Best adventure bike ??????????

josealdo

Hi Guys and Girls ,

In your honest opinion , what is the best adventure bike for round the world trip ?

cheers

Figs

P.C.

figs666 wrote: »

Hi Guys and Girls ,

In your honest opinion , what is the best adventure bike for round the world trip ?

cheers

Figs

All depends on how you want to do your round the world trip.

Some people go round the world on Honda 50's.
Some people go round the world on BMW GS bikes,
And some people go round the world on an R1.

arybvtcw0eolkf

If memory serves me correctly the BMW's on The Long Way Round and Oisin Huges BMW 1200GS both had rear suspension and final drive failures.

I followed another lad who rode a Honda C90 from Singapore to the UK, that bike needed two engine rebuilds before he got home.

KamiKazi

Anything but BMW

arybvtcw0eolkf

KamiKazi wrote: »

Anything but BMW

Why?.

CJhaughey

If you want spares availability in every country in the world either a YBR125 or a CG125
You will be limited in top speed but for one-up they are fine and TBH speeding in developing countries is a good way of finding out how good your health insurance is.
Off road your shortlist will be different.
Have you got a copy of the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook?
Chris Scott's book is excellent and covers a lot of what you are asking.

Del2005

figs666 wrote: »

Hi Guys and Girls ,

In your honest opinion , what is the best adventure bike for round the world trip ?

cheers

Figs

An old thumper like a Dominator/XT/XL or 350/250 trail bike. Or for never ending riding an Africa Twin. Modern bikes have too much electronics, so can only be repaired by an offical dealer, and are wayy too heavy for anything bar perfect roads.

Cienciano

Martin Dead Greenhouse wrote: »

If memory serves me correctly the BMW's on The Long Way Round and Oisin Huges BMW 1200GS both had rear suspension and final drive failures.

I followed another lad who rode a Honda C90 from Singapore to the UK, that bike needed two engine rebuilds before he got home.

Had a final drive failure in mine. I asked the reason and I was told that there was pretty much no grease in there. Keep it greased up and it won't fail. Where did the grease go in the first place? He reckoned there wasn't enough put in there in the first place. Second hand parts got it fixed for €600.


I still wouldn't recommend a 1150 or 1200 for a round the world trip, I'd go for a 650. The big bikes are just too heavy.
CJHaughey has a great point, something like a CG125. Not as glamorous, but anything that goes wrong will be easily fixable by almost anyone! You'll be travelling light and slow though.

Wonda-Boy

If you could get a 650 or so for the easy bits across europe, sell it somewhere in russia and then get a 125cc for all that road of bones ****e!!!!

Please Kill Me

KTM or Yamaha Tenere.

Cienciano

I was thinking a KTM was the last thing I'd go on, but I remember back about 10 years ago when I used to buy bike magazines, some guy went across africa on a Benelli TNT. Think the only mod he had was a bigger radiator and the only problem was a cracked rim when he hit a rock.

KamiKazi

Martin Dead Greenhouse wrote: »

Why?.

Because they're over-hyped crap.

Cienciano wrote: »

Had a final drive failure in mine. I asked the reason and I was told that there was pretty much no grease in there. Keep it greased up and it won't fail. Where did the grease go in the first place? He reckoned there wasn't enough put in there in the first place. Second hand parts got it fixed for €600.

€600??

You'd buy a fair few chains, sprockets and cans of chain oil for that.

Cienciano

KamiKazi wrote: »

Because they're over-hyped crap.



€600??

You'd buy a fair few chains, sprockets and cans of chain oil for that.

Tha lack of smilies makes me think you're serious. Add in a smilie in there Kami!

arybvtcw0eolkf

Cienciano wrote: »

Tha lack of smilies makes me think you're serious. Add in a smilie in there Kami!

Kami never smiles, Kami is angry & he makes baby Jesus cry

KamiKazi

Martin Dead Greenhouse wrote: »

Kami never smiles, Kami is angry & he makes baby Jesus cry

I smile sometimes, but not when talking about bikes that look like this: o.O

Please Kill Me

KamiKazi wrote: »

I smile sometimes, but not when talking about bikes that look like this: o.O

Bollix ya!! :pac: :pac:

josealdo

my mate and i are going to www.horizonsunlimited.com event up the north in july to see past travellers tales and get as much info as possible .

common theme with thoughs about bikes is smaller is better , and me personally , i love japanese reliability . so i guess its a honda 50 for me . i guess a small xr 250/400 would do the job

Bikerguy

KTM if you are milionaire
Honda if you wanna make it.

Tomohawk

A Vespa px200 would do the job, mightn't be the fastest but would make the finish line. Parts wouldn't be a problem either...

arybvtcw0eolkf

Tomohawk wrote: »

A Vespa px200 would do the job, mightn't be the fastest but would make the finish line. Parts wouldn't be a problem either...

Great bike. I loved mine, and carries a heap load of luggage when required although the suspension isn't up to much.

AgileMyth

1150 Gs is the best bike at most things. Not that I'm biased or anything.

philgunn

but not a modern 1100 /1150 or 1200
go for a 800 Twin, Gs might be expensive or a ST , simple air cooled and Reliable , also light to pick up when you drop them , and Smooth for the long Tarmac part , Parts available nearly everywhere

Singles are vibey for the long trip ,

Del2005

AgileMyth wrote: »

1150 Gs is the best bike at most things. Not that I'm biased or anything.

Except getting fixed at the side of the road in the middle of the arse end of nowhere. You need to bring something that can be fixed with a farmers toolbox ie a vice grips and welder:D

Wonda-Boy

A nice honda CBF1000 will do nicely.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Del2005 wrote: »

Except getting fixed at the side of the road in the middle of the arse end of nowhere. You need to bring something that can be fixed with a farmers toolbox ie a vice grips and welder:D

What can be done on a dommie (which you recommended earlier) on the side of the road can not be done to the GS also?.

The dommie is a pretty old bike, they eat oil, chains and rear tyres and have quick rot exhausts, plus the suspension would need some serious upgrading for do any sort of adventure riding.

Here's my dommie on a trail, and tbh as much as I liked her an hour or two of this was about her limits of endurance!.





I think I'd trust a good 1150 GS over an old dommie or XT.

Del2005

Martin Dead Greenhouse wrote: »

What can be done on a dommie (which you recommended earlier) on the side of the road can not be done to the GS also?.

Picked up easily:D

Martin Dead Greenhouse wrote: »

The dommie is a pretty old bike, they eat oil, chains and rear tyres and have quick rot exhausts, plus the suspension would need some serious upgrading for do any sort of adventure riding.

Here's my dommie on a trail, and tbh as much as I liked her an hour or two of this was about her limits of endurance!.





I think I'd trust a good 1150 GS over an old dommie or XT.

Neither bike is really designed for off road use. They look like they can but put anything serious in their way they'll both be as bad unless seriously modified. BMW have had serious reliability issues also.

arybvtcw0eolkf

^^ But BMW make the 650F for girls who can't pick up bikes

I don't know if BMW are any worse than any other manufacturer for reliability tbh because I know beem'er owners who've never had a minutes trouble, I know some who have had terrible troubles but the same can be said for mates who've had Jap bikes for years.

For example a Bandit 600 is very popular, we replaced our Kawasaki GT550's in work with the Bandit and hardly got a year out of all 12 which we got before major mechanical problems eventually grounded every one of them.

Most people in Ireland don't keep their bikes long enough to find out exactly what they're good for, but I bet if people kept their bikes and used them like a lot of BMW riders they'd find they've similar issues over the years.

Interceptor

If you are going around the world and staying on the road all the time then you can arguably bring anything. If you are doing a proper adventure then the only real choice is a medium sized single trailie with electric and kick start. I'd use a DR400 or other air cooled simple machine that you can pick up when it falls over, get parts for in deepest Outbackistan and repair without having to bring a gazzillion gaskets with you.

'cptr

Hotblack Desiato

Something appears to be wrong with your front wheel Maki, it won't touch the ground

Mr.Fred

Martin Dead Greenhouse wrote: »

If memory serves me correctly the BMW's on The Long Way Round and Oisin Huges BMW 1200GS both had rear suspension and final drive failures..

I think it was the rear sub frame cracked on them. To be fair though the were fairly ragging them with a load of weight in the panniers.

Hotblack Desiato

Interceptor wrote: »

I'd use a DR400 or other air cooled simple machine that you can pick up when it falls over, get parts for in deepest Outbackistan and repair without having to bring a gazzillion gaskets with you.

The Mondo Enduro guys did it on DR350s, on a shoestring, with home-made panniers etc. - no guys in jeeps for back-up - no mobile phones - no internet! The TV series / DVD is well worth seeing.

TheFairy

Mondo Enduro and Terra Circa (By The Same Guys) are fantastic if you are into motorcycle travel (adventure bike or not).

Done on a budget with no support vehicles. The bit where they find a wheel bearing for one of the bikes in Mongolia was classic!