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Bike for the Wife - Advice appreciated Bike for the Wife - Advice appreciated
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Which Bike? Comments and Questions on what is the best bike for YOU, for YOUR trip. Note that we believe that ANY bike will do, so please remember that it's all down to PERSONAL OPINION. Technical Questions for all brands go in their own forum.
Photo by Sean Howman, The Pamir highway in an unseasonably cold late October, Tajikistan

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Sean Howman,
The Pamir highway in an unseasonably
cold late October, Tajikistan



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  #16  
Old 11 May 2006
Kiwirider's Avatar
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Sl230
Hi

Good to hear from another Kiwi

I had never heard of the sl230, until now!
Does it have electric start?

What your partner has/had, is exactly what I we are trying to achieve.
Thanks for the info, now we have to find one for sale

Cheers
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  #17  
Old 11 May 2006
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Location: belgium but now on the silk road
Posts: 140
Hi,
I drove a yamaha TTR250 from kolkutta(india) to belgium and now i am touring around in southeast asia on a honda baja xr250 and me girlfriend does her first driving here on a suzuki djebel 200.
i really like these bikes. like you said if you one go affroad its much more pleasure and more adventure. didnt see any big bikes do what we did on our small bikes. small bikes are light, cheap to ride and easy to repair. but keep em that way. get a luaggerack, go for softbags and keep the weight down. my girlfriend is really happy with her djebel 200. it has a lower seatheight and makes it perfect for her to go offroad. she did already some nice stuff here in the golden triangle...
good luck
greetz niels
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  #18  
Old 11 May 2006
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Smile XR250 Baja
Ouch! There are some really negative comments about F650s here. Well, anyhow, I’m not plugging them, just saying that the standard bike is lower than the Dakar, a lot of people like them and they don’t fall apart at the sight of a gravel trail. They do get very wide with alu panniers on though.

The XR250 Baja is like all XRs, a very reliable, practically indestructible bike and has excellent off-road abilities. I used to ride one over sand dunes (though not with panniers!) – no problem at all with the right tyres. It also had electric start so if you got one you wouldn’t have to modify it.

The drawbacks are the heavy, small metal tank and the big, big headlamps which can be swapped for parts from other bikes.

There’s some good information on them here:
http://members.fortunecity.com/chorzempa/xr/xrx.html
Stephan
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  #19  
Old 12 May 2006
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honda sl230
Yes they do have and electric start plus come standard with a rack on the back and a very useful headlight with a metal rack around which we mounted a little screen on (keeps the bugs out of her teeth!!!!) If you do end up picking one up get in touch at richrtw@hotmail.com.
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  #20  
Old 12 May 2006
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Sl230
They do look good, we are going to have a look at one tomorrow
And you say they are pretty good at 100km on the road

Cheers
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  #21  
Old 14 May 2006
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Yes they are fine at 100 kph. Just recently I pulled the restricting cover off the airbox and went from a 122 to a 136 main jet which gave the bike a lot more go and even better economy. I'm going to see if it is happy to now run slightly higher gearing thus lowering the revs at 100kph you certainly don't need to do this but it will be interesting to see how it feels. The guy who made the exhaust for my NX 650 did wonders over the stock system in terms of go and he is keen to make one for the sl230 but we shall see!!!!! I hate to change somthing that hasn't rotted away or worn out!
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  #22  
Old 16 Jun 2006
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Smile My bike for your wife
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiwirider
Howdy

Didn't really know where I should post this topic, so sorry if its in the wrong place.

Anyway my wife and I are very keen to start exploring the world by motorbike after our daughter heads overseas for a year on a student exchange in August 2007.
But we need to take things a little step at a time.

My wife doesn't really have any motorbike riding experience (except she is a Swinger on a Speedway bike!!) so I need to find her a bike that she will be able to handle on and off the tarmac.
Her build and height is quite small so I am thinking a 250
I have an XR250 trail bike at the moment, and thought about modifying this and then getting another one for her, but with the electric start so we both have the same bikes.
The XR250 is a relatively cheap bike, the one I brought was a 1996 model, but hadn't really ever been used, it was a commuter bike to work and was owned by one owner, it had only done 4,000km and was fully road legal.

Our plan is to initially start on smaller day trips, then progressing to longer overnight trips, before heading out to explore the entire South Island over a few weeks.
Now I anticipate that the majority of our riding will be on the tar and gravel roads, but I do know lots of trails off-road that we need to explore.
This will be allow us to unload the luggage and go off exploring the more adventurous trails here in NZ.
I realise that the XR250 is quite light, and perhaps not quite as comfortable, so will it stand up to the rigors of long travel, and carrying the extra weight? Panniers etc?
I would really appreciate any hints or tips that you may have before I decide one way or the other?
I really want to know things like
Can you get a bigger fuel tank?
Will the frame be strong enough?

For the New Zealand tours I think the bikes will be suitable as I dont expect to be travelling more than 200-300km a day, but I am thinking of a more leisurely pace

I would ideally love the 650 Dakar, but I need to wait and ensure she is confident before we make such a commitment.

Do you think we are heading in the right direction?

So you want to exchange your wife for a bike? Well I have a little runabout I use for work etc. Ridden every day without problems. Would you swop your wife for my Kawasaki 550 Zephyr? We could exchange photos to check condition and wear and tear. My bike is an "H" reg. How old is your wife? My bike has a few bumps and dents from a previous owner. What condition is your wife in? You say she's "a Swinger". That sounds good.

Good roads

Well I hope I'm reading you right!
Last edited by Caminando; 16 Jun 2006 at 17:57.
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