Hello guys,

this forum helped me to buy a transalp 600 almost 2 years ago and I'm still very thankful for that. The transalp was (sadly) a very capable and amazing bike that I explored Austria, Switzerland and Italy on. Sadly I had to give her away and switched to a naked bike (SV650x) which I bought brandnew (mistake!) and own for around 8 months now. I love the SV650x, amazing looking, amazing engine, amazing fun but I need a travelbike.

In may i start my journey throu England (England, Wales, Scotland) with the SV650x and I'm already afraid because of the seating position , still I'm gonna do it. I'm 99% sure tho, that in the end of the year or even after the trip, I need a new travelbike.

The facts:
Call me boring but ABS is a must have for me. The reasons why ABS is good (for my needs) are obvious, the reasons why I don't wanna miss it, are sad.
I am not alone anymore, my girlfriend is very much into riding with me (and exploreing the rest of europe with me) therefore the SV650x is out just because of the 2-UP cabability. I need something comfy, I want the concept of an adventurebike (because I really like the concept), therefore sporttourers are out.
I don't like to admit it, because I really really like it, but I will not ride alot off the road. I would say that 90% of the time im on pavement, 10% forests/gravelroads. That's it! I took my transalp onto a MX-Track last year and it was fun. But it was also tiring and at one point (when I realized that I can't probably control my wrists/hands anymore after 6 hours) it got scary too

The conclusion: I need an adventure bike for the roads in europe.
BUT, I still plan to do my dreamtrip (riding from Germany to Mongolia within a year) but not anytime soon. I just can't decide if I should buy a bike that is capable of doing that NOW or buy it whenever the time comes, where im actually going.

After lots of reading and reading I managed to cut down my list to 4 bikes.
Suzuki V-Strom 650 (2017+)
Suzuki V-Strom 1000 (2017+)
Honda Africa Twin CRF1000L (2016+)
KTM 1050 Adventure (2015+).

While the pricerange is quiet similar (7k-10k) i basically can afford every bike right now. But which one is the right? Everyone has clear advantages and disadvantages. I have to testride all of them (first appointments are set) but still, I'd like to get some opinions on long term usuage of those bikes from experienced people.

Suzuki V-Strom 650
Lightest option, cheapest option, very capable engine for soloriding.
Question: Since we will do some 2-UP riding (yet I can't tell how much it actually will be), is the V-Strom650 still a good choice? I can see only 2 reasons why I would like to get a 1000 instead of a 650 and the capability to go 2-UP is one of them. IF we really only do 1 big trip a year (3-4 weeks) and some Weekend-Getaways, do we really need a 1000? Or is the V-Strom650 doing the job?
Since I don't wanna switch bikes every year (which I did so far), won't the 650 constantly bring this wish up? I WANT MORE POWER. If I need to chose a bike to seddle down with, shouldn't it be a 1000? I don't see a reason for me to get a 1200+/160hp+ bike. A 1000 is all I need, even a 650 is all I need now. Is the 650 capable enough to fit my needs without constantly making me think about moving to a 1000? Especially in terms of 2-UP, long distance and comfort reasons?

The 1000
If i come to the conclusion that I want a1000, which one? The Africa Twin is surely the best looking, most offroad capable, most desireable bike of those 3, but then again: Do I need the offroad capability especially since the AT lacks roadcomfort compared to the other two? For my offroad needs all of the others bikes do a well job, the others are way better on road tho (i guess).
The KTM1050 and V-Strom1000 are kinda comparable. The V-Strom got probably the most powerful/comfortable engine of them all and makes the best deal for long-distance road traveling. I can't really find a reason to get the KTM but it's look.
In my mind I come to this point: Do I need Offroading? Get the AT, do I care for the look? Get the KTM, in any other case: Get the V-Strom.

Long story short, should I aim for a 650 over a 1000? Or is a 1000 the better option to just seddle down with a bike and not wishing to switch anytime soon? edit: if i ride 2-up with my girl right now on the sv650x (76hp 645ccm) i think the power is enough, will I keep thinking like that?
Should I take in consideration, that I plan this big trip or should I just get a bike for that need WHEN I'm going and ignore those plans now?

Thanks.

PS: on the 6th of April i testride the AT. In may i get the opportunity to testride a V-strom 1000 and KTM (directly comparable). The thing is: a short testride of like 20km will probably give me the opinion that the more agressive and more playful engine of the KTM is more fun, but won't that be annoying after the first 500km of a 4500km long trip throu Spain?

I have an AT (manual), and it’s a great road bike that’ll carry panniers well on my trips. I had an 800 before, and overtaking took a little planning with luggage. Others will say the same about the AT compared to a 1200GS!

I chose the AT because the Honda dealership network seemed to me, in my experience, to be the largest and most available when I travelled. That, coupled with Honda’s rep for reliability, sold it for me. Test riding confirmed the purchase.

When I buy again, I’m going for a smaller cc bike. The AT’s mpg is fine (I generally get around 60mpg), but I’d like a bit more if it’s available. Also, the servicing costs will be less. I’ll probably miss a little power, but that will fade in light of other benefits. Still, I’m hoping to keep the AT for a long time!

My thoughts on your suggestions:

Riding on my own - smaller bike
Riding with pillion - larger bike ( overall comfort / torque )
Riding with panniers - either, although the larger could work better and feel the bike’s working less.

I’d definitely test ride both. When I bought a new bike, and there were several options, I made a pros and cons list and bought with my head. Long term, for me it was the best way to choose. Also, a new seat for the AT is a minor adjustment to make, so don’t let that put you off.

Well for eastern i will spend a weekend with my girlfried in switzerland. She will go by train and i will head there by bike. Then I test the sv650x with her in the alps, if the power isnt enough in the mountains i will get a 1000, if it is, the v-strom 650 XT from 2017 it is (already got an offer, 6k€ for 1200km)

Currently I own Africa Twin with DCT (dual clutch auto) transmission. But i came from Honda NC750X DCT that had just mere 55hp engine. I had some trips with my wife (who is not the smallest and lightest -yep I said that ) on the NC750X and had no major problems. When you ride 2 up and with luggage on such bike overtaking needs a bit planning but it is doable.

See below our Scotland North Coast 500 trip:



Mainly due to lack of power during overtaking and basic suspension I sold the NC. Due to the fact I was very happy with the DCT gearbox there was pretty much no option for me but to buy AT DCT. And I'm very happy with it. I did the trip to Romania with the wife last summer and the bike didn't miss a bit. Yes it is offroad biased with its 21" front tyre but you quickly get used to it. Don't worry 95hp is enough to take you, your GF and luggage comfortably. When you finally plan to ride to Mongolia you'll already have very capable bike to do this (no need to change one).

Below is short video from our Romanian trip on the Africa Twin:



I'm sure both Suzukis and KTM are as well capable to do European trips 2 up but I don't think they are comparable with the AT if we talking about overland trip like Mongolia.

Ultimately it is your choice. Try to get extended test rides because sometimes 30 minutes on the bike is not enough to properly assess it.

Whatever you choose, let us know.

The overtaking might not be the biggest issue, i try to avoid highways as much as possible but getting up mountains maybe is.

The 650 is cheaper and much lighter. Isn't it even better for the mongolia trip?

The 650 vstrom carries a pillion brilliantly. Fuel economy can apparently suffer a bit at times but it can handle it no bother. If you are heavier a rear shock swap might be advised but the same is true of many bigger bikes.

I have never felt overtaking to be an issue two up on my ancient cx500, can't see why it would be on a vstrom. You might lose out on a couple of opportunities but not so much The only reason to go for the bigger one is because you was to make any real difference. The only reason to go bigger is because you want the extra power. Having said that if I never intended to take the he bike off road I'd consider the 1000, because I might well want it just for fun.

A lot depends on how much you feel off road ability is important. I'm getting a travel bike and to me, although it will spend 99% of its time on tarmac, I want it to be capable on gravel roads and the occasional wilderness ride. So I feel weight, and weight distribution, are important, and I don't think the GS or traditional Japanese dualsport bikes deliver that. I believe the 790 Adventure should do (not the R, which is more offroad focused than travel focused), with the advantage that it has an excellent tank range for those long Central Asia stretches without gas stations.

Like you I'm looking at 2020 for the dream trip but I will be doing a tour round Europe this year to get used to the bike, find any teething troubles and prepare my self for the longer journey. The main advice I would give though, is buy the bike that suits you not what suits someone else.

Yes there are many things that are important. In the End it all comes down to the testrides I guess.

My only concern with the 650 would be, that after a while I feel like "I WANT a 1000" and then I'm gonna switch bikes yet AGAIN. With a 1000 I might start thinking "I want a 1200!" but then I really can say, no 1000 is enough. Because as I read the V-Strom 1000 is pulling a fully loaded 2-UP just as easy as a solo rider, while with the 650 you can feel a significant difference. Meaning the jump from 650 to 1000 is much more noticable then any other jump going higher.

The concerns with the 1000? They are more expensive and heavier. The extra thousands spent are probably forgotten after some time, the wish to upgrade to 1000 or the thoughts "I should've get a 1000" will probably stay.

I'd like to find a bike that I stay with, upgrade it, equip it, love it. And for that the 1000 might be the better deal.
The AT got a clear advantage for offroad even tho its heavier. It's also wider and taller (from my point of view atleast) and therefore less appealing for me. Thinking about squeezing myself throu dozens of motorcycles on a "Bike-Treff" in Germany to find a parking spot with that giant is scaring me. Yet again, the "better in offroad" is not really important since I'm not offroading much, but what if I will in the future? Damn I should've get the AT. Seems like the AT is the best in terms of "1 bike does it all" even tho getting a 250 or 450 as second bike is very much possible in the future for that task.
In these concerns the v-strom 650 and 1000 are almost identical (if not completely). That's also the advantage of a 1000. I don't know how topheavy the 1000 is tho, I just sat on a freely movable 650 so far (which fits my body size PERFECT), the 1000 I testsit on a convention was not movable. If it is as low-heavy then the 650 im super happy with it. The AT is not that bad in these concers either.

I don't really know why I keep the KTM1050 on my list, because I don't see a clear advantage over the other 2. The V-Strom is the most boring, therefore most comfortable option, the AT the more fun one with its slim tires.
I have to say that having full power at just 4000rpm (v-strom 1000) sounds like a nightmare in crowdy city traffic but like a bless for mountains/highways/twisties. Fits my riding style 100%.

Yes the AT might be the most "RTW-suitable" of my selection but I think either other one can get the job done.

Buying the bike I like the most and not others is a whise yet obvious advice.
I also remember the advice to "not buy a bike for the trips you plan to make but for the one you are actually doing now" therefore, planing for the RTW and get the AT because of that is not really what im aiming for, would make the decision a bit easier tho.

Since everytime I read about those bikes (in trains, evenings on my couch, when bored etc.) I change my mind alittle bit, I'm 1000% sure of getting the V-Strom 650 on a monday, then I read about the AT and be like "yeah probably worth the extra 2k€. Only the KTM is something I don't really "care" about, even tho it is the one that is most appealing in terms of looks to me.

I'm having a ****ed up and twisted mind i guess
I actually wish that one of the 4 bikes is competely out after the testrides. Just to make it easier. Yesterday I was like "the 650 does it, I can spent the other 2k€ better" but now, I think the V-Strom1000 is the better choice just so I don't regret getting the bigger engine. A V-Strom 1000 + a CRF250L in my garage? That would be amazing!

It's a different make, but my mate has a 650 Versys which he has put 60,000 miles (100,000km) mostly with a pillion and luggage.

Hasn't stopped him embarrassing sportsbikes in South Wales or mixing it with the German GS riders on the Alps. Both with the pillion on board...

650 twins are ample and have many benefits like you say. This modern thing of putting a rocket ship between your legs is daft for real world travel.

You'll know more about what you want & need after you try both the litre and 650 motors.

The 650 Versys is also interesting, maybe compared to the V-Strom. I think I would recommend the 19" f-wheel tho.
The Tracer 700 is out because of the max capacity. Luckily One bike less to worry about.

Yes, the point was that that class of bike is adequately powered for 2-up biking.