We have our bike now, and I have now started on the process to ready them for the ride from here in NZ to UK (except for the wet bits). Why a TS185? If you are asking that question, you are in good company. Many are
asking us that. I had a list of things that I considered important for a bike to use on a long distance ride thru the kind of roads and countries that are between here and there. We have many overland travellers stay with us over that last three years and using their words of wisdom and my own 35 years experience of riding on and off roads (I learnt to ride at 7 years old and rode almost daily for 9 years before I ever rode on a sealed surface) helped guide the choice.
The bike must have the following attributes;

1) Reliable
2) Carry one person and reasonable amount of gear.
3) Light in weight (for m'lady who is a little 'un)
4) Easy to fix
5) Simple design
6) Economical on fuel
7) 350km Range on a tank
8) Spares easily available
9) Low seat height (see 3) above)
10) Adequate power
11) Comfortable
12) Easy to modify
13) Cheap to buy (Carnet etc in mind)

1) Reliable
To address 1), I used to be a farmer and had the farm version of the TS185 for 12 years. In that time I had 3 on the farm, usually two at a time and know that they are one of the most robust and reliable bikes ever made. I have never had a crank, clutch or transmission fail. They were used every day for hours a day on the farm in all conditions from dusty summers to axle deep in mud and cowshit all winter. They were idled for hours behind walking cows and then trashed until the spark-plug electrodes melted together (True!! It happened several times).

2) Carry one person and reasonable amount of gear.
Re 2) The TS185ER has a short two person seat with a large gap between the end of the seat and the end of the mudguard with the taillight. Part of the deal on the bikes meant that a well made Smiths carrier was included. While being heavy-ish (made of steel tube), they are easy to repair and well proven on farms all over NZ. There is also a proper sub-frame to support it and the rear guard, which is also going to be easy to strengthen. A smallish topbox, some custom made alloy panniers styled as much as possible on the Al Jesse panniers I have on the F650 will be made, and with a toolbox-cum-engine protector (wide enough to also act as crash protection) and some frames either side of the tank for panniers should see enough stow space. The plan is for my bike to carry 60% of the gear, and Kitty's 40% with the dual seat still fitted to carry the two of us when needed.

3) Light in weight
Re 3): Being a 185cc two stroke they are certainly light, and slim, but with a fairly large frame they are still a proper bike to ride. Standard with all fluids they are 110Kgs. Being light and narrow they will be easy to freight, get in and out of doorways in hotels, guest houses, and alleyways, and of course stand up if when they go down.

4) Easy to fix
Re 4): Hey, they are single cylinder air-cooled two-strokes, with cable operated clutch and brakes! You can strip out and rebuild the clutch, carbie, and both brakes in under an hour. The top end can come off and be back on in less than 15 minutes! I rest my case! Many components are common to a wide range other small Suzuki's (and other brands too!) Having been the person who did all the repairs on my own and most of my neighbours bikes when I was farming I know there will be very little that I cannot do myself easily.

5) Simple design
Re 5); See Re 4) and then add bullet-proof electronic ignition, cable drum brakes, no rear suspension linkages (dual shocks so should on fail there is still one to help take the load), standard sized tyres and bearings, no water cooling, no hydraulics, no DOHC etc.... Need I go on?

6) Economical on fuel
Re 6); Hmmmm... this is where a two-stroke is marginal... so far I am getting about 26km/l. I am sure any increase in efficiency as the bikes are run in would be off-set on a trip by the extra gear. I don't expect to get better than that. Still, it is about 6-8km/l better than I get with the F650.

7) 350km Range on a tank
Re 7); Relates a lot to 6) but the standard 7litre tank will have to go. The farm version (TF185) has a 13litre tank and will fit without major mods, but at 25km/l that is still short of my 350km range. I could carry a spare can with about 3 litres, or more probably I will add small additions to the underside of the 13 litre tanks, as they are steel and will be easy to weld to. Is 350km enough? Too much?

8) Spares easily available
Re 8); The Suzuki TS/TF185 and variants has been in continuous production since 1971!! They have been sold all over the world and are still sold in many countries new. They have many components in common with other Suzuki models. Many parts like bearings, seals and brake parts are standard to bikes of a number of brands in all the countries we are likely to travel through. Not only that but the technology will be familiar to anyone we need to help us. Tyres are a common size so will be cheap and easy to obtain.

9) Low seat height
Re 9); 820mm with some room for improvement there too. Standard things like raising the forks in the clamps and fitting shorter rear units when we fit some decent after-market shocks should see Kitty's bike down to under 780mm. A lot better than the likes of an XT600 at 855mm.

10) Adequate power
Re 10); Now this is where I am sure there will be dissent. What is adequate power? After having at least 20 Round-The-Worlders staying with us at times over the last 3 years, and riding with them, my guess is the average speed of most travellers, wether they are riding R1150GSs or DR230s, or anything else in between, is between 70 and 90 km/hr. The TS with 18HP will top out at around 125km/hr. I don't think touring at 80-85 km/hr is an unrealistic expectation. With the luggage off, they will make great bikes for exploring the more out-of-the-way places when we have set up camp.

11) Comfortable
Re 11); Again a Hmmmmm. I am fitting the TF185 single saddle to my bike as I will have a bigger top-box covering the pillion seat. This means I will have most of the weight. The standard seat is no better than most traillie seats, but I am hoping with a sheepskin it will be OK for Kitty. The single saddle from the TF185 is designed for a farmers butt to be comphy all day so I am sure it will be as good as I can get. The footpegs are lower than most trail bikes so it is more roomy than you might expect. The little single does make more than its share of vibes, so I am going to weight the handlebars until things settle down. Softer heated grips are a must too. Not ideal but acceptable.

12) Easy to modify
Re 12); There is always something to do here with any bike I think. Some good rear shocks, tool carrier/engine protector/front and rear panniers. Modified TF185 fuel tanks and seat, stock TF185 handlebar and headlight protector. Heated grips. A top box. Home made chain oiler. Reinforced subframe. Clean up the ports and maybe a very mild port job. What else?

13) Cheap to buy
Re 13); This is one of the best things about the whole project! The cost of the bikes new here in NZ, including two spare knobbly tyres, two different spare back sprockets, one spare front sprocket, new DID O-Ring chain and Smith rear carrier was NZ$3295 (US$1700 at today's rate) including taxes. This was a special deal as I have done a lot of work for the dealer over the years, often working odd hours, to keep their computers going. List price is NZ$4400. This made all the difference when we were considering wether to take one bike or two. These two small bikes will not be much more expensive to freight than one larger bike (such as a BMW R1150GS).

OK, I'm the first to admit there are good things about bigger bikes too, but egos aside, if the 185s are as reliable for me as the ones I used to run, then I honestly think these are the best bikes for the trip.
I am very interested in what all you more experienced travellers have to say.

Regards

Nigel in NZ

--"Ride tall, ride small"--

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[This message has been edited by Nigel Marx (edited 26 February 2003).]

[This message has been edited by Nigel Marx (edited 27 February 2003).]

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