Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer 
Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the Horizons Unlimited logo on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Show your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
ll 5 DVDs with a custom printed slip case. "The series is 'free' because the tips and advice will save much more than you spend on buying the DVD's."
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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. |
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#1
18 Jul 2010
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Opinions of Suzuki XF650
My wife and I are thinking of touring Europe and the Balkans - again. We'll either ship our Suzuki DL650 or buy a bike in England. I have bought a bike in England before, so I am familiar with how to navigate through the insurance and other paperwork issues.
My question is - does anyone have experience of the Suzuki XF650 as a long distance, two-up with luggage, touring bike? I would be looking at buying a second hand machine. I have seen two ten year old low mileage (10,000 miles) bikes on the MCN website. I understand Givi topbox and pannier racks are available for them. I have Givi boxes that I could take with me. I am 6'4'' tall - with long legs for my height - will I fit? How comfortable is the pillion seat? My wife can do up to 800km days on the back of a DL650 or a Triumph Trophy 900, but what about the XF650? Advantages of such a bike are low price and it's small enough for a friend in the UK to store it for me in his shed for another trip 12 months later. Unfortunately I cannot try out the XF650 here in Australia as it is virtually unknown outside the UK. It seems to be a lowered and "gentrified" DR650. Cheers John 
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#2
19 Jul 2010
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Great Bike
Hi John
Finished riding my XF 650 from capetown to europe in Jan. Great bike. It now has 75000 ks on the clock with not a spanner put on the engine. weak point is the rear shock. blew it out 3 times. not the bikes fault but 45 degrees, unbelevable road, to much weight etc... If you buy an "all Bals" after market seal head for a DR 650 it will fit. (this is the seal head that i blew out) brought 3 new seals in Addis for $2 USD these can be knocked into the after market seal head. They say the shock is not serviceable (Bull S**t) Crank the rear spring preload up to the MAX plus a bit more and the bike will work 4 2 up travel (only just) Throw out the STD handle bars and fit some high, wide and forward bars, this will give you the extra room for your height. these are a buget bike that does nothing fantastic but everything well, you can give it a real beating and it wont let you down. Take it easy and you will nuge 400 ks out of 18.5 litres. Check out my blog under "Travel Pod" Search 4 "Miles1" Help this helps Cheers Miles
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#3
21 Jul 2010
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Thanks for that info, Miles. It looks like the XF650 might be a good buy.
What are the racks and panniers on your bike? Did your bike come with an owners manual - if so does it say what Suzuki reckons to be the maximum payload? The handbook for my Suzuki DL650, for example, has the dry weight (197kg) listed in Specification at the back of the book and the Gross Vehicle Mass (420kg) under Loading Limit on the second page. That gives me 223kg for fuel, oil, coolant, rider, pillion, accessories and luggage. I am hoping the XF650 will carry about the same. Cheers John
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