Best Frenemy you could have!
At this stage... I'm waiting for more details on the Honda Crosstourer, and hopefully Honda don't screw it up by putting an 18L tank on it.
Preferring to ignore any brands but KTM, Honda, BMW (ok, maybe Kawasaki now that its Experience) because of dealers doesn't leave much, especially ignoring AMPS and anything Triumph NZ can fuck up.
R1200GS seems to have a lot of niggles with reliability, and I have a pretty good reputation at finding/experiencing issues no-one else does...
Originally Posted by Jane Omorogbe from UK MSN on the KTM990SM
Fair weather rider
[QUOTE=LBD;1129908547]You know my thoughts on what makes good sports tourer, the mts1200....but reading your list, Ithink this bike ....allready mentioned in another post....seems to fit the bill, ....
...and I might add (and hopefully not dwell on this little known secret), that you can save $9K just by opting for the standard MTS 1200 model and forgoing just the whistle. The bells still include 4 engine maps, 8 traction control settings and still very good suspension..... and not to mention that engine! Oh.... did I mention THAT engine?
$1,101,806
[QUOTE=Idubbs;1129912415]Yeh..there is the 9K diff.
...and I might add (and hopefully not dwell on this little known secret), that you can save $9K just by opting for the standard MTS 1200 model and forgoing just the whistle. The bells still include 4 engine maps, 8 traction control settings and still very good suspension..... and not to mention that engine! Oh.... did I mention THAT engine?
Yup, the engine is one reason to like the bike....the engine is another....then there is the engine,.... not to mention the engine....
And the handling should get a mention....
and don't forget the Italien styling...
Forum whore
Does it matter - if you can ride around the world on an R1 with total reliability, then any bike is a contender!
GSXR1000's make good on road tourers......quick, light, 1600km weekends - no problems...
“- He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.”
Best Frenemy you could have!
Just how small are you? GSXR1000's are tiny. 1600km weekends... yes, pretty easy, 1600km in a single ride... more interesting.
No panniers, no off road ability... very little space to even store stuff in the dash area. Too easy to speed...
the middle path
Lol you are dead right there John - the Tiger has always been one of the best all-rounders for NZ conditions."Triumph" Try to keep up people!
I thought this thread was never going to get there!
And it gets better with the new models - the all new Tiger 800 and 800XC - the new go-anywhere-do-anything bikes that tick all the boxes
Experience......something you get just after you needed it
Little ol'Hornet Rides again!
The interesting thing with this exercise is that everyone has managed to accomplish their goals of riding where they want to via different machines. Gremlin as we all know is in a serious quandary about where to go next with his choice of riding machine.
His beloved KTM has been battle tested and put through a lot of abuse that has exposed engineering defiencies due to a combination of his ability and lack of common sense in the face of adversity.
He is truly stuck for his need for a new machine that can satisfy his vicarious and hyper-milage sorties combined with the attributes he has listed. I have discussed this with him and it worked out that it would be kind of odd to just have a GS adventure set up for just a "couple" of hyper-milage events in NZ (now, I have put to him that one day when we get around to riding the world, we'd be using them more hehehe)
Refreshing to hear of other rider's responses and experiences to Gremmie's hour of need (oh yeah, we have ascertained the resale value of his beloved Katie is shot, anyone hearing about the stats from this bike will run away screaming!)
Keep the ideas coming in folks!
"I like to ride anyplace, anywhere, any time, any way!"
Hardcore Biker
What a great thread. Someone commented that all of us have been able to tour using a vast different type of bike. There are so many choices these days, most of them will do the job for us. But will they excell in there primary role? By primary role I mean what you the owner is really into. That can be more than one thing of course.
For me I wanted a bike that had power.plenty for a bit of fun, and that could handle lots of gear and two up touring.
I wanted to get off the beaten track,but a bike that could also boogie on the road. I do not need a bike that has loads of computer stuff, but i did like the idea of ABS for safety on the road. I wanted a quality bike made from quality materials. Fuel range of 300km +. I wanted a bike with personality as well.
My KTM 990 fits the bill for me thats for sure. The only negative is that here in NZ there is very little rear tyre choice. Having said that for me the stock Scorp performs very well. There is alot of comment about the 990 being not comfrtable on long rides but I do not have any probs with this. The Mrs has never complained once, and she has do some big trips with me.
I do kind of like the idea of shaft drive. Maybe in the future KTM might do this. But hey i am being fussy.
There are alot of dual purpose bikes now on the market, but Are they really dual purpose, in the true sense of dual purpose. I think not.
Hardcore Biker
Just clicked on this thread and, very interesting and, each to his own I guess.
Just back from a 2500 km trip , two up from CH Ch around the North Island and did it in 6 days due to time restraints and back again ..what a blast.
Our Bike is a Gen2 'Busa , hardly the perfect machine for the job sure, but we managed by doing it in 90 min squirts ,before both our butts got sore enough to stop for a coffee ..
Funny, we both acknowledge the 'Busa was'nt the perfect touring machine before we left , and of course it probably is'nt but;
If it's all about fun after all and, we had a blast despite all that , and nice to have the power to boot ...my 5 cents what a hoot
Fair weather rider
As been mentioned without the luxury of owning a different bike for each day of the week, most of us make do with whatever we have. Back in the day....I seem to remember a somewhat eccentric flatmate of mine regularly doing return runs from Wellington to Auckland on a road legalized TL 125! Granted most of us have a primary function for why we purchased said bike, but there's always going to be an occasion that we are going compromise a bit. It comes down to whether you have choices ......or not!
Best Frenemy you could have!
I laughed at the first part bloody hard ya bastid! As we agree tho, any normal bike would probably have been broken 3 times over by now. Indeed, the extra metal thats been welded in is performing faultlessly, and I think 15k ish has been done, with no breakages (a good thing when it took less than 7k to start breaking the subframe before). Stats? Bought new in October 2008, I just dropped her in today for her 60k service. Almost all country mileage, the hornet is used for the 15k a year work stuff. On all the long trips I have done, she's performed faultlessly (besides breaking the subframe a couple of times).His beloved KTM has been battle tested and put through a lot of abuse that has exposed engineering defiencies due to a combination of his ability and lack of common sense in the face of adversity.
(oh yeah, we have ascertained the resale value of his beloved Katie is shot, anyone hearing about the stats from this bike will run away screaming!
Yeah, I agree, you can tour on anything, but to put it into perspective, compare to racing. You can race anything, but as you seek to be closer to the front more money is spent, and options are much more restrictive. For me, 1000km is a day ride and could be a mix of gravel and seal, so the bike has to handle both.
Christmas Day I'll be doing a little upper north island tour with the gf on the back, borrowing a blackbird, full luggage. It will be about 2000km over 7 days, 2 days not even riding, watching the racing in Wanganui and Taupo. The bike should be perfect for it, yet I wouldn't want to try my normal exploring of unknown gravel roads. In the same vein, in the last 5 weeks I did 2x 2500km weekends (plus other shorter ones), one the Grand Challenge from Friday night to Monday, and then KoroJ's Capital Cruise, clocking up just under 2500km in 48 hours. Even that had well over 13 hours of no riding during that time.
For me, ultimate means do all. I want to reach a tight twisty road in some remote part of the country and ride it like a motard, but with all my luggage on board (inc panniers etc). I want to cover long distances at pretty much the speed limit without constantly creeping into danger territory, yet when I spy some tiny gravel/dirt road, I want to go exploring... hence the "ultimate country" part.
After all the mods, the KTM 990 Supermoto really is almost there... but I have to keep checking I'm not totally over-doing it, when some other bike would achieve all more easily (with no negatives...). Only downsides to the KTM is the seat comfort (has none) and having to fill and make sure 2 fuel tanks are working... With 2 fuel tanks, I can't carry the gf either, and the supermoto even with just the main tank is a bit cramped 2 up.
Something like a Crosstourer or R1200GSA may have the gas range and comfort, but I reckon I'll notice the lack of KTM suspension big time, and handling etc.
Hence the quandry... keep spending on the KTM, or change?
Hardcore Biker
I think you were on the money when considering the Honda ST.
Follow KoroJ to see how well they handle two up. So smooth.
Awesome range (500kms) So comfortable and fast you can do that in one stint no worries.
Takes a good rider on a chain driven Sports bike to beat one off the line. (I would imagine - hasn't happened to me)
Loads of carrying capacity with a slim profile - not having to clear high slung mufflers.
Most winning bike in Iron Butt challenge. 1600kms/day for 11 days in a row.
Handle gravel with aplomb.
Low COG - especially the older ST1100s. Handle like a 250
Popular belief is that one design criteria was for the bike to be able to average 160kms an hour for a tankful of gas.ie. 500kms. ... so 100kms an hour is very comfortable.
Atheism and Religion are but two sides of the same coin.
One prefers to use its head, while the other relies on tales.
Little ol'Hornet Rides again!
On another tack, this thread is invaluable to me also since gremlin and I are of the same mind when it comes to doing this sort of stuff (though I think it means the world is doomed to implosion).
The CAB I get from this means gremlin is my crash test dummy .. er, I meant point man
I think another factor he forgot was ... will it all go pear shaped once he fords his first river with all of this kit on!)
"I like to ride anyplace, anywhere, any time, any way!"
we are the burg.
well hers something completley diffrent can-am spyder rs-s 990 rotax good on road off road will have to pinch one for a day to find out.
Best Frenemy you could have!
I do have a soft spot for it, shaft is easier maintenance, big tank etc.
However, when I say I like gravel etc, perhaps these couple of pics will show what I get up to? This is about my limit tho, I was by myself, and in the 2nd pic I went through the foreground, but turned around, as it got worse ahead, and again, by myself, not a good idea.
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