Hi all, we have finally come to the decision that the perfect bike for an adventure along the Silk Road is the humble Honda XR400. Would love to know your thoughts on this. Please find the review here: https://saddlesorenomads.com/2016/10...-camel-choice/
Thanks, Ryan and Lottie

Ryan and Lottie
rosa del desierto and I each own an NX400 Honda Falcon and we have ridden the two bikes through 8 South American countries for 55,000 K. I think your XR400s have the same engines?

If so I am pleased to report we had zero mechanical problems with the exception of crossing the Andes more than once at 5,000 meters altitude. Paso de Jama.....Argentine/Chile. If you are riding the Silk Road you will also be at altitude.

What I did was ride until the lack of oxygen inhibited forward progress to the extent that our top speed was a hesitating 40 K per hour. Of course each bike was fully loaded. Solution - I removed the air filter from each bike - this helped a little - at least enough to increase our forward speed to about 65 K per hour. Normal cruising speed is 100 - 120 K per hour.

We were climbing and once we summited, the speed remained about the same - it was only on the downhill that we picked up speed and I was able to re install the air filters. Chewing cocoa leaves and making cocoa leaf tea helped us withstand the cold and lack of oxygen. Even with that rosa did pass out and I had to recline her upside down on a bank of the road so more blood went to her head until she recovered.

Finally in Bolivia I found a mechanic who was able to re-jet our carburetors to enable more air and less fuel and our next crossing at high altitude went better. It is also a good idea to acclimatize yourself for high altitude crossings by overnighting at lower altitudes for several nights - increasing altitude slowly.

Fuel injected engines do not suffer from altitude - but our indestructible NX400s sure did.

xfiltrate. safe travels. One big advantage of the NX400 is the "touring seat" is very comfortable. This seat sealed the deal for us when selecting a bike.

PS rosa del desierto's first South American bike was a Honda XR250 Tornado, but she very soon upgraded to a Honda NX400 for greater touring speed and more comfort. You can see photos of us - her XR250 and my NX400 at our web site: www.xfiltrate.com or go to our ad on the HUBB.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M41_highway. - "The highway then passes through the 4,655-meter (15,270 ft) high Ak-Baital Pass and past Lake Karakul before crossing into Kyrgyzstan to its terminus in Osh. The stretch of road between Khorog and Osh attracts a small amount of tourism due to its rugged natural beauty."

X any trouble with clutch slippage?
thanks

Caminito, my NX400 has over 55,000 K - and I have replaced the clutch twice. I would say that considering my 200 pounds along with all my gear - soft luggage, tail bag and tank including camping gear and wind screen... that the clutch is strong. When it begins to slip, it is time for an adjustment or change. Not sure about the adjustment other than check cable tension.

I am continually amazed how the NX400 has handled all conditions, including about ten % off road. After falling in the Andes destroying the wind screen and bending the gear shift, breaking the clutch handle, all I had to do was straighten out the gear shift and replace the clutch handle.

I suggest using cubre manos to protect both clutch and break handles. And, make sure you install a bash plate.

The NX400 is a great overland bike for South America - parts available everywhere as it is manufactured in Brazil for Honda. Great gas milage and
very dependable.

xfiltrate

The XR4 makes perfect sense for a long offroad adv ride in remote places for the reasons you explain so well on your site.

I am no expert on long distance travel, but have pretty good XR4 knowledge, a few thoughts:

Check the choke plate in the carb. The early versions of the XR4 have a cast choke plate that is prone to brake in two after many hours of use (like you will be doing). Bits of the choke plate can get sucked into the engine, and do damage. The newer models have a stamped choke plate, and aftermarket choke plates are available.

Check/replace the piston, high hour XR4´s pistons can develop cracks on the intake side. Definitely do a top end service before you go.

The subframe is not that beefy on the XR4. It is prone to cracking. Maybe you should strengthen the subframe, especially if you are going to carry heavy luggage.

The stock seat is good for a dirtbike, but not that comfortable for all day riding. Maybe buy a comfort seat or modify the stock one. Or check out Airhawk, they make great cushions.

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Yamaha XT600E '01, Honda XR400 '03, Yamaha XT550 '83

I don't have a 400 but I've done a fair bit of travelling on a XR600 and much of what G600 said strikes a chord.

First the good points:

It's light (compared with most of the old skool alternatives anyway) so it's easier to pull out of bogs / sand etc and you do get (a bit) more tyre life because of the lack of weight.

It's simple and relatively easy to fix at the side of the road. If you've chosen carefully and don't flog the thing to death you probably won't have to do that much anyway.

It crashes well - no radiators to buckle and the things that do bend can mostly be straightened with a hammer.

By travel bike stds the suspension is really great (imho). It's the one area I've never had any problems with whatsoever.

The (600) engine characteristics are well suited to overland travel.

On the other hand:

The subframe is weak and needs quite a bit of thought about how to reinforce it. You'll need to be creative with luggage fitment.

It's stepladder tall so, unless you're equally tall with long legs, it's a pain to get on (off isn't so much of a problems as it's downhill). That's ok when you're full of enthusiasm and adrenaline at the start of a trip but after a long day when you're hot and tired you can really get to hate the bike.

The seat and tank are not great. The seat because it cuts you in half after about an hour and the tank needs to be at least twice the size.

It's kickstart only - believe me there are times when you'd happily trade a few extra kilos for an electric start. The 400 has to easier than the 600 but it's still going to require more mental than physical strength to use it at times on a long trip.

It's very simple electrically. That's a good point mainly but it does mean you'll have to watch what else you run from it. On the 600 I could run either my electric jacket or the lights but not both at the same time.




The 600 in Western Sahara some years ago