The Transalp is a great bike...but old now....I don't even know if I could find one. Pedro Moto on youtube is a great example of that bike taking a beating...

500cc is just not gonna do it for me....I have been riding a long time, of course not RTW - but I have 150,000 miles plus on a bike. There is a balance to reach between off-road and being throw off the road by 18 wheelers. Some weight is good.

I wonder if buying bikes as you go is a viable option....for instance, in Europe mostly tarmac. In India, a Himalaya...

I am seriously considering building a bike from almost scratch.....buying a motor, frame and wheels....doing custom suspension, and everything else. This would be AWESOME but imagine getting parts for it!!! I would know the beast inside and out.

Thanks for the post Warthog. I cannot really feel like I'm leaving till I have a bike for this. My current Yamaha Vstar 1100 ain't gonna cut it!

I recognise your dilemma mate, that's why I built two very different travel bikes. One from scratch with a bomb proof engine for two up and one from two bikes to make a solo offroad oriented bike. You have the time now to go custom, I'm so glad I did..!!

I'm supposed to be doing the full TCAT east to west right now but for covid, real game/life changer for sure...

Interested to see which direction you take with both bike choice and trip detail, keep posting

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

I traveled two up for a year (North and South America)

On this year long trip, I used a 1000cc 120hp big bike for North America (Open roads of the US and western Canada)

Then for South America, I used a 650cc vtwin bike.

I felt like the bikes were well matched for the job. I personally would not want bigger than a 650 for SA. My only regret was not spending more money in suspension upgrades for the 650.


I also want to add that the bike doesnt matter as much as you think as long as you get to do the trip.

Don't overthink the bike but do make the trip happen if you can.

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Alaska 2014: Hotel Budget ZeroXmas in Death Valley, New Year in Urique

After TONS of research, and watching some fantastic vids made from the great people here at HU - you are absolutely correct about the bike....I looked deeply into the Yamaha Tenere 700 - and when I finally got to see and sit on one - its not the bike for me....Top of running right now, is the BMW F800 GS - or some version of it....

One of the things that shook me when I looked at the Tenere - its build quality....basically its made out of plastic....and for me - I would have to make so many mods to the bike to make it fit my needs - forget it...Plus the fact of a new bike and parts distribution around the world....no.

I want a used bike - with known issues, well tested....that will not cost a fortune, that I can modify to my hearts content....

The biggest issue I have with the BMW is weight, and I will be seeking ways to drop that weight as much as possible.

Getting close to bike purchase time - fall. I have a space all set up for work on the bike, and will have all winter plus to get some work done.

Thanks for the post.

Setting your sights on a particular model is one big step taken care of! Good stuff.

As for dropping weight, I am no expert. A lot of the stuff on the bike has to be there, so there's not much to discard. It's more a case of replacement and as one variation of the saying goes: light, cheap, durable: pick two!!

You might want to look at polymer fuel tanks, perhaps replacement rear shocks might be lighter with the added bonus of improving ride quality, and of course some bodywork can be removed although that might leave some components exposed and vulnerable.

I can't speak for you, personally, but I can speak for myself. When I was planning a big trip, I too wanted to reduce the weight seeing as the bike was a beast and we were two up. What with kit and luggage all I seemed to be doing was adding weight.

There was one component of the equation I could influence: me. I decided to lose some weight! I lost about 8kg-10kg in the months before our departure. My partner did the same and between us, the bike was carrying about 16 less than it would have been. And we felt better for it. It was not masses in the grand scheme seeing as the bike was 240kg by itself, unladen, but it offset some of what we packed.

So..., if you have a few pounds that could be shed, that is one way to go. Otherwise, in practical terms it becomes more about adding as little as possible, rather than actually lightening the bike. I recommend at least bearing that perspective in mind.

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

I have thought of this...but more.....I am a skinny wiry guy...6' 77kg (170 LBS)....I lost about 7kg working out every day....and that's what I mean....if I'm going on this trip, I need to be in the best shape I can get into...and have to maintain it....Looking at resistance bands that can be used as tie downs...double use, so I can work out on the road.

On the bike for weight loss: Exhaust...but I don't want loud....Aluminum sprocket and smaller chain....gas tank....yes, research deeper when I have a tank to replace. There is much I have to learn...can I save weight by replacing plastic covers with carbon fiber? Would magnesium alloy make better lighter crash bars? Is there a way to save weight in the tires....soft vs hard panniers....

A friend of mine works in a CnC shop....he can make me custom parts out of whatever I want....so maybe replacing engine covers....lighter seat....

Gear - buying the best and lightest travel gear for the road...clothes, camp gear, everything.....and being really efficient with tools, and everything that is going will be weighed so I know what I"m dealing with.....

Weight is a big issue. Right now I travel 2up on an 1100 and the weight is incredible....We camp...At slow speeds I can hardly stay upright, and at the end of day of riding my arms and shoulders are sore....

I am even researching replacing the frame.....and I do mean researching...to see if this much work and expense is worth the weight loss....No idea right now....

But I have over a year. Will have the bike in a month to a month and half....prime bike buying time here in Canada.....and once that is done I can really get to work.

Thanks for the post.

Stick with steel for the durability - ally is great for racers but durability is poor. You CAN get steel ringed alloy-centre sprockets and that might be worthwhile - but only until you're somewhere less well stocked, then you're back to steel. Chain - My recommendation is DEFINITELY stick with stock - they've picked that size for a reason, and trying to source special sprockets is a headache you don't want on the road.


https://www.shopbmwmotorcycle.com/pr...onal-fuel-tank

But of course that will simply ADD weight!
Not NEAR enough for the price and effort involved! We're talking almost nothing anyway for the average plastic cover.

Lighter, not stronger, and when you crash and generate a whole lot of sparks and set the mag on fire...

Some tires are much lighter than others. Check the specs, but don't get carried away about it.

Soft is definitely lighter!
Engine covers is in the much too hard category for a few ounces - note that the DRZ400 as an example comes with magnesium covers - and everyone ends up putting a steel case saver on top - because mag is FRAGILE. With the seat you can save a little weight at the expense of comfort - probably. Maybe...

That's the area you'll get the most bang for the buck and effort! If you don't take it, it weighs nothing!

Strongly recommend research into Ergonomics - See the Achievable Dream series where I go into ergos quite a bit - and also fitness - and that means RIDING fitness, not just general fitness. Also lessons on riding a big bike off-road - skill can reduce effort massively, and with good ergos greatly reduce or eliminate the pain at the end of a long day.

I can't believe you'll save more than a few pounds at incredible expense and effort.


KISS principle! Eliminate weight where it's straightforward and you can get big gains, and don't worry about a few grams at great cost, unless of course your budget is unlimited and you WANT to do it!
Hope that helps!

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I don’t want to come across as a nay-sayer but the changes you are looking at would be incredibly expensive for only a few kilos saved. And I mean a few: the most you might shave off is 5-10kg max, IMHO.

Earlier you mentioned some things being out of your price range, but I think you’ll end spending more on getting all the extras for the 800 than you would buy a more expensive bike.

For that expense, perhaps you can simply be looking at the new Husqvarna 701. Although, there you’d have a bike that has not had much field testing by the time you go and poorer dealer support than any of the other bikes.

As before the ultimate decision is yours, but I truly believe that trying to lighten the bike once bought will be a huge expense for the weight savings made, as Grant pointed out.

Here’s an alternative to mull over:

Like you I have been on a big Beemer (1150GS) two-up and it was hard work on dirt. Difficult terrain was taxing mentally and physically and I bet the latter was partly due to my being so tense about the riding conditions.

One way you can overcome this obstacle is to learn to mitigate the weight that there is.

Rather than spending 1000s on replacement this and replacement that, put half that money into off-road riding and control courses.

Learn to ride a bike of that size in difficult conditions rather than trying to make it more manageable by shaving a couple of ounces from this component or that.

There was another rider from Estonia about 10 years ago that went RTW two up also. He was on a R1100GS. I went to the local sand quarry with him and he could ride that thing in the dirt like it was a 450.

The net result was that when it came to the trip and he wasn’t zooming around, the bike’s weight and speed was well within his comfort zone.

And on top of that you’ll have transferable skills to any bike, not to mention having greater control on asphalt too.

It's something I wish I'd done.

__________________
Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)