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What cheap 35+ year old bike would be the best? What cheap 35+ year old bike would be the best?
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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 Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Hendi Kaf,
in Cambodia



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  #31  
Old 13 May 2008
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Originally Posted by peter-denmark View Post
several reason why this is not an option.

first of all, the danish tax system forsees this therefore you have to have it re-evaluated if you perform different kinds of rebuilds. They will taxate you accordingly. The thing is also that it has to pass a roadworthyness check BEFORE its value is decided.

My last option is to cheat and buy a bike in germany and have it registered there with the help of a german (maybe mr. aleman is up for it) then hide it somewhere until I am ready to go on my next trip.

Yes Peter, everyone is doing it, and "emigrating" into some other part of the EU that suits their particular circumstances better.
No wonder the political elite of the EU want to bring in tax harmonisation.
I can't see your proposed ownership of a bike registered in, say, Germany and kept in Germany as a "tax cheat" - but I can understand if a particular Government, in this case the Danish, view it that way. Any Govn will aim to maximise the tax take from their own citizens as "quietly" as possible, so that they are re-elected.
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  #32  
Old 13 May 2008
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You might consider a Yamaha xs650 .
Cheap to buy .
Very reliable engine , faster and more reliable than a BMW 650 .
Two problem areas are
---handling [ new swingarm bushings and steering head taper rollers required]
--- charging [ fit a permanent magnet alternator ]

Then you will have a very reliable bike that will take you on dirt ROADS and just about anywhere else you want to go AND be able to keep up with modern traffic .
Tuning parts and engine conversion kits are available to take the power from 55 hp [stock] to over 90 hp .
Parts are readily available from specialist vendors .
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  #33  
Old 13 May 2008
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The problem is that you are only allowed to cheat if you are rich.

If you are rich you can afford a lawyer who can make thing "legal" that are not legal to people with less money. And since the rich people with expensive lawyers are hard to get to, the government hunts the easy targets instead, these being me on a german bike )-:

If I get caught and they have resonable proof that I am evading registration I will be forced to pay registration + additional fees. For a year 2000 650cc bike this is around 7000euro + fees just to give an example.

In england they dont hunt you as much because there simply isnt that much money to get since registration fees are much lower. Instead they look at insurance being up to date and so on.
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  #34  
Old 13 May 2008
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Talking Tr1
Peter,

no one has mentioned these bikes yet:

1981 Yamaha TR 1 specifications and pictures

Good and reliable with a fully enclosed chain.

John
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  #35  
Old 13 May 2008
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Now we are getting somewhere.



nicest bike you can afford.
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Last edited by mollydog; 26 Mar 2009 at 19:59.
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  #36  
Old 14 May 2008
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I am going to have a look at the XS and TR 1 and report back. Thanks for the suggestions.

Mollydog: I am in Buenos Aires now on an american KLR 650 (-:

But having an american bike in europe is just trouble. It is ahrd to get rid off and the licence plate is questionable in all countries because it does not have the "euro-look". I know it is possible and if I cant sell it down here it will be reality, but it is just not nearly as practical as having a bike that is registered in your own country.

American bikes are the deal! I am pretty seriously thinking about picking up another for my russia trip next year, but what I need now is a euro touring bike.
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  #37  
Old 15 May 2008
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I would say that the older BMs are the best option. Guzzis are expensive as they are not as commonplace. Japenese bikes of the same era tend to have more serious faults such as cams running directly in aluminium cylinder heads, which is fine when it's working but spares tend to be model specificand often hard to get BMW parts are often interchangeable and many parts are common (or at least can be used on) models from 1960 to 1996.

In Africa we found that a lot of the dealers had stocks of service parts for the R75/6 and R80/7 models which were used by the police forces and a lot of these could be used or adapted for use on our 1989 R100GS
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  #38  
Old 15 May 2008
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good point magnon
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  #39  
Old 16 May 2008
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"""Japenese bikes of the same era tend to have more serious faults such as cams running directly in aluminium cylinder heads, which is fine when it's working but spares tend to be model specificand often hard to get """

XS 650 has SOHC running in bearings - absolute bombproof engine .
Spares are easy .
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  #40  
Old 16 May 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodger View Post
"""Japenese bikes of the same era tend to have more serious faults such as cams running directly in aluminium cylinder heads, which is fine when it's working but spares tend to be model specificand often hard to get """

XS 650 has SOHC running in bearings - absolute bombproof engine .
Spares are easy .
Yes, I agree, I had one in new in 1978 for a few years and never had a problem with the engine. I'm not sure how easy spares are these days in Europe/elsewhere
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  #41  
Old 16 May 2008
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Yes, I agree, I had one in new in 1978 for a few years and never had a problem with the engine. I'm not sure how easy spares are these days in Europe/elsewhere
Heiden tuning in , I believe , Holland are the European specialists , Mikes XS are the guys for N America , plus a million parts on eBay .
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  #42  
Old 17 May 2008
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Originally Posted by Magnon View Post
Guzzis are expensive as they are not as commonplace.
On the contrary, I'd say - Guzzis are cheaper than your average BMW, and parts are cheap and easy to come by - although perhaps not in Africa. The beauty of Guzzis, otoh, is that they are pretty strong and durable runners when you've fixed the wiring. They are extremely easy to service and you can even take out the engine on your Tonti-framed Guzzi at the roadside should you need to. But even if I wouldn't hesitate to take any of my old Guzzis RTW, there are probably good reasons why they are not a common sight at RTW biker camps.
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  #43  
Old 17 May 2008
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Heiden tuning in , I believe , Holland are the European specialists ,...
but they do other bikes as well
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  #44  
Old 17 May 2008
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Yamaha XS650. Great motor, easy to equip for long distance travel and very reliable. If I could find a clean one, I'd buy it in an instant.
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  #45  
Old 17 May 2008
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Originally Posted by Max Dongo View Post
Yamaha XS650. Great motor, easy to equip for long distance travel and very reliable. If I could find a clean one, I'd buy it in an instant.
And it's got a lot of places you can hide a gun.
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