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25 Jul 2017
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You will be perfectly fine with a 250 cc bike. You wont be able to ride at Autobahn speed and you wont be able to carry loads of luggage - something you will be happy for in the end. It will be perfect for most of Asia.
Wasnt it just recently a young german bloke who travelled Europe to southeast-Asia on a Kawa 250 that posted here on the HUBB?
Of course any bike will need some upgrades, bigger gas tanks for those small 250s, seat, footpegs, handlebars, maybe suspension, lighting etc, but any bike will need some upgrades.
If you choose something bigger a Honda Transalp or a Suzuki V-Strom are good and reliable bikes although heavy! They will take a lot of beating.
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Last edited by Snakeboy; 25 Jul 2017 at 19:09.
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25 Jul 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyy223
I usually travel with 8KG on 4 week trips to asia, add maybe a tent (maybe i will mainly stay in hostels, not sure yet) and the motorcycle clothes and some spare parts and tools...should be around 30KG of luggage maximum.
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Try to limit luggage, tools, racks, bags to around 22 kgs. or so. You can do it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyy223
EDIT: I've just found out that there are more light adventure bikes coming. In 2017/2018 they want to release a Suzuki V-Strom 250, BMW G310 GS, KTM 390 Adventure and Royal Enfield Himalayan, maybe the WK400Trail also gets available in Germany. I atleast know now that i don't want a 650ccm+ bike ![Wink](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/wink.gif)
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All good bikes but some are BRAND NEW models, therefore, you will not find used examples .. so you must buy NEW. Buying new is very expensive, so a lot depends on your budget and how much you want to spend on a bike that is likely to get beat up once you go traveling.
The original CRF250L model has been around so USED examples out there for sale. Shop around. You can buy a larger tank, not too expensive. You can also up grade suspension. But if just doing road riding you will be OK in standard form.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyy223
The Problem I see with the Honda CRF250 Rally is that the tank is very small and it might be superior to the other bikes in case of heavy off-road Biking but i am not planing to do tracks with it or something like that, i will avoid every highway i can avoid (by highway i mean something like Autobahn btw, i never remember if the right word is highway or freeway :P) with SOME lose roads or some tracks across fields. So roads a car can pass, i will not ride throu forests n shit ![Very Happy](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/biggrin2.gif)
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No worries, I know about 5 words of German! You're English if FANTASTIC! ![Very Happy](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/biggrin2.gif)
The Rally is NEW, so will be hard to find a good deal on and aftermarket items will take a while to reach the market. (things like larger tank, better seat) The Rally is a beautiful bike but quite heavy, IMO. (compare to Yamaha WR250R)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyy223
Probably the others are better for me then since they offer some more power and are still not very heavy.
So the Competition will be:
- Honda CRF250 Rally
- Kawasaki Versys X-300
- Suzuki V-Strom 250
- KTM Adventure 390
- Royal Enfield Himalayan
- WK400 Trail
- BMW G310 GS
The Kawasaki and Honda are still my favourites tho, the Suzuki is not really capable of off-road riding and the royal enfield and WK400 are not available. KTM Adventure 390 is 2 heavy i guess. I somehow just don't want to buy a BMW, not sure why xD
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I agree with your favorites. The Versys X-300 looks very good, could be the perfect bike for you. If you go Honda, buy original CRF used. Save big money.
But ride as many as you can ... make your choice! (you can rent one in Thailand, maybe they have the X300 Versys there too for rent? (I believe it is made in Thailand along with the CRF)
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25 Jul 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog
Try to limit luggage, tools, racks, bags to around 22 kgs. or so. You can do it!
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I will actually just bring my 45litre Backpack, put it into a drybag and add some second pair of shoes, my camera/electronics stuff on a lowepro photosport 200 on my bag and the spare parts/tools/water into the bags on the side of the motorcycle. The Motorcycle stuff is what i wear anyway. We will see how heavy that really is in the end
Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog
All good bikes but some are BRAND NEW models, therefore, you will not find used examples .. so you must buy NEW. Buying new is very expensive, so a lot depends on your budget and how much you want to spend on a bike that is likely to get beat up once you go traveling.
The original CRF250L model has been around so USED examples out there for sale. Shop around. You can buy a larger tank, not too expensive. You can also up grade suspension. But if just doing road riding you will be OK in standard form.
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Yeah if i buy one of the listed bikes i will buy in 2019, so there should be 1 or 2 year old bikes on the market then. The thing about the CRF250L is that the cheapest used one i can find is for 3400€ right now
https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/d...d=MB&fnai=prev
Probably im looking for the wrong one?
If i buy one for 3400 and add a bigger tank etc. i am very close to the price of a new CRF250 Rally.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mollydog
I agree with your favorites. The Versys X-300 looks very good, could be the perfect bike for you. If you go Honda, buy original CRF used. Save big money.
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Yeah i will test the CRF250 and the Versys ![Smile](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/smile.gif) Im not too sure if i buy a new bike in Asia. Im not even sure if Southeast Asia will be my main goal, im more likely looking for China and then Nepal/Japan/Southkorea, since ive been to Southeastasia so many times. But i can also change my plans, that part of Asia is ****ing beautiful!
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26 Jul 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skyy223
Yeah i will test the CRF250 and the Versys ![Smile](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/smile.gif) Im not too sure if i buy a new bike in Asia. Im not even sure if Southeast Asia will be my main goal, im more likely looking for China and then Nepal/Japan/Southkorea, since ive been to Southeastasia so many times. But i can also change my plans, that part of Asia is ****ing beautiful! ![Smile](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/smile.gif)
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You probably know this but in case you dont, to get into China you need heaps of permits and paperwork done and you need official guides by your side - and its all very very expensive. And then further to get your bike to Korea and Japan - well it will be quite costly shipping. From where would you ship your bike to Korea? Nepal maybe? Then you will have to fly it and thats expensive. Also remember that you need a Carnet to get into certain countries such as Iran, Pakistan, India etc and a Carnet is also quite costly. You will have to plan your route wisely
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26 Jul 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Snakeboy
You probably know this but in case you dont, to get into China you need heaps of permits and paperwork done and you need official guides by your side - and its all very very expensive. And then further to get your bike to Korea and Japan - well it will be quite costly shipping. From where would you ship your bike to Korea? Nepal maybe? Then you will have to fly it and thats expensive. Also remember that you need a Carnet to get into certain countries such as Iran, Pakistan, India etc and a Carnet is also quite costly. You will have to plan your route wisely ![MC Happy](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/mchappy.gif)
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Yeah well i planned it pretty wisely already but there is plenty of stuff thats unknown still, i have 2 more years tho.
I'm not sure if this is too much for this thread now but the biggest problems are the weather and the shipping indeed.
As I said in my starting post, I don't want to get throu Iran and Pakistan because of safety reasons. So i will go to Georgia from Turkey and then north to Russia and from there into Kasachstan, whatsoever my unpaid vacation will start in September'19 ![Clap](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/clap.gif) , therefore I will be in Russia/Kasachstan/Mongolia in about Decembre/January. Yeah -15°C, what a nice time to ride the motorcycle... I will have to shift my plans around a bit because I just know that I will NOT enjoy a ride on -15°
My plans are, that i ship away my bike from Ulanbaatar, Mongolia to Portugal after 4 Months of riding. Then i travel for 7 Months in China/Nepal/Southkorea/Japan/Australia/NZ, and decide if i rent/buy a bike in the different countries. After that I fly from NZ to Portugal and drive home to Germany in the last month of vacation.
I don't know how to ship it from Mongolia tho, probably i can better buy a KLR500 or something and sell it there.
So I didn't really plan a Motorcycle Trip around the World but from Germany to Mongolia and then from Portugal to Germany
And I don't need a Carnet on any of these countries.
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26 Jul 2017
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There are tons of "Versys vs CBF250" Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SINyNWwFvFk
The Moment at 08:15 totally makes me wanna start RIGHT NOW
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27 Jul 2017
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Hi,
I find these pages very helpful,
sorry, one is in German.
about Honda CRF250L
Amsterdam to Anywhere - motorcycle trip around the world - Epic 3-year journey, riding 100,000+ km on 5 continents | Amsterdam to Anywhere – motorcycle trip around the world
about different bikes, but especially Kawasaki KLX250:
Endurowandern mit Zelt und Schlafsack in Skandinavien
and
Enduros und Motorräder zum Endurowandern mit Zelt und Schlafsack
And if available used, you might consider a KTM LC4 motorbike
with a special 400cmm engine, which was just a reduced version of a 620cmm engine, I think,
also a bike which should be considered!
These were ordered by the German army some while ago and have been sold.
good luck arnulf
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27 Jul 2017
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I can't help but the Kawasaki Versys X-300 seems like the perfect bike for my needs. I guess this is a question only a testdrive can answer.
Shame that the Honda CB500X is gettin very interesting aswell
Maybe i can test earlier then I thought, my instructor told me that he will try to burrow one of those bikes from a local dealer.
Last edited by Skyy223; 27 Jul 2017 at 19:54.
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5 Aug 2017
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Sorry for these DoublePosts and Ups and whatsoever but i got a bike now. My uncle gifted me a very old Kawasaki ER-5 which he got for very low money for me to learn driving and learn how to fix basic stuff. He was like "ARE YOU CRAZY?" when i told him, that i wanna go around the world ![beer](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/beer.gif)
So i guess this question is gone now ![Scooter](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/scooter.gif) but i really want to buy a newer bike for the trip in 2019 so the questions is still there.
Whatsoever I just found a picture of a Royal Enfield Himalayan and I gotta say that I really really really like the appearance of this bike.
I would love to add this bike to my list, so in the end it will be one of the 4 Bikes:
- Honda CRF250 Rally - Lightest, but Weakest
- Kawasaki Versys X-300 - relatively light but still not very strong
- Royal Enfield Himalayan - Stronger but heavier.
- Honda CB500X - Heaviest + strongest.
The Bikes are getting heavier, but also getting more power. I will testride the 2 Hondas and the Kawasaki here BUT the Royal Enfield is only available in India and Nepal. Since Nepal is on my bucket list anyways, im thinking about just flying to China in 2019, doing my thing there for a few Weeks/Months and then fly to Nepal, do the 2 week hike to the Everest Basecamp and then buy a Royal Enfield Himalayan there and drive it back home. This is something I could imagine doing, this would also solve my time issues (I have to start in Octobre, so i would be in Kazakhstan in about January? That's just way 2 cold for me
What do you guys think about the Royal Enfield? And do you know by any chance IF this is even possible? I mean all i know is that in Germany we have very strict laws which define how the vehicle should be. I guess in the US it's the same, whatsoever I can imagine that in India and Nepal, there are no such limitations. So would my plan work out? Where and how do I register this bike? If i buy it there I would probably go around southeast asia with the bike and ship it from Singapore to portugal, after Australia, where i will just buy a local motorcycle i fly to portugal and pick it up and drive it from east Europe to Southeurope (Balkan) and then up to germany. This would mean i skip turkey, kazhakstan, mongolia etc. so i don't even need a light bike anymore so the heavier wheight of the himalayan would be fine.
And also, do you guys know what price the Himalayan is being sold in Nepal?
Thanks
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5 Aug 2017
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Actually......for what it's worth , I used to love my ER-5...... And I wouldn't have had too many doubts about taking it on serious trips.....
Like the people in this video did :
https://youtu.be/bAQYPGtjKSo
Sent from my P6000 Pro using Tapatalk
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5 Aug 2017
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Haha I had my first driving lesson on a ER-5 and I loved it as well no doubt ![Very Happy](https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/biggrin2.gif)
Liked it way better then the CRF600f, that im driving most lessons now.
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5 Aug 2017
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Royal Enfield as much as I love those bikes has some serious quality issues:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-quality-92263
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Last edited by Snakeboy; 6 Aug 2017 at 15:46.
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5 Aug 2017
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Oh damn thanks for the link. Too sad
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5 Aug 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Snakeboy
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This is true, reviews I've read on Himalayan show serious quality issues. If you ride the bike only in Nepal and India I'm sure you will easily find places to repair any faults. This goes for OLD Royal Enfield models as well.
Royal Enfield should have dealers somewhere in Germany. Look around. I know they have dealers in UK, probably France as well.
But really, best place to ride the Royal Enfield is INDIA. They can keep the thing running. Outside of India? Dunno, maybe not!
The ER-5 seems a great bike. I saw hundreds around UK when I was there. Give it some time, you might end up really liking it as a travel bike! If me, I'd MUCH rather ride the ER-5 RTW than a Royal Enfield.
Get on the ER-5 forums, learn all the weak areas and fix them or upgrade.
Go though the whole bike, re-new everything, check wiring, new bearings, check frame for cracks. If your basic engine is good then very little else to fail. Super tough and reliable bike. NO, not a classic ADV bike but can be converted to travel bike no problem. Better tires, suspension, fit luggage and GO.
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6 Aug 2017
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You know what? Maybe i will do that
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Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
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Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
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"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
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Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
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"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
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