Hello All,
This is a what bike will do it question.

I have the chance to travel in a small bunch from Alaska down to the pointy bit at the bottom of South America.
Projected dates late August to end of November. Route will be down the Western seaboard.
Some going have [or plan to have] BMWs in varying sizes.
My problem is that I have one leg shorter and less useful than the other and walk with a stick, as motorcyclists you don't need to ask! I can ride okay [ friends opinions vary!] but climbing onto a tall trailie is flaming hard work.
Have travelled long distances no problems on Russian "yellow" roads East towards the Urals, using a Hinckley Bonneville. I accept that the Bonny is too heavy and I would prefer not to go through the chain thing again-so no go.
I read of someone doing it on a BMW "airhead" R100RS, can that be true? I have one of those in good order my possession and I am also looking at the small Moto-Guzzi, do you know it's almost the same weight as Yamaha's 660 Tenere?

So in essence:
Question. With decent preparation, what "roadster" would be a good compromise for a top to bottom crossing of S.America, or would you council against such an undertaking?

I am determined to go but want to leave the step ladder at home!

I would welcome your comments. Rob.

Hi Rob, just go with whatever you feel most comfortable on, it's been done on every kind of bike from Harleys to Honda C90's.

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Mike


www.singapore-scotland.blogspot.com
www.argentina-alaska.blogspot.com
My little Vid: India/Pakistan

BMW R1150GS
Suzuki DR650 SE: Ride it like ya stole it. Oh, somebody just did...

The answer is obvious - you want comfort, ease of mounting, ability to keep up with the big guys, no chain, long distance reliability, economy and easy to ride when the going gets tough?

Maxiscooter - no question of a doubt!

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Garry from Oz - powered by Burgman

This is a well worn path and any well prepared bike will take you there. It's even been done on pushbike!

You will find loads of trip reports and details on bike and preparation in the archive on this site.

A couple of points though, you will have to fly or sail around Columbia (the Darrian gap is not passable)

Also watch out for the big winds on your way to Tierra del Fuego. Make sure you have a windscreen!

Enjoy

Simply take a bike that you are comfortable with.

Obviously the more suspension the better. You can do it on a Harley or a Gold Wing if you like, but a smaller bike is just easier to manage IMO.

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http://www.southontwowheels.com

Ditto, if you have a roadster that you own, are comfortable with, and can fix easily, then take it.

By choosing your route you can ride all the way on pavement except for the very tip.

A couple of things to make sure is that it has at least decent clearance as you will need to ride across plenty of really big speed bumps in CA and SA and up the odd curb and/or set of stairs to park it in secure places at places at night. A skid plate helps in this regard.

Making it somewhat crash resistant is also a good idea as a heavily loaded bike will inevitably tip over at some point, if even just while gassing up at an off camber fuel station. Hard luggage provides a good set of bumpers for the rear, basic crash bars for the front and potentially even handguards are something to consider.

Happy riding.

Take the bike that suits your needs.

You don't need a off-road bike to make a trip like this. It perhaps will take some more planning so that you don't stumble on a dirt road, even than: you will survive.

Enjoy!

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Luc

take the bike you like but pay attention to which tire you put on it and do your best to do not overload your bike , you can pretty much stick on great road all way down and stay in hotel for most of it . some roadster will let you put a TKC as front tire and if you drive in gravel or loose ground you will appreciate to have a front tire that can handle it.

take care and go for it