Hi Jeannie,

an XT225 or XT250's the way to go!

In Oz the 225 model is sometimes badged as a 250.

The highlight for me at the HUBB meeting at Ripley was a comment made by Austin Vince, who said 'there was no better machine for adventure riding than a Serow'! Great praise indeed!

Regards

Reggie

This was said by the same man that said Ural only make sidecar outfits!!
In the words of Thin Lizzy....'don't believe a word'

YouTube - Dont Believe a Word

__________________
'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'
Never confuse the map with the journey.

Morning Dave,

I am right in saying that only Ural offer a sidecar option direct from the factory, rather than using after market providers?

Reagrds

Reggie

Hi Reg, I was hoping to see you this weekend, but on Sunday morning was in a big rush to get myself and ybr125 back to South London for the England game!
Am sure we will catch up at some point!
It appears that Ural do solos but have not passed certain Euro tests to be sold here. If I am wrong play this one !!

YouTube - Elton John - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word - 1976

__________________
'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'
Never confuse the map with the journey.

Hi Jeanie, Ive not got any experience of these machines but have been informed the Beta alp 4.0 is a fine machine for smaller people, fairly inexpensive using i believe a suzuki dr engine.
I shall be looking more in depth at them as my partner is verticaly challenged.
Good luck Jim

Hi Jim,

I had been looking at the Beta Alp, and I think it will have the same issues that my spanish made Rieju Tango 250 off road: spare parts.
Rieju is a very good brand, and is HUGE in Spain. The Tango is very low and hence a superb off-road bike for me (i'm rather short!) to get more experience off-road.

BUT... my only concern for my next big trip across northern Asia would be spare parts. This is something I would need to discuss in detail with my local mechanic.

I am torn between keeping the little bike (105kgs) 250cc, air cooled, Carbs ... it is quality built but what happens if something goes wrong in mongolia... vs something going wrong with yamaha say!

It was already such a huge problem (1 month delay ) to rebuild my BMW F650GS in Chile after a massive crash! It was not easy to deal with BMW, not sure it would be easier to deal with Rieju in Catalunya!

__________________
Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

his wife made him say it. she rode a serow with much success from alaska to argentina and again on the Africa trip as well i think.

Hey Jim,

Thanks for the heads-up about the Beta Alp 4.0 - looks like a good bike for the more petite rider like me. Do you know what they're like weight-wise? Maybe it's just because I haven't spent much time on a bike yet (still learning!), but I'm doing my training on a 125cc Honda and it feels very heavy - so I'm keen to find a first bike that's light as a feather if poss!

Jeanie

if you want light, you have to get a sportbike, but then you lose a LOT of the capabilities that a dual purpose bike offers. from experience, a ninja 250 weighs 308 pounds, but ALL of that is low in the bike, so you dont notice it, most dual sports, you do because the weight is up higher.

the average 250 dual sport weighs roughly 200-300 pounds, with nothing on it here in te states, and it may be that I have a fair bit of muscle from working all the time, but I consider nothing heavy until its a KLR650, or an 86 ZX1000, which is a FAT PIECE OF CRAP.

A common theme between Overland riders is that their bikes get smaller with every trip, even though their experience and riding skills get better.

I started out travelling on a Africa Twin in Europe, then moved down to an XT600 for South America. Now I have a DRZ400 prepped for Africa and i'm already thinking about a 250cc for the next trip.

I don't know anyone who has done a trip on a small bike and desperately wanted to swap it for a giant BMW or KTM. You will encounter plenty of people on the road cursing their giant bikes. Looking at you with jealously as your playfully glide your lighter bike over ruts and potholes and effortlessly push it through Hotel doors or onto boats etc.

Food for thought perhaps !

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Hi Jeanied1


I have been interested in your adventure and your planned trip to Africa, Having recently learned to ride my self and being a little on the ancient side and suffer from arthritis and initially could not get on the bike unless I stood on the foot peg. I chose a DRZ 250 for my first bike had a set of Motard wheels made and this made the bike lower and easier for me to get on, then found out that ready made accessories were difficult to get so I thought this would be something that you might consider. I sold the DRZ and still have the wheels, so Motard wheels with a link kit would significantly lower the bike. And saddle trimming is not uncommon for people with Ducks Disease.
The saddle can be made much nicer and be more comfortable, perhaps a little wider where you need it. You can do anything that you want.

Now there are lots of people on this site that have much more knowledge about individual bikes than I have however if I were doing a trip to Africa which I am planning a RWT in about 5 years these are things that I consider as being necessary
BTW my mechanical experience spans somewhat over 40years

·Fuel capacity a ready made tank large capacity
·Panniers all ready made to fit the bike
·Sump guard and Bark busters ( if you drop the bikewithout them it is likely that you will break a clutch or break leaver, they shatter really well (that’s the first thing I learned I droppedmine in on the the front concrete and hadnt turned a wheel), but always carry spares zip tied to a convenient part of the bike They are really light.
·Mechanical durability
·Longevity of engine
·Ease of parts replacement ie. is it easy to change
·Is the bike comfortable
·Is it the right height for me and what’s available to make it so
·How light is the bike for air travel 147KG dry weight

So what I elude to is there are two bikes I would consider and both from the Suzuki range and one I think is a little more durable and less likely to break or develop problems than the other, Bothe have availability of aftermarket parts, Fuel tanks etc. Motard wheels which are factory fitted
Both bikes are LAMS approved (learner approved)
The DRZ 400 is water cooled so if this develops cooling problems then you may be stuck in a place that you don’t want to be. Touring Ted my be able to give more advise on this bike

The DR 650 is very durable and there are reports on the web regarding their durability, there is a website which is based around the Birdsville Track and they use the DR650 exclusively for their clients. I have read other reports which compare several different bikes that have travelled around the Simpson Desert, the DR650 perform exceptionally well.
There are more parts available for the DR650 and the bike can be properly kitted before departure. I would go for Bilstine shocks on the rear, but being a light weight you may not have to consider this.
Link Kits Motarrd wheels lowered seat large tank, and panniers that bolt on and you have the perfect touring bike, very comfortable air cooled, no cooling system problems.

The DR650 is 140KG dry weight There is one bike lighter for putting on the plane and that a KTM 560 (I Think) Touring Ted my be able to give more advise on this bike

Now last but not least is the frighten factor, can this bike be too powerful for a novice, no not at all it is really easy to ride and throttle control is good not like the Gladius, which is also Learner approved and the bike I rode for my open license the thump in his bike can take you by surprise But the DR650 is a little more sedate until you want to ride it hard.

Well just my two bobs worth as a new rider: I wish you well in your choice and if you wish to discuss further pleas e-mail me

Kind regards
Champ

Overall I reckon a 600-650cc bike is best for RTW. I've got a 250, 400 and 2 650's in the garage and can't imagine taking a 250 RTW. Even the 400 would be difficult on the long straight roads. Particularly if you cross the whole continent. Dirt or not, but the OP may find it ok. It all depends on what you're used to.

In the end, light is might. So in that respect for most the DR650 would be ultimate, but it's still a hefty bike compared to the 400 though. The 400 goes everywhere with ease. Is bulletproof and doesn't need much to spec up. Water cooling is one of those FI vs Carbs, or synthetic vs dyno oil debates. The 400 cooling system is a beauty. It doesn't have a fan on the E but can be retrofitted, but doesn't need it either really. Air cooled bikes can have cooling issues as well. I've had it on both. Had boiling coolant in my 400 (sitting in first on a single trail behind my wife) and steam coming of my old XTZ600 Tenere (finding a park spot on Fraser Island in summer). I reckon in Africa liquid cooling is the go, but if that's not an option on your preferred bike it's by no means a show stopper.

Ted's right. Most people will try to make it lighter second time around. I reckon it's because most people get more confident on the dirt, and want to ride more aggressive. Keeping in mind that most people on RTW trips have next to no dirt riding experience though, it would be a logical statistic. A lot of them like myself are from Europe with limiting to no dirt riding opportunities adding to this statistic. In Aussie we have heaps of opportunity. So you'll find that it's the perfect prep ground for a RTW trip and usually ahead of the 'bike setup evolutionary chain'. You can experience the same conditions as Africa within a weekend ride in most places of Australia, where in Europe you'll have to drop in to Spain or Morocco. You won't find many hard luggage setups here.

Keep that in mind with some of the advice given and this is why I reckon you should join some of the local rides. A long weekend setup will suffice for a RTW setup with a few additions. I tested this one the other weekend and found it needed a suspension tuning or more balanced distribution. Didn't need steel racks though.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

Hey thanks guys for your very detailed suggestions and feedback! That's what I love about this forum, everyone's so generous with their knowledge.

I took another small step towards my Africa dream today - passed my learner permit theory and practical tests first time, yeeha! My instructor - who's been instrumental in building my confidence - is going to give me some more individual training on a 250cc Suzuki, then I'm finally going to take the plunge and buy my bike - armed with all the advice on this thread!

At this stage, I'm thinking I'll buy an el-cheapo bike for now to build up some kilometres on, something I won't get too precious about. AND I want to start getting some off-road experience as well. Then I'll think more specifically about a bike for Africa.

VERY excited about the coming months now...!

Jeanie

Someone mentioned the DR350 as a possible for you.........forget it, it's waaaaay too tall. Too tall for me at 5'7".........I had a little DR200 that I thought was sweet as can be (until some bas***d nicked it)...nice and low but torquey. Not strong enough to carry luggage though. Wonderful little bike for green laning.

I am also looking for a bike that I don't need to wear stilletos with, but something with a bit of power........maybe 400cc upwards. It's not the power I'm worried about, it's the size/seatheight of the 'adventure' bikes. I need one to carry luggage too as I want to do a big trip. The only one I've found so far is the Beemer 650..........but it's expensive and seems to have lots of (potential) faults.

I don't know if I have said this on this topic, but you can't go wrong with a CG125.

I'm not sponsored by Honda to keep saying this by the way. I just fell in love and want everyone else to feel the same!

Napoleon could kick a leg over it, and it will never let you down.

Birdy