North Africa - Transalp or XR400?
 

Hey!

Planning a trip from South East England down through France, Spain onto Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, home.

I currently have a Transalp 600 - which is fairly heavy, I'm planning to go off road a fair amount and was hoping somebody could advise me:

Transalp or XR400?

Cheers!

It would be a great trip and one I would love to do myself however, there are a couple of problems. The border between Morocco and Algeria is and has been closed for quite a few years. Even if you could do this route Algeria, in the current political climate is, I would suggest, too dangerous.

If you want to head to that part of the world why not ride down through France, Spain, Morocco, Senegal and possibly Mauritania.

With regard to your choice of bike for such a trip, the Transalp is a great travel bike and were you not intending to ride alot of off-road would be ideal. Their fine for un-made roads or tracks providing there's some form of protection for all the plastic. It would also be much better for the journey through France and Spain due to the comfort, fuel capacity and luggage carrying ability. However the Transalp isn't a dirt bike and if you intend to ride off road the XR400 is the one to have. The downside is that if you intend to ride it through France and Spain your in for a long uncomfortable ride with an aweful lot of fuel stops and limited luggage capacity. I have an XR250 and anything more than a few miles on tarmac is a pain.

[This message has been edited by mcdarbyfeast (edited 03 May 2004).]

I can't speak for the Transalp, but the XR will not be suitable on-road for any signficant distance. It's combination of off-road performance and reliability will be great for trails, dunes, etc..., but how much of your trip will be off the road? Plus you will need to get large tank upgrades, lights, etc... for an XR400.

My advice to you is if you intend to get an XR to do this trip, with the off-road component, get an XR650R. It's not really much more money, you will need to do the same upgrades anyway (Tanks, storage, lights, cockpit), and will have the power you need for on road riding. Also, you might have more room to play with the suspension on the 650 as the 400's limit is only 220 lbs. I'm not sure about the 650. Also, FYI, the 650 is liquid cooled which is better for performance but one more maintenance item to consider.

Since you have the XL600V though, why don't you consider planning a route where the off-road includes firetrails, unmade roads, etc... That way if you fit the right tires to your Transalp and set it up right otherwise, it will be good to go for the whole trip.

Hi, I agree with both replies so far. We are leaving on our cross-africa trip on a couple of transalps (XL600V) soon and I have taken mine down to Morrocco before. Since you already have the bike, would be loads easier to do the trip with it. I have made the following modifications to help our bikes get through the rough stuff - added crashbars, progressive front suspension, headlight protectors, handlebar raisers for standing up, enduro inner tubes and Pirelli Scorpions MT21 tyres. I would have added a metal bashplate but money has not allowed for that luxury and I think the original one is tougher than most people expect anyway. You will be glad of the comforts as well when you are riding down to Morrocco and don't forget that even though you may be riding on the pistes you still need to get to them via tarmac roads so having a nice comfy, smooth ride is going to be much more fun. Can't say I did lots of dune riding as such, stuck to the pistes mostly, but these could get pretty tricky sometimes and the bike was fine. Also remember that althought the XL600V is not a purpose built offroad bike, it is lighter than it's bigger honda brothers and all the BMW dual sports (except for the F650 which is comparable in weight) so with the modifications I mentioned you've got to be on to a winner ;-)

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PaulJ-

Pirelli Scorpions MT21 tyres??? This looks like a combination of two different types of tires...my understanding is that the Pirelli Scorpion does not come in a size to fit the Transalp, but the MT21 does.

The reason I ask is because I want to get the Scorpions and install them on my Transalp if they come in the right size.

-Dave

My apologies. I meant Pirelli MT21 Rallycross tyres. (I really need to cut down on the gin!)

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Yeah I agree with the general drift above: the TA is a road bike with a dirt-road/green lanes type ability. To really have fun in the sand look elsewhere. So think about how important this sandplay really is to you. Otherwise it is great.

I know someone who rode his XR400 to Cambodia from the UK and was fine with a sheepskin on the saddle. I wouldn't rule the bike out. It is only a week's slow riding to Africa from northern Europe after all.

And then there are bikes in between like the above mentioned XR650L and the DR650....

So I guess the thing to do is address the sandplay question.

Like they say..me 2 re comments...I've spent a few months down in Morocco riding, driving and spannering. We had XR400s. Bombproof. I also rode my own XR400 back from Andorra to central Scotland non stop via the chunnel and London for chips. All I had was raised gearing, a screen, IMS tank, Scotts damper which was great for offroad safety and comfort and a numb bum http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif It had an HRC kit which gave 20% more power but I'd be happy with standard.

It all depends on your road v offroad ratio and your comfort zone. I find the TA quiffy if comfy. The XR simple and reliable. I've done over 20,000 miles on XR4s. Having said all that I just opted for one of these http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

http://john.rushworth.com/tt600re/GearingCalculator.htm

It's or a run to meet my RTW pal somewhere in N.Africa next year.

Seroiusly...after 47 motorcycles and some 35 yrs on two wheels there is no such beast as perfect, all is compromise. Decide what your top criteria are and work from there.

For me I'm a simple, light, air cooled 400 to 600 cc -ish 4T man with offroad bias.

John R.