Cruiser bashing

[Robertsmits]

It is clear to me that any bike can do the trick but I would like some more specific advice. I am thinking of a trip to Turkey (for instance) but I am riding A Kawasaki Vulcan 800 cruiser and it would be interesting to see how far it gets me. It is not a heavy cruiser, liquid cooled, chain-driven and lacking clearance as any cruiser. I,ve taken it over the passes of the European alps and it performed quite well in the hairpin corners, shaking off friends on top heavy BMW's, but i have never taken it off-road. I understand the bike is not the obvious choice but it is what I have to make do with. Anyone out there done any serious travelling on these type of bikes and is willing to share some advice?

Thanks in advance, Rob

[Riq]

I spent many years on a Vulcan 1500 and found it to be up to pretty much any riding I and my wife chose to do. It handles alright in gravel however I am not sure i would use it in too much soft sand more due to the weight than the handleing characteristics.

I currently ride a Triumph Trophy as I have suffered a back problem which seems to prefer that I ride in a more agressive position. Once again this is not a dual sport bike however it seems to take us where ever we chose to go.

My advice is ride what you have and enjoy both the good and the bad. An example of this would be me, with my wife on the back, pedeling backwards for about 400 meters because the goat trail we were on became too narrow to allow us to turn around. Even a great bike can't compensate for a poor decision.

Ride. Have fun.

Rick

[Threewheelbonnie]

You can make it well into Turkey (or probably futher) without leaving the tarmac, so trip wise it's what you want to do.

"Off road" varies from autobahns with snow on them, via dry dirt tracks to places with axle deep mud. For every factor the bike lacks the rider has to work harder or have more skill. I've ridden a Triumph Bonneville on snow and dirt roads and it's fun. When the dirt turns to axle deep mud I really wish I could press a button and have it turn into an XT350, so the trick is to plan a way out before you end up pushing the *******.

I've met cruiser riders in Norway on the verge of turning round and going home after 30 miles of gravel they weren't happy taking above walking pace. That was pure rider skill/experience, there were other cruisers going faster than I was on a BMW F650. I'd take those roads on the Bonneville at 40-50 mph.

My only worry with a cruiser would be tyre choice. In 16-inch choice is limited and they really do make a big difference to the point it ceases to be fun. Check out Heidenau and Mitas, they have "classic" treads that get close to off road patterns.

IMHO, Get some practice in so you know where you need to draw the line, think about your tyres and plan your route accordingly. Then go for it

Andy

[bangkok.jake]

Hi Rob,
used to be riding a Yamaha 650 Dragstar and did a fair bit of gravel road but gave it up for 2 reasons. Other bikes are more suited to that kind of usage and my back was giving me pain because of the laid back riding position. Using my backpack and the sleeping bag I could build a backrest and this would improve things but at the end nothing beats sitting straight up on a trallie bike. Better control, bettre balance, more comforable and also you have the option to stand up when things get bumby.

But that's just me - good luck with your ride.
//Jake

[DLbiten]

did you see the Forwoods? http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/forwood/

Not bad for a big, slow, heavy, low HD. 193 countries over 500,000km.

[Knight of the Holy Graal]

Hello, Rob! You have to know that last year I rode my motorycle on a fantastic trip from my house in Italy to Petra crossing Italy, Greece, TURKEY, Syria and Jordan with no problems at all.
My bike? An Ultra Classic Electra Glide from Harley-Davidson, so heavy and slow-moving!

I rode it by 99% on well paved roads and it was not so nice to ride on the (very small) gravel parts I ran across, but if you plan to go to Turkey... LOAD IT, START YOUR ENGINE AND HAVE A BLAST THERE!

[Knight of the Holy Graal]

Originally Posted by Robertsmits

I am very much interested in the route "Knight of the holy Graal" took, I have a more or less similar route in mind. From Amsterdam down to Italy (love the food!) take a ferry-crossing to Greece and move on to Turkey and beyond.
I am probably misusing this thread now for route related stuff but but maybe you can share some of your experiences with me....

Thanks again!!
Rob

With pleasure!

Feel free to ask infos whenever you want, I'll try to help you as much as I can (I'll be out of Italy on motorcycle journey from July 31 thru August 20, so I will be able to reply your mails only after my return...).

Take care, dude.