When is an adventure bike just another road bike?

**Night Falcon** · 14th January 2011, 20:18

when I wert lad it just used to be called bike riding...the "Adventure" tag hadn't been invented and we just used to ride our XL's XR's, YZ's DR's, TS's PE's & CB's when ever where ever and to ever the mojo took us. Fire breaks, twisties, road trips....the bike you had was all the bike you needed...it only takes two to make an adventure....you and your bike. (and a nice motel, and a coffee, and lots of stops...and a soft seat....gezzz I'm gettin old!)

**Jantar** · 14th January 2011, 22:41

Originally Posted by Night Falcon

.... we just used to ride our XL's XR's, YZ's DR's, TS's PE's & CB's when ever where ever and to ever the mojo took us. ....

Reminds me of when I ended up at the Ball hut. 5500' up the side of Mt Cook on a Suzuki GT380.

**idleidolidyll** · 15th January 2011, 07:01

Originally Posted by _Shrek_

well the DBK1 is on the 22nd & 23rd but we meeting friday the 21st for a BBq etc...

bring ya 27lt Granpasso & see if ya can keep up with a beached whale

DBK1?

I searched but found nothing.
Hey, no bones; i'm an amateur 'adventure rider' and i wouldn't even try to keep up if it meant i might scratch my baby

edit: ahh, found it.
Hell yeah. Looks like my kinda thing. A new challenge.
Too late to jack up now though but cheers for the heads up; i'll watch the forum for next year and other rides like it.

i see an advantage in the GS already: hundreds of kms in dirt, dust and grime mean i'll need a lot of chain lube

**idleidolidyll** · 15th January 2011, 07:21

Originally Posted by _Shrek_

that wont be to hard bound to be an ironing board or two (Dr650's) & a KTM 9fiddy

be asured camra will be on board

i'm interested indeed but given the two bikes in my shed:
Morini 1200 Granpasso and KTM690smc c/w extra 14 litres fuel (Enduro with tyres swapped); why would I want to bring the Morini?
KTM offers some chunky alloy boxes for the bike too.

As per a few previous posters; a big heavy bike like the GS just doesn't seem smart versus the 80kg lighter single with better off road suspension.

**idleidolidyll** · 15th January 2011, 07:22

It's a piss take; don't get wound up

**Gremlin** · 15th January 2011, 07:35

Does a KTM have electronically adjustable suspension?

On the GSA, you can change to offroad, and the bike will lift its ride height by about an inch.

**idleidolidyll** · 15th January 2011, 07:55

does that make you a better rider?

would electronic suspension overcome the 100kg weight difference or the 30% shorter suspension travel?

**_Shrek_** · 15th January 2011, 07:58

Originally Posted by idleidolidyll

i'm interested indeed but given the two bikes in my shed:
Morini 1200 Granpasso and KTM690smc c/w extra 14 litres fuel (Enduro with tyres swapped); why would I want to bring the Morini?
KTM offers some chunky alloy boxes for the bike too.

As per a few previous posters; a big heavy bike like the GS just doesn't seem smart versus the 80kg lighter single with better off road suspension.

what it is to have a choice of

what bike to take out to day

**_Shrek_** · 15th January 2011, 08:01

Originally Posted by idleidolidyll

does that make you a better rider?

would electronic suspension overcome the 100kg weight difference or the 30% shorter suspension travel?

i weigh 130kg & the Gs 250kg me thinks the Gs will handle & ride better coz the KTM would snap in half on the off road part

**idleidolidyll** · 15th January 2011, 08:07

Originally Posted by _Shrek_

i weigh 130kg & the Gs 250kg me thinks the Gs will handle & ride better coz the KTM would snap in half on the off road part

ha! ha! you're probably right!

**cooneyr** · 15th January 2011, 08:47

Originally Posted by Jantar

Reminds me of when I ended up at the Ball hut. 5500' up the side of Mt Cook on a Suzuki GT380.

There's a story in that - care to share?

Originally Posted by idleidolidyll

DBK1?

DB1k. This is the ride that I was pre-running when I talked about 1400m passes in my post of dribble earlier. Chain comment is said like a true roadie

I get about 25000kms out of a chain. The question is more when not to chain lube. My regime is don't lube when you go off the seal and lube when you come back on. No point in having all the crap stick to the chain when off road.

Originally Posted by _Shrek_

i weigh 130kg & the Gs 250kg me thinks the Gs will handle & ride better coz the KTM would snap in half on the off road part

Well that makes me a little fella at 110kgs dry. No wonder the Katoom hasn't broken yet

**Jantar** · 15th January 2011, 09:21

Originally Posted by cooneyr

There's a story in that - care to share?...

It was back in the days that there were only roads bikes, or small dual dual purpose bikes (1973). I went for a 4 day ride, with no particular destination in mind and such a trip required my GT380 rather than my TS125. Each time I came to an intersection I would just decide left or right and that's where I went. I found lots of dead end roads, back country roads and new places. Early on day three I found myself at the Hermitage, and coming out I had a choice left or right. I choose left which took me to the blue lakes at the terminal of the Tasman Glacier, then coming out of there was a dirt road going right, which I decided to follow.

After a short distance the road started to wind its way up a steady incline, and a couple of kms later I realised that at some point the wheel tracks I'd been following had reduced to a single wheel track, and there was nowhere to turn around. The scenery was magnificent, but a little bit disconcerning with the side of the mountain on my left and a long drop to my right down to the glacier. I decided to continue on only until I found a place to turn around.

That place to turn around happened quite unexpectedly when I turned a bend to the left and there in front of me was a wide level area with a hut. A great place to stop and take some photos. I discovered that this was the Ball hut, and a couple of climbers in the hut couldn't believe that a motorcycle had made it so far up the mountain.

I will admit the ride back down was scarier than the ride up there in the first place. There were no signs saying motorcycles prohibited, and nothing to indicate just where the track led.

**george formby** · 15th January 2011, 09:40

Originally Posted by Night Falcon

when I wert lad it just used to be called bike riding...the "Adventure" tag hadn't been invented and we just used to ride our XL's XR's, YZ's DR's, TS's PE's & CB's when ever where ever and to ever the mojo took us. Fire breaks, twisties, road trips....the bike you had was all the bike you needed...it only takes two to make an adventure....you and your bike. (and a nice motel, and a coffee, and lots of stops...and a soft seat....gezzz I'm gettin old!)

Soooooo true. My first (& 2nd) road bike was a KMX 125 2 stroke trail bike. I would ride it flat out on the road & on my days off I would head for the hills & Scottish border. Fire breaks, bogs, forest trails, moorland tussock, sheep tracks, snow, the kind of terrain the designer in Japan would never have dreamed of & those wee bikes took me over all of it. Best times I ever had on a bike! Ride home soaking wet, covered in mud & grinning like a loon with a broken brake lever & indicator in my pocket.

**_Shrek_** · 15th January 2011, 10:08

Originally Posted by Jantar

I will admit the ride back down was scarier than the ride up there in the first place. There were no signs saying motorcycles prohibited, and nothing to indicate just where the track led.

so do ya wanna head back up some time?

just been on google looks like it would be a great ride