hi
I'm new to this forum, I'm retired and in a couple of years time after a european trip, I hope to set off on a long journey. I have friends in Thailand and my youngest is in NZ. I currently have two smallish bikes a honda anf 125 innova and a 98 cb250 nighthawk. I was hoping the small one would be the one to use for long journeys, unfortunately my back knots up near my shoulder blades. I stopped riding honda 90s in my 30's because of this. Its a bit of a blow, I'm ok just pottering on it, I just wouldn't be able to sustain 200km days, one after another. So my question is, is my nighthawk a suitable bike? I will make aluminum side panniers, the tank is 16 litres, so range is 250 - 300 miles (400 - 500 kms). I haven't read on this forum about anyone else selecting this bike. I personally don't like today's bikes packed with modern technology and I prefer light bikes. Mine is the european spec one, same as the nz/australian one with alloy wheels, front disc, rev counter. Can anyone see any potential problems.

hi
for those of you who don't know the bike, a photo should be attached. Just wondered if the tyres would be available in most countries outside of europe namely 90/90 18 front and 120/90 16 rear.

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Oh come on guys - This chap posted this thread over a week ago and no one has taken the time to reply! He's even taken the time to post a pic of his bike...

What you need to remember above everything is that some nutters have toured the world on a 50cc MOPED!

I understand that the Honda C50/C70/C90 has been RTW many many times and that it proved bulletproof reliable.

I read a guy recently traveled from Australia to the UK on a flipping 100cc ex postman's bike.

I very much admire anyone prepared to do such a thing!

This means that your Nighthawk 250cc bike is probably more than capable of taking you this distance. Whether or not it will do so reliably or in comfort is a different thing?

You mention a bad back. I too have a bad back (fractured spine in 3 places, spinal fusions etc... etc...). This is the single reason why I can no longer ride a bike over a long distance. These days I come here to the HUBB just to dream and to remember the good old days when I used to tour round Europe and Africa.

Sorry to deflate your enthusiasm but having a badly injured back isn't a good start bearing in mind your intention (or dream). Perhaps you should instead get a plane there and then simply hire a bike to tour when you get there?

You will need to be rider fit for such a journey. I can't ride longer than 100 miles without 12 hours bed rest.

If you really are serious about doing this then you need to give the choice of bike very serious thought. Not only will you need it to carry you a huge distance, you will need it to carry your luggage a huge distance. A 250cc will NOT do this in comfort unless you are just taking your underpants and credit card.

Personally if I were you I would be reading this forum over and over again. Try and find out what others are doing and have done. Learn by their mistakes.

I don't know much about the bike you mention therefore I'm not qualified to comment in this respect.

Remember the bike you use needs to be bulletproof reliable. Next is ease of repair (and botching), servicing and finally ease of getting spare parts.

Not much point breaking down in the middle of nowhere if the locals have never seen the bike you are riding.

You are probably better using something more akin to RTW travel. Your budget will dictate which bikes to look at. If you have a limited budget you should look at older models such as the Yamaha XT600E which is a legendary RTW trail bike. Other alternatives include Honda XR650, Kawasaki KLR 650...

You can buy a MINT condition, low mileage Yamaha XT600E in the UK for less then £2,000. This bike = outstanding value compared to more modern and expensive options.

If you have a healthy budget to spend then you can look at newer models such as the Yamaha XT660 Tenere (£5,000 plus for a good one).

Plenty of riders have done a RTW on smaller capacity bikes like your 250cc Honda. A few years ago the little gem XT350 was a popular RTW steed (not many left now).

Personally I recommend at least 600cc because it has the power to get you and your luggage out of heavy mud. My own preference is to stay well away from anything over 700cc as these things are super expensive to buy, thirsty, bloated and way too heavy. Forget a huge lumbering beasts like the mega-popular BMW 1200GS they are best used for tarmac touring.

All these bikes above are considered suitable for hard-core RTW travel.

There are many other options and hopefully others will see this thread and give their valued advice....

If you really want to use something small then the Honda C90 step-thru makes ultimate sense. Cheap to buy and run. dependable engine, everyone has repaired one, easy to find parts and it's got a RTW pedigree second to none. But be prepared to do it very slowly and to have a sore back side every day.

I wish you well.

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Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).

What Kentfall say's has a lot of truth in it. If you are going to carry a bit of kit, to me you will need a bigger bike. It's hard to say if you, have no idea how much money you are going to spend. You are saying you have people in Thailand and NZ. Is that where you are thinking of going?

To give advice can only be done on experience the advice, the giver has from the way he/she see it. Me I tour on a 1 lt bike. Reason, it will run all day, day after day after day. I'm not stressing the engine at speed of 80/90 mph. Will take every thing I load on to her. I stay with in the EU. Reason. Insurance cover is dead easy. My UK insurance cover's me for all EU country. The road's are better looked after than out side the EU. Not every EU country falls in that category, but most do. More or less one currency, Easy to nip across the channel.

What more can you say?

Where you want to go. How much you have to spend. And how long out. Will get you a better set of answers.
John933

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To buy petrol in Europe. Pull up at station. Wait. Get out a 20 Euro note, then ask someone to fill up the bike. Give person money. Ride away. Simple.

Thanks for the replies, particularly the long detailed one by kentfallen. The yamaha xt600 mentioned looks interesting, I read mcn road test on it, didn't like the sound of 41 mpg. I want to do a long journey not bothered about off roading, I definately want to do it on a small bike, I'm currently thinking of a honda cg125 or my cb250 nighthawk. The ability to do 200 km a day reliably and economically is important to me. My back is only a problem if I ride honda c90/ innova type bikes with low handlebars. I have done a bit of cycle touring so know how to pack light, a small bike would handle my gear fine. I'm leaning more towards a cg125 as I think tyres and spares might be more available in asian countries. Will probably sell my innova and buy one and see how I get on with it. I sat on one once and found it comfortable just like my nighthawk.

Hi,
I'm sure your CB250 would be absoloutely fine for a long solo journey,that old twin motor was used for years in a variety of machines and proved to be very reliable,looked after and serviced it'll just keep going,it is a Honda after all!

I would echo some of what mollydog pointed out. Set up the bike the way you think you'd want it and then take a small trip on it and see if your bum hurts, the windshield is doing its thing right, your legs are comfortable, etc. The bike will be a great tourer for you if you set up the ergonomics right on it. An aftermarket seat, lowering pegs and bar risers could be the small changes you'd need (or not) besides the right set of tires for your destination. The CB500X is a very capable machine.

Thanks very much everyone for your responses. I am disappointed to hear about Myanmar and Thailand requiring guides. We would have liked to stay for a week or so with our friend in Northern Thailand, this would be out of the question. I had already read that Iran requires a uk passport holder to have a guide. What a pain. I will have to do more research on our route. Does anyone know of companies who run tours of groups of motorcyclists through Myanmar?

There should be information about companies that provide guides and permits for Myanmar in this Facebook-group:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/152596798515738

Note that a week or two ago the bordercrossings between India and Myanmar «opend up» in that sense that overland travelling with a backpack etc without permit was allowed. With a foreign vehicle you still need permit and guides.

For Thailand there is also a Facebook-group about the new situation since 2016:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/1024579897597702

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....