and that's what I'm talking about:



who needs bigger bike for adventure.

Bigger blokes

In that clip, that bike is perfectly proportioned to her. My wife has one, and I sit on the carrier when I try to ride it. Forget about standing up, as I have to fold myself double to reach the handle bars.


IMO- power to mass ratio is much more important than weight. but the lighter it is, the easier it'll be in the rough stuff...

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Squily

Bigger bike doesn't need to be heavy bike. Look at every rally bike. Most average people have trouble touching the ground.

I'm 5'9". Average male height. I am tippy toe on both sides of my 690 or flat foot on one side or the other. Its not a small bike... but it weighs less then the crf250.

I agree power is important. But I would way rather ride a crf250 in mongolia then a 1190 adv. Anyone who has ridden an big ADV bike to mongolia will probably agree with me... or they took the pavement most of the way.

I agree, I don't have actually a problem with bigger sizes even like super tenere or GS1200 but weight is important if something goes bad - it's physics right?
momentum = mass x velocity... I am 6.1 with 108kg live weight and still feel safer with bikes under 200kg although I could probably handle even 300kg motorcycle..

For sure the 690 KTM would be an excellent choice. 140kg, lots of power. What more could you want?

Toured Suisse on an LC4, but the vibration got me. After 6 hours or so in saddle, everything started tingling (not just my backside). I think newer ones are a bit better, but for sure not as smooth as the Honda.

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Squily

[QUOTE=Squily;473595]For sure the 690 KTM would be an excellent choice. 140kg, lots of power. What more could you want?QUOTE]


How about, what's the best power to weight ratio? KTM 950 Super Enduro is the answer for me.

Size all depends on how much you want to enjoy your ride!

My knees are bent far less riding my TT250R than on my previous RT or XT660Z, so although the little yam is slower it gets me there in more comfort and I can fix it myself.

add to that most 250/350 trail bikes and you have a huge list of easy to enjoy,easy to fix light and cheap to buy bikes.

do you really need to go above 80mph if you are serious about staying alive when you have every kind of vehicle,person or beast trying to kill you?

The Honda CRF 250 must be the best incarnation of the modern RTW bike.

anyone saying it is uncomfortable has not tried changing the bars, fitting risers and fabricating a kit so you can lower the footpegs for road hauls, putting more foam in the saddle raises the hieght and makes it all day comfortable.

as for tank range a little 250 Honda can travel a long way on a little fuel so you only need either an aftermarket tank or aux tank to cover long distances.

To anyone who claims you need to have a GS to enjoy proper adventure riding - please do yourself the favour and try the same trip on something smaller and lighter, I bet you smile a lot more!

I think it depends on skill/experience and you're strength and the 'If you can be arsed' effect.

Lighter the bike, easier everything is. Except cruising comfortably at speed.

I think most people go for somewhere in the middle. 250kg when loaded up would be my personal limit though. You're talking a 400-650 Enduro style single cylinder bike.

The bike is only half the equation. Use lightweight luggage and don't carry too much and you're half way there.

Then again, people ride Harley's through sand and some people race scooters on drag strips...

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

how about this;
you sit at home in your Lazy Boy, and we send you videos of us out enjoying life on our preferred bikes, and you pretend that it is actually you...

that is, unless you prefer to continue to make up excuses as to why that bike wont work for you, without actually trying said bike....

Spot on! Voice of experience there ... are you listening Robson?
Skill and fitness really count. Both can and will be developed somewhat on the road ... if you survive that learning curve then you'll be better equipped.
But having fitness and skill before setting out is preferred.

So true about the small bike not being good on long highway runs. Compromises. Middle ground is where I've ended up, after exploring both ends from 250's to 1000cc bikes. I've pushed to get even lower weight than Ted's 250 kgs. I'm at about 206 kgs. on my DR650. (fully fueled/loaded)

A good tall man 650 bike would be the Honda XR650L. Inexpensive and with a few key mods, very good travel bike. The Art Of Packing Light is another thread ... and is a key element in happiness on the road.


IMHO, the NC750X would be a poor choice for a travel bike.
Quite over weight, expensive and will not survive a crash well at all. Too delicate for any even moderate off road.
Once loaded, will be a beached whale.

For leg room ... you don't need a BIGGER bike, just a TALLER bike. See Honda XR650L ... or if you have money to burn,
any KTM 640 or 690. Even the lower KLR or DR650 can suit a tall rider with a built up seat, lowered pegs and bar risers.
No bike is perfect out of the crate ... they ALL need careful mods to suit.

You've got all completely wrong, wet weight 219kg while most bigger adventure bikes are at 259kg that is heavy for you? Expensive??? come on, from where you get your numbers? it's probably the cheapest from the adventure bunch. But it has also other advantages over other bikes - it's probably the most economical bike off all, 3.1 l/100km! Just finished 900km trip over weekend, very comfortable seat, very nimble, very low center of gravity hence very good at low speeds. Tested offroad and it's also excellent. I suggest ride the bike before you criticize it. It is an excellent travel bike.

Glad that NC750 is working out for you! I wished you had disclosed you owned this bike when you started this thread a month back. You could have given us wisdom on the Optimal Bike Weight topic right from the start!

You are correct, I've never ridden the bike, only really followed the original NC700. Not sure the 750 is for sale in USA. Reminds more of a big scooter with the DCT. Tests put NC750 weight at 229 kgs. and 54 HP. Cost is about $10,000 usd. (£6800)

Reviews I've read on the NC700/750 voiced several complaints beyond the subjective judgement of the reviewer that his Coffee Maker has more personality.(Visor Down) Complaints continued, pointing out a wonky chassis, marginal brakes and the Auto clutch trans was not always in the right gear. But a lot to like too ... pottering round, comfy, smooth but uninspiring.

My worry would be that all that plastic would explode when you flip it into a ditch at just 20 mph. Even a low side might be bad news? What's a new set cost?

That's just one of many reasons why, IMHO, it may not be an ideal Adventure travel bike. As a street only machine, I'm sure it's fine. Glad you're having a ball ... that's what it's all about.

The 17" front tire is another reason I won't be riding one. Wide street tires really suck on gravel or dirt roads, add ruts, mud and loose rocks ... good luck. Been there, done that. No bueno.

As a quick comparo ... Honda XR650L and DR650 both weigh 147 kgs. dry. Think about power to weight ratio here compared to your NC. Now add enough luggage to go cross continent.

XR-L and DR650 cost around $6000 USD new, but can be had all day for $3500 for near mint used ones. The best thing about both are how indestructible they are. They crash well, easy, cheap to repair.

No, the DR and XR-L will not be as comfortable as your NX and fewer creature comforts, and I do love the NC fuel economy.
Test I read quoted 55 MPG. My DR gets 50 MPG.

So, to answer your question ... yes, to me it's both a bit heavy and a bit on the expensive side. Aesthetics aside (which put off many riders) it seems to have a few negatives. I've never seen one here in San Fran area ... but could mistake it for a big scooter.

After tapping away on my calculator that fuel economy works out at close to 90mpg. Is that for real? Is that what you got over your 900km trip? I'd heard they were good on fuel but that could convert me. Apart from a few occasions with my old XR600 I've never owned a serious travel bike that has regularly returned more than about 60mpg. My 125 Suzuki only does about 70-75mpg on a long journey as it's ridden flat out but whether that's a serious travel bike is open for debate.

I suppose that's the crux of this discussion; what constitutes an adventure trip? Does a 900km tarmac weekend count or does it have to be a multi week / month overland expedition with much of it off road? Personally I don't care much for definitions but a bike suitable for one of those trips is unlikely to be optimal for the other.

I'm currently planning (been talking about dates for it while typing this reply) a trip with a 500+kg bike covering about 12000km next year. Does that count as an adventure trip or is is just a long bike ride? If I use the 125 on the Mongol rally (possible plan B) am I adventuring or going on a package tour? I've no idea nor am I bothered about it but I suspect the optimal weight for both of those alternatives is going to be somewhat different.

i completely disagree...
im about as big/tall as they come for overlanders, at 6'10" i am comfortable riding my modified xchallenge (75,000+km), just because your bigger doesnt mean that you need a bigger bike.
im also very comfortable riding a honda wave in thailand with my gf behind me.

Well, there you go. X-challenge will never work for me- my knees will kill me before the 1st hour is up. I had an XR350 one, but gave up when I couldn't 'get up' off the seat anymore. But whatever floats your boat....

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Squily