Adventure bike recommendations?

[Bikemad]

Howdy all...........have been watchin some footage of a bunch of guys,The Great Amigos,riding the south island back roads and Doc trails and thought i might have a crack at that myself soon and was wondering what bike you experienced guys would suggest.
Cheers in advance yall

[pete-blen]

The two that jump to mined...
DR650 or KLR650..
Suzuki DR a good basic , bullet proof bike..Main stay of the adventure mob...
Kawasaki KLR A bit more roady.. but just? as good...

Yamaha XT660R..good bike..but I had to spend a few $
on mine to get it as I wanted it...
Honda XR650 prob the best dirt bike of the jappers
if you don't mined kick starting a 650 single.....
Also the Yamaha XT600 Theres still a few later model ones around &
cheaper rego....
Theres lots of others... just depends how
much & type of off road rideing you intend
to do...

I stuck with the 600/650 range because of there abillity to cover
the black boreing bit to get to the fun bits...

[Bikemad]

cheers for the reply Pete..............would like to stay under the 10k mark and there does seem to be a good range on trade me
was thinking smaller than 650 for fuel econamy reasons but being that i weigh in at 120 kg then the weight of my riding gear and luggage starting to think a 600 or better is probably the go

[pete-blen]

cheers for the reply Pete..............would like to stay under the 10k mark and there does seem to be a good range on trade me
was thinking smaller than 650 for fuel econamy reasons but being that i weigh in at 120 kg then the weight of my riding gear and luggage starting to think a 600 or better is probably the go

In that case look at a Yamaha XT600... cheaper rego..
fuel econamy wise my XT660 dose 2km per l more than
my XR250..

[Voltaire]

.............would like to stay under the 10k mark


.....but you were too broke to do track days...or are you going to flick off your wop bikes.:lol:

[Bikemad]

.....but you were too broke to do track days...or are you going to flick off your wop bikes.:lol:

wash ya mouth out boyo.........back to work in a couple of weeks :weep:
and might be selling the pilot as well..........just negotiating the money now

[thommo77]

Plenty of BMW 650 Dakar's etc on Trademe at present.

[pampa]

Bmw g650x challenge ligther than Dakar by 50kg and more HP
Good torque
Second hand r within your range and r better platform than many

Engine is very good

Anyway my 2cents

[Bikemad]

Plenty of BMW 650 Dakar's etc on Trademe at present.
yeah i thought the yella one with the Ali panniers seemer pretty reasonable for the $

[Bikemad]

Bmw g650x challenge ligther than Dakar by 50kg and more HP
Good torque
Second hand r within your range and r better platform than many

Engine is very good

Anyway my 2cents
cheers man.........all info appreciated

[socialites]

cheers for the reply Pete..............would like to stay under the 10k mark and there does seem to be a good range on trade me
was thinking smaller than 650 for fuel econamy reasons but being that i weigh in at 120 kg then the weight of my riding gear and luggage starting to think a 600 or better is probably the go

For under 10k you could own a brand new out the box DR650 2012, as well as get it adventurised with a big tank, bashplate, skidplate, carrier, fatbars, hotgrips, aftermarket pipe, carburettor conversion, airbox mod, windscreen, comfy seat..etc....etc.
Cant understand why one would buy a secondhand bike unless totally opposed to buying a DR.

Just a thought anyway.

[Bikemad]

For under 10k you could own a brand new out the box DR650 2012, as well as get it adventurised with a big tank, bashplate, skidplate, carrier, fatbars, hotgrips, aftermarket pipe, carburettor conversion, airbox mod, windscreen, comfy seat..etc....etc.
Cant understand why one would buy a secondhand bike unless totally opposed to buying a DR.

Just a thought anyway.
cheers for ya thoughts socialites..............not oppossed to the DR at all and never bought a new vehicle.............can you point me in the direction of a shop that'll do all that.........might go have a chinwag with em

[socialites]

cheers for ya thoughts socialites..............not oppossed to the DR at all and never bought a new vehicle.............can you point me in the direction of a shop that'll do all that.........might go have a chinwag with em

Give us a txt/ring on 021 2745617 if you will and I point you in that direction. I would prefer not to advertise it here as I dont want to spoil my chances with the supplier, but I have got a number of people onto the DR at that cost.

[Moki]

Give us a txt/ring on 021 2745617 if you will and I point you in that direction. I would prefer not to advertise it here as I dont want to spoil my chances with the supplier, but I have got a number of people onto the DR at that cost.

Whatever you get, make sure you can pick it up when you dump it. It's about that time you start thinking less is more:yes:

[Bikemad]

Whatever you get, make sure you can pick it up when you dump it. It's about that time you start thinking less is more:yes:
cheers Moki...........bike sorted.......got a new DR comin with some good basic mods.....cheers Paul....shame they don't do a good catholic girl mod to go ridin with

[dino3310]

....shame they don't do a good catholic girl mod to go ridin with

ya might need a BMW for that :lol:

[socialites]

cheers Moki...........bike sorted.......got a new DR comin with some good basic mods.....cheers Paul....shame they don't do a good catholic girl mod to go ridin with

No worries..come chat with me should you want any of the Mods I mentioned plus any other, I get aftermarket pipes at a good price as well as a few other items.
Sadly..the Nun is not included .....

[Bikemad]

cheers Paul........already gettin fmf pipe,carb kit,3 by 3 airbox conv,big bars,heated grips,bark busters,bashplate and a brake snake for a tad over 10k............have spotted an IMS 18L tank for sale for $450..........is this a good price

[socialites]

cheers Paul........already gettin fmf pipe,carb kit,3 by 3 airbox conv,big bars,heated grips,bark busters,bashplate and a brake snake for a tad over 10k............have spotted an IMS 18L tank for sale for $450..........is this a good price

The IMS tanks are in the range of $420 to $450, weather you buy it locally (Rage Racing) or import them directly yourself from IMS or Pro Cycles.
I would however, if I may, suggest you get a "clear" tank, and not one of their colored ones (black, blue or yellow)

[Bikemad]

yep the one on TM is a natural............have just negotiated my job back after a 10 month break so might wait a couple of pays before pickin one up

[fridayflash]

hey colin! been a while aye mate
no bftp bikes atm, so do a bit of lurking in these adv threads hehe
great to hear you getting a mighty dr! great bikes allround
and much improved with the mods you speak of
the seat is well worth attn to...but youll find out that real soon hehe

[Bikemad]

howdy Eddie.........yep been keen to get back on the dirt for a while now but feel i'm a little too fragile now days to be piloting a motox bike so this is a good compromise.........have been looking at the sargent seat but funding a little low at present
do you get out on adventure rides down your way much?

[NordieBoy]

not one of their colored ones (black, blue or yellow)

Or white.

About $300us from justgastanks.

[fridayflash]

sargent or corbin seat would be real good, altho not cheap
others on here will know how good they are and which is best
in just using a doubled up sheepskin hehe
seems ok for about 5-600kms
cheapest mod is to get an upholsterer to remove seatcover
add an inch of foam to each side and an inch accross the top and
stretch orig cover over again...nice and frugal!

been doing a few rides down here, and central north island etc
adventure ridings a good compromise between trail and road
lotta fun mate!
hope to catchup with you on your dr soon bro....

[socialites]

sargent or corbin seat would be real good, altho not cheap
others on here will know how good they are and which is best
in just using a doubled up sheepskin hehe
seems ok for about 5-600kms
cheapest mod is to get an upholsterer to remove seatcover
add an inch of foam to each side and an inch accross the top and
stretch orig cover over again...nice and frugal!

been doing a few rides down here, and central north island etc
adventure ridings a good compromise between trail and road
lotta fun mate!
hope to catchup with you on your dr soon bro....

Or Pro Cycles seat without pan, using your pan for US$165.00

[Steelie]

Or Pro Cycles seat without pan, using your pan for US$165.00

I 2nd that. Great result. Can ride all day now.

[Bikemad]

cheers for all the advice you fellas...........went and checked out my bank and i'm not as poor as i anticipated so picked up the IMS tank from rage racing and dropped it over to colemans to be fitted with the other mods............hopefully pick up tomorrow..........yehaa:niceone:
you watch.........it will rain now for a week till i have to go back to work:facepalm:

[dino3310]

look forward to the pics:corn:

[socialites]

cheers for all the advice you fellas...........went and checked out my bank and i'm not as poor as i anticipated so picked up the IMS tank from rage racing and dropped it over to colemans to be fitted with the other mods............hopefully pick up tomorrow..........yehaa:niceone:
you watch.........it will rain now for a week till i have to go back to work:facepalm:

Give me a shout when you ready to ride, I might join you for a wee blat.

[Bikemad]

look forward to the pics:corn:


Give me a shout when you ready to ride, I might join you for a wee blat.

yabba dabba doooo..........picked the Dirt Rambler up today.............choice ....nice bark to the pipe and i haven't really given it the biscuit yet............easy comfortable forgiving bike to ride ...........one happy punter.......cheers colemans
pics to follow..........

[Bikemad]

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[Bikemad]

might have to lose the air dam mirrors for something more aerodynamic and fit smaller indicators methinks
and might get my carpainter mate to paint the tank but leave a telltale stripe down the sides

[fridayflash]

what a bloody beauty col!!
fun bikes alround! now you go in search of gravel :niceone:

[Bikemad]

cherrs ed.........man can't wait to get the first sevice done and crack it open........

[dino3310]

Nice one bro, i like the colour, best all rounder on the market:2thumbsup
painting the tank could be an issue sooner or later the fuel gets to the paint

[Bikemad]

cheers dino...........yeah wasn't sure about the paint issue.........is there not some kind of sealant you could treat the tank with before painting?

[Night Falcon]

cheers dino...........yeah wasn't sure about the paint issue.........is there not some kind of sealant you could treat the tank with before painting?

if its anything like my safari tank it will breathe petrol vapours through the plastic which means anything you put on it will blister. I have managed to get some decals to stick by having them perferated but they still blistered but havn't come off yet

[dino3310]

Cant remember where excactly, but i do recall threads on either ADV or Thumpertalk regarding a liner/sealant there and a thread there some where on how to Dye the tank which had good results.
i'll have a flick around and see if i cant find theose threads

[dino3310]

worth a looksey
http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/527292-hollywoodmxs-dying-a-gas-tank-process-no-paint-required/page__p__4993675#entry4993675
http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/786690-can-you-paint-a-plastic-tank/page__p__8109876__hl__tank%20dye__fromsearch__1#en try8109876
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=767713

i know theres a good one on dyeing a 18l clarke somewhere but for some reason the ADV search engine aint working at the moment

[Bikemad]

cheers for the info Dino

[Bikemad]

went for a wee play on the gravel and beach today...........beach was a prick.......tide right in and soft as sand............got outta there quick havin to do the old fred flintstone for the last 10 feet or so over the top of the dune.........gravel was way more fun.........have to make a few adjustments re lever positions and suspension and or seat height ...........and bloody hell.........you wern't kidding bout the seat Eddie...........after 130 ks it felt like i'd been kicked in the arse by an elephant.............still......i was smilin all the way
258995

[fridayflash]

ohhh...soft sand would be a nightmare mate
gravel is the go..and even pretty good on some trails
the seat truly is a torture device from a victorian era
200kms and im sore...400 kms and in standing even at full highway speeds
standing as often as poss is best to get extra kms outa the old posterior
no doubt youll be on for a new seat soon cuz?
i think ill get in the one from procycles meself

[Bikemad]

will give it a couple more rides and see if i harden up a bit.............procycles eh..........will check out their site
pretty happy alround tho...........she still gets along at 110ks at half throttle so really lookin forward to gettin the 1000k service over with and opening her up

[Night Falcon]

will give it a couple more rides and see if i harden up a bit.............procycles eh..........will check out their site
pretty happy alround tho...........she still gets along at 110ks at half throttle so really lookin forward to gettin the 1000k service over with and opening her up

I remember the first time i rode 2 hrs on my old DR with the stock seat, had to wait another 2hrs before I was able to endure the ride home! Do yourself a favour an go ring Procycles....do it now...do it...do it.

[Eddieb]

I remember the first time i rode 2 hrs on my old DR with the stock seat, had to wait another 2hrs before I was able to endure the ride home! Do yourself a favour an go ring Procycles....do it now...do it...do it.

I have the Seat Concepts seat and while it's an improvement it's not the be all and end all, I think you could get a pretty good improvement just laying an extra 10mm on the top and on the rear 2/3's of each side to flare out where you sit for not much coin.

[dino3310]

Just eat more pies....
worked for me :lol:

[Bikemad]

yeah........trouble is pies tend to gather at my midriff and not on my butt...........

[dino3310]

:clap: :killingme:killingme:killingme .

[fridayflash]

funny you should say that mate....i have the same problem!!!
strangely enough my riding trou have shrunk since christmas too...whats with that!!!???
ill have to write a strongly worded letter to mr neo about his faulty product ;)