Modern Bikes - RTW Eligible?
 

4 years ago I travelled through South America on a 15 year old old KLR 650. It was a decent bike, well equipped with totally enough power. Only problem: it already came a long way did not manage the heat well anymore, so I spent a lot of time at the mechanics, having critical things fixed like suspension, head gasket, radiator, and so on. In the end I crashed it in the desert (RIP). So I decided that my next travel bike should be a (rather) new one. And I'm willing to spend the extra effort bringing it into the country I want to travel.

Currently I am investigating which next bike I could buy. I don't have a certain trip in mind yet (except finishing my Scotland trip before Brexit ****s it up entirely), but the bike I buy should also be able to manage a trip to Asia or Central America, have at least 650cc, spoke tires, a big tank and be rack-compatible and - most importable - be technically simple enough to be fixed be an Asian backyard mechanic.

All the bikes that one can buy today are stuffed with loads of technical bullshit. From heatings over cruise control to ride-by-wire and so on. I never had that stuff and I'm pretty sure I don't need it.

But what bike - that is not much more than just exactly that - can you buy today, which is reliable, ideally quite new and can be fixed by a mechanic instead of a mechatronic?

Thanks for your input upfront ?c?

Interesting question, which is sort of an adjunct to the often raised mechanically simple old bike vs. modern electronically complicated new bike debate.

So here's something to ruminate over. The vast majority of motor vehicles in use where you're heading are "stuffed with loads of technical bullshit". That includes trucks, cars, bikes and scooters and that's the way they've been built for a long time now. And yet somehow they work and they get fixed when something goes wrong.

I'm reminded of a scene I came across in Vietnam. A gaggle of street mechanics were working on an assortment of scooters and motorcycles by the side of the road. Parts scattered all over the ground, kids hammering away. Your kind of guys. But 5 minutes away was a glossy scooter/bike repair place. Mechanics in white coveralls in glass booths tapping away at laptops.

My humble advice...just buy something that's very reliable. And what's very reliable these days are new or newish computer chip stuffed Japanese motorcycles, the Lexi and Toyotae of the two wheel world. I've had many and they never let me down, ever.

But if you have a preference for old school carburated, minimally computerized simplicity how about one of those new KLRs that are still for sale out there?

Best of luck with your search.

DR650.


https://i831.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCF2605.jpg

Virtually unchanged since 1996 and still in production.

Just a motorcycle. No traction control, no ABS, no electronic suspension, or other electronics to fail. In fact, for instrumentation they have a speedometer, a turn signal indicator light, and a high beam indicator light. Period.

Quite sophisticated, but simple, in terms of cooling, (oil/air cooled); carbureted, but once adjusted does not need anything for tens of thousands of miles; very simple maintenance with reasonable intervals, easy to do a full maintenance routine in camp (screw type adjusters for valves); 50+ mpg; and very hardy (crashes and drops are not a problem, just pick it up and ride.

They do require a couple of thousand dollars in mods to become a good travel bike, just like most bikes. Add luggage, some handguards, a bigger tank, skidplate, etc.

Suspension upgrades are desirable, too.

Good, low mileage used bikes can be found in the US for $4000 or less, add a couple thousand and you're set.

My first one was still running fine without problems at 70,000 miles. My second one is just as good at 45,000 miles.



.............shu

Shu knows a thing or two about DR's and beat me to the response.


they are bulletproof. the only problem i've had with mine in the last 10 years is carb issues when it sits for several months. this is really the fault of the owner not the bike. even then, the fix is rather simple: clean and rebuild the very simple carb. if this concerns you, carry some spare o rings and you will be fine. any carb smart mechanic can fix it.


i use my DR for lots of double and single track stuff and after spending a bit on the suspension to carry my fat arse, it is magnificent.


tons of aftermarket support and knick-knacks and doodads to spend money on. oh, and several outstanding sources of very experienced DR wrenchers: the DR650 thread on ADV and drriders.com.


https://i.postimg.cc/Kj767Mzj/image.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/4Nmv9TSk/LGP2016-21.jpg

Unless you want to buy aftermarket rims, you don't have very many choices for spoked and tubeless (minimizing the repair efforts) - pretty much down to a Suzuki V-Strom 650XT.

This is a false saving. If you really want your bike to be fixable anywhere, buy a bike locally - sell it at the end of a leg - and buy another one when you fly to the next leg.

Example: in Vietnam, a lot of the Westerner-focused moto rental agencies will offer a Honda XR150L. It is a truly excellent bike for the country - light, reliable, great on bad surfaces, enough power to carry you and your luggage at a little bit over the normal traffic speed in the country. BUT it's a grey import from Thailand - at 3000 euros new, it's too expensive to be competitive in the local market - so the caveat from the rental agencies is that the ubiquitous village mechanic won't have the parts or the familiarity to fix it.

Nor do you need fuel injection, ABS, disk brakes, electric start, or a headlight that actually illuminates things.

People ride modern bikes RTW all the time. Sometimes things break, and they're expensive to fix or slow to get parts in. Almost never do things break so that the bike is completely beyond repair (short of a collision or falling off a cliff).

The Estonian couple who went RTW on an old GSA has a bit in their book where they took apart the engine in South America somewhere to do a major service and replace some famously wonky crankshaft bearing or such, after 160,000 km on the engine - the rider was very worried about it. Turned out, the part was fine, and he could've easily finished the trip on that engine before it became remotely a problem.

A simple bike is a reasonable argument for a mechanically inclined rider to have the confidence of being able to repair it roadside. If you're relying on local mechanics, buy a local bike.

I'd choose between a Honda CB500X with the Rally Raid kit (the Honda 500cc twin is pretty much a worldwide engine), or the Yamaha Tenere 700 (no active ride electronics, enough power, great on bad roads).

A Suzuki Dr650 would a great «do it all» bike, but since you already have had a very similar bike as the KLR I guess its not the correct choice. And its hard to get a decent one in Europe.

A Suzuki V-Strom 650 will make a great travel bike, not the best offroad bike of course but will do firm gravel roads and even not so firm gravel roads with the right tires. And not so much electronics either.
Another choice even though its not 650 cc is the Honda Cb500 X, 2019 and up or an earlier year with Rally Raid kit. Reliable, very low fuel consumption, cheap etc etc. Not much electronics and as good offroad as the V-Strom if not better.

What about a Royal Enfield Himalayan? Only 411 cc and 24,5 HP but well equipped for travel right out of the box? Cheap, low fuel consumption etc. The BS4 seems relatively reliable too.

PS: Im riding Laos on a Honda Crf250L for the moment, and I can say its the best bike for this area without doubt....

If Suzuki still made the old faithful DR650 I reckon they could clean up this segment. But they don't, at least not in Europe, because emissions and safety rules now dictate that everything has water cooling, fuel injection, ABS etc etc. This is no less true for the GS models that people have been dragging round the world for the last 20 years and aside from the odd fuel pump have been found to have pretty reliable electrics. As you might expect they would, given all the research that has gone into making effective and reliable vehicle electrics for the much bigger car market.

I was asking myself the same question when I bought my travel bike, and came to the conclusion that as much as something simple and cheap was desirable, the ride was enough of an adventure without doing a bottom end rebuild in the Gobi desert. So I bought a 790 Adventure. Fantastic machine to ride, equally at home on or off road, exceptional tank range and light weight and CG. OK it's got all the newfangled electrickery and if something goes pop in the middle of nowheristan it's gonna be a headache to fix it, but I'm hopeful nothing will go wrong. So far I've done an 8,000 km tryout round southern Europe last year and all was well, so Road of Bones here we come in 2020 :)

Good on yer - enjoy bier

The more i ride it the more i like my Husqvarna 701. Not done a big trip yet but its a proper off road bike in the spirit, i suspect, of the DR650. Worth adding to your list of options certainly.

I took a closer look on the Tenere and it seems to be EXACTLY what I am looking for. I really like it! Especially that it does not have any electronics except ABS. Thanks for this advice!

Will try to get a test ride soon :)

However, having said that - are there known cases where bike electronics caused troubles on longer travels?

Well, except electronic ignition and fuel injection of course...

Royal Enfield Himalayan
 

Is robust.
It is made for bad roads.
And it is easy to maintain and repair.
Cheap.

What more can you ask for ?

+1

Depending on where you are going to, Carnets can be very expensive for modern expensive bikes


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I can ask for it not to break down, so I don't need to repair it at all. ;)

oh, lot's of things - more power, more fun, more reliability and durability etc

:D

IMO, it doesn't matter too much if there are electronics onboard - even older bikes have it. Few things that influence my decision:

• can the bike be ridden without an instrument console. IC generally one of the things that break if you do come off somewhere and is an expensive bit of gear to replace. Some bikes like 800GS and 800Tiger uses the IC will not run if there is no IC or if it is damaged. The 2016-2019 AT can be run without it.
• don't use a new model on the market - there is no proper support base for it and if you ask a technical question on a forum, you'd likely be the 1st person to ever encounter this problem and no easy-fix would be available
• what's the international support like for the model? it's unlikely there would be dealers everywhere for any model, but if you need spares - can you get them shipped in? I know BMW will ship parts anywhere, but seeing I can't even get some parts for my AT from Honda Australia for weeks at a time, I'd say its unlikely they'd be helpful in shipping overseas LOL. Obviously a good mate at home to take care of arrangements for you can greatly simplify things.
• personal preference - I don't like riding small bikes, so buying something local does not appeal to me, no matter how much sense it makes. I also like to set my bikes up, so getting on a standard model is always a let-down for me. I ride because I love riding, not because its cheaper etc. So if I don't get a smile walking to the boney in the morning, then I'm not in it.

One thing you probably won’t need is more power....


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Just about any bike made in last 5 years has multiple ECU's for engine, abs etc...

BMW has a huge footprint in the world, especially for overlanders and adventure riders.

I have seen very plentiful and avid BMW bikes in-

Morocco
South Africa
Colombia
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Mexico
Thailand
China

So parts wise...they have a huge reach.

Though I prefer Triumphs for torque and power, mainly the Tiger 800 series, I have owned 3, but only road in USA.

One thing I think a lot people forget, is a motorcycle is only as capable as its tires, and its pilot/rider. Those two factors make a HUGE difference on any motorcycle, especially Tires...50/50 is needed for anything off pavement IMO.

You'd have to get a 40-year-old bike to avoid electronic ignition.
The D-reg DR600 below packed up in Algeria when the 'black box' went as they sometimes did in those days (especially on Suzukis of that era).
Not had a bike do that since so I'd still take CDI over points and EFI over carbs any day.

I can understand where the OP is coming from. A lot of bikes have unnecessary complication – do we really need 3 levels of engine braking? But as has been said, there are many great RTW-ready travel bikes available now which remain just 'black box ignition' also managing the injection plus ABS (which won't affect braking if it packs up).

640 Adv
 

There are some KTM 640 Adv around still, in pretty good conditions. Quite vibey but very tough and ready to ride anywhere, for cheap. I rode mine thousansdof miles in Haiti, Dominica Republic, Canada, Europe, Egypt, Morocco already. It’s my «*ship to*» bike, low cost insurance and import wise, and easy to leave behind if th8ngs go South? I maintain it in top mechanical order for not so much, and will still use it this summer for some thousands more miles on the TET across the Balkans instead of my 790R or shiny R1250GS. Each bike has its purpose. 790R for the Alps, 1250 for touring with... For me it’s a no brainer, if I had only one bike to keep, it would be my 640 Adv. My 2 cents. Ride on!:scooter:

But did you like riding the KLR650? It sounds like the example you had was just old and knackered. Why not buy a newer, low mileage KLR?

Another cylinder, more power and reliability.

The test ride on the Himalayan revealed that it is not ideal for long highway stretches at high speed - it will do it but it made my fingers tingle through the vibrations - I am assured by Chris Scott that these vibes will ease up when the bike has some miles on it.

Power wise it has enough for what it is designed to do but the delivery is nice, lots of low down power. The bike is great fun on back roads - I didn't take it off road so can't comment.

Reliability was an issue but that appears to have been solved pretty well with the latest version.

I don't see a problem with a single cylinder engine - the KLR and DR650 seem to get by.

In much of the world you are not likely to be traveling over 60mph.....you don’t go RTW and spend your time on the main highways


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Not being argumentative but wouldn’t that depend on what RTW trip one is doing?


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STW
 

I suppose you will get your highly strung Nick Sanders types, but most of us here from wealthier developed Western societies see the big travel adventure of overlanding as exploring the backroads (or just ‘roads’) of less developed countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Part of this ‘adventure’ in th Global South is that you soon become aware of your exposure and other risks, and learn that most of the time it’s not possible or inadvisable to ride at speeds you could easily manage on a touring holiday back home.

So 60 or thereabouts sounds like a stress-free ideal to me, though I admit it’s better to not to be tapped-out at that speed (as on a 250 or a Him).

Maybe we need a new acronym: doing an STW (Seeing The…)

Yes you can go around the world on a northerly route and never step off the main highways, but if you are travelling through “ 3rd world” countries then smaller and cheaper will be the way to go. Power and speed are not required. The ability to get the bike through a Hostal’s front door or loaded onto a Small boat would be helpfu.