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3 Jan 2012
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Any ideas, can you help?
Hi, i was wondering if you guys could help, i am looking to buy a motorcycle, i have thought about what i want from it, and have listed them below. It would be great if you could give me some suggestions. They can be bikes still in production or not. Cheers.
What i want from a motorcycle:
- Comfort for all day riding.
- 150+ miles (241+ kilometers) fuel range.
- Ability to do DIY maintenance. eg. change oil/filter, change air filter, change spark plugs, maintain final drive (chain, shaft or belt i don't mind).
- reasonable fuel economy, 50+mpg (11+miles/liter)
- Reliable (i understand this means following the maintenance schedule, i don't mean a bike you just by and never have to do any work on, unless this exists.)
- Ability to cruise at between 50-60mph (80-100kph) with 1 rider and some luggage.
- Luggage carrying ability, after-market or OEM, hard or soft.
- Looks aren’t that important, i put it down anyway. However it is a pretty subjective criteria.
- Available parts, OEM or good quality after-market.
- Can handle going down a dusty track occasionally. I know you could say any bike can handle it, but i mean not make a fuss. Not as extreme as Nick Sanders on his R1 in the desert.
- Fun, obviously depends on how you ride it.
I think thats it let me know if you have any suggestions of bikes that you think fit this criteria. Thanks
Last edited by jacks; 3 Jan 2012 at 14:45.
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3 Jan 2012
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Pretty mmuch any bike I can think of will meet all those criteria. Hondas are the most hassle-free but drink a lot of oil, Dominators, XL etc
Yamaha XTs
Suzuki DR
Kawasaki KLR
Even a KTM ticks those boxes with possibly an aftermarket tank
Cagiva Elefants, the best bikes ever built (but I'm biased!)
Armstrong MT500
BMW F650
Nearly every bike has luggage capability
Don't forget to get a bike that you like and puts a grin on your face - that's the most important thing!
You didn't mention a budget which will probably be a defining factor
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3 Jan 2012
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I don't have a budget in mind, within reason. If the bike is worth the money then i will consider it. If it means saving up to get it, i would rather do that, if it means getting the right bike.
Thanks for your reply.
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3 Jan 2012
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There are some bikes that will only go up in value - even if you stick 100,000 miles on it, like the BMW R80 GSPD, I can't stand modern GS's but those bikes are superb
I've done long rides on an Elefant, a Dominator and a BMW F650 (older style). Much as I hate to admit it the Beemer gave the best fuel consumption, needed the least on the road maintenance and handled the best on tarmac. The Elefant had me spending three seperate days working on it all day during the trip but also made me grin the most.
If you can have a ride on a few, make sure that they are not lemons and get the one you like most. A big problem I have buying motorbikes is that they are all motorbikes, and by default as soon as you get off you want to get back on and ride into the sunset!
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3 Jan 2012
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Thanks, but what is an Elefant?
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3 Jan 2012
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An Elefant is like a Honda Africa twin but a bit thinner, a better handling chassis and a stonking Ducati V-Twin in it. Plenty of power and plenty of suspension.
I wouldn't recommend one if you aren't into working on bikes - I had one as my first bike and it propelled me from utter novice to mechanically competent in one trip!
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4 Jan 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jacks
Hi, i was wondering if you guys could help, i am looking to buy a motorcycle, i have thought about what i want from it, and have listed them below. It would be great if you could give me some suggestions. They can be bikes still in production or not. Cheers.
What i want from a motorcycle:
- Comfort for all day riding.
- 150+ miles (241+ kilometers) fuel range.
- Ability to do DIY maintenance. eg. change oil/filter, change air filter, change spark plugs, maintain final drive (chain, shaft or belt i don't mind).
- reasonable fuel economy, 50+mpg (11+miles/liter)
- Reliable (i understand this means following the maintenance schedule, i don't mean a bike you just by and never have to do any work on, unless this exists.)
- Ability to cruise at between 50-60mph (80-100kph) with 1 rider and some luggage.
- Luggage carrying ability, after-market or OEM, hard or soft.
- Looks aren’t that important, i put it down anyway. However it is a pretty subjective criteria.
- Available parts, OEM or good quality after-market.
- Can handle going down a dusty track occasionally. I know you could say any bike can handle it, but i mean not make a fuss. Not as extreme as Nick Sanders on his R1 in the desert.
- Fun, obviously depends on how you ride it.
I think thats it let me know if you have any suggestions of bikes that you think fit this criteria. Thanks
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Jacks,
Your list would do for me as well  But, we don't know enough about you!! What you really, really like, what compromises you are prepared to make, how much you want to spend, how much riding you have done, on what and where - you get the idea.
Any one of your criteria goes off into multiple sub-points; for one, "reasonable fuel economy" is way better than 50 MPG (UK gallon) nowadays for EFI and you can't buy a new bike in the UK nowadays that does not have FI + a cat converter etc. Hence you are not going to get a good DR650 in the UK unless you are very lucky and wait for ever for it to come up for sale. Even then the asking price may be silly money because of the rarity factor - check out what some people are asking for Africa Twins and then see what you can get for the same money in later models of bikes that are not so hyped.
When you have found this elusive bike that scratches all the itches I would like to know about it!
It did not take too long for the "twin Vs single" list of bikes to appear, so just to widen things a bit more, check out the Kawasaki KLE, 650 or the earlier 500 (also known as the Versys).
You probably know that there is a lot of information in all sorts of threads about all the bikes named here; technical stuff, fuel ranges, modifications, comparisons of one bike with another, or one bike with multi-others, it seems endless.
Just for another single to consider, have a look for information about the Royal Enfield 500 single for a contrast with all of the other bikes listed, so far.
Good luck,
__________________
Dave
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4 Jan 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkabout
check out what some people are asking for Africa Twins and then see what you can get for the same money in later models of bikes that are not so hyped.
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Exactly the same thing with the Africa Twins in my country – the sellers have apparently fallen in love with them or something (then why are they selling in the first place??!)....
For me, the DL650 does just about everything that the AT did. It might lose out a tiny bit on off-road capability, but both are still very heavy (AND top-heavy!!)... but then it returns much better fuel economy, the Honda was thirsty especially on the highways, carries weight even better, and has more punch, better headlights, and ABS for road-riding. And in reality it can be maintained do-it-yourself just as well, even though it´s EFI. (....I´ve NEVER had a serious problem with EFI in my cars or bikes during the ~20 years of use, but with the caruburetors, I often seemed to have some need for tweaking. Carbs are easier to work on, though - but there´s no going back for me).
It´s ridiculous, that you´d have to pay almost the same for DL650 than you´d pay for a 10+ years old AT (...even though I still love the Honda, but progress has gone by years ago!)
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4 Jan 2012
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Bmw
You Blokes who mentioned BMW's it is only a matter of time before Ted finds this thread & when he does you will be in BIG TROUBLE !!!! LOL
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4 Jan 2012
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Dr 650
Actually I ride a BMW, but I to would recommend a DR650 they are my favourite bike, just save for a corbin seat or a air hawk. Also if you are doing long days try and weld some hi-way pegs on your engine guards, I did this to mine and it sure helps on those long days.
Paul
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4 Jan 2012
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Triumph Bonneville: Like a BMW airhead but without 20 years of previous owners bodges and probably cheaper when bought on E-bay. FI or carbs, your choice.
You could also thrown in numerous other road bikes with tyre sizes that'll take a knobbly/semi knobbly, so Kawasaki W800's etc. Ted Simon rode RTW on a road shaped bike, who needs a MX machine with a MX seat after 35 years of busy tarmacing.
Andy
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