Apples to oranges. So newer bikes are harder to work on and older bikes are easier to work on? That's almost completely contingent upon the bike itself. I've worked on modern bikes and older bikes. I built my motorcycle from the ground up that I rode on my trip. It was a 2007. Not very difficult at all. I do know that my clutch went in Guatemala. Went to the shop on Monday, I was in Xela and a new clutch came from Guate City, and by Wednesday my bike was up and running. So you're telling me that if I had a 90s bike the repair would have been easier or faster?

Hogwash.

Now, for me, I would buy a travel bike that has EFI and ABS (not as critical to me) and that's it. No traction control no electronic throttle, no electronic cruise control or suspension. The new bikes that have come out in the past 7-8 years seem to be inundated with electronic "goodies" which, to me, only present weak points that could be unrepairable in the field.

Still, I'm not buying that an 80s-90s bike is a better option for round the world travel. It's doable, people ride the world on scooters, posties, GSXR1000 sportbikes, and everything in-between. I just don't see the point in swimming against the tide.

Cholo, not only has my friend owned these bikes I am of an age to have owned and ridden them when they were in their prime.... The list would include all the various Lc yamahas, H1 and H2 kwackers, a z1000j like u, Gpz1100b1,, GS 1000, 750 and 550 et s, laverda jota etc etc etc plus dome of the smaller strokes when I was on L plates. They are not the tech masterpieces you make them out to be, good in their day but now suffering from years of abuse, poor repairs and poor materials. I even despatched some of these around the UK in between jobs. If u honestly think that an 80s Japanese bike is comparable to something available now then I think u need to take off your glasses fella. Failing that I can sell u an 80s Z900 for 11000 pounds!!!
Ur be telling me next the Z650C was the pinicle of Japan engineering and reliability

Btw thank you for the compliment , biggest load of rubbish is not bad going considering what gets posted on this site if u like we can argue about the fantastic engineering in capri s, granadas and Cameros , I've owned lots of them too

No offense taken......... Though the phrase with all due respect is usually a pre cursor to something else.
That said my ding a ling is bugger then yours

Back to the point, ride what you like, because even if you do have a problem it won't seem like one just a challenge or hiccup on your trip. And when you get back and you look back, it won't be the 10000km you did and only needed to stop for fuel you will remember, but the week you spent waiting for parts/repairs when you had a fabulous time with the locals!
Joe

I honestly said "heavily modified".
That includes the suspension.
Rear shock is an air shock from Fournales, no spring, just oil an airpressure, the front fork is modified with Marzocchi Cartouches.
So yes I can honestly say, that suspensions have changed a lot in the past years. The fournales was just suited for Jets, now they´re adapted for all kinds of vehicles...

__________________
KurvenfiebersReisen.blogspot.de

I regularly ride an 81R80GS, 1986R65 and a 95 R1100GS in very remote parts of Alaska, Yukon and Northwest Territories every year ... with no major issues ... just routine cyclical/custoidial maintenance. However the 71 Triump Daytona that i bought new in 1972 was/is a maintenance nightmare with major breakdowns from the very beginning on every longer trip i took. I still ride it locally in the Oregon Great Basin Desert when winter really sets in Alaska ... just not very far from help. I'll probably turn it into a garden ornament at some point.

Now the real problem is being an old motorcyclist I have many more breakdowns now than i used to remember ... when i can remember. But i still ride anyway. Ride what ya got ... old or new ... now ... sleep next winter (8->}

__________________
There is no path. You make the path as you ride.

Hi Mark,

Where in Europe is the R80G/S banned?

Thanks,

Ian.

I rode a 1979 Royal Enfield from India to Spain. Practical? Not at all. Reliable? Never. Slow? Yep. Regrets? Not one.

Only do it for the novelty and adventure of it. And never if you are on a time crunch. A newer bike will almost always outperform. But the truth is the old bikes have their advantages, and some in the most least expected ways. For example...yes my old Enfield was always suffering from some mechanic woe, in the beginning this irked me and made me nervous. But I learned to embrace and love the fact that she was always giving me problems...once I learned that there was always a solution and best of all it put me in touch with tons of local people who were always willing to help out who I otherwise never would have met.

You can fly through some country on your nice new Africa Twin at 110kph with no issues or headaches...or you can putt putt your way through at 70kph, wave at a lot more excited kids on the side of the road, find yourself being led through old parts markets in random towns in Tajikistan or whereever-stan by some friendly good samaritan who invites you to have dinner with his family afterwards.

This is a bit like asking "what's the best bike to do a long trip?" If there are 22,000 members on the board you'll get at least 20,000 different answers. My 2p's worth, "old" bikes fall into the "collectable" category (for those into collecting, anyway) rather than working bikes, which is where I see RTW machines. Of course you can do your dream ride on anything but some bikes will be better than others.

I can see the point that brand-new bikes, with their plethora of electronic rider aids, could present problems if they break in the middle of nowheristan, but to take one example, bikes with electronic ignition have been around for decades and are pretty much a given, how many people avoid those because you can't fix a broken CDI box with pliers and matchsticks? So it is with fly by wire, ABS, etc. They may be problematic to fix if they break but the idea is they are designed and manufactured not to break. Even fuel injection, despite certain reliable Teutonic machines regularly breaking it, doesn't faze people these days.

But that's not the same as going out asking for trouble. If you're expecting to do heavy mileage in less developed parts of the world then at the very least you should have some confidence that you know what's inside your engine, the bearings are recent enough not to break, and maybe a sports orientated bike with plain bearing crank presents more challenges to durability than a rugged twin or single. I guess many people will have read Graham Field's book, which to me (aside from being a great yarn) illustrates the perils of starting out on an old bike that hasn't had a full refresh, and thus gradually died en route. To me, the trip is enough of an adventure without having to cope with a bike that's falling apart and finally leaves you stranded. Which brings me back to my original point, old bikes IMO deserve a bit of rest and retirement. Go on something newer. If the worst does happen at least you'll stand a better chance of finding a shop that's ever seen one and parts are more likely to be available than something from the 70s or 80s.

Iirc certain German cities which require a coloured pollution sticker with London, Paris and a few others likely to follow. So far, places you are likely to go to on the train or just plain avoid.

There is an element of what you know here. The prospect of having to balance a pair of leaky vacuum carbs does not thrill me, the last time was on a Ural and was a tail chasing exercise as one head gasket was blowing when that side worked hard. Blink coding FI is easy. The Enfield identified its failed TPS in less time than it takes to tell you about it. Its what you know.

I fancy an older project bike now the MOT rip-off gets cancelled at 40 years old. It'll be a small single and it'll be getting rebuilt to my ideas of how a bike should be built.

Andy

It looks like Oxford will be the first but others are close behind.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...emissions-zone