Hi Guys

Thank you for ideas - I am thinking about this new yamaha Tenere. This may be solution. Or KTM Adventure but his one I heard sometimes needs more service than simple Japanese bikes. Do not know if true. I was thinking also about Honda Xr600 L as this looks like simple as russian tank. But it is also very high and I am only 174 cm...

Horses - I was in Chile last year - you will not belive on what bike and somehow I survived but it was exactly as you said, felt not really comfortable on this:

Podró¿ dooko³a œwiata




Best rgds
Konrad

That was a great trip you made in South America. I would like to do it myself. I thought to go Chile - Bolivia - Peru and then head back home to Chile.

Try to pay attention to how you choose and don't start reading about all kinds of technical stuff. You might try to focus on just a few vital factors and then manage to narrow down your choice a lot.

Weight might be one such factor.

Top speed might be another.

I chose my new bike like this. I wanted one that I could manage to lift out of trouble alone plus better on soft grounds, and one that was fast enough on the Chilean motorway.

Hi Patric,

Thanks for you nice words. But I am not any real adventurer, rather accountant that got bored of all that and was given a camera

I started the trip thinking about treks, bicycles, done a lot of horse riding and then got completely crazy about the bike. Comapring to other things it is so much more of a freedom. Starting soon again. Have maps all over tha place. The best moment I think. Trying to extend it as much as possible to let this pleasure last for some time. Then when I start usually do not feel this trip until back home again.

Just tried honda xr 600 l, ktm 640 and new tenere - completely different bikes yet sth similar in the spirit. Dont know which one to take. Nice dilema. But I think I will take one of them for a trip to the East - Russia, MOngolia and then maybe States. Although being from Poland now will not make the things easier in Russia after we have signed the treaty last night with US on anti missails deal

Best regards
Konrad

Hola Horses,

My parents liked Chile from our pictures so much that they are flying to Santiago in a month time. Good choice, envy.

rgds
Konrad

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Please look here:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...267#post203209

__________________
Poul
May you enjoy peace and good health !

Ok, i'm going to sound a little confused i am sure ... but this is because i have done most of my traveling on a relatively small bike (84 XT 250) in a big country (Australia) with some travel in Asia as well.

Now i have bought a 95 XTZ 660 Tenere (which i am really happy with) and will use it Aust and also for RTW travel as well. Mine is a few years old and cost $4,000 Aust, so not expensive like buying a new one ... or a BMW ect.

So why buy a big bike? For me it is gear and to cover some kms in Aust whilst carrying camera equipment for professional work (video and Photography). Sometimes 2 up as well.

But i don't think this would be the right bike for what you say you want. the lighter 400s would be better and still go at a good speed when you can ... but enjoy the the back roads as well.

I am also about your height, and the Tenere feels heavy and tall ... so i'll play with seat ect but it is a heavy bike i think. I am sure the newer bikes, what ever one, are lighter but also more expense.

So hopefully i have broken the habit i recommending what is best for me rather than that i am trying to recommend what is my view of what is best for you. Whatever bike you get it is how you ride it that matters most.

Have fun

Z

When you want to prepare a travel, you need to envision the worst cases so that you stay safe.

You will be travelling on gravel roads in poorly equiped and lowly populated areas. So you need to be fairly independant. This means you need :

A bike that you can put back on wheels alone when you fall off.
A bike that you can fix yourself easily or that someone with usual mecanical skills and equipment can fix for you.
A bike with widely available parts or can be wielded without damage.

The vibrations you ll endure on trails excludes recent bikes stuffed with electronics (abs, injection...) since they ll suffer first and you wont find anybody to fix it.

The weight limit gives a natural preference to mono cylinder machines.

Basicly the best choice for your travel would be the 90s mono trail bikes.

I did all the countries you mentioned with 600 xte and never got seriously stuck, always found somebody to repair the machine and the motorcycle was very tolerant to my careless style of driving and maintaining the bike. I sometimes let the oil tank go down to one liter and the machine kept on going. I got the cylinder reshaped several times for cheap and quick. When original parts we not available, other parts would fit in without problems.

No need for liquid cooling, it adds weight and forces to more maintainance. If you can get an optional kickstart and a central stand, you are 100% safe with this motorcycle. No need for a larger tank as well, the original range is about 300 km and a 10 liter spare tank on the back will give you 200 more kilometers to go.

This machine is widely available in Europe, unfortunatly USA stopped importing them in 93 (i bought a second hand one in 94 in Charleston).

enjoy the ride

forgot one thing : not only an older bike not only gives you more mecanical tranquility but also more security regarding thievery and a lighter motorcycle is easier to move around to safer places like the backyard of a youth hostel or even inside your ground floor motel room.