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Which Bike? Comments and Questions on what is the best bike for YOU, for YOUR trip. Note that we believe that ANY bike will do, so please remember that it's all down to PERSONAL OPINION. Technical Questions for all brands go in their own forum.
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



 
 
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Old 7 May 2008
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Norway
Posts: 1,379
Quote:
Originally Posted by pecha72 View Post
Do you know, if they actually did any touring with these, or they just took a few photos with guys leaning over in a roundabout, wearing their fancy tracksuits?? (Because thats where they normally fail in these tests - they go test them like they´d test superbikes, and forget the ´real-world´ factors, which these twins are all about!)

They did some touring with a fair bit of offroad/gravel. The 650/800 GS also had a deeper test in the next number and the results was pretty much the same.
But as you say it is a test, they have not used the bikes for thousands of kilometers through hard terrain and opinions might differ. Durability is not tested…

Personally I have not tried any of these bikes!

Some more points: (Link for scandic people: http://www.actiontouring.com/pic/mk2.jpg )

Engine (Power, torque, acceleration, vibrations etc)
BMW800 125
BMW650 114
Kawasaki 110
Suzuki 103
Honda 88

Transmission (Clutch, ratio, use)
BMW650/800 53
Suzuki 50
Kawasaki 46
Honda 44

Chassis (Steering, stability, how it handles, suspension)
BMW650 83
BMW800 82
Kawasaki 81
Suzuki 80
Honda 76

Safety (brakes, stability when braking, ground clearance, weight)
BMW800 82
BMW650 82
Kawasaki 80
Honda 79
Suzuki 72


Comfort (riding position, windshield, instruments etc)
BMW800 66
Suzuki 65
Honda 63
BMW650 61


Touring (fuel consumption, range, comfort for passenger, luggage)
BMW650 71
Suzuki 69
Honda 66
BMW800 65
Kawasaki 63

Total:
BMW800 476
BMW650 464
Kawasaki 440
Suzuki 439
Honda 416



Spareparts (list of various parts)
Honda 16.589
BMW650 16.956
BMW800 17.696
Kawasaki 17.859
Suzuki 22.182

Best light: Suzuki
Most street oriented: Kawasaki
Most offroad oriented BMW800
Worst brakes: Suzuki
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