Adventure bike recommendations

[Crim]

Look here: http://www.kuduexpeditions.com/ These guys obviously know what they are doing, and they list their bikes - hell, take a look at their tours too

Thanks Gremlin - looked at this website, mentioned to the wife that the Global Challenge or Trans Africa seemed to be the way to go - she took one look, got "that look" and went to bed!
Now this could mean two things - She is super impressed with me wanting to go on a manly adventure and is waiting upstairs for me
or She thinks me leaving her and the three rug rats to go traipsing round the world looking for my lost youth with money we don't have is stoopid and she is waiting upstairs for me

[cooneyr]

Wot he said. The BMW GS/PD bikes are proven. Charlie Borman and Ewan McGregor wanted to take KTMs when they did The Long Way Round but ultimately settled on the BMW.

The only reason that Charlie and Ewan didn't take 950 Adv's was that KTM though they wouldn't get through the borders so wouldn't give the bikes.

Maybe something like the KTM 950 ADV? Older, carbs, more simple technology? I wouldn't mind a 990 actually, acerbis fuel tank, more mods available than my 990SM

I's go with a 950 myself but them I'm bias. Heaps of info on how to modify for more fuel without buying the safari 40l tanks but they are available if you want. I've not ridden tourers but they are pretty comfortable and the weather protection is good given the tank shape.

P.S. I have one for sale

[clint640]

Wot he said. The BMW GS/PD bikes are proven. Charlie Borman and Ewan McGregor wanted to take KTMs when they did The Long Way Round but ultimately settled on the BMW.

That said, I'd expect you could find Honda parts anywhere too.

The R1150/1200/F800 beemers are a bit of a different world than the R80/R100. Certainly not budget, probably the other extreme really. I'm not scared of fuel injection or electronics, given time I can work that stuff out, but if I need a $10000 diagnostics tool instead of a $20 multimeter to troubleshoot the electrics that kinda swings the argument for me.

The bike I'd want to take around the world is one with adequate suspension, comfort, power & load carrying ability for me. Then I'd look at the ease of field servicing & repairs. I'd want to be very comfortable working on the bike & I'd want to have a good idea what is likely to go wrong as the miles get up.

Cheers
Clint

[Frodo]

I haven't been around the world (which it sounds like you're doing!), but I've travelled through southern South America (and read quite a few blogs!).

You don't want (or need) anything bigger than a 650 for one-up travel, unless you're riding across the US. We rode some boring straight roads across the Pampas. Our hired Transalps sat on 130km/h (with a bit more for overtaking) comfortably for hours on end. My Pegaso would do that as well. Seats on both bikes are fine - you will need to replace a DR650 seat.
Bigger bikes consume more fuel (e.g. KTM 990s) and sure they may have bigger tanks, which weigh more when full.

Reliability is, as you note, a double edged sword. My Pegaso is more reliable than my BMW Funduro, but if the ECU in my Peg sh*ts itself, I'm buggered), so I'd rather take a Funduro into central Africa.

I think that it is hard to beat a Funduro for the combination of reliability and fixability, beating the more modern EFI BMW 650 singles. There have probably been more Funduros around the world than any other species of bike. I would get a low mileage one, preferably with a history and replace the cheap steering head and wheel bearings, put a grease nipple on the swing arm bearings, and take a spare water pump and carb diaphragms. Load carrying capacity should be fine - the frames are solid. You will need to take a fuel bladder along, but the advantage is that when it is not used (for 99% of the time) it does not add to the bulk of the bike.

If I'd take a modern bike, I'd take a Tenere 660. I haven't heard of any real issues with the motor (the same motor in my Peg has some problems with the fuel pump, although mines fine). An XT660R survived the BAM road in southern Siberia including running just 800ml of oil mixed with water in the sump for a couple of days. I've heard of a couple of catastrophic failures of the motor (not RTW), but the reliability and durability seems to be better than for KLRs and DRs - but don't ask me for statistics. If budget is an issue, I'd go for a KLR. If I would go through really rugged country, I'd go for a DR650.

[warewolf]

Across Aussie I'd quite happily ride my 640A, but I'd be doing the more gnarly tracks and only traveling 10-20,000km tops. RTW is a different proposition, likely 50-100,000km or more, so I'd add comfort to your criteria. Step from the road-trail bikes like DR/KLR to a more soft-roader twin, something like an Africa Twin, Trans Alp, Super Tenere (ye olde one), KLE or R80/R100. Many of those are getting long in the tooth, but a low-mileage example thoroughly prepped would be okay.

All bikes break. Search the interweb and you'll read horror stories of even the so-called "grandfather's axe" super-reliable bikes grenading for no apparent reason. Over the years we've hosted quite a few RTW travelers on all sorts of bikes, and they've all had disruptive bike issues except one AT that was two-up (although they were probably the best prepared and this was not their first big trip). Even in "civilised" places they've had trouble with professional mechanics diagnosing things correctly, and getting parts promptly. So build downtime into your plan!!

[DR650gary]

Never been around the world on a bike and have only recently purchased the DR650 to do a bit of local (NZ) adventure riding to go with the ZRX. Having just replaced the jets with a DJ jet kit I can assure you the bike is an easy tear down and put back together. Allen key set, small 1/4 drive socket set is all I needed. Currently have it half stripped down to replace the indicators with little ones to avoid drop/breaks and it is an easy bike to deal with.

A DR 650 for me. No other option in my mind, but take it apart and replace ALL the crappy soft/loctited screws and bolts with lovely caphead stainless. Sick of pinching my wife's cooking gas torch to soften a half stripped screw after a PO had a problem.

Just my experience limited opinion.

[clint640]

Across Aussie I'd quite happily ride my 640A, but I'd be doing the more gnarly tracks and only traveling 10-20,000km tops. RTW is a different proposition, likely 50-100,000km or more, so I'd add comfort to your criteria. Step from the road-trail bikes like DR/KLR to a more soft-roader twin, something like an Africa Twin, Trans Alp, Super Tenere (ye olde one), KLE or R80/R100. Many of those are getting long in the tooth, but a low-mileage example thoroughly prepped would be okay.

The good thing about the older adv machines is that although they all have their faults, enough people have done huge miles on them & written about it so some searching of teh internets will quickly get you a list of things to fix & spares to take. The fact that the otherwise perfect for your needs xyz650 has a thingummy that breaks & destroys the motor at 65000km every time may not be a big deal if you know about it & can change the thingummy in a 1/2 hr for $50 at 60000km.


Cheers
Clint

[cynna]

Wot he said. The BMW GS/PD bikes are proven. Charlie Borman and Ewan McGregor wanted to take KTMs when they did The Long Way Round but ultimately settled on the BMW..

only because KTM pulled out and wouldnt supply the bikes because they didnt think they could make it across siberia....

[Skinny_Birdman]

Step from the road-trail bikes like DR/KLR to a more soft-roader twin, something like an Africa Twin, Trans Alp, Super Tenere (ye olde one), KLE or R80/R100. Many of those are getting long in the tooth, but a low-mileage example thoroughly prepped would be okay.

Hear hear! I'd take a DR/KLR for a days thrash, but I'd rather live on something a bit more comfortable.

[clint640]

only because KTM pulled out and wouldnt supply the bikes because they didnt think they could make it across siberia....

Ewan & Charlie are a fairly useless example for the average RTW traveller. If I had a chase truck following me & 30K to spend on a bike I'd get a 400EXC & a V-Strom & put the one I wasn't using on the truck

Cheers
Clint

[NordieBoy]

Ewan & Charlie are a fairly useless example for the average RTW traveller. If I had a chase truck following me & 30K to spend on a bike I'd get a 400EXC & a V-Strom & put the one I wasn't using on the truck

Cheers
Clint

Let Claudio ride the other one.

[Squiggles]

Horizonsunlimited.com

[thepom]

Big bike wise I,d go for my africa twin but for light and simple reliabilty my yam 600,air cooled ,no oil radiators sticking out and electric start,,,,,

[trustme]

I recently gave ' thecanoeguy ' an Ocker from the advrider site a hand to pack up his extremely tired KLR650 for shipment back to Oz after he had ridden it through the US & Sth America & NZ
I asked him if he was doing it again what bike would he pick.
' Bloody KLR mate, can't kill it & a cheap aussie cahnt can afford it & can even fix it when he has to '
She had had a few running repairs & would not do much more than 100 KPH but was still going after 60000 miles not K's. The canoe guy was a bloody good bloke who does everything on a budget, worked for him

[pete376403]

Hear hear! I'd take a DR/KLR for a days thrash, but I'd rather live on something a bit more comfortable.

Have you ridden a late model KLR? Comfort is very good. OK perhaps not as good as the seat on a Dakar 650 (that rivals a La-z-boy lounge chair) but the Dakar needs a good seat to make up for the less-than-marginal suspension.