MD, I can only speak about what I know. A Honda XL650V Transalp carted me and my missus 100,000 km around the world without missing a beat. Incredible!

Big, powerful and strong enough to make me feel 'king of the road' in countries like Indonesia, Nepal and India etc, yet it can also cope with long stretches of unsealed road /dirt, which you just cannot avoid from time-to-time.



I don't think the US ever got the 650 (or 700) version of the TA. You guys had the 600 model for a while I believe, from 1989 through to ??

The only major mod that was /is essential, especially for 2-up travelling, is an upgrade to the rear shock absorber. I swapped the Honda stocker for a custom-built (Dutch) Hyperpro progressive-spring shock. That was about all it really needed.

I configured the luggage carrying capacity up to a whopping 230 litres ('liters' in your speak) of stowage space for our all our gear, which is important when you have a missus who absolutely needs to bring along her favourite hair-dryer .. and even her portable bidet!

Moreover, I crossed paths with an aussie mate (+ his wife) on a few occasions doing more-or-less the same trip as us. They were on a Suzuki DL650 V-Strom; yet another mid-weight twin .. and they absolutely loved it too.

I rest my case, m'lud

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I had it checked over pretty thoroughly in Kuala Lumpur at Sunny's (who is very good) and the conclusion was there's nothing wrong, it's just that with the heat (it's about 107F here now) and the RPMs I'm pushing it hard, and with 22k miles already on the clock it's not going to be that abnormal to be going through sone oil. Checking thumpertalk they seem to agree so *shrug*

As for the speed, I think at least part of it is I don't like to push the bike so hard that engine noise and vibrations and wobble get too excessive. On a really good road like malaysia has without wind I'll get around 70 (indicated, which is optimistic according to my GPS) - it's just not that fun even on those lovely roads!

There are enough Enfields here that 400cc is considered very normal, but it is true that a lot of India I don't get past 50mph cause of pedestrians/cows/villagers popping sudden U Turns on their scooters without looking that I don't like to chance much faster. Especially when it's a long HOT day and my attention starts to flag. There are some nice stretches, and I did catch a pillion ride with a guy that decided that 70 mph was a good speed for the middle of Calcutta - that I wouldn't recommend!

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done a few trips here and there and the smallest bike I've ridden for any distance is a 250, my own TTR250 and in Thailand a 250 mini dominator. Gotta say the Thai riding was probably 60/40 road and off road but the off road was high becasue I was so happy and confident to take the bike away from the tarmac which meant I got to explore away from the road and see more. On the winding corners it was great fun and more than powerful enough given the rest of the traffic.

The TTR took me to Morocoo and yes the long ride across the windy plains of Spain were a chore but when I then spent months exploring Southern spain including lots of beach and mountains my 250 was an absolute joy, in soft sand you had to power on but once it was up and going it was great fun. 2 up when someone needed a lift i just took it easy and enjoyed the views. My TTR had the big 23 litre tank which meant I didnt need to stop very often.

I prefer the thinner flatter seats, i have short legs so the better stand over height and lower weight are a real plus for me, never found that my sheepskin over a think piece of camping mat were not up to a good 12 hour plus of riding, lets be fair you feel a 12 hour ride on any bike!

Would more power have helped absolutely but I don't think I would want lots more weight, My 660 tenere had the extra power but I always found the extra weight and wide seat/tank hampered my enjoyment away from the tarmac and it wasnt much fun to pick up, having a bigger tank and fairing meant it suffered badly in cross winds too.

I have a sv650 on the road its got a lovely engine but you really notice the weight when moving the bike around, it drinks fuel and back tyres wear out fast and cost a lot to swap!

What next, ideally a do it all bike that looks good and is not too heavy, got my eye on the new Fantic Cabelero 500 but need to wait until they come down in price on the used market andsee if they prove relaible or maybe a scrambler 800.

An easy pick would be the Honda 250 Rally, I love the looks and I'm not expecting it to set the world on fire or a ktm 390 adventure but KTM seem a bit slow on the uptake

I enjoyed your comments! I traveled a bit on my former XR250R in Mexico, done LOTS of serious dirt riding on it too.

It was never set up properly for travel but could have been, but that bike's lack of elec. output and no sub frame was limiting. There are road versions of the XR (XR250L) but are heavier, less capable off road.

Many await KTM's 390 Adventure bike. Not sure why such a delay ... hopefully for KTM to correct some quality problems with the Indian made engine, which had some issues on both 390 Duke and Sports bike. If KTM can get that engine right, a 390 Adventure bike could be a winner for many.

I believe for now, KTM's focus is on upcoming 790 Twin next year. A critical bike for them ... but, IMHO, a really good 390 Adventure could turn out to be the REAL money maker. Time will tell.

I've been shopping a year for a Yamaha WR250R. Many good deals have come and gone and I still haven't bought one. Somehow I keep retreating back to my lowly old Suzuki DR650. I know this bike and have some idea of it's limits ... and mine. (the bikes are always more capable than I am off road!)

Plan now is to buy a "younger" low mile DR650, sell off old bike very cheap. It still runs fine, could be a great Travel bike for someone, it's well set up. Funky but strong and reliable.

for dual sport riding best bikes are in 600-800 cc range, most riders I met agree.
It's simple physics, nothing you can do about it. Luckily we have come back to that midrange in adventure bikes from yamaha, ktm and soon honda will joins.

Thanks for the replies, I understand there are pros and cons.

Mainly wanted to see if the adage "no one ever wished they had a bigger bike once they actually got going" really held up. A lot of time it just seems to be left unquestioned or only challenged by people who have never travelled 10k miles or more on a sub 300cc bike.

Good point regards riding 10K mi./sub 300cc bike thing.
i've ridden 100 km at a go in Asia getting between guess houses, but never hit the long road for 6 months or a year. My 125cc experience ran maybe 3 weeks,
so can't comment on doing what others have done on small bikes.

Other thing that could apply is riders age, condition and experience. A 30 year old in good physical shape and off road experience will do much better Horsing around a loaded up R1200GS off road than folks over 50 years of age and not in such good condition.

But no question, once out on the more open road, a bigger bike works for many.

As mentioned earlier here, if you go out "looking" for serious off road tracks, then the small bike adage is valid.

Best to try them all, big medium and small ... try to pick the best for your particular journey.

That's correct, USA got the 600 for just a couple years. I rode one, was not too impressed vs. my current bike at that time (around 1990) a Honda XL600R. (I think Dominator in UK?) One with the red engine!. A great bike and way faster than the Transalp I tested ... and I'm sure better off road as well. But XL600R NOT good two up ... at all. Pillion pegs attached to
swing arm!!!!!

A few HUBB riders did ride reports featuring the Transalp and did very well. No question a bullet proof bike! I preferred the DL650 Vstrom for a bike in that size and engine capacity. Both GREAT bikes ... but Transalp now rare around here,
more common in EU?

For two up travel I prefer at least 80 to 100 HP, but that means bigger bike even MORE weight. Trade offs.

Do you need to ask yourself what bike would you like to come down this hill on?






This bike ...



Or this bike.




Riding skills may help but IMO opinion it's all down to kg.

I have both bikes, so depends on my route and what type of road I expect to ride then I pick the bike to do the job?

That said on rides you will hit the unexpected, would I of got down that hill on the AT without coming off? NO
Not down to riders skill, just down to the bike to many kgs to keep upright.

All the other parts on that ride in Burma yes the AT in my hands would not have been a problem.









So the bottom line expects the unexpected and picks your bike accordingly.
And if you go big bike expect to be hitting the dirt at some time.?

One item not discussed here is cost. For a fraction of the cost, you can buy a smaller moto, and have more money left for travel costs. I know a traveler who rode through South America on a 125cc Honda, in order to afford to go now.

Bigger moto has more up front cost for the moto. Why delay going because you don't have enough money for both an expensive moto plus travel costs? If budget is holding you back, shave on the moto cost in order to enjoy international motorcycle travel now. It's well worth it; a month at a time, a year at a time.

Gas economy is better with a smaller moto, and gas prices can be relatively high in some countries.

Considering all this discussion, I travel both on a small 250cc moto, plus a larger moto 650cc. Both have their advantages and place.

If you are a budget rider then yes you are correct.
But some are not, so the upfront cost is not so important.
More to do with the ride and how and where you ride.
At the end of the day, I take my hat off to all people who decide to tour in this manner budget or not.

Ride safe and try and keep the rubber down?

the whole point is that's not always the case - klr 650 costs about the same as crf250, rally version is even more expensive. Also bigger bike doesn't necessary have worse mpg. Thanks to bigger mass their inertia helps quite often. Look at statistics. My 485lb nc750x has way better economy then cr250l and wr250r. Klr is actually very similar to wr250l, slightly worse then crf.

wr250r
Yamaha WR250R MPG - Actual MPG from 73 Yamaha WR250R owners

crf250l:
Honda CRF250L MPG - Actual MPG from 122 Honda CRF250L owners

nc750x:
Honda NC750X MPG - Actual MPG from 130 Honda NC750X owners

klr 650:
Kawasaki KLR 650 MPG - Actual MPG from 206 Kawasaki KLR 650 owners


If you can afford 2 bikes depending on type of the trip good for you, but if I can have only one I choose 600cc + any time of the day.

The other factor no one has talked about if your ride with the intention of staying in "HOTEL"
I don't care what 250cc bike you have, I can ride with ease and comfort more the double the mileage on my CRF1000 then you can on any 250cc.
Therefore saving on Hotel cost.
Like petrol, Hotels can be expensive and in most cases a lot more expensive than petrol.

The Honda CB500X has got very good fuel economy.

And in a lot of cases, the cost of purchase sometime is not a lot more than a 250cc.

IMO as said by many other members on the HUBB it comes down to the route, riders skill and how many kgs can you handle.


What size is better? Are opinions like assholes yes we all have one?

Same with me, the CRF250L or the AT? AT wins every time?

Hill? What hill?
On above pic seems mud is the enemy, not the "hill".


typical California Enduro riding, not as hard as it looks on light dirt bikes. First guy on CRF250R (74 years old)middle guy, XR250R (rider 65) , guy at top was 86 when this was shot, riding DRZ400S. He gave up dirt riding a years back at 90!
Still going!

I led them on this route. They weren't happy ... but all made it no problems. Trust me, it's MUCH steeper than it looks in pic. (this is Death Valley area)

So this may be an Asia thing, but parking at night has been one of the more surprising benefits of a smaller bike. The fact of the matter is most budget hotels/hostels I've been in have, er, "creative" solutions for parking that have involved riding up stairs, down cart ramps, around weird corners (that I've had to pick up the back end to turn it around) through alleys and crammed in the back with scooters only semi-secure.

People I've ridden with on bigger bikes always seem to end up at much nicer hotels because that's where there's going to be secure room for big bikes!

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