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Which Bike? Comments and Questions on what is the best bike for YOU, for YOUR trip. Note that we believe that ANY bike will do, so please remember that it's all down to PERSONAL OPINION. Technical Questions for all brands go in their own forum.
Photo by George Guille, It's going to be a long 300km... Bolivian Amazon

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by George Guille
It's going to be a long 300km...
Bolivian Amazon



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  #16  
Old 1 Sep 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mickey D View Post

Sorry, I've forgotten how to convert MPG to Kms per Liter. Sorry, math is not my strong area.
Dividing the MPG by 5 & multiplying by 8 will give you kilometres per gallon.

Divide that result by 4.54 to give km per litre if you're using Imperial gallons or divide by 4 if using US gallons.

Most Euro types work on how many litres per 100km. To get this, divide 100 by number of km per litre.

45mpg (Imperial) divided by 5 x 8 divided by 4.54 =
15.86km per litre.

100(km) divided by 15.86 = 6.305 litres per 100km.

As a rough guide, 57mpg (Imperial) equates to approximately 5 litres per 100km which is considered pretty good. My partners DRZ is currently returning 70+mpg in South America which is just over 4 litres per 100km.
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  #17  
Old 1 Sep 2010
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I considered a BMW GS etc (doesn't everyone?), but why pay all that money for a big expensive thirsty bike that I don't need back in the UK to go to work on and attend race meetings etc. I also don't want huge servicing bills as I want to do it myself.
They're not necessarily expensive or thirsty.

My 1150GS can return 55mpg fully loaded & is pretty easy to service. We have one each, I service both of them including the valves every 6,000 miles which is very easy. Tyres (Tourances in our case) last 9-10,000 miles.

Parts are not particularly expensive either, there's plenty of aftermarket support also. If you get a non-ABS version, you can bleed the brakes by the roadside with ease, they're no harder to service than most bikes and easier than many (my KTM 950SE springs to mind..).

Sure they cost more but they also hold their value well. Note that I;m not trying to talk you in to getting a GS, merely countering a couple of misconceptions in your opening post.

Enjoy your trip.
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  #18  
Old 2 Sep 2010
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Tks Steve, I agree I may have misjudged the GS costs just by looks. They certainly do hold their price though.

It appears this thread has become the Triumph Tiger appreciation page judging by the comments (and thanks for them) so I am going off the TDM idea and I'm tracking a couple of Tigers (on EBay not in the jungle..) but some of the colour schemes are hideous!

Thanks for all the input. Shame there isn't a UK Hubb meet to attend and get some first hand looks at various touring bikes together.
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  #19  
Old 5 Sep 2010
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The Tiger devouring Nevada roads.

Here are few guys I ride with ... good representation of what we ride. R12GS, DR650, DL1000 Vstrom, 1150GS. Any and all can do the job in spades. Below see the new Ducati 1200S Multistrada and Tiger compared on tough California roads. Don't leave out the Yam 1200 Super Tenere ... I think you can buy it now in the UK. Bit pricey.
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  #20  
Old 6 Sep 2010
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Vstrom
Hi

Take a look at the Suzuki Vstrom.

We have done europe, bits of russia and san francisco to usuahia (spelling!) on ours (we have 650)

It stood up to two up on ripio and was fantastic in the not so good roads between bulgaria and turkey

It ain't no looker and it really isn't good at any one thing but it can do everything
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  #21  
Old 6 Sep 2010
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Great pictures Mickey, what a setting! No waterproofs for you guys then?

Thanks Tina. I did look at the 'weestrom' but I just have a thing about Suzuki's for some reason. Can't explain it, and no doubt they are great bikes, but can't see myself on one.

It will probably be a Tiger, or maybe even a BMW 800GS which I'm now considering - too many choices!
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  #22  
Old 8 Sep 2010
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I don't know how old a bike you are looking for,but have you looked at the Cagiva Navigator?
Fitted with a (slightly) de-tuned TL1000 engine it has all the go you need,is fairly comfy with a decent seat height and a wide pillion seat.
Even the electrics seem ok for an Italian bike!

Andy
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  #23  
Old 8 Sep 2010
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Hi would suggest any of the following
Suzuki Bandit good reliable bike (I have the 1250)
Suzuki V Storm quite a few rate it on the forum here
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  #24  
Old 8 Sep 2010
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I have looked at one of those Andy, but not knowing anything about them I was nervous of getting stuck overseas with no-one having any parts etc.

Selous, the bandit is a good bike all right, but my preference is for something that can do some mild off road as well. Nothing too adventurous as I'm not going into Africa or anything but I have done some off road in my earlier years, and had a Jeep Cherokee that I did off road with, so always up for seeing 'where those paths go..'.
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  #25  
Old 8 Sep 2010
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What about a Triumph Scrambler? I have not read that much about them, but people seem to like them. And I think they look great!
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  #26  
Old 8 Sep 2010
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Triumph Scrambler?

What's that...?
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  #27  
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come on, now, google it! I would post a link but a simple search will get you the same thing. cool retro-looking bikes, if I needed another bike it would probably be a Scrambler, but as mentioned I haven't done a lot of research on them.
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  #28  
Old 8 Sep 2010
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CB1300S Rocks!!
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Originally Posted by thebear View Post
ive just bought a faired cb1300 and i have to say it is one of the best bikes ive ridden...and ive had 12 dofferent ones over the past 3 years alone!

150m tank range, very quick, comfy.....and id put it nearly on par with my 1150 GS...added with honda reliability, should b a good buy....will let u know in 6 weeks when im back from my europe trip ;0)

i have heard stories of the tdm's having electrical probs and one of my mates (was the 900 tdm) had his rear shock snap...not nice!
Best road bike I've ever had. Put the ole' girl in top gear and leave it there. And you can get 200 miles out of a tank if you're not riding like a spanner. Great 2 up, great handling, just a bloody great bike.
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  #29  
Old 9 Sep 2010
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come on, now, google it! I would post a link but a simple search will get you the same thing. cool retro-looking bikes, if I needed another bike it would probably be a Scrambler, but as mentioned I haven't done a lot of research on them.
Ah, OK - you mean a Bonneville with upswept exhausts....

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  #30  
Old 9 Sep 2010
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Honda Transalp XL700V.
  • Solid.
  • Road biased but with adequate off-road pretensions (especially with the right tyres).
  • Comfy
  • Economical (very, if ridden with that in mind)
  • Planted on the tarmac.
Thing is, if you are riding solo and not riding on the motorway all the time (although this bike can do it) you don't need to go into 4-figure engine sizes. It will be cheaper to run on fuel and tyres than a bigger bike and still do most of what a bigger bike can do.

Either way the answer to your initial question could essentially be any bike, bar a race rep.

Perhaps you should now be doing some test rides to see what sort of power and weight category you can or can't live with, especially if you've been used to a Fireblade.

Way back, I went from a Suzuki TL to a Yam TDM. It was the right move for me at the time, but by goodness did I miss the TL's engine for the first few months. After that, though, I got used to the TDM and found that it was perfectly good for the job: it was only a case of getting accustomed to it...
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