Trans America Trail - Choice of bike?
 

Hello...

I'm planning to ride the Trans America Trail but I'm struggling to identify the best bike for the job. I'd be looking to camp on occasion so it needs to be strong enough to carry gear, although I will be using good lightweight kit. The bikes I'm thinking about are KTM 640 Adv, 650 GS Dakar or the Suzuki DZR 400. I do like the Suzuki, especially its light weight (easy to pick up), but I'm not sure how it would cope with luggage. Has anyone used any of these bikes on this type of trip and if so how did it cope?

All advice gratefully received.

Thank you.

John

I have a DR-Z. In my opinion for that trip the DR-Z would be the best choice of the 3 since it is more dirt orented. I have DR-Z that I have ridden double on a couple of times as well as loaded down with camping gear to see how it handled. It does fine. I weigh 240 lbs BTW.

If I were going aroud the world on mostly roads the KTM and Dakar would be better choices, but the Trans AM trail seems to have a lot of tight trails and the lighter DR-Z would be a superior choice on this trail.

A couple of things to look for on the DR-Z. The S model is the street legal model and comes geared a little high for tight trails. I replaced the stock 15 tooth front sprocked with a 14 and that seems very good for both highway and trail. Torq the front sprocket to 75-80 ft/lbs and use lock tight on the not to keep it from coming loose. I never used a torque wrench until recently, but I talked to a tech that said a torque wrench is important since it is bad if the nut is to loose or to tight. Don't use the stock trail wings, get something better. The trail wings are called death wings since their performance in dirt is so bad. They are very good on the road, but that is not what the trans am trail is. You can do some easy inexpensive modes to boost power, but it really does not need it.

Go to thumpertalk.com and look at their DR-Z forum for lots of good info. They also have a KTM forum. Also my understanding is the KTM's tent to be more maint intensive than the DR-Z. Hope this helps.

another site is drz.info

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John

[This message has been edited by ekaphoto (edited 20 June 2004).]

Hey John,
Sounds like a cool trip. I like all of the bikes you mentioned but have you considered a klr650? They are very cheap here (under $5,000 U.S. dollars new, and recent models with under 10k miles rarely go for more than $3,000), also there are plenty of kawi dealers across the U.S. (and very few ktm or bmw dealers, especially in the rural areas you'll be riding through).
The klr is not as good off road as the drz or the ktm but it would be better in the dirt than the bmw, and from what I have read about it there is very little technical off roading on the trail, so the klr should be able to handle it.
I think the klr that you guys have in Europe is small tanked but ours has a 6 point something gallon tank that might come in handy, as well as a decent luggage rack and because they have been available here for so long (I think it has been 15 years without a major change)it is easy to find parts for them.
Here is a tip for riding through rural America: don't trust anyone with two first names (i.e. "billy jack" or "ray bert").
good luck,
nate

Hi--

I read a post somewhere of a guy who rode basically the entire TAT on an XR600. At the end, he wrote that an XR400 would be perfect for the trail (combination of size, power, weight, and off-road prowess). Based on that review and the fact that the Suzuki is very similar to the XR, I would choose the 400 Suzuki. Honestly, I think that the big KTM might be too much weight to handle effectively, unless you get a smaller one and clean it up. Having ridden a Dakar, I think that it would be too much weight for that trail.

One more thing...if you're looking at 400 class off-road bikes and 650 dual sports, you might want to consider the XR650R. It's very reliable, and is very close in weight to the XR400 (I don't think that the DRZ is much different). Also, it's stock suspension is tuned much better out of the crate, and it has gobs more power. It's liquid cooled, which is a plus and a minus.

It's a very reliable bike which has all of the aftermarket accessories available that you will need for such a trip (large front and rear fuel tanks, cockpick, racks, etc...), proven in many long-distance races for performance and reliability, handles nicesly and is good off road with basical competency on-road, and it may be a the right bike for you if you're choosing between the DRZ400 and the F650/Adventure640.

Give it a think.

Guys,

Thanks for your comments and advice - much appreciated.

John

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John

I am just finishing a trans america on the F650 Dakar. I bought it new for build quality and reliability as this is my first trip.

It has not let me down and I am very pleased with it. But, parts are more expensive and difficult to get hold of - though there is a dealership in each country, they are mostly about the cars and in some, parts supply is not good.

South America is where you are most likely to be hitting dirt and bad roads. down here the most popular bikes are hondas and yamahas, though generally smaller ones prevail. What that means is that parts are plentiful and cheap, and lots of mechanics have experience with them.

But the BMW is a great bike.

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Richb
http://www.postmaster.co.uk/~richardbeaumont/60684/