at the new tenere but still has the capablity of doing most off roading and anything else you want to throw at it. Also there is a couple of people who have lowered the forks and rear suspension and say the bike still works fine.

have a look at these websites

. : XT660.com The #1 xt660 resource : . | The #1 xt660X, xt660R and xt660Z Tenere resource

Great site with plenty of very freindly people that own or have owned the XT660

also visit here to

Valleys Dual Sport Riders

there is a guy called jason (davidsoimtold) who has an XT660R and hes taken it through anything you can throw at it, and he said its handled it quite well.

I really like this bike, although a bit on the heavy side. A tough nice looking bike that would certainly get me there. The smallish tank can be replaced. The Tenere is just too tall. For the XT660R, it would not be too difficult to lower by 3 inchs (scooping the seat, lowering the front fork or cutting the rear spring). Replacing the front 21' wheel by a 19' wheel would also certainly lower it a lot more. Is there a 19' wheel that can fit the XT though?

I had recently a close look at the DR400 (Patrick following your suggestion!) and discussed options with the saleman, who actually did take interest on my issues about lowering the bike! Due to European red tape (on emissions and regulations) they are going to stop production of that one (in europe). A new model replacing the DR400 will come out. It may be on show at the NEC show in november. I will have a very close look! The DR400 is a very light bike, at 130 kg it would make a massive difference on dirt and deep mud. I may even be able to handle deep gravel or sand a bit better, rather than fall off straight away when I hit the soft stuff .

I can also fit a 19' wheel on that one. But I wonder how it would feel riding that on long stretches of road for days on end? Glad I kept my sheepskin!

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com