For a plentiful, available (uk and us), reliable, and great value mid-size bike... sv650. Nuff said!

Thanks for the suggestion Pottsy, but this looks like a sports bike which isn't what we're after. We want a mid size Jap cruiser that is available here or in NA. Any ideas?

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BD.

viagra (oops virago) 535, dragstar, intruder (not sure the sizes they do this in) etc lots of mid-range cruisers in the UK.

Mentioned the sv as you wanted 70+ cruising, you could check out...

http://usedbikeguide.com/bible/display.asp?id=430

useful info!

Hey Butch,

Ton's of bikes out there that match your description. For a quick look at some models and prices in Canada, one site to check out is BuySell.com: Canada BuySell online classified ads - buy and sell new used items in your local area with online classifieds (along with ebay, craigslist, etc. but both these will give you US and Canadian prices so you can see the difference). It'll give you some ideas.

In general, a lot of possibilities, but one of the things you will note is that it could take you a while to wade through the possibilities and find one that is already set up or could be set up for your tour. You mentioned that you will not be dual sporting that much but a straighforward solution would be to look for a common model that is used for tours and that will increase the odds that it is already set up or there will be easy access to farkles. As I mentioned, a model that you can't go wrong with is the DL650/1000, and plenty are already set up so your chances would be good to get off the plane and be riding in short order. There are probably other bikes that may be more what you are looking for, but that would definitely be a solution that is workable.

Thanks again to all for the continued input.

Here's where we're at:

My mate and I discuss bike types for the NA trip on a daily basis now and we have reached the conclusion that we definately don't want sports, supersport or sport tourer bikes. It has either got to be a comfy road cruiser in the HD vain (but preferably Jap) or a mid size dual sport (like my XTZ). Reliability being the key - we aren't interested in lots of shiney crome bits and bobs, in fact, the more rugged and dusty the better!

The main reason we are leaning towards the cruiser end is that we have had (and will continue to have) plenty of off road trips in various countries, and with the NA road conditions the way they are, we figured that it would make a nice change to stick to the black stuff. The cruiser seems to be the best bike for this; for comfort, fun and style (I must admit, the image does have some appeal).

I have spent countless hours scouring the net.ca searching for possible machines and they don't seem as cheap as I had hoped, and we are seriously concerned about using up precious travel time bike hunting when we arrive. Consequently we may get a couple of XVs or similar here and do the shipping thing. I have seen a few of them around here for about £1500 which is a comfy budget for us.

My next concerns are about shipping agents and cost etc, but I will post that next set of questions in the shipping forums.

If anyone has any direct experience with traversing NA on mid size Jap (or HD, I guess) cruisers then I would be very interested to hear your advice.

Thanks again.

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BD.

Have a look at Intruder Alert. It is a site for Intruder riders, mostly in North America and Canada but they will be happy to advise you.

steve

Some pretty good advice on this site! I live in the Kootenays of B.C. so the riding is great, but limited due to the seasons. I have lived in the UK and ridden all my life. A dual sport is the way to go as even the blacktop is rough on many road. 650 Vstrom, or the 1000 are very good buys for the money and easy to resell. The Xr650L is a gem also like the KLR but a bit more oriented towards off highway. You can pick up a 650L real cheap in most cities. I have met guys on KLR and Xr,L that have ridden the whole continent even through south america. Most dealerships are easy to find but there,s fewer KTM dealers than the Jap stuff. Start off on the east coast, west coast is expensive for everything, bikes, insurance, licensing and fuel!
All depends on the type of riding you intend! Your,ll see more taking the back roads. When do you intend to start? Jr

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More torque less speed is what you need!