12 months searching, still confused....
 

Need advice and help please. Still having trouble deciding on what bike to take on a RTW tour. I would like a bike that will last and I can live with for what may be an indefinite period. As with past travels if I find a place I like I stay there for a while. Rather than a conventional trip around the world this will become my life.

Faults don't worry me as I am a competent engineer. Reliability, ease of service and repair with minimal spares being more of a concern. I use the facilities at small motorcycle shops for service work so tasks like an oil change should be simple.

I love to ride off-road but don’t mind hiring dirt bikes locally if my explorations are to exceed my chosen bikes limits. I’ve had great times in Asia with 250cc machines, a change of clothes and a toothbrush.

Speed is not important as I am happiest plodding along at 55mph. I am not tied to a budget but I wont spend a silly amount of money.

I have excluded bikes like KTMs, BMW R1150 / 1200GS, Suzuki VStrom and Triumph Tiger mainly due to size and weight.

My short list....

BMW F650GSD - Tough little bike but I cant love it. I am put off by reports of water pump failures, electrical niggles and its not the simplest to service.

Yamaha XT600 - Perfect for Africa, longevity of the engine and comfort concerns me.

Honda Transalp - Not pretty but reliable. Fuel range not the best, 35 Ltr tank available but made from GFK (glass fibre) and may disintegrate.

Honda Africa Twin - My hearts desire but heavy.

BMW R80 / 100 GS - Still under consideration but would need major overhaul and are selling for silly prices.

Lots of choice with the 2008 models but I don’t fancy a newly released bike.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as the time to buy is fast approaching. I guess what I am after is tough dependable transport for many years to come. To much choice can be a bad thing.

If I am still undecided then its a Land Rover with a Honda CR strapped to the back.

Thanks.

two more bikes to consider
 

Here's what you want:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-classic-31284
(get the latest Electra model)

....or a Harley-D MT350.

You may be right. I had an Enfield for a week in India.

The tappets worked loose every 150Km.
The forks disintegrated.
It kept jumping out of 2nd gear.
The air box fell off and when I refit it the electrics caught fire (fixed roadside with a knife and tape).
The brakes boiled dry.

All of the above due to a poorly prepared rental bike, but with all these problems it managed a 700Km final day and never left me stranded, they can be easily bodged roadside.

After looking around the NEC the only stand that put a smile on my face was the Enfield stand. There is something about them that I love and with the new ones returning 80mpg they are great for the environment.

Thanks :scooter:

The electra is an order of magnitude better than the old Enfield, without losing its charm.
best hurry, as they about to switch to a untit construction bike.... mind you that might be even better ( although it has efi :( )

Nice to see I am not the only convert :)

Spare parts will drive your decision
 

Hi Darren,
you have summarized it well...
I had the similar short list and chose for my Panam trip a KTM, not too heavy (packed not more than 200 kg) and quiet o.k. and reliable. The only problem left was the spare parts availability. Luckily there is a good coverage across the Americas (well a fair one).
Now after the trip (I still have the LC4 now equipped for desert rallyes as well as a 450 KTM for Rallyes) and planning a new trip I would most probalby go for a Japanese model with the highest coverage of spare parts all around the wolrd. A litte 250 Honda or Yamaha. These spare parts you get everywhere, in Russia, in Angola, in Mexico, amazing. These bikes are known and easy to repair. Tyres are no problem, engines are easy to fix, bearings are standard.
I guess to equip it for a RTW you will need to adjust a few things like suspensions, Wheels etc.
But as you said, when you have time and you can repair... Why not go for such a smaller option.
If your budget does not have a limit, then I have another suggestion: Go with a Maybach and have a worldwide Helicopter Service (just in case).
Have fun
Ras

Now a Maybach sounds good.... how much of a premium do you think 4 Wheel Drive would cost ?? Any volunteers to be my Chauffer.

From my experiences small would be best for most of the trip its when I hit the western world I will want more power / comfort. I have toured New Zealand before and the roads are so amazing that it would be criminal not to expliot them if I return.

As I have learnt from the Hubb there is not one bike which can do it all so an idea is something like an XT600 for Africa / South America / Asia. Hire a Harley in the USA, a Camper van in Australia and a Hummer in the Middle East.

Or stick WP suspension on an Enfield.....

I have also considered converting a Transalp into a more retro styled bike. Remove all the plastics, fit single headlight, enlarge the tank to wrap around radiator and upgrade the suspension. See photo, it looks good while retaining some off-road ability and being good on-road. All the mods would save nearly 15 kgs giving it a dry weight of 175 kg.
Attachment 884

what a choice!
 

Bits in Bold my comments.

GO ON, Buy the XT, you know you want to..... sheepskin or Gel the seat so your Bum dont Numb, and you have a tougher than an old boot bike to take you anywhere. Mine is 18 yrs old and has been abused to death yet still runs sweet. wouldnt swap it for any other bike, she instills confidence, (TOO MUCH SOMETIMES) and has more grunt than a shed full of pigs!

Martyn

And I can buy a new one for £3200 :mchappy:

or ebay and save 1500?
 

saw a 2003 recently go on ebay for 1800quid with 6k miles on clock!

the 1500 quid saved would take you a good distance or mostly equip it with the panniers/racks/ etc GPS maybe even some other gear too.... and its had a shakedown run, I personally never trust BRAND NEW bikes anyway, they arent proven,

just a thought:thumbup1:

I know that the problem is to reduce the options, but just out of curiosity I want to ask why KLR is out of the list. After almost ten years of XTing I am on a KLR for a year and it seems like a very good alternative for a RTW trip. Not popular in Europe but it is kind of jack of all hearts master of none, which seems like what you are looking for.

cozcan

A good KLR is not easy to find in the UK and if I go water cooled I would probably take an F650. My first bike was a Kaw KMX, that was tough. Prefer to buy new and ride it for 6000 miles, you never know the real reason someone is selling there bike secondhand.

My problem stems for my need for perfection, an unachievable goal maybe, but I like to get close. As all the veterans say there is no perfect bike so why compromise. I am in a fortunate position so I will take what I consider to be the right bike at the right time.

For Africa and South America I believe an XT600e would be perfect. The next part of the trip will be USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia for that I hope the new F800GS will fulfill my needs, if not perhaps a DL650. What to take through Asia and India I am unsure, maybe a simple Honda 125 or an Enfield.

Decision made, I start on an XT600e and see how things progress.

Thanks for the advice.

650 V-Strom
 

I would try one before you discount it. www.vstrominternational.com has loads of info and have a look on www.advmotostuff for pictures of a bike with adventure gear fitted. £5200 new or less in UK and a great bike for the money, I have mine in Saudi Arabia and plan to ride it home to the UK.
Cheers
Ian :thumbup1:

Will have a 2002 F650 Dakar coming in very soon, 14,000 miles, ABS, Heated Grips & Hazards. Comes with tankbag (Wolfman?) & throwover panniers.

Let me know if interested, test ride no problem.

Steve
01865-319070

Dont know if they still have them but Force Motorcycles had some ex Danish Army 650 BMWs in a while back they also have the older style BM check them out you just may find what you want. Failing that I swear by the TTR 250. Its a great do anything bike but you need to travel light.:scooter:

Although my mind wonders daily I am going with the XT600 for Africa and South America then change bikes in the USA for the rest of my trip. Either the DL650 or the F800GS if it turns out to be good.

Will be cheaper to buy and kit out the F800 in the USA than the UK.

Probably cheaper to buy & kit out in the US. Even if not, it will be by the time you factor in shipping costs.

Touratech prices are cheaper in the US also and with a strong pound should work out to be a great deal.

Do many people change bikes half way on a RTW trip ?

For me expense wise its the same, I allowed enough for a R1200GS when initially planning. An XT600 + F800GS equate to about the same. I will be transferring panniers and equipment, so no major additional costs.

Just need to investigate the buying and selling abroad, although I may give the XT600 away in Mexico to a needy fellow traveller.

Bikes
 

Hey there,

Didn't you originally say something like:

"Lots of choice with the 2008 models but I don’t fancy a newly released
bike."

Don't be swayed by the evil marketers! Unless you are going to riding very slowly and therefore won't be buying your 800GS for a couple of years, I'd stay well and clear away from a new model until a few of the normal "new production model" kinks are worked out. The other bikes on your list have proven performance and dependability histories, the 800GS does not have one as of yet. Once it does, you can realistically compare it to the others. Until then, pretty tough to pick:)

Will be three years before I get to the USA so I can review the F800 before I buy. I may end up loving the XT so much that I will keep it. I just like the option of having a bike more suited to the western world for the latter part of my trip.

yep......
 

Yep, You will,You Will, and then Hate it, and love it and hate it and then love it and love it and, and never want to be parted from it, and you will end up apologising to it for swearing at it......... :eek3:

No no no I will always love the XT......
I will curse the people who recommended it. :stormy:

Wow...I can't believe the BMW K75 hasn't come up as an option...damn reliable bike as long as you do the basic maintenance competently...

Pluses...

1. Water cooled and durable cooling system.
2. Shaft drive and more durable than the new BMW's as long as you lube the splines accordingly.
3. Just as heavy as nay of the new BMW's
4. Parts are easy enough to find/rebuild en brousse(i.e. Oil filter is Toyota Hilux petrol)...
5. Tranny and gearbox damn strong and proven with many hundreds of thousands of miles put on each one over time...


The list could go on, BUT each bike has its pluses and issues...strongly consider the K for overland travel even in dirt/sand unless you plan on riding the Dakar rallye or something...

My$.02

Eddie, my thoughts exactly. I have owned three K100's in various incarnations, and I'm sure if someone does some serious statistical analysis the old K-bikes would be the most reliable bike BMW have ever made. I personally know of three bikes with over 200,000 MILES not km without anything going wrong or any engine parts needing replacing. That's no clutch parts, no gearbox parts (including bearings), no drive-shaft parts, no engine parts (apart from valve shims). The only thing that can let them down is someone forgetting to grease the drive shaft splines. How can BMW have got it so wrong in the arse-end on the new bikes, when they got it so right on the Flying Bricks.

I'm picking my present K100LT will still be going strong for another 14 years at least.

I have never had the pleasure of a spin on a K75, but all the reports I have ever read say they are the pick of the bunch too.

Regards

Nigel in NZ

how about engine type, rather than bike type.
 

Hi there, after reading your post, I came to one conclusion. Engine type.
For a long durable adventure, I would suggest a Bi-cylinder, throaty, simple and not too many carbs and tuning to worry about. Check out what kinds of bikes have bi-cylinders. I know of one, the Transalp. I own one, still in my garage, its a bit fresh at the moment and I'm still passing my license.

I am very happy to have made this choice, for the simple reason that it has a cruising speed of 130 km/h on asphalt and nice size tyres for off road. It's the most simple of machines, easy to maintain, considered maintenance free by most. It's not that heavy and sitting position is very relaxed. Nice wide seat, and even at 130 km/h it has still some in it for over-taking. Worth a look at.
Happy decision making. - TA :thumbup1:

Hi,
These threads are great for covering the arguments! There are loads of other posts/threads about the relative merits of singles V's twins etc etc.
There is a growing range of twins available, witness the new BMW F800GS/650GS.
Others currently available are the Yam TDM, Kawa KLE 500 and newer 650 Versys, Suzukis' DL650/1000 and Triumphs' Bonneville engine, to name a few.

Touratech...., a reason to purchase a motorbike in the US? sounds like the tail wagging the dog.

In the 12 months deliberating you could have been riding an XT and made you mind up. If money is not a problem, just go and buy one and see if you like it. Though I would probably just go and buy a BMW, as the resale value will be better (and you probably will sell it ).

HAve you considered the suzuki dR650? I've seen many around in south america, they are very light (147kg!) and high ground clearance. Air cooled, look like simple engine! They are not on sale in the UK I think, but surely you could get it from europe.
I've been dribbling over it since 1st time I saw it! So much lighter than my heavy (nearly 200kg empty) 650GS!!!! Fuel capacity smallish at 13litre but could be enhanced.
see here:
Suzuki DR 650 SE 2005 Specs and Photos

Dr650
 

As you say Maria, it is not available new in the UK any longer - a few from the 1990s come up on ebay etc now and again; recently there have been a couple of DR800s on ebay which have sold OK.

Anyway, that specification is similar to the Yam TT600R(E), except the Yam has just 10 litre fuel capacity as standard, and newish second hand ones come up for sale quite regularly in the UK.
To get a bigger tank on this Yam engine, without going for something like Acerbis, you come full circle to the Yam XT (standard tank is about 15L iirc) it seems to me - a brand new XT was sold very quickly recently, advertised asking price was £3000.

I love my XT and will never sell it. Every scratch and ding tells a story. I also love arguing the toss with my BMW owning buddies who's bikes might be prettier but break down more often and make 'em look like Ewan & Charlie wannabe's.

I prevaricated for a few months before buying the XT and even considered an F650 (phew, dodged a bullet there!) but when it comes down to it they're all good. Just ride the ones you are considering and buy the one you like riding most. You're going to ride it a long way after all. I think the choice really is as simple as that.

Matt :)

Some great advice thanks. Still like the idea of converting a Transalp into something simpler. Removing fairing, clocks and increasing tank size. Reduced weight from 191Kg to about 175Kg.

Taking test rides will be done. So far have only rode...
F650GS.... liked it but a bit large and heavy for a single.
R1200GS.... dealer offered them to me back to back for test ride so could not refuse, no intention of taking one RTW.
DR650... rode one for a while and liked it.
XT600... as you say selling for great prices right now.
V-Twins... love the power delivery of them, so lazy.
Road Bikes... prefer dirt to Tarmac and if I see a Volcano I have to ride up it.

New Euro emmissions in January so many old models will be pre-registered and sold off cheap.

OMG there's two of us.:helpsmilie:

Good point about the emmissions regs: brand new TAs are on ebay now from the dealers at around £4600 - that's the "earlier" model, before this year's bike show (the pre-2008 model is better looking anyway IMO).

I 've taken the front plastics off a F650GS (you have to in order to access the battery) and they are pretty light i.e. it does not save much overall.