Adventure bike recommendations

[Oscar]

How would KTMs perform on low grade petro-swill sold in third-world countries? Lower performance engines might be better here - DRs, KLRs, XTs - old understressed designs, which can be repaired on the side of the road, steel frames that can be welded. You'd pick the bike for the worst it might encounter, not the best.

My 950 has a fuse you can pull that lowers the octane requirement to 85.

[cooneyr]

My 950 has a fuse you can pull that lowers the octane requirement to 85.

The brown wire under the seat me thinks.

I disagree that KTM's are too unreliable to do a RTW. There are plenty of reports of over 100k kms on LC8 bikes. I know "low" kms compared to the grandfather axe BMW's but how many times around do you want to go. One of the best things about KTM's though is you know exactly what to keep an eye on i.e. KTM doesnt try to pull the wool over your eyes. In fact it seems that KTM are generally conservative i.e. bikes are more reliable than they let on - some people are getting 30k to 40k miles out of 525EXC's that "should" be completely rebuilt every 200 hours. Even more important is that KTM's are able to be serviced with very basic tools. You can get a hell of a long way with 5, 6, 8mm allen keys, 6, 8, 10 sockets, a phillips head and a flat head screwdrivers. Sure it takes a bit of time to do the work but on a RTW i'd rather not have to take special tools A through Z.

KTM950 all the way.

[Box'a'bits]

Assumes you can get parts. That is one of the primary reasons I sold mine. Still waiting on a frame / linkage connecting bar (or at least Anthrax is)...

But the 640a was a brilliant bike apart from that, & I take your point, as long as you are aware of the known issues & prepare for these, they would easily do a RTW trip..And the suspension is light years ahead of most of the pack.

At least I know that even 20 & 30+ yr old boxers are still well supported by the aftermarket. I don't know that that will necessarily be true of all bikes...

[warewolf]

How would KTMs perform on low grade petro-swill sold in third-world countries? Lower performance engines might be better here - DRs, KLRs, XTs - old understressed designs, which can be repaired on the side of the road, steel frames that can be welded. You'd pick the bike for the worst it might encounter, not the best.

Dual map ignition as standard. Disconnect one wire, runs on the 80 RON map.

CrMo steel frames can be welded, no dramas there. Decent suspension will help everything else last longer and make for a more enjoyable/safer trip. The rougher it gets the more important this becomes. One RTW chap on a 640A reported a dozen bikes with broken shocks, in just one section - eastern Siberia? - makes the Road of Bones look like a motorway. He was very glad he'd learned his lesson on jap bikes earlier in more forgiving places.

Mrs.Jatz, care to take your XT RTW?

[warewolf]

Assumes you can get parts.

Every brand suffers out of stock/availability/price issues.

[bart]

Every brand suffers out of stock/availability/price issues.

You're not wrong there. 2 weeks for a DR650 clutch cable?????

[thepom]

I still think my africa twin would be a good RTW .....once the known problems are fixed,saying that if you want to travel light I still love my xt600...which spent some time in deep puddles in the Waimak today...cheers again col for helping me out.....note to self- must get a lifejacket....

[warewolf]

The AT is a very popular RTW mount, for good reason.

[Crim]

...which spent some time in deep puddles in the Waimak today...cheers again col for helping me out.....note to self- must get a lifejacket....

Got my bike back from the vets today - was thinking of doing a loop up and down the waimak tomorrow - where were the holes and is it do-able by a bloke with tyres that need replacing and the riding skills of Ena Sharples after the rain we had last week?

[cynna]

Got my bike back from the vets today - was thinking of doing a loop up and down the waimak tomorrow - where were the holes and is it do-able by a bloke with tyres that need replacing and the riding skills of Ena Sharples after the rain we had last week?

the river has broken the thu the road on the north side - i wouldnt cross it today as it was too fast - just make a detour up harrs? road which is easy to find. there is a major slip on south side - the road is closed - had a look and a big chunk of the road is missing so bit more of a detour is needed - we back tracked to the bridge and turned left, not sure of the name of the road that linked as back to the track. i will try and post pics up in the north cant adv rideouts thread tonight...


and to keep it on topic i wouldnt take an xr650r on a world trip - i would get sick of kicking over every time i come off

[tamarillo]

last of the airhead BMW GS80 or 100. No weird electronics, everything able to be fixed side of road, parts world over and interchangeable. Adjust tappets in 30 mins. Enough power, dakar ones have huge gas tanks... can't thing of any reason why not? Get one and fully service and replace the bits that wear. Big carriers available, comfy... there are plenty of serious long distance riders still using them because the new ones are too modern to fix in far flung places and there is bugger all to go wrong.

[Eddieb]

last of the airhead BMW GS80 or 100. No weird electronics, everything able to be fixed side of road, parts world over and interchangeable. Adjust tappets in 30 mins. Enough power, dakar ones have huge gas tanks... can't thing of any reason why not? Get one and fully service and replace the bits that wear. Big carriers available, comfy... there are plenty of serious long distance riders still using them because the new ones are too modern to fix in far flung places and there is bugger all to go wrong.

Wot he said, buy my one on Trade Me http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=312200113

[tri boy]

If the Mondo enduro boys can do the biz on a couple of 350 chook chasers, (second hand even), then just about anything will clock the distance.
A 100cc road bike on 18" skinny rims will easily do it. Probably alot better in knarly country than any behemoth from a bunch of beer swilling, leather panted sausage munchers at a R+D office in Germany.
Carrying everything from bog rolls, to the missus's vibrator is the real enemy of long distance riding. Fuel is relative to bike consumption.
A modifyed steel tank made to carry 18 litres will get a modest bike 400+kms.

Drinking the poisionus KTM/BMW cool aid will leave you depleted in energy and empty in the wallet. :-)
Xer's CB250RS road bike, and Deanohit's Zongshen are two of my most favourite adv ride bikes (also Motu's flat track inspired beemer).
Buy a bike. Whack some suitable tyres on it, a bash plate, and go get grubby.

[centaurus]

Returning to the original topic: cheap rtw bike. I notice that how to the old XT's stack up to the KLR? What about the XR/XL 600's (oldish ones)? I see there are not a lot of old KLR's around but quite a few xr/xl 500/600 and some XT's.

[Peril]

The early XTs suffered from weak 5th gears,it was fixed on the 88-89 onwards Teneres and I'd imagine the normal XTs got the fix from then also.