What's the best bike for gravel?

[Night Falcon]

Heavy bikes become an issue if you....flame out, cock up the corner - lighter bikes are more forgiving

I concur - FI unexpectedly shutting down, locking up the rear end on a down hill gravel corner on a 210kg KTM is no way to end a days riding.

Had too many vehicles using the whole road to consider it...

double concur - met a combine harvester on a gravel bend out in the boonies on my old DR once, took up the entire road....almost bailed but managed to avoid stacking it, but hay, it happens

[The Pastor]

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...

What are you on about.

I went for a ride (a few years back now) with the adventure riding club (cool guys) just a gravel bash, not a propper off road thing, and DAMN they were fast. I was like whaaaaaaaaaat?? didnt know it was possible to do that on a bike.

Then again I was on a DR650. What a POS bike that was.

[The Pastor]

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

The best bike I've ridden on the gravel was a gl145. It cost me $500. Much Power.

From this discussion tho, it seems it was all about the tyre profiles.

[The Pastor]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/ar...hp/t-7771.html

lol found this from google.

Now we have a good bike recommendation. Motu - still agree with what you said in 2005?

[ellipsis]

...anyone who loves the dirt and gravel who rides the Peninsula tracks and dirt roads would have come across a mad mate of mine who rides an older R Beemer...he rides the dirt out here for breakfast, lunch, dinner or tea...he has a Honda XR 250 and a Postie bike, which he uses for the same stuff...him and his beemer are probably the fastest things on dirt I have come across...he rides alone and gets dinged up a bit, but his smile after a quick squirt in the dirt is unbreakable...

[george formby]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/ar...hp/t-7771.html

lol found this from google.

Now we have a good bike recommendation. Motu - still agree with what you said in 2005?

Motu's test ride impressions match my own. I frequently come close to wetting myself laughing on the wee Yam. You can zip along nice & quick & smooth on the torques or get all lurid & pull wheelies at high revs. If it was just me riding it I would spend money on the suspension but standard it's perfick for the G/F. On twisty sub 100kmh tar seal roads, proper twisties, it's a real mission keeping the little bugger in sight, too.
But.
Spare parts are like hens teeth. I have had to source all my bits from Japan.

[The Pastor]

Motu's test ride impressions match my own. I frequently come close to wetting myself laughing on the wee Yam. You can zip along nice & quick & smooth on the torques or get all lurid & pull wheelies at high revs. If it was just me riding it I would spend money on the suspension but standard it's perfick for the G/F. On twisty sub 100kmh tar seal roads, proper twisties, it's a real mission keeping the little bugger in sight, too.
But.
Spare parts are like hens teeth. I have had to source all my bits from Japan.

Ok good to know, although it seems most parts these days u gotta get from oveseas, dealers dont carry anything >_>. No DT's on TM atm. Lame.

[ellipsis]

...this man, Darren Heeman raced one of these on the dirt...at Addington Racecourse on the mile track... at Sunset speedway in Westport, once upon a time, he arrived there from Nelson via the dirt roads with a 21 inch Honda front rim with a dirt tyre on it, strapped to his back...ready to go FT racing...his mates who rode down with him arrived some time later...they were not keen to go as fast on the back dirt roads as he was...




...probably not recommended for most...

[george formby]

Ok good to know, although it seems most parts these days u gotta get from oveseas, dealers dont carry anything >_>. No DT's on TM atm. Lame.

Hens teeth. And long ones at that. Get a KTM..

[JATZ]

...this man, Darren Heeman raced one of these on the dirt...at Addington Racecourse on the mile track... at Sunset speedway in Westport, once upon a time, he arrived there from Nelson via the dirt roads with a 21 inch Honda front rim with a dirt tyre on it, strapped to his back...ready to go FT racing...his mates who rode down with him arrived some time later...they were not keen to go as fast on the back dirt roads as he was...


...probably not recommended for most...

And does he have big f/off knoblies ? He's been punting that thing round tracks for years too.
FWIW I could ride the little Dr 350 faster on gravel than the 800

[george formby]

Nobody has mentioned XR 650's or even a Dommie. Never ridden the 650 but I know from experience that a Dommie is very capable in the right hands.

[Gremlin]

Then again I was on a DR650. What a POS bike that was.

It's actually a very good adv bike for those starting out. Not too heavy, not too powerful, but enough for the inevitable tarmac lengths (ie, the 250s get boring fast here). They're crazy simple to work on, which means reliable in the middle of nowhere, plus, if repairs need to be done, the first truck mechanic you find will be able to assist with some wire.

Take my BMW for an example at the opposite end. 3 on board computers, traction control, ABS, Electronic suspension and load reduction circuit to help it start. Anything major goes wrong, it's a paperweight needing transport to a BMW dealer for fixing... I can *uh, cautiously* report that nothing serious has gone wrong mid trip *touch wood*. However, the stories I've heard plus one time, it simply didn't start for a day, and when the dealer looked, it started OK.

[Tazz]

Ok good to know, although it seems most parts these days u gotta get from oveseas, dealers dont carry anything >_>. No DT's on TM atm. Lame.

This thing will be up for sale soon.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=871859

Not sure how it compares to a DT, especially wheelie wise, but it is a capable thing to bowl around on.

[The Pastor]

This thing will be up for sale soon.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=871859

Not sure how it compares to a DT, especially wheelie wise, but it is a capable thing to bowl around on.

What is it?

[george formby]

What is it?

Get with it man! It's the new HD adventure touring prototype. Apparently the production model will have the V Rod engine & leather panniers.