It would be good to know why people chose a specific bike - cost, brand, features. maybe it would help everyone get a better idea?

I currently ride a 2005 DR650 with 26000kms, not many mods apart from windscreen, heated grips and large fuel tank. Got it second hand, plan to upgrade suspension and fit a rear rack for soft panniers. Cheap so far.

thanks,
FR

DL650 Weestrom: Chosen for the deal on buying it, range/fuel economy and a reputation for doing most things quite well.

The dealers pushing their brands all shot themselves in the foot with offers that assumed I cared less about what badge a bike had and which Starbucks their other customers were drinking at. I can see there will be a Chinese brand in my future, but maybe not this decade.

Andy

Hi,

The Honda Transalp is known as one of the most relaiable bike on this planet. Many people before have done more then 200.000 km on the first engine. Also this bike is very cheap in Germany and many used parts are available in case of an accedent so i used it to go to university and later on around africa with it:

Riding the rough west coast through Africa part 3

For Southamerica i decidet to use the same bike as most of the the locals do: A Honda CGL 125. This bike is very cheap there, with it i dont look too fancy, all parts are available everywere and i dont had to ship my transalp:

Motorbike trip around Southamerica: Chile and Argentina part 1

Travel save, Tobi

BMW R100GS:

Chosen because we considered it to be the most suitable for a 2 up trip from the UK to Cape Town (21 years ago).

Still loved for it's comfort, simplicity, reliability and pure charm.

Lots of other bikes have passed through the garage in the intervening years and many are still there but the GS is the best all rounder.

I have an F800GS. I bought it new, as I want any issues to be my doing! Not the cheapest, but I don't drive so it's my only transport; this, in my mind, justified the expense!

I bought it for a range of reasons. I'd seen many GS's around, but preferred the 800 to the 1200 having ridden both. Mine does 60mpg, even if I ride with more spirit; in my mind, this is really important if I'm riding 1000's miles. I like the fact that there's lots of Farkles already available, so I can choose from plenty of toys if I wish. With a replacement seat, it's very all-day comfy. I love this bike. In the past, I've thought about changing bikes often. Not this time. I'm going to ride it until it won't work any more (no jokes!).

Another main consideration is that my BMW dealership is excellent; they're very helpful, offering help well above what's required. It's for this reason I'd happily buy from them again.

Motorcycles are like wives.Some men are happy with just one .Some have to trade in from time to time as newer models come on the market and requirements change .

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Hi,

Dont make jokes like this. In other forums you can read more and more about the F800 is having serios engine trouble with only very little kilometers. When you go to change the oil on a japanese bike you have to change the engine on F800

800GS.de - Motorschaden an meiner F800GS mit 17.000km
F800-Forum.de - F 800 GS - F 800 R - F 800 S - F 800 ST • Thema anzeigen - Motorschaden an meiner F800GS
Motorschaden F800 GS

The 1200GS seems not to be much better. Its engine even broke down with less then 50.000 km while a magazine took it for a test drive:

BMW R 1200 GS Dauertest : TOURENFAHRER ONLINE

Its not that i think BMW cant make good bikes i think they just dont want anymore. The old bikes like R80 etc. were really good. Now I think its like with the bulbs when they specialy reduced the live of a light bulb down to only 1000 hours to sell more of them:

Obsoleszenz – Wikipedia

Even TV stations start talking about companys who specialy reduce the live of there products now (just a quick google search):

Kaufen für die Müllhalde 1v5 - YouTube
'Verfallsdatum' für Konsumartikel und -geräte - Plusminus 29.03.2012 - YouTube
Kalkulierter Ausfall (Obsoleszenz) - was! 25.04.2012 - YouTube
Obsoleszenz: Elektrogeräte eingebautem Verfallsdatum - YouTube

I would only take a new bmw if i would get it for free like in long way round/down

Hope all your "only transport" bikes reach more then 150.000 km too, Tobi

Yamaha XT 600 E: TOURENFAHRER ONLINE
Honda XL 600 V Transalp: TOURENFAHRER ONLINE
http://www.adventure-travel-experien...22.07.2011.pdf

The same for me and my '91 80GS, it is not the best at anything but is an excellent alrounder. There might be more up to date bikes out there now but for the price of one of them I can spend 6-12 months travelling on what I already own.

KTM 990 Adv

PROS
Its awesome

CONS
Its awesome

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2009 XT660Z

Why? Well I wanted something new-ish after years of running old shonkers, and out of what's still available it's pretty much in a class of one.

- Cheap (rules out KTM and the big multi-cylinders)
- Efficient (rules out KTM)
- Rally bike looks (rules out more or less everything but the Tenere and the KTM ADVs)
- Proper off-road capability (rules out Transalp, V-Strom etc)
- Motorway capable (rules out sub-600cc singles and anything without a decent screen)

Plus my mate had one and seemed to be having fun.

What else is there?

I have made a lot of changes from the stock bike over the two and a half years I've had it, but most of the serious ones have been because I'm dumb enough to take it racing. If I was just using it for commuting, trail-riding and travelling it would probably still be pretty much stock.

2009 Suzuki DR650, paid $5000/3100 pounds sterling for a used one and at least the same again in mods, has screen, Safari tank with 700 km/400 mile range, comfy seat, air cooled, simple, reliable, easy to service, easy to fix with a big hammer, its taken my wife and me around SAmerica 2up, its been dropped more times than a buttered hot potato and it still going strong....

The only real weak point is the muppet riding it....

Its a shame you cant get new ones in the UK any more, or id have one over there too!!!

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Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

I have always ridden Meriden Triumphs Up until I retired and moved to France. The warm weather inspired me to take up biking again so I bought a BMW r80rt. good bike but after four years I just had to give it up.
Too heavy, too tall and just plain unergonomic. was always a clumsy thing.
I went to Uk to buy its replacement, I had two bikes lined up. an Enfield electra and a 1970 Triumph. as it happened I got to the Enfield first and bought it. Specifically it was an Electra. These have a good gearbox ( Quicker changes than with the BMW although there was nothing wrong with the BMW box, just slow to change). front brake as good as or better than the BMW, rear brake 100 times better. low speed handling and offroad handling is better but think past 70 the BMW is more stable on motorways,, But then 70 is approaching the speed limit for the Enfield
The Electra can easily be changed back to having the gearshift on the right and rear brake pedal on the left where they should be. This made the bike very ergonomic for me. gearshifting and braking now just happens without any thought on my part. I wrecked my right knee twice in car accidents and spent a few years learning to walk again. There are days when I would rather not have to kickstart a bike. I liked having electric start on the BMW so chose the Enfield model which also had an electric start. Since having the Enfield I do miss the virtually maintenance free shaft drive of the BMW.
What I also discovered in the couple of weeks before I fitted the RH gearshift kit was that the BMW was just awkward for me and much that I had blamed on having the gearshift on the wrong side was in fact due to the bike being unsuitable for me and not just the gearshift.

I have since ridden a friends MG Breva and have to say if I ever change the Enfield I would probably get one of those.

What I do find is although the Enfield is slower than the BMW in mph I seem to get more miles per day with the Enfield. This is partly due to it being easier to ride for longer and also I don't have to stop for fuel half as much. With a cheap (£200) aftermarket bigger tank I can get a 400 mile range from the same sized tank on the BMW that only gave me 220 miles.
People moan about having to check tappets every 3000 miles, but that takes less time than it does to stop and fuel up the BMW. It is also a LOT cheaper.

For me it's my R100GS PD. These bikes are versatile, comfortable and easy to ride over a long distance. Also airheads are well suited to shade tree repairs. For example, I've had the gearbox out of an R100RT and repaired it in a day on a Pyrenean campsite, when my brother's gear change spring broke on the way to Portugal a few years ago.

My bike has covered a huge distance (343000 miles). The engine has been completely apart once, because a pin that retains the front main bearing came out, allowing the bearing to move and shut off the oil supply to the heads. No damage was done and although I replaced the mains and big-end shells as a matter of course; it was not necessary to grind the crank. Apart from that it has consumed two sets of valves and guides, a set of rockers and a couple of cam chains. Oh and the cylinder heads have been dual plugged and gas flowed.

The gearbox has consumed three sets of bearings and one set of gears, and the drive shaft replaced three times; the last time with a shaft that has u/js that can be replaced. The final drive has never needed attention apart from an oil seal replacement. The clutch has been replaced once. The starter was replaced with one from a Japanese truck. The alternator was up-graded to 450W about 200000 miles ago.

The other make I like is Moto Guzzi. These have many of the attributes I admire in BMW airheads: comfortable, long-legged and easy to maintain. Overhauling the clutch or gearbox is quite a protracted procedure; I'd take on a clutch in a campsite, but I'm not so sure about a gearbox overhaul. But I guess with any bike, if your far from home you just have to get on with it, whatever bike you have.

On my way to Siberia earlier this year, in a Polish campsite I removed my paralever because I thought I could hear a gearbox output shaft bearing rumble developing. It turned out to be a false alarm, but my travel buddy PW took this picture to remind me not to be anal.......

Attached Thumbnails

 

I currently have 3 motorcycles:

A 91 Honda XLR 250.
This is my green laner, bought it because it was cheap and simple and forgiving. It'll go every where but not very fast.

An 07 Triumph Tiger 955i
I love this bike, it's my main road bike works as a commuter and a tourer and the triple engine just brings a smile to your face. As previous people have said I don't have a car so this can be a bit of a guilty pleasure.

A 2010 CCM SR40
This currently under prepareation to be my travel bike for my round the world adventure next year. the main reason we bought it was as because of the low seat and low weight combination and alsot he fact that it is one of the best looking bikes since the XT500. However if the tiger is a guilty pleasure then this is all seven deadly sins all in on little package with a short wheel base and punchy DRZ 400 engine it is the most fun i've ever had on two wheels.

More detail can be found here: The Bikes

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