Big Budget.......No Budget

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

No Budget

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Well said.

Note the KLR's shredded radiator cowl and indicator

A KLR without scratches does not look real. You have to make sure you wipe out once or twice or at least kick it off the side stand when nobody is looking

Hey! Who let you out whilst I was away? But somebody rebuilt you...and dropped you...??

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How much does a man live, after all?
Does he live a thousand days, or one only?
For a week, or several centuries?
How long does a man spend dying?
What does it mean to say “forever”? - Pablo Neruda

That was a really good kick off the sidestand to go over on the RHS! It does improve the looks of the KLR however!!

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Dave

Mollydog:
The BMW was prepped to spend several years on the road. The KLR was prepped to do only 8 months.

The guy riding the KLR sure wishes he had a good carrying system like the guy riding the BMW!

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quastdog
Chiang Mai, Thailand

[QUOTE=quastdog;144894]Mollydog:
The BMW was prepped to spend several years on the road. The KLR was prepped to do only 8 months.
..............QUOTE]

How would a bike be prepped differently from a planned 8 month trip vs one that's longer?

hmmm yes well I must admit.

If going soft luggage I would advise not having one of the saddlebags stolen. One saddlebag looks really naff. I am using some donated old ones not up to the task, all straps broken. With a friendly mechanic we fabricated some `wings`from steel to support the weight. Fine on road, on road in Bolivia (ie real off road) vibrations, potholes, rocks too much. Having `wings`upgraded to something like a `cradle`. The top bag is good, straps gave out after 10000 miles which is difficult to explain to shoe-repair guys who can`t read good and can`t do other stuff good too.

Yes, kick off sidestand does improve street-cred for the KLR but would`ve been nice not to do it at 70km/h in the backblocks of Peru.

So yes, in spite of kicking old Quastdog`s ass on the hill climbs and having some good fun in the dirt, the BMW didn`t need 20 minutes of harnessing in the morning to keep all luggage on the bike.
PS have noticed KLR hard luggage frames always seem to be flimsy - we`re always looking for a welder!

For me soft luggage has been a lot of tribulations but hey, saved me $1000.

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The Road To Rio - Locokiwi

[quote=Lone Rider;144896]
Discussing with the quastdog, for me some costs like hard luggage, GPS, hell even a new tank bag are more reasonable when spaced out over 5 years. I still don`t know if I`d get the flash big gas tank but I would`ve bought a new helmet...
For 8 months I have learned to `make do`with some inconveniences to make doing the trip a possibility. When I`m 40 I can spend double on a plush BMW but for now that money is going to stave off the credit card vultures.

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The Road To Rio - Locokiwi

How does one prep for five years of travel anyway? Are you prescient? When they've never done it before, how does one proceed? After all, they
haven't tested the bike or gear to really know how things will work out, or countries, or thieves or corrupt officials?
I guess some guys just have an inate God given gift to sort this travel stuff out?

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

There is no need to spend a heap more money on prepping a F650 Dakar when compared to any other bike. It's got all the quality components on it already with exception of the maker of the suspension. All it needs is a few additional protective additions which you can make yourself.

The Chain Gang :: View topic - Home made GS crash bars.
The Chain Gang :: View topic - Extra bash plates

I made a heap more modifications on ours that I would make on any other bike anyway.


Having done an intercontinental trip on a XT Tenere (3aj) I found that the perfect RTW bike you be something with:

- a large capacity stator to cope with the electrics you would like to have to make the experience just that bit more comfortable (The Chain Gang :: View topic - Accessories Wiring (very long with heaps of pix),
- a comfortable upright riding position,
- low centre of gravity,
- economic,
- good ergonimics (you spend more time on the road than you think and being passed or blown off by smokey trucks sucks)
- good build quality.

And if it were to be something I would want to keep beyond the trips it would have to be good looking with modern technology as well.

As for the 10 grand. Well..... You don't have to be rich to be able to save 10k in a few months. You just have to know what you spend it on. You know how much smokers spend on their addiction??? Or pub drinkers, or porn viewers
Most people do this sort of thing once in their life, so what's 10k in that.

As long as you enjoy what you spend it on. We've got two, and love every bit on it. They are just so easy. Big and heavy for realy bush bashing and sand hill riding but that's what KTM build EXC's and Yammy build WR's for. Plus you wouldn't do this fully loaded anyway.
Keep an eye on the water pump bleed hole, pack the SHB and Suspension bearings in grease and get a 911 and you're laughing. DHL ships everywhere, and so long as the parts don't have a paint scheme, they're not more expensive if not cheaper than the XT's.

As for luggage. I'm all for hard and you don't have to be talented to make it yourself. That way you get exactly the dimensions you want and you can build your luggage around the gear you bring and can incorporate the features you want.
The Chain Gang :: View topic - Home made top box rack and top box.
I've always wondered what happened to your gear when 200kg stacks on top of it when it's in soft luggage. And when the bags are ripped up and you have to make it to the nearest repair place, how do you keep it all in over those km's of corrugated roads?
We had that scenario on our last trip with metal mules and at least we could keep it all together. I do now realise that having the lid locking mechanism as part of keeping the box onto the frame is a bag design, btw.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

I've finally decided to go with a KLR, but now I have a new choice? The new one or the old one? You can still get the "old" and "new" KLR new. Do you think the "new" KLR will have some unforeseen problems?

It seems like almost every new bike, car, truck, or for that matter even toaster-ovens takes a year or two to work out some of the kinks? Any opinions?

Leo

Go new ,it has taken Kawasaki 20 years to work out the kinks ,it might take another 20 to get the "new" one right !
Just kidding !

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

A better all around bike.

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

I've just read all 7 pages of this thread, I am busy like so many of you deciding on which bike to buy next. I have a 2005 R 1200GS which has given me many problems. It is 5 months out of it's 24 month warranty, I am scared of it, the handlebar switch gear has a latent defect, they stop working, mine has done this 4 times now, the starter button has fallen off again, it happened on a very busy day in the traffic. I had to heave this monster off the road, nearly got nailed by a truck because I could not start the lump. Now I know that I will have a big argument with BMW SA about this when they open again.....Yup, they have closed for the year. What do people do for spares and backup when the company is closed? I am really right now with BMW.

I am going to go for something smaller and simpler, a 650.

I would not consider the GS 650, it is made of lead and is not a proper off road bike. The new X650 is sooooooo ridiculously tall that I can only reach the ground with one toe...

I have been considering the new Yamaha Tenere, but it weighs 183kg DRY, that is just slightly less than the R1200GS, the KTM 690 Adventure is not available yet, so, that leaves me with the DR650 or the KLR650, and I have just ridden a friend's new model KLR650, which I found to be comfortable and confidence inspiring. I had a 2000 model DR650 for 5 years before I had the BMW, and it weaved on a tar road at anything over 120kmph, AND HAD A SEAT MADE OF WOOD! So, it looks like I'm going to go with the KLR......

For the time being, I am going to look for a buyer for the BM and ride my XT500 for a while.....with only 136kg dry weight and a fuel range of 350km it is still a great bike in the real world. You can still get 90% of the spares for a total rebuild over the counter from your local Yamaha dealer, really cheap. And I absolutely trust my old XT. The complete engine spares list to rebuild the XT500 engine (piston, rings bearings gaskets engineering and all) cost about the same as the BMW handlebar switch gear, how does BMW justify that?

I just love to ride, and all the posts I have read point towards the new KLR650, do they have any flaws?