It's the Which? Bike thread!!

[Officialslacker]

I've just started learning (and planning my trip!) and wondering about what bike to get once I've passed my test - I'm looking at traveling to the following;

Start - Scotland

England
Wales
England
France
Switzerland
Liechtenstein
Austria
Hungary
Romania
Bulgaria
Turkey
Syria
Lebanon
Israel
Egypt
Libya
Tunisia
Sicily
Italy
Vatican City
Italy
France
England
End - Scotland


As far as I've been able to find out, most of the roads are good, so am looking for a bike that is happy on the road and offroad so I'll be able to keep using it as I gain experiance riding, but is easy enough for a newbie to start with - Any suggestions??

I had looked at;

buell ulysses adventurer
Yamaha XT660R
Suzuki Vstorm 650A

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Matt

[Dessertstrom]

Hi Matt,
It really depends on the kind of off roading you want to do.
The V-Strom is a good allrounder but is limited off road to firm green lanes or forest tracks, it doesn't like sand or mud with it's Trail Wing tyres.
Comfortable bike to ride on road and will do 44 mpg with a 22 ltr tank,plenty of power and easy to ride.
I think the Buell would be too much for your experience with it's 1250 motor that likes to pull a wheeeelie.
Don't know about the Yamaha so can't comment but there are plenty of folks on here that like them.
Cheers
Ian

[sanderd]

Hi Matt,

I would leave the Buell for what it is: a Poser bike ;-)
(also, HD/Buell has no decent dealernetwork in some of the countries you want to go...)

Based on the assumption you don't do serious off-road, i would go for the Vstrom, if budget allowes. Otherwise XT660R. Both are good and solid bikes.

cheers,
Sander

[Matt Cartney]

Buying new? I'd take a close look at the new Yamaha Tenere.

Matt

[DougieB]

saltire suzuki (Dundee Terrace) have the v-strom (not the A though). but they have some second hand 650's, you could Adventure-ise one of those. I had a 650 over a weekend, and it was pretty good. 650 will cruise at 80 mph easier than an XT will. for a solo ride better than the 1000 I have now.

I would personally go for an XT though, as I'd give up motorway comfort for some off-road ability. I think the XT would be cheaper to drop as well, if it's your first bike.

Doesn't the 650 v-strom have ABS that can't be switched off?

[Walkabout]

Originally Posted by DougieB

I would personally go for an XT though, as I'd give up motorway comfort for some off-road ability. I think the XT would be cheaper to drop as well, if it's your first bike.

Doesn't the 650 v-strom have ABS that can't be switched off?

There's a lot of plastic on the wee strom compared with the XT and some other bikes; I have wondered about taking off the fairing plastic and replace it with some damaged second hand ones from a breaker for "serious travelling", if I was to own this, or similar bike.
The "poly" plastic (or whatever it is correctly called) type of stuff on more offroad oriented bikes is much more robust of course.

I would like a definitive answer about if the DL650 ABS is switchable; the dealer could not tell me, after which I walked out.

officialslacker,
Best do some reading into the multitude of threads in here as well; there are lots to go for.

[Dessertstrom]

The ABS is not switchable http://11109.rapidforum.com/ but I think you can put a switch in the line or pull the fuse.
Cheers
Ian

[Officialslacker]

Thanks for the advise so far guys! I'd like a new bike, but being a newbie I think I'll end up with a 2nd hand one that way I won't be as heart broken if/when I drop it and brake something!! although never say never, could get a new one if I've got the money or get a good deal!!


Dessertstrom - would I not just be able to swap the Trail Wing tyres for something more at home in the sand/mud?

I don't think I'll be doing motorcross or anything - just a bit of soft offroading - would like to be able to go through sand and mud if needed.

DougieB - What would be needed to sort the bike out for Adventure-iseing a bike?

I'm more used to cars & 4x4's - I know you can change the suspension for more hight, better tyres etc - guessing it's the same sort of stuff for a bike?

[DougieB]

250/300 mile fuel range (normally means a new plastic tank), ability to put on some trail tyres, comfort for all day riding (a fine Scottish sheepskin on the seat), space to carry your gear without it falling off (hard luggage/rack or soft bags), space to carry plenty of water without it falling off. crash bars if you've a tendency to drop the bike. So, you're potentially up to £1000 and still have to get the bike, and your riding gear. Getting something (older) as suitable as possible to your needs will hopefully means spending less on extras.

depends what you're doing, and what type of person you are. the above is probably somewhere to start with, that would be a general adventure touring bike. by off-road, be realistic. you could change suspension in a v-strom to make it more off-road, but it's never going to be a real jumping off-roader.

an XT is a more capable off-road bike than a v-strom, but you still need to look after it off-road. You could also think about an old transalp. probably somewhere in between an XT and a v-strom, and likely to be cheaper.

buy a copy of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, it's got everything in there you'll need. The trip reports are good for seeing what people go where on, and what broke: Adventure Motorcycling ~ the website of the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook

Matt's bike is a pretty good example. his blog is in his sig. read through the blogs (link on the left side of this page), and you'll get an idea of the types of bikes people use.

[Dodger]

Originally Posted by Officialslacker

Thanks for the advise so far guys! I'd like a new bike, but being a newbie I think I'll end up with a 2nd hand one that way I won't be as heart broken if/when I drop it and brake something!! although never say never, could get a new one if I've got the money or get a good deal!!


Dessertstrom - would I not just be able to swap the Trail Wing tyres for something more at home in the sand/mud?

I don't think I'll be doing motorcross or anything - just a bit of soft offroading - would like to be able to go through sand and mud if needed.

DougieB - What would be needed to sort the bike out for Adventure-iseing a bike?

I'm more used to cars & 4x4's - I know you can change the suspension for more hight, better tyres etc - guessing it's the same sort of stuff for a bike?

You can change the suspension but you can't change the frame geometry and weight very much .
You'll have to decide what kind of riding you will be doing and choose a bike accordingly .
Any of the 650 singles [KLR, DR650,XT 600 ,650GS ] would be good for very rough roads and for mainly highway and gravel roads the 650 Strom would be great . Pure highway? well there are hundreds of bikes you could pick ,but for an inexperienced rider a 650 like a Bandit would be just fine .
Try some bikes out , test rides or borrow friend's bike , read as much as you can on the internet and gain an idea about the reliability of certain models .
Don't get a big bike for now, 650 or 750 should be fine .
Bigger machines are more specialised and when you've gained a bit more experience , you will know exactly what you want !

[Matt Cartney]

If you are looking at second hand stuff then have a look at the XT 600E (produced up to 2003). I have one with a plastic tank (23 litres), bash plate, luggage racks etc. For genuine 1 up adventure touring in the third world I reckon you'd be hard put to do better. They are insanely reliable and tough as nails, if slightly unsophisticated. The old carburetted single pot technology is simple enough for self maintenace and not without the skills of mechanics in the more remote parts of the world. It's got enough poke for cruising on good roads while being just enough of a dirt bike to cope with off road. The only situation in which it struggles is motorway cruising where the relatively low cruising speed combined with lack of weather protection makes it a bit of a chore. As for dropping/crashing etc. I've had some quite spectacular tumbles which have resulted in little more than a few scratches. Would be worth buying some stronger bars like Renthals though as the stock bars bend quite easily.

As for tyres, Continental Twinduros seem to be a good compromise between off-road and tarmac use. Be careful not to overload them though as they disintigrate as I found out to my cost!

Matt

[mollydog]

knowledgeable owners.

Good luck with the L Plate.

[mollydog]

So don't under estimate the Ulysess...a super good bike...just not for everyone and not for begginers. (too tall)

[Matt Cartney]

Originally Posted by mollydog

...don't buy someone's Adventure bike that is all set up and been to Africa or something. No matter how many nice bits its got. Avoid! Buy the bits....leave the bike.

At the risk of offending anyone on here who's trying to sell their bike post trip, I have to agree with this. 'Adventure' miles on harsh roads, tough environmental conditions, poor fuel quality etc. are much harder on a bike than the 'ordinary' miles your average punter will put on a bike. With absolutely no basis in scientific research I reckon 'adventure' miles are at least twice as damaging to a bike than 'ordinary' ones.

Matt

[Steve Pickford]

Forthcoming BMW F800GS is worth a look, UK launch is Saturday 8th March 2008. Based on the reliable & cheap to service F800S & ST.