Choice of bike is always a little hard, particularly if you are not an experienced rider. Listen to the advice of people here but recognise they are as partisan as anyone, there is not nessecarily 'one' right bike for you.

Before I bought my XT I was as confused as you probably are by the choices. In the end I got fed up trying to decide and narrowed it down to a shortlist of three bikes (XT 600E, BMW F650, Honda Transalp) and bought the first good example of whichever one I came across first).

The advice people give about new riders buying an over powered bike generally refers to highly tuned road bikes. Dual sports are generally in a much lower state of tune and therefore unlikely to cause you problems with control.

Matt :)

Bigger is not always better..
 

especially rinding in the saddle on rough roads... :eek3:

No, I meant the size of the bike.... Don't go over 650cc, keep it a single and simple but tough (read: Yamaha or Honda). Save your $$ for the trip! :scooter:

Toby (charapa) http://www.freewebs.com/shanperu/ :mchappy:

I would suggest that although the overall point of this is right you needn't keep it a single. The KLE and Transalp are both twins but would be very suitable for your trip. Indeed, if you are planning a mostly road trip the smoother twins will provide a more comfortable ride, and both will be very reliable.

Matt :)

I agree with Matt.

No point in you spending all your savings on a bike for a three month stint. Rather get something used and in still fairly good nic, not to big, so that you don't have to struggle with it all the time, being a beginner.

You want to have fun too, and be kinda versatile. If you do settle for a cruiser, you're gonna have to be more organised.

If you settle for an XT500 or 600, kickstart, you're gonna be enjoying your time riding around. I have a transalp, great bike for beginners, easy learning, not to throaty, but I wouldn't burn up that hilly dirt track without a second though, as I would if I was on an XT. I wouldn't want to scratch my transalp (fairing quite expensive). This is where you need to draw the line. Get a DR350 or 650 or XT500 or 600. Something that you can rip around on, without too much worry about dropping her.

I'd spend more money on the boots, pants and jacket, helmet with what you've saved on the bike.

Anyway, keep your mind open in your decision making. Enjoy, Enjoy

ta-all-the-way

A very good point and not always obvious to the beginner. I have learned the hard way that a pair of jeans, army boots and a cotton jacket are about as much use as a wet tissue in comparison to proper riding gear. Don't go overboard, but get good quality riding boots, jacket, pants and helmet. Get jacket and pants with integral armour. Hein Gericke is a good place for good gear at good prices.

Matt :)

I might be going against the wisdom of the list here, but as I don't remember you saying when your trip was to be, I'd suggest you think about the trip in two steps: 1) getting a bike for your license and for getting some experience, and 2) getting a bike for some more experience and your trip. I stumbled upon this approach accidentally and it seems to have a lot of advantages.

I just started riding last year on a Honda CM400 that a friend gave me. It was pretty junky and so I fixed it up and did my basic learning on that. What a dream of a bike to learn on! Low, light, smooth shifting... and plenty of power for getting around town. In fact, once the idea hatched for a round-the-world trip (I got hooked fast), I was seriously considering taking it. I was familiar with it, it was comfortable and a known quantity. Cheap to run too. And besides, I already had a bunch of experience on it. But as I ventured out more onto the highways, it quickly became evident that it just wouldn't do. It was totally dragging in the hills, and even on the two-lane highways in BC, I had the throttle wide open and was being overtaken by cars and strings of trailer trucks. It wasn't going to work on a trip that might be 90% roads. The Honda had served its purpose... so I gave it back to my friend.

Now I might be proven to be wrong in the long run, but I then bought a '75 BMW 600 cc. The difference was amazing. It's still small (I can pick it up by myself and I'm only 5'7", 140 lbs), cheap to run but goes with the traffic and does the hills. I can actually carry some stuff. I've spent the winter taking it apart and putting it together again so now know it inside and out. I have a lot of confidence in it.

I'm not saying that an older, standard bike is the way everyone should go, and I see that there has been a lot of really good advice given already in the responses... but I would really pay attention to the advice from others as well that a 600cc or thereabouts might be good for your trip. Some have said that particular ones are even good to learn on and if so, that's great. I don't have any experience on them. But I fell into the trap of thinking that a small, less intimidating bike was the way to go, and fortunately found out early enough that for a road trip, it may not be the way to go.

Enjoy your education and your trip.

I would imagine you're best off sticking to a simple, reliable bullet proof 600 middleweight because anything under 600 will be tough going and slow on the tarmac.

I own a 1999 Yamaha XT600E (Electric Start model) with only 5,000 on the clock. I procured it recently for only £1,600. It's pretty and has never the wet. I am reliably informed by others on this forum that there is nothing this thing won't do well. Apparently, there is nowhere on earth that hasn't seen an XT500 or 600 at some time or other.

You could go for a BMW but you won't find a goodun for under £2,000.

I wish you well on your travels.
Stay safe.

This thread is getting better
 

Nice post Sam - your points are well made, and it really doesn't matter what bike you are using: I reckon that we all remember our first time out on a motorbike, something never to be forgotten!
Keep churning over the bikes you own and getting in more time on the asphalt, dirt or whatever.

That's not to say that the thread is of no use. There are some good options pointed out in here now for MTennant7.

I would not discount twins for riding in Europe: quite the opposite - check out the KLE enthusiasts in the Kawa tech forum for instance. Some aspects of twins are discussed in here (relatively new models, although the DL650 has been around for a while):-
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub.../3-twins-31992

Thank you
 

Thank you so much for all your help and advice. Obviously there are different opinions but this topic and suggested bikes has given me the confidence to try some out and see how they suit me. Cannot wait to get out there. Great forum, helpful members, thanks for not mocking the newbie's lack of knowledge!!!

Had a go on a friends xt660 today just discovering the controls. one very quick question. can it take luggage and a big guy? How comfortable is it for long journeys?

No worries. Should be a fair amount of aftermarket luggage etc. available for it as it's essentially the replacement of the XT 600E, which is a very common travel bike. I own an XT 600E and is fine for me (5'10" and about 80 kilos) and the enormous amount of stuff I took on my big trip (circa another 80 kilos!) and the 660 has more power than the 600. There are comfier bikes for the long haul but also less comfy. It's probably about average.

Matt :)

Hi.

My aspirations for a trip are very similar to yours and until recently I had not been on a bike for ten years.

I passed my test 11 years ago but then had to give the bike up for various reasons, so getting back on one was like riding for the first time all over again.

Anyway, the point i was making is that I bought a Transalp 650 as lots of the bikes mentioned here are very similar in spec but the transalp came with a lower seat option, down to 813mm which was necessary for me as I am around 5'9" and weigh 12st 12lbs.

So ride as many of the options as you can and find the bike thats the most comfortable for you, and as you mentioned low speed riding then a comfortable position when you stop in villages or at lights will be very important as you get weary at the end of the day.

If you opt for a transalp, you are buying into legendary reliability with Honda dealerships everywhere aswell.

There are always about 5 or 6 Transalps on ebay, some with luggage and heated grips etc. I am not particularly tall and the standard screen gives me problems at any speed over 65mph so a touring screen which is about 140mm higher than the standard is a necessity

The above is just my opinion as i am sure that the other bikes are great aswell.

Good luck, and enjoy.

Lee

What bike
 

Hi.
What about a lovely low mileage Yamaha fazer 600!
Oh, I just happen to have one for sale! Lol.
I do have to agree with most the comments on the transalp though!
Did a 15 euro countries in 7 days charity trip a couple of years back and it was a hoot!
All the best with your plans what ever you get though.
Don't miss out the Hartz mountains, Germany.
Dave.

If your going to spend £2500 or so on a bike in London make really really sure it hasn't been used by a courier before you. That's the danger price range and ALL ex courier bikes should be avoided. I was a courier for a few years myself and I seen some bikes put through serious neglect.

For what it's worth I've done a lot of European travel on two wheels myself and definately agree with everyone saying you need at least a 600 in most of Europe. Big roads and traffic moves fast! You'll want to keep up or it can be scary.

Good luck finding the bike!

Another for the TransAlp
 

In terms of reliability, comfort and especially value for money ... the TransAlp sounds perfect for what you are looking for.

I personally prefer the older 600cc versions, made in Japan, to the 650cc post 2000 Spanish versions, but either way, you will get more bike for your buck with a 2nd hand TransAlp than a 2nd hand BMW ... and it will be more reliable, and wont vibrate like the F650 does above 60 mph.

Have a look at the technical section under Honda ... despite so many TransAlps around (and being recommended to you) there is almost nothing that ever goes wrong with them, so there are not many questions about how to fix them.