What's the best bike for gravel?

[mossy1200]

Yellow bikes

[DEATH_INC.]

Maybe I should of made the title of this thread, best bike to ride FAST on gravel, as thats what I wanna do.

I've done close to 250kph on a ZX12r on a gravel road....
Actually it wasn't bad, even through the corners, and made you giggle like a little girl every time you twisted the gas on the way out

[vegeman]

To me, Gravel is about bike balance, mojo/balls/confidence...if you have those, then you can ride anything fast on gravel. If you lose your nerve during the important moments...then your rooted.

I'm in love with my 690 as its Dakar heritage, it was designed to go fast offroad. The first time, I rode it left the blackstuff and hit the dirt/gravel...I honeslty could not believe how easy and quick it was still going. It was going so well, I thought the speedo was wrong or something like that...so being the veg that I can be...I needed to push the limit to see what the bike can do, this is when I also realised that it's steering geometry was different to older bikes like XR,DR et all. Coming into one corner, carrying too much speed...I threw the bike into a slide, and as the rear wheel came around, I then naturally turned the bars for the necessary opposite lock for the slidy bit...but the handle bars don't turn as much as my old XR which I only just stopped riding (690 has a trellis frame) so I couldn't really get control...anyway, I couldn't contain it...and ending up highsiding it wlhich considering the potential for damage there...I was lucky-ish (stripped handle bar threads out of triple clamp...) and confused to why this happened. So naturally, during the afternoon, I still hadn't work out the difference in riding this bike, and again I had a wee drop on the gravel dirt.

So during the evening and drinking some bourbys and analysing the fuck out of my dumbness, I realised that the bike is quite different from the older machines. The centre of gravity is low (good), the trellis /steering lock is bad, horsepower is really good, stability is real good...so I need to ride different.

many years later, I'm more in tune with it. It will eat gravel roads smoothly and effortless. Cornering involves, balance but mostly steering with the throttle/power, and once you get the confidence for that...then its perfect. If I get tired or scare myself, and come off the throttle...I lose, if I use the power...it works good.


My summary...
fast bikes go faster, better. - horsepower solves problems

Heavy bikes become an issue if you run out of road, or have issues mid corner ie flame out, cock up the corner - lighter bikes are more forgiving

Bikes that have less shit to break off are better for you, your wallet etc

Extra goodies....I put a scott steering damper on for head shake management especially with crossing from one side of the road to the other which can give the bike a nervous shake as the gravel changes. (I recently overtook festy on his new 2013 WR450, down the ruakockaputana road/martinborough). With him being in front as we entered the gravel straight, I knew that we would be pushing it down there....and has we hit 145, I could tell...he was interested in showing off...and the last thing I need to hear was him wank on about how he took me out...blah blah, - I cracked the 690 open, and over took, and to cement the point, I felt the bike was stable enough to take one hand off and make the loser sign on the forehead...I trusted the stability, and the luck of the gods.

I think though, that I would go for a fast lighter bike if I really, really had to ie WR450, KTM450,500 etc. just for the corners...as I can brake later, and man handle it if I fuck it up, plus they have power to complete the package.

DR, KLR etc have good balance...shit power.

practise, practise

[The Pastor]

I've done close to 250kph on a ZX12r on a gravel road....
Actually it wasn't bad, even through the corners, and made you giggle like a little girl every time you twisted the gas on the way out

ok Pinocchio.

[Oscar]

ok Pinocchio.

He talks a good game...

[The Pastor]

I've done close to 250kph on a ZX12r on a gravel road....
Actually it wasn't bad, even through the corners, and made you giggle like a little girl every time you twisted the gas on the way out

Bet you could stop from 60km/hr in 2m with those USD's aye!!

[george formby]

Bet you could stop from 60km/hr in 2m with those USD's aye!!

And there in lies the rub, for me.... Stopping or more pertinently, avoiding the sideways ute which appears if by magic.
On the TDM you have to plan a long way ahead, on the DT you just kick it upright when it two wheel drifts in the deep stuff. I don't put the TDM into that situation.
Relatively low weight, low-ish seat height, longish wheel base, not to steep on the fork rake, predictable torques.. all make life easier & faster. Well, I assume they do. I'm relatively new to making dust clouds.

[george formby]

Oh look! This should satisfy your need for speed.

[The Pastor]

Oh look! This should satisfy your need for speed.

nice clip, what a hard case haha. Love the sneakers.

[Motu]

And there in lies the rub, for me.... Stopping

Me too - on faster bikes I spend too much time slowing down, I'd rather be using that time with the throttle open. The advantage of the DT230 in gravel was lack of engine braking, this keeps the rear wheel under control, and takes the weight off the front in corners - on the DT230 I was making decisions mid corner, not before I got there. You don't need a steering damper to be stable going over the centre gravel, better tyre choices solve that for me.

[NordieBoy]

So during the evening and drinking some bourbys and analysing the fuck out of my dumbness, I realised that the bike is quite different from the older machines. The centre of gravity is low (good), the trellis /steering lock is bad, horsepower is really good, stability is real good...so I need to ride different.

My first thought on getting on a 690 for a hoon was similar. What had they done with the steering lock!

[george formby]

Me too - on faster bikes I spend too much time slowing down, I'd rather be using that time with the throttle open. The advantage of the DT230 in gravel was lack of engine braking, this keeps the rear wheel under control, and takes the weight off the front in corners - on the DT230 I was making decisions mid corner, not before I got there. You don't need a steering damper to be stable going over the centre gravel, better tyre choices solve that for me.

Good point. Never really considered it. The TDM will slide the rear instantly with a sloppy down change or even an abrupt closing of the throttle. DT might squirm on tight down hills when I change down if I'm pressing on. Never had an issue with the DT front into a corner regardless of surface, only coming out wide & going over the camber... Throttle fixes it.
Getting a CRM in a few months & can't wait to see how it handles the gravel with better suspension. Looking forward to being on a level playing field with the G/F on the DT, too. Fed up with being hunted.

[Gremlin]

Maybe I should of made the title of this thread, best bike to ride FAST on gravel, as thats what I wanna do.

Not sure if you're simply trolling, but I see it as the equivalent of riding fast on the road, just probably more ways to go wrong.

Unless you're of the class of Birch et al, it's probably only going to end badly, your ability to brake for some oncoming vehicle (which a lot of the time doesn't expect anyone else to be on the road) is compromised etc. However, as a general rule of thumb, if you want to go fast, you need gobs of HP and torque so go get yourself a KTM Adv 1190R. Consider that the likes of Dakar restricted bikes to what, 450cc? over time as anything bigger simply made it too dangerous (there was a stepped scale over time constantly lowering the limit).

You better have balls of steel and muscles to match as controlling it is demanding, and based on weight of bike and potential speed, getting it wrong is going to hurt a lot more.

One of the funniest moments I've had was doing some gravel training in a forest with other guys on my R1200GSA. While they were flicking up stones as we went up hills and corners I was apparently flicking up rocks as the weight of the GSA dug deeper and the power dislodged rocks the others couldn't. No-one wanted to be behind me as it simply wasn't safe. Going up the hill and around a corner I've got the rear stepped sideways, applying some opposite lock and balancing my weight on the pegs. Felt great, but after a few runs I was pretty knackered. Another guy had stopped as well (slightly built) and commented that if he was knackered on his 690 (I think) then he didn't how I was handling it on twice the bike!

However, besides the odd moments, I prefer to pootle and enjoy the view from the less beaten track, tackling more technical terrain rather than blasting along gravel roads. Had too many vehicles using the whole road to consider it...

[unstuck]

Maybe I should of made the title of this thread, best bike to ride FAST on gravel, as thats what I wanna do.

For 2 grand, I think you are only going to go as fast as the money in your purse.

[Mo NZ]

I've done close to 250kph on a ZX12r on a gravel road....:

ok Pinocchio.

I like to pootle mostly.