Bike to die with !

[Samy]

Hi friends,

Actuallay have a 97 R 80 GS Basic. Good machine, low maintenance. Tubeless tyres. Powered up to 1000 CC. Fuel consumption 6,5 L/100 km. It is high. Very good for two up.
What I like with the bike is also shaft driven and no need to care for the chain.

Now I am thinking to sell it and buy a new one:

My choices:

KTM 990 adventure
660 Tenere
650 V-Strom
(? F 650 GS Dakar)

I am planning long distance trips with loaded panniers. Domestically two up sometimes with my wife within the country.

* New bike must be powered but must have fuel economy.
* Easy maintenance and spare parts available.
* I don't like vibration
* Want tubeless tyres
* Can put a large gas tank

Would like to hear your comments and experiences to decide more healthy.

If I would decide yesterday, I would choose Tenere. One of my friend insists on KTM.

Very best,

Samy

[jkrijt]

I would keep the R80GS if I had the choice.

I love my F650GS. Good bike dispite the chaindrive. Good fuel economy (+/- 23 km/liter) reliable and it looks good.
Jan Krijtenburg homepage (My bike history)

Good luck with your choice.

[Caminando]

Originally Posted by Samy

Hi friends,

Actuallay have a 97 R 80 GS Basic. Good machine, low maintenance. Tubeless tyres. Powered up to 1000 CC. Fuel consumption 6,5 L/100 km. It is high. Very good for two up.
What I like with the bike is also shaft driven and no need to care for the chain.

Now I am thinking to sell it and buy a new one:

My choices:

KTM 990 adventure
660 Tenere
650 V-Strom
(? F 650 GS Dakar)

I am planning long distance trips with loaded panniers. Domestically two up sometimes with my wife within the country.

* New bike must be powered but must have fuel economy.
* Easy maintenance and spare parts available.
* I don't like vibration
* Want tubeless tyres
* Can put a large gas tank

Would like to hear your comments and experiences to decide more healthy.

If I would decide yesterday, I would choose Tenere. One of my friend insists on KTM.

Very best,

Samy

You already own the bike you want, according to your checklist. Dont be fooled by magazines promoting more power.

[Walkabout]

Originally Posted by jkrijt

I would keep the R80GS if I had the choice.

I love my F650GS. Good bike dispite the chaindrive. Good fuel economy (+/- 23 km/liter) reliable and it looks good.
Jan Krijtenburg homepage (My bike history)

Good luck with your choice.

I agree with jkrijt, but if you can afford it then run a couple of bikes, just as jkrijt himself does; there never seems to be one bike that satisfies all the needs that we have.
If you are going to run one bike only for the journeys and loading that you describe then I would, personally, want to make those journeys with more than one cylinder - having said that, the F650GS is capable of two up (but the people on the saddle are very, very close together!!

Enjoy considering all the options available,

(ps Hopefully not to die with!!!!!!!)

[ozhanu]

Suzuki DL650 (aka V-Strom) might be another option.

[Xander]

I also say stick with the gs80

but there is also the honda XRV 750 Africa Twin.. Fits your recs, only thing it does not have is tubless tyres.. (which i like better in the off track kinda rides)..and i recon it would be possible to fit them anyway..you can do a lot of mods to the AT... and the wife and I tour two up with all the gear.. but solo it is fast, reliable, looks good..kinda like a super tenere in looks... .. I came from an xtz 660 to a xtz600 .. then the XRV... my at is a bit more reliable then the xtz660 but about the same as the 600... but has more power then both..

there is ofcourse the super tenere XTZ750.. bit more power then the 660 and more comfort to boot... (much better two up..then the 660 I have done it on both)

[photographicsafaris]

Man i was just thinking just the same thing and was going to post a question here... "What would be the Last bike that you would buy, or keep forever?"

I was riding my BMW R1150RT to town today, and though that if I were to stay in Europe, then this would be it. Forever, But I was planning to move back to Africa, and a house purchase just delayed that by three years, so the search has been delayed. It would deffinetly be a second bike, not my main one, however I still want the forever bike:

I am so against electronics on the modern bikes that just dont work, or fail when you really need them... (bloody R1200GS) So the R80GS would be high up on my list, I could trade in my rt for an 1150GS But I am thinking a single...

I am 90% sure I will end up being a DR650 or 600 with Kick start (backup) but not sure if it should'nt be a DRZ 400. cant explain why, but the suzuki's have so much presence, I guess I was impressed by one as a child!

Is the 400DRZ too weak for the long haul? I go by the principle that a big motor thumping away takes less strain and will last longer than a smaller motor whizz banging.

I would deffinetly load hard panniers, Pelican probably, or Aluminium and a large tank. Anyone any thoughts here?

Yamaha, XT600 or the Honda XR600?

The Ubiquitous Africa twin and BMW 1100GS (only twins I would consider as the forever bike) are big, but not sure if they will get my vote.

I have a feeling that the BMW's are going to have to feature heavily on the forever list, because they litterally do go on forever (unstressed engines) My BMW K75s has 137,773 miles on it and is still going like a boeing I did 27thousand miles in one year, and thats a 20 year old bike. I wonder if Jap bikes can do as much? (mind you the new BMW's probably couldnt)

Cheers G

[pecha72]

ok, I own one, so Im naturally biased.. but cant help it, it does seem to fit the list you mention pretty well.

* New bike must be powered but must have fuel economy.
For a 650 the engine is surprisingly punchy, fully loaded it surely wont be like you´d ride a 1000, but even then its WAY better than any 1-cylinder, or older twins, like Transalp which will feel stressed, when you got all your travelgear and possibly a pillion on the bike.

* Easy maintenance and spare parts available.
Suzuki knows how to build good engines, and this one comes from the SV, a well-proven twin. You do get spare parts for them (in Europe anyway) but I dont think your going to need them very often, except for servicing maybe. Servicing the fuel-injection system may not be possible in some remote areas, but I havent heard there being any particular problems with it.

* I don't like vibration
It vibrates much less than any 1-cylinder, in fact it runs very smoothly.

* Want tubeless tyres
Yep, got them, too. Havent really abused the wheels myself, but what Ive read, seems to suggest they are tough.

* Can put a large gas tank
The K7 (Euro3 emission standard) model, with twinspark heads, seems to be clearly more fuel-efficient than the previous K6.. im getting consumption of around 4.0-4.5 litres / 100km, and the tank is 22L. I have no sidebags, etc at the moment, they might add something like 1 liter / 100kms to that, or even more if you ride fast roads. But still it can easily do +300kms without refuelling.

[mollydog]

Will last a long long time
with no breakdowns.