OK: A contentious issue, I admit, but what are the 5 best LOOKING overland bikes? Heres my top fıve, Id be interested ın other peoples. I thınk outrageous partisanship and uncalled for insults of other people machines are definately the order of the day!

1: The daddy. The twin lamped Yamaha Tenere. No bike sums up rugged adventure like this one. Easıly the sexiest bike in the overlanding spectrum.
2: Honda Africa Twin. The bike I saw ın a dealer in Aberdeen ın the early nineties and spent ages just drooling over. My fave paint job is the red, white and blue one.
3: The Royal Enfield Bullet. No other bike made today has the same Steve McQueen charm, or sounds half as good! Any bike they have been makıng for 50 years HAS to be a legend! In my opınıon though looks best unloaded up and in its most basic 'Classic' form.
4: Those ex-army KLR Deisels! I reckon they just look gnarly. (as I beleive the Americans say!)
5: Eıther the Honda XR or Yam XT/TT preferably tricked out wıth Acerbis tanks etc.

Personally, I expect no argument wıth thıs exhaustive list. But if any loonies want to argue...

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*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

Well smack my a.. and call me Judy!
I totally agree with you on the first two, those are my absolute favorites as well.

1. Twin lamped Ténéré (also known as 3AJ)




2. Africa Twin




3. Super Ténéré (only good looking, there's absolutely nothing else I like about this bike)




4. Triumph Tiger 955 (the new one)




5. Note sure, there's plenty of bikes that should go here, from the old XTs and Ténérés (single lamped) to the latest Transalp, from the BMW R1100GS (Personally, I don't like the R1150GS and R1200GS - if something breaks down in Nomansland you're screwed) to the twin lamped XT660Z Ténéré, from.....

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#1

A classic Icon, the PX200E... because it is not supposed to be there, because it's got Italian "quality", and because it managed to place in the 1980 Paris-Dakar rally.




The Royal Enfield Bullet, Machisimo 350cc

Because it is the only true classic still made in pretty much the excact same form as decades ago, because it is beatifully ugly, and because it is original "British quality" now improved by "Indian quality measures".



The Yamaha XTZ 660 Tenere, because it is the king of the 90's, can be found at an affordable price, is truely reliable, is easy to fix due to its simplicity, because the dispersion of the Yamaha brand makes parts and competence more available accross the globe, because it is the most sensible choice in terms of cost/utility... and those twin headlights look mean.





The BMW F 650 GS Dakar

Because it is German quality (real quality this time), because it is modern, because it has a sleak design, because it offers the optimal tradeoffs betwenn comfort and performance.



The BMW 1200 Enduro

Because it is just too mean



http://bmwfinlandpinter01.ergointegr...de.asp?id=3520


The BMW 1200 GS Adventure

... just because...

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I will disagree with you...

You nearly got it right - best looking bike is clearly the Africa Twin. So please rearrange your top 5 to put the AT at the top. I sometimes sit in the garden with a just gazing at the bike for hours. It has also been to N.Africa and Asia so that the general public world-wide can admire it. And I often stop in front of a shop window to admire the bike - and I know you do this too on your bike. Pity it's not an Africa Twin, eh? You must get one so that people will think better of you.

Your choice of the Enfield is deliberately provocative. How can you include a 50 year old design in this list? - it is an old banger. So stop your ticklin' jock.......

The "chariot de pedes" you included only to cause controversy!

I think you should add the Honda 90 or Cub. This is the most successful bike on the planet.

Good roads

I forgot to say that the Honda 90s swoopy plastic and lightweight wheels are intensely beautiful. The colour scheme is exciting and the bike has that rugged travel look that is lacking in the Yamahas you mention. Those Yam headlamps you like are, I'm sorry to say, naff and only intended for the teenage buyer.

Go and get a Honda 90, and ride out like a real man. You will find women flocking round you, wishing to ride pillion and hoping to get their own Honda 90 to do RTW with you and your testosterone charged character. As you are a kilt wearer, you will find that the 90 allows the breeze to waft on those parts which you guard most closely. Just be careful that your vision is not obscured when your chosen tartan covers your eyes. And my hot tip for you is - get a second sporran and use it as a concealed extra toolbox - handy for those spare tyre levers etc.

To sum up, this is the compelling beauty of the bike...rugged, cheap, rustproof, economical. You'll get respect from men, and unexpected pleasures from women. (or vice versa, depending on your taste)

Look for me at Lumb Farm this year, surrounded by biking beauties. I will have, of course, my little Honda with me.

Please feel free to offer your views on this, however unappealing they may be.

In fact here's a picture of Denis taken at Lumb Farm last year as part of his Honda sponsorship deal. Denis, who was that on the back? Is it Tiffany in a wig?

Sorry - you're all wrong
It's got to be this one!

Attached Images

 

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If you think you are too small to make a difference you have never spent the night with a mosquito.

You got me....but I'm the one on the back....

Yep! its a Harley -overweight, overpriced and underengineered!!!

HO HO HO...... I've never heard that one before!

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If you think you are too small to make a difference you have never spent the night with a mosquito.

Dear Denis,
I don't believe for a minute that any women are attracted to your rattling bucket of tin and plastic.
If you really want to be surrounded by adoring women you should try wearing a kilt at an English weddıng
Matt

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http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

Wheelıe,
Cool as your 'overland prepped' scooter ıs, it's not as cool as the sidecar outfit ın your icon whatsit. Has that not already solved your luggage issues?
Matt
Is the outfit yours, if so can we see a bigger pic?

__________________
http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

All mine

It is a 1960 Vespa VBB 150 cc (with 177cc tuning kit), 4 speed transmission and 8" wheels.




If you are into Vespas, then I also got his one (yellow one below), 1962 150cc VBB (Touring/GL), 10" wheels and only 3 speed. This was the one I originally planned to ride through Africa, with some serious mods (200 cc engine, 12V, electronic ignition, Autolube, hydraulic disc brakes, hydraulic clutch, electric start, shock upgrade, front and rear racks, Halogen and LED lights, semaphores blinkers... the list goes on and on). The my wife decided to come along, and I felt it better to ride to identical scoots (for all the obvious reasons). As it was too much work to prepare and maintain two Vintage ones, we opted for the tried and tested PX200E EFL.

Even though the scooter will not become an overland bike the scoot below is still getting the full monty. But it will turn into an entirely different project. For kicks and giggles, it will get a fully voice controlled entertainment system (utterly useless), that would make even the most hardcore ICE (In Car Entertainment) enthusiast want to faint::: gprs, 3g, wlan, bluetooth, quad band gsm, touch screen monitor, GPS autorouting, FM/AM, TV, Intercom, bike to bike radio, voice control, mp3, DVD, mpeg4, Internet, web cam (live broadcast), DVcam, helmet cam, headset (optional throat mic), e-mail, cordless foldable keyboard, game pads, game emulators (lots), regular office aplications... . I'm also looking into possibilities of having my live location indicated on a map on my home page. If I could have it my way, then on google earth. But I amyet to solve this problem. It is not as difficult as it sounds. A lap top, a 8" LCD monitor, and lots of freeware (lots of downloadable set ups available), pluss all the gadgets I allready have. The main problem is getting enough Juice. I'm not going to start a discussion about this project as it is for a different forum than this one. Hopefully this will be done by 2008... unless I get bored with it (I often do). Although Never done on a scooter before, it has been done on motorcycles.



I also got more scooters...

But the real overland scoot I want is this:

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For me the best looking overland bike has to be a black 1100gs,and my love for these bike started way before Ewan and charlie used the 1150gs.

they visually have lots of charachter,such as that massive tank or the boxer engine with those cyclinder heads which seem to be useful for knocking attacking wildlife out the way!

I would say its the hindenburg or graf zeppelin of bikes ,its big,well engineered and German...but hopefully it doesn't catch fire!

lee.

Wheelie....A Vespa with a bazooka....You should (if possible)concider even stronger medication :-) Dont consult your doctor, just trust me. Take em'all it will do you reeeeal good. When you come down again.... get your self a real bike and travel in style, not on that italian piece of crap from the medival ;-)

Safe trip to SA and Kenya.

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Dizzie