The Ultimate Country Tourer?

[Hinny]

Those pumice roads wash out pretty easy but are easy to ride, The second on looks like dirt. Honda Africa Twin country. Ford rivers, climb mountains.
Steve Smith in the Iron Butt rally went to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska one year on his ST1100 400 miles of dirt road. Some of the other competitors got their bikes inextricably bogged in the mud. Steve made in back and would have won had the rally organisers not announced Prudhoe Bay as a bonus destination, worth 1,000,000 points, after he had been there. That 400 niles of dirt was part of the 1000 + miles he averaged per day, for 11 consecutive days.
Just the sort of ride you would like to do eh? Definitely need a sheepskin or an Airhawk for that sort of butt punishment.

[Jantar]

I apologise. I saw this thread briefly when it started, but I've been too busy riding to post on it till now. Over 4000 km in the past 10 days. Oh, it was on a Vstrom 1000.

[Hinny]

...perhaps these couple of pics will show what I get up to.

These few pics will show you what I get up to.
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[Gremlin]

These few pics will show you what I get up to.
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invalid attachments... cool!

[Hinny]

invalid attachments... cool!

Feck!
Give me a drink.
You too will grow old Grasshopper.

[Devil]

Yes, yes, the 'venture dudes have been anticipating it for yonks. Me, I just can't get my head around 260.8156Kg. Where are they hiding all the ballast? Fuck, that's 85Kg heavier than my Buell, a big fat tourier.

Come on man. Apples with apples. That 260kg is the full wet weight of the tenere. Full tank etc.
Your buell, sans luggage with a full tank of gas is about 225kg. Which incidentally is the same weight as a standard GS with a full tank of gas.

Forget dry weights. They're absolutely useless.

[Gremlin]

Forget dry weights. They're absolutely useless.

I'd pretty much agree with Devil. Weights do provide some indication, but certainly not the full story. If there was a dry weight of 260, you'd have to really start wondering.

However, two bikes with similar weight and power (lets take the Hornet CB900 and KTM 990 SM) can be incredibly different. Less than 10kg between them, and less than 10hp. The KTM feels muuuuch lighter on its feet due to suspension and distribution of weight, and the power delivery is dramatically different. More weight can make a bigger job for suspension etc, but distribution of the weight (for better or worse) can make a big difference you'll only find out by riding.

I certainly hope that adventure/dual purpose/touring riders never start comparing grams of difference between bikes like sportsbike riders.

[Hinny]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ce-africa-twin

[KoroJ]

It's hard to find the perfect bike but....!

...but a Pan European is as close to it as you'll get!!??...(for the long stuff on sealed roads).


Of course it would help a heap if you decided what you really want.

[junkmanjoe]

being a ex road bike rider.....

i wanted to expand my horizons and follow that road the disappeared round that tight skinny bend.

and beleve me, when you start heading of the main hiways..theres a lot of country out there in our own back yard... heaps of small and forgotten settlements that modern life just flys past....

so i settled on the KTM 950 Adventure.
my reasons.

i wanted
a bike capable to travel at open road speed all day long,
a bike capable of touring the skinny roads of nz back country,
a bike to travel open and tight gravel roads.
a bike to potter around town and up and down some of our beaches.
a comfortable bike as you have to sit on it all day long.
a good looking bike, people still ask what is it some times.
a bike capable to carry camp gear and luggage with out trouble.
a bike with a reasonable fuel range
a bike that wasn't to heavy to hang on to all day.
a bike capable to climb mountain tracks and forest trails

the longest day in the saddle on the 950 was 842 km...i enjoyed every km of that day.

so for me the KTM 950 adventure is the Ultimate Country Tourer.

JMJ

[BMWST?]

I'd pretty much agree with Devil. Weights do provide some indication, but certainly not the full story. If there was a dry weight of 260, you'd have to really start wondering.

However, two bikes with similar weight and power (lets take the Hornet CB900 and KTM 990 SM) can be incredibly different. Less than 10kg between them, and less than 10hp. The KTM feels muuuuch lighter on its feet due to suspension and distribution of weight, and the power delivery is dramatically different. More weight can make a bigger job for suspension etc, but distribution of the weight (for better or worse) can make a big difference you'll only find out by riding.

I certainly hope that adventure/dual purpose/touring riders never start comparing grams of difference between bikes like sportsbike riders.

I reckon you have to try a 1200 gs,a gsa and a supertenere.

[Hinny]

A BMW = the wrong bike.
See here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu4hhbrCDAI

[george formby]

A BMW = the wrong bike.
See here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu4hhbrCDAI

I've just wee'd myself a bit

[Ocean1]

Come on man. Apples with apples. That 260kg is the full wet weight of the tenere. Full tank etc.
Your buell, sans luggage with a full tank of gas is about 225kg. Which incidentally is the same weight as a standard GS with a full tank of gas.

OK, OK, I exagerated slightly.

XB12X is 192.8Kg, add 16.5 litres of fuell and 2.3 litres of oil and you get about 206Kg.

A mere 60mumble Kg lighter then.

Forget dry weights. They're absolutely useless.

Are not. Oh yes some bikes carry their weight in different places and that affects handling and general low speed managability. And in fact Buell's "mass centralisation" design philosophy means it feels porkier than it actually is. Nonetheless, overall mass is a significant factor in every single performance criteria which might contribute to any rational purchase decision.

And that's before you get to the apples / apples bit: The Buell's a bloody tourer, not some suposedly grown-up trail bike. Chrissake, anything dirt-worthy has no right packin' anything like that much fat, certainly not for mortals like me.

[Gremlin]

Ocean, you need to compare the Buell to the R1200GS, not GS Adventure, more similar. The GS is a lot lighter than the adventure.

In other news, I popped into Haldanes. No MTS1200 on the floor (2 coming), and was told firmly a larger tank was not available as an option at all. No point going from the KTM to an MTS1200 at all then.