Hi, I'm planning a RWT and looking at bike options. The Africa Twin and Transalp seem to be within my reach but what about the Dominator? My budget is tight and I don't think spending more money than I have is an option and the Dominator seems like a fairly good alternative. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Steve

Hi Steve,

Great bike for the job.

The only drawback is the tank range, around 150 miles. Plenty for north america and Europe but a hassle in several countries around the globe.
It will be a good idea to increase that capacity with bigger tank but it will increase your budget...

Good luck!

Between those 3 bikes Africa,Transalp,Dominator my opinion is go to the air-oil cooled Dominator.

(plus)Dommies are bulletproof bikes,light bikes,with very good handling and runs with low quality fuel....

(minus)The only problem is hard to find a Dommie with low miles in a good condition...
Consumption is almost the same with Africa...

__________________
3mountainsadventure

Four of us are off to Siberia on Domi's next year. The fuel range is the problem as pointed out in the earlier post. We've overcome this by making engine guards that will hold a 5ltr jerry can on either side, effectively increasing the tank capacity from 16 to 26ltrs.
If you want the details or photos - please let me know and I'll supply them.
(we've also made pannier racks and a large rear rack too)
Cheers
Paul

Acerbis sell a tank for the Dominator. 22 litres. With 50mpg, you don't need anymore>

There is a LOVELY Domminator in the for sale section at the moment I'm sure ...

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I had a Dominator for around 3 years and really liked that bike a lot. Its Honda quality and its many kilos lighter than both the Transalp and the Africa Twin. And less top heavy as well. The only con I noticed was the fuel consumption. 50-55 mpg was the most I could get even at very moderate driving. I also owned a Transalp 600 wich I usually got 60-70 mpg out of even though the bike was many kilos heavier and a few more HP.

Anyway - better suspension and a bigger tank and the usual improvements and it will probably be a great overlander.

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

Thanks Paul. Photos would be appreciated.

Thanks
Steve

If I were going to keep my Dommie and do a RTW on, this is what I would do....

Acerbis Tank 200
Dynojet kit 80
Hagon monoshock 300
Progressive front springs 80
Rally pro guards 60
Renthan Dakar high bars 40
Footpegs 20
Sheepskin 19


Total 799



Sounds a lot but it's PEANUTS to completely sort an Overland bike.

So id you bought that gorgeous one in the for sale section for £1800 and spent £800 on prep, you'd be ready to conquer any continent for £2600.

You can't even buy a smoking BMW F650 with half it's engine hanging out for that .....

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

I met a couple on a campsite they own in Cornwall who have done a couple of RTWs on Dominators - Gary and Loo Hillier. Bluehills Campsite neat St Agnes. Loo publishes "The Motorcycle Diaries". A worthy read if she is still doing it.

http://www.motoadventure.co.uk/.


Sent from my iPhone with a smile

I wasn't trying to compare a Dominator to an AT- Sheffsteve mentioned them right in the 1st post when he posted the question and I have experience of both.

It's chalk-for-cheese and personal preference. I noticed your post before on modifications required and saw the rear shock in there- agree with your list.

BUT...

The wet weight of a Dominator is 181kg. The wet weight of an AT RD07 is 218kg. Plus you're adding weight on the Dom with a bigger tank and more fuel. So it's not 30kg, but it's not 50 either.

As I said- the Dominator is a lot simpler and easier to maintain on bigger stuff, but in my opinion, it needs more maintenance on shorter intervals than a bigger bike (that includes 'other' bikes, not just AT's) and that was the point I was trying to make.

As to weight carrying capacity: Only a fool? Plenty of us out there and not everyone is minimalistic. I weigh 130kg in my jocks. Add 30kg for luggage and where do you end up. Let's break down luggage allocation:

Trangia + fuel cannistor 4kg
Food (dry and wet) 5kg
Spare parts (heavy duty tubes, patch kit, pump, epoxy, pipe clamps etc.) 7kg
Water (we're living remote next to the desert) 4-10kg
Swag/tent 5kg
Spare clothes and bathroomy stuff 4kg


I'm already on 35kg. + my bulk, and it's a recipe for disaster

Not knowing how "big" Sheffsteve is, going for a Dom might require him to brace the sub-frame. - point I'm trying to make

And Sheffsteve never once said how/which route he is planning for his RTW trip- simply talked about expenses. If he's never planning to go seriously off-road, why build a super-dooper desert machine? Why not go for a bit more comfort? It's really his choice isn't it? Which also make me question "And the GOLDEN RULE 1.01 of Serious Overland travel is ?????????? KEEP IT SIMPLE , KEEP IT LIGHTWEIGHT"

Very debatable but depends on where you're going and how. Then also how big you are how easily you handle a/the bike. My Dad always said- 'if you can;t pick up you own bike, it's too big for you.' But that's debatable to.


And as far seat-comfort: horses for courses. I still have the original seat on my AT and find it more comfortable than any of the other bikes I have.

And I don't necessarily find the AT top-heavy compared to other bikes. But maybe again cause I'm bigger and can handle it easier? But you're right, in certain conditions, it's downright difficult to ride, e.g. sand. My AT is not standard anymore. I preferred to modify it and make it more powerful and lighter, rather than go for a smaller machine. This makes it very nimble and nice to ride, but still not as easy as a small big-single.



SOOOOO, after a very long-winded reply, this brings me back to the point I was trying to make:

"If you're planning crossing dunes, wading waist deep through mud and need to pick the bike up 50 times a day, yes lighter is better. But a bigger bike (like the AT - there's a pattern here) is more comfortable and less tiring to ride if you plan to do long distances or spend many hours each day in the saddle."


And again, I stuck to comparing the AT to the Dom, because Shelffsteve listed them. Not because I prefer the AT (which I do). I was not trying to trash the Dom.

__________________
Squily

The right answer is...

There is no right answer...

They're all good bikes aren't they... All with their problems and all with their right applications.

I've got an XR650L too. The real off road version of the Dommie. That's a great bike. Even more simple but needs the subframe beefing up a lot.

Or is the Dommie the tamer version of the XR650L ?? Or is that the SLR650 ..




And there is no way I'm trashing the AT... It's in my top three favourite bikes of all time...I've off-roaded and travelled on one... Now I'm looking at Africa Twins on Ebay again


About the weight thought... No matter what the numbers say, the AT feels twice as heavy as the Dommie.. And I move bikes around all day long in my job.. I'm 6', I train a lot and consider myself pretty fit and strong... And I'd never take one RTW. Size limits your options. In many ways..

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

"Size limits your options. In many ways.. "

Agree, but it swings both ways. Where you are on the scale, is for you to decide.

I've been looking for a Dominator now for the last 7 years. But all the ones that are well-priced, are 5000km away. All the ones close, are too expensive. I think it's a good all-rounder if comfort is not important. BUT, I (me and my opinion) also find the 650 engine seriously underpowered, so for me, I'd do the pipe, the dynojet kit and a high compression piston (fully understanding that reduces the reliability, but I'm a power-junky).

Also- I'd probably trash the fairings and low-guard immediately. I had and XL350 Sahara once upon a time, and the plastics just got int he way. So eventually opted for a naked trail-type bike. But that's just me.

Further on my list- I'm not sure the bigger tank is worth the expense, the draw-backs or the effort. I'm planning to go for low-slung jerry-cans on the side of the motor. Cheaper, lower weight distribution, removable and more fuel capacity.

In the end, Id' probably just modify my XR600 to do the job. But oh how I hate that kick-starter in the mud...

__________________
Squily

Size limits options.

Unless you're an off road god, big bikes are horrible in sand, mud. And if you want to Overland in the most beautiful, adventurous places in the world, you HAVE to ride a lot of off-road. You often avoid that track you might have taken on a smaller bike.


Shipping is more expensive, you can't fit bigger in hotel lobbies in rough towns, you can't load big bike into small boats to cross rivers, It's VERY tiring riding and picking up big bikes off-road, you're more likely to crash, big bikes break more when you drop them. etc etc

Don't get me wrong though. If I'm not going off-road I'd prefer to ride the bigger bike all day long... Who wouldn't !!


As for power.

They are horribly restricted from the factory.. My XR650L has been de-snorkled, jetted, new exhaust etc.. It pulls like a freight train now. I could totally beat a stock Africa Twin in a drag race. I open that throttle hard and it pulls me up to 80mph with no problems.

Compare that to my un-tuned dominator and yes, you have a VERY good point. It feels like a bike with half the engine size. It's still powerful enough for a RTW though. It's very low tuned which makes it economical and reliable..

Price

The price of Dommies goes from about £1000 for a RAT to £1800 for a clean, well looked after machine. You need to spend about £500 to get a Dommie 'Sorted'... I think that is a BARGAIN for a bike in a style/generation which is quickly disappearing.

Soon all we will be able to buy is overpriced BMW's with horribly complicated 'dealer required' electronics or Japanese 'pretend' adventure bikes which are all imagine and little else.

I think the Air cooled, Carburetored, steel framed, 'light weight' and easy to self service/repair adventure bike is a dying breed. They will be rare in 5 years.

When someone wants to do a 5 year RTW and doesn't want to ride a bike that they don't have to plug in every few months to keep running or need a NASA qualified technician to diagnose; or spend ridiculous amounts of cash or parts, then it's these bikes they will be looking to.

I'll be keeping my XRL AND my Dommie. And I'll probably buy another Africa Twin too

__________________
Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Squily and Touring Ted both make valid points on both the Dommie and the AT and I am grateful for everyone's input me being an out and out sports bike rider your comments are well received.

Since I wrote the post I have bought a 1989 Dommie with 23k on the clock which has had four owners with the last owner looking after the bike for over thirteen years. I paid under £1000 and for my money I got a bike that is in excellent condition with a tall screen, braided hoses,Lazer pro enduro exhaust, progressive front springs and Wilbers rear shock and the guy threw in some well made aluminium panniers. In addition I'm close to sourcing an Acerbis 23 litre tank.

Ted makes a good point in keeping it light and simple although Squily cites the extra power and less frequent servicing of the AT as a strong point and after having my first ride out in the Peak District on the Dommie at the weekend I feel the power issue could be a problem (or is it the fact I am used to SP1 warp speed acceleration?) along the way.

My reasons for choosing the Dommie were the simplicity and the weight of the bike and also cost given the fact carnet's will have an effect on my budget.
I did my research and found that both the Dommie and AT have their own faults and nuances but I swayed towards the Dommie as I felt it suits me, my budget and my mechanical expertise (which is limited).
I feel confident the bike will do the job and after seeing various reports on how the Dommie devours oil, has a plank of a seat, will only see 80 mph before it implodes, has chocolate suspension and a petrol tank from a lawnmower I made my decision through your input and not just my own ill informed opinion(s).

I am planning my trip around the world for next year so plenty of time to get to know and hopefully love the bike and convince myself I made the right choice.

Probably wont sleep much tonight after Squily's comment about large tanks causing overheating :confused1: Really grateful for all your help and advice and I'm sure I will be bothering you all again soon.

Steve

You made a choice (and choosing between AT or a Dommie, I don;t think there is a wrong decision- just personal preference).

Now just plan and prepare around it. Build on the strong parts of the bike and strengthen the weak. All bikes are good if you know where there weaknesses are and you look after them (in that regard).

• Overheating problem- like Ted said: consider an oil-cooler. Or fit an oil-temp gauge and keep an eye on it.
• Oil-consumption: make sure you rigorously check it
• Seat comfort: pad it or some sheepskin
• Low power: Dyno-kit, aftermarket can and even perhaps a high-compress piston.

Sounds like you got it for good price. I'm sure you'll enjoy every moment of the bike. Dommie's are an excellent platform to start from and you can personalize the bike to fit your every requirement.

Safe motoring

__________________
Squily