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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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  #16  
Old 11 Sep 2009
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Originally Posted by devildiver View Post
@Warthog; Ural+1


Also I think the military bikes used by UK and US, and a few others, are modified off road Harley Davidsons, specially built by the company.
The mil are moving on from the HD MT350 (hence you can buy them on ebay etc) to adopt diesel as the only fuel available on the battlefield - getting petrol there for bikes is a pain 'cos everything else is running on diesel.
I believe the UK MoD will buy (maybe already have??) the KLR diesel engined bike that the US forces have - trouble a while ago was that a much bigger demand for this bike came from the US forces, so the UK went backwards in the queue to buy it.
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  #17  
Old 11 Sep 2009
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very interesting dave, makes sense. Id quite like one of those hercules millitary bikes made for the german army, but thats
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  #18  
Old 11 Sep 2009
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I read that the diesel powered KLR gets around 95 MPG when cruising at speeds around 55 MPH. The company that builds them is trying to put out a civilian model of the diesel bike, but demand is just to high from the military.

Seems like they cost around $18,000. Sure would have to ride a lot of miles to make that pay for itself!
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  #19  
Old 11 Sep 2009
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Hmm, but I get about 85 mpg when cruising at 55-60 mph on my 125, and it only cost me about $4500.
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  #20  
Old 11 Sep 2009
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Hmm, but I get about 85 mpg when cruising at 55-60 mph on my 125, and it only cost me about $4500.

Yeah the diesel KLR would only be worth it if it was bought with tax payer money. But then you might also be getting shot at....
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  #21  
Old 11 Sep 2009
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Its is a real pity that diesels seem so expensive though, I can see they make a lot of sense.

And I hear the Italian model has a reverse gear?
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  #22  
Old 11 Sep 2009
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Its is a real pity that diesels seem so expensive though, I can see they make a lot of sense.

And I hear the Italian model has a reverse gear?
A diesel adventure touring bike is a great idea. In most third world countries it is easier to find diesel than it is to find regular gas. My buddy Mitch once got pulled over by Mexican Police whose cop car had run out of gas. The stopped him cause they knew the bike would have gas, when everybody else passing by would be running on diesel!

Made for a good picture anyway.

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  #23  
Old 11 Sep 2009
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I wasn't going to comment, I resisted commenting for days, but then the bit about US marines and Special Forces adopting it got to me. I mean they're the ones who adopted the M16 in Vietnam, and that was a right POS when it first appeared. There's hundreds of reasons why the armed forces use things, very few of them matter to the rest of us.
This is an excellent comment Alex. The M16 got a lot of guys killed in Vietnam. But I have heard that it was more the ammunition's fault than the weapon's. Because the ammo was getting the inside of the weapon so dirty it was jamming a lot. Giving the early M16 a bad name, when it may not have deserved it.
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  #24  
Old 11 Sep 2009
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This is an excellent comment Alex. The M16 got a lot of guys killed in Vietnam. But I have heard that it was more the ammunition's fault than the weapon's. Because the ammo was getting the inside of the weapon so dirty it was jamming a lot. Giving the early M16 a bad name, when it may not have deserved it.
I also heard it was to do with the way the mags stocked the ammo; that what the whole bagging the mag on helmet thing is all about, to ensure any loose rounds pop away and dont jam the weapon. this didn't matter in early M16 models as the mag was poorly designed anyway, so they updated it to the one in use now.

still though best to avoid discussions on weapons of war on a nice friendly motorcycle touring website...
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  #25  
Old 12 Sep 2009
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The mil are moving on from the HD MT350 (hence you can buy them on ebay etc) to adopt diesel as the only fuel available on the battlefield - getting petrol there for bikes is a pain 'cos everything else is running on diesel.
I believe the UK MoD will buy (maybe already have??) the KLR diesel engined bike that the US forces have - trouble a while ago was that a much bigger demand for this bike came from the US forces, so the UK went backwards in the queue to buy it.
I had heard that the MOD has decided to go "Four Wheels Only" and phase out bikes altogether (except for a certain unit based in Hereford)
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  #26  
Old 12 Sep 2009
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Deal with it. It's the cheapest, it's the toughest, it's the best.

YouTube - Worlds Most Powerful Enduro Motorcycle
What makes the KLR the mosr powerful enduro bike?

It's more of a DS / Trailbike rather than an Enduro bike. Various KTM's are both lighter & powerful.
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  #27  
Old 16 Sep 2009
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What makes the KLR the mosr powerful enduro bike?

It's more of a DS / Trailbike rather than an Enduro bike. Various KTM's are both lighter & powerful.
The price of the bike. The lighter more powerful KTM's will cost you much more. You might be able to buy 2 KLR's for the price of one KTM.
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  #28  
Old 17 Sep 2009
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The price of the bike. The lighter more powerful KTM's will cost you much more. You might be able to buy 2 KLR's for the price of one KTM.
Can't see the connection between price & power?

With your reasoning, a 10 year old Honda 125 would be more powerful due to being very cheap? You could buy 4 such 125cc bikes for the cost of the KLR, doesn't make it a more powerful bike.
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  #29  
Old 17 Sep 2009
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Originally Posted by Steve Pickford View Post
Can't see the connection between price & power?

With your reasoning, a 10 year old Honda 125 would be more powerful due to being very cheap? You could buy 4 such 125cc bikes for the cost of the KLR, doesn't make it a more powerful bike.
I was referring to new bikes.

Also I'm going for entertainment value/pissing off GS owners with this video, more than unbiased journalism. Most of my video's are goofy and full of . Your better off watching my stuff for a laugh rather than education.
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  #30  
Old 27 Sep 2009
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Can't see the connection between price & power?

With your reasoning, a 10 year old Honda 125 would be more powerful due to being very cheap? You could buy 4 such 125cc bikes for the cost of the KLR, doesn't make it a more powerful bike.
How's this for the worlds most powerful bike? Are you okay with this one?

Last edited by halfthrottle; 3 Oct 2009 at 17:59.
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