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YOU WANT FIND THIS IN AMERICA
Man i just got back from the outback 3 days ago they are moto-adventure people all over au. after I went into a yamaha shop to get a shock replace, and I fell in love with the prefit adventure bike for the adventure geek like me. and I own it know but can,t bring it here yet. what you Guys think of this machine.
http://www.yamaha-motor.com.au/motor...9/49_01_1l.jpg ------------------ Here's Another Find Mess you Got Us In |
Looks like a parts bin special that those lonely Oz farmers use for chasing sheep with.....
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Yep! but not close to cliffs like our sixxy neighbours. Great walking pace bikes, but crash well while carrying hay bales to hungry cows, I have run over the dogs a few times without so much as a muffled yelp.
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come on guys, where you sence of adventure?? http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif
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Well spotted Dak..
There is a 'perfect bike' discussion elsewhere and I think 'ag bikes' would make great mini overlanders. I was all fired up about buying some Honda Bushlanders and running tours in Oz the other week - (though in the end they would not be sexy enough as rentals unless it was a joke tour or gnarlier terrain) But we are talking 2000 quid new! I did some research and IMO found the Honda better than the 200cc Yam and Suzuki equivalents. They have many features like 'sheep racks', fore and aft, twin side stands, protection here and there and fat ass farmer seats that would make them great - not trans-continental overlanding in Aust maybe, but Africa would be fun. These things are not XR400s with wellies, being cheaply built in Brazil, but I bet they would last on a bag of feed a day http://www.hondashop.com.au/db/show_item.php?idx=374 Chris S ------------------ Author of Sahara Overland and the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, among other things http://www.sahara-overland.com and http://www.adventure-motorcycling.com |
yes I agree that is a nice bike I found this link . I take it that this bike is a new bike from honda for the au/nz market.
http://www.honda-motorcycles.co.nz/2...0_Gallery.htm# ------------------ Here's Another Find Mess you Got Us In |
Its been around for at least a couple of years as a 180 (when i saw it) and non electric 200. But in Au its only lately become road-registerable (ADR).
They also sell it in South Africa for about the same price - so trans-Africa off-road, what are you waiting for!. Ch |
well this is cool why can,t we have these cool overland bikes in the usa.
http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/110395/ ------------------ Here's Another Find Mess you Got Us In |
A recent article in one of the bike magazines was a comparo between the honda bushman, kawasaki stockman and Suzuki trojan.
Which one is for Ewe? Stockman is a 250cc, all are electric start. Suzuki cheapest at 4500 AUD Kawa 5990 AUD. Kawasaki won the test being able to corner sheep like a pubescent kiwi, but you would hope so being one third more in price. Suz has biggest tank at 13 litres honda smallest at 8.5. The biggest problem for overlanders is not to look like a dag! ....they would be good with a new set of sprokets. the new challenge is the Kazuma from China, an even cheaper chookie, 200cc and around 3000AUD new. It doesnt have the quality feel the others have and isnt yet road registerable. what have you started Dak? Nice to know they are available in SA Chris, you may have answered my as yet unasked question. the test may eventually turn up here http://bikepoint.ninemsn.com.au/port...opDefault.aspx cheers alec [This message has been edited by simmo (edited 16 July 2004).] |
A couple of Aussies have turned up on Honda CT200's at the UK meeting. I don't think they had any problems with the bikes, but report top cruising speed at 80 km/h and fuel consumption of about 4.5 l/100km, i.e. about the same as a BMW 650 GS with fuel injection. Heck, our DR650 doesn't use much more gas than that.
Apparently the engine has a lower compression than standard 200cc Hondas, plus auto/foot operated clutch and electric and pull (!) starter. My first mod would be an XL or XR engine in an attempt to reduce fuel consumption. I envy them for the seat and the chain case, though. ------------------ Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise, Peter. |
You might think that I am crazy, but I am seriously considering one of these unsightly beasts for my upcoming trip around Oz.
I am in no rush (have a year) and money is more important than speed, so an AUD$4,000-5,000 bike that comes with all sorts of bonuses like racks, double side stands and a comfortable seat sounds like a pretty good deal. I don't really mind not being able to go 85mph on the highways, as I hope to stick to backroads most of the time. I am leaning towards the Suzuki, as it is the cheapest ($4,500 new) and has the biggest tank - 13 liters. Chris - why did you prefer the Honda? One question I had is whether at 6', 85kgs (190 lbs) it won't be too small for me? Also, how much luggage could I carry on this thing? I figure that I will need a couple of gallons of water and extra fuel - will that max out its carrying capacity? I would like to be able to lash at least one sheep to the front rack - for company if nothing else. Any suggested modifications? I like the idea of riding out of the shop and around Australia (as I will have no garage/tools when I get there) but please let me know if there are some things that you would strongly suggest. Also, does anyone have any idea where you find these things used? I checked bikepoint and tradingpost but am wondering if I wouldn't be better off on some sort of agricultural equipment website. Any suggestions? Thanks, Farmer Mike [This message has been edited by canadianmike (edited 21 January 2005).] |
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Canadian Mike, you generally won't find these things used in any sort of condition to travel around on. They, to use a regional dialect, get three shades of shit flogged out of 'em before farmers get rid of them. They then usually stash them in a feed shed in case they need to cannibalise them for parts later. Better off with a new bike, but you might get a better deal if you go to one of the larger agricultural field days. The two I know best are the Gunnedah Agquip field days in northern NSW and the Borenore field days, near Orange in Central NSW. Quite often manufacturers and suppliers have significantly knocked down prices during these events...worth going for the cultural insights, too.
Steve Pickford: The average Aussie can take as many sheep home after the pub as they want. The hard part is getting one before the Kiwi hordes pick them off and slink away with them. |
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Hey Canadianmike,
Buy an old Ducati single for your trip. I know one guy I shouldn't have bought mine from, but I met 2 others (Bob Brown and Ian Gowanloch) who would build you one. In the 80s, Bob Brown would beat Japanese factory teams on his Ducati, and Ian ain't bad either. They're both super nice and Bob builds Ducatis for people going round Oz with no problems yet. They'll probably try to talk you into something bigger though. I grossly overpaid at AUD$9,000 for a bike that should've been at the tops AUD$5,000. I'm sure either guy could build a bike to that range. No problems with the weight you're carrying. I wish I had a single side stand. I can only dream of a double. I'll find me an inflatable sheep for the front rack. --Dave ------------------ Trying to ride (and work) my way round the world on a 1965 Ducati 250cc. In New Zealand now. Japan in April. http://nokilli.com/rtw/ |
Hey Dave,
Thanks for the advice. Did you see anyone riding one of these bad boys on your journey 'round? I would hate to be the only 'dag' on the block. Really enjoy your site BTW. Mike |
Howdy Mike,
I mostly saw BMWs and heard "not bad, but the gearbox is crap" from a few people. Two from other HU people (Hi Simmo!). BMW bought the best reliability money could buy someone said. Bob Brown (Melbourne Desmo Centre) is fond of the 650cc Pantah aka Cagiva for long rides. He's build some that have gone around Oz. I can't remember what the other newer bikes he's built that have circled. One was a Monster but I can't remember what size or year. I don't actually write my site. I'm still in Davis, California working with monkeys. I have them banging away all day for beer, cigarettes and coffee. --Uncle Monkeypoo (is what my neices call me) ------------------ Trying to ride (and work) my way round the world on a 1965 Ducati 250cc. In New Zealand now. Japan in April. http://nokilli.com/rtw/ |
<You might think that I am crazy, but I am seriously considering one of these unsightly beasts for my upcoming trip around Oz. >
Hi Farmer Dave, sounds like a nice idea but, having considerd it myself, I feel the joke would wear thin after a while unless you are a Zen Master in which case a fig leaf and a staff will do you. Its all very well saying 'keep to back roads' but in the top left half of the country I know there are none to speak of - or they go on and on like all the other roads. I feel Ags would be more functional in full-on, hardcore, off road exploring Darien Gap type where you shoot it if it goes lame. And dont forget - they may be small and low, but they aint light - and me being a 182/95kg bloater, it might be a bit cramped and extra slow. As someone else advises, buy new - they're cheap enough. <Chris - why did you prefer the Honda?> Cant remember now but i think it was a combination of comparing specs (brakes?, 12v?) more than the price (there's a box in Ag Overlanders in the new book). < will that max out its carrying capacity?> Realistically, I think they can carry whatever wont crush them - certainly a regular touring load. <Any suggested modifications? > maybe road tyres.. but I feel the point of Ags is they are not that sort of bike: just saddle it and ride it. Chris S |
Hi Dave
Good words from Chris, thats why he wrights books and sell them.;-) These small bore AG bikes play games in your mind. Imagine being slower than everything else on the road (bicycle tourists excepted), braking distances of an oil tanker, crappy lights etc. Imagine meeting other people on the road and not being able to ride with them or or pulling up at the lights next to the latest R1 with more than 10x the horespower... I think the best way to see if this is for you is to get yourself a cheap xl 185 in the UK and drive London to Scotland. If you enjoy that then maybe its a bike for you. It must be 37000km on our little TF125's now and in Africa and a Asia I would say that I wouldn't of wished for another bike (well maybe a 4 stroke). The low weight and power just add up to more adventure and fun for me (I hate tarmac). All that said, I had a trip to Oz planned this year and I was going to rent an XT600. There are just too many miles of open nothingness to enjoy 80km/h for me and I love riding at a speed to enjoy the surroundings. Like I said, its probably a good idea to try the small bikes in the UK and see if you can find the "Zen zone". Hope it all makes a bit of sense? Andy ps looped out an RM 80 and damaged my back so the Oz trip is off. Damn those small bikes. |
I know my reply is late on this discussion but I would like to say my two cents worth.
We used Yamaha TW200 and AG200 on the farm in South Africa. Both are good and reliable bikes but are purpose made for Agricultural work and not Overlanding. Let me explain: The best 4x4xfar is a 4x4 tractor wheter its a John Deere or a Massey Ferguson (Done deal, ask me) (Funny farmers disagree about tractors like you do about bikes) But its not the kind of vehicle I would want to take through Botswana,Zambia,Malawi etc etc, u know what I mean cruise speed, etc etc , is not there. In some sense the same applies the other way round. Really Chris Scott would have loved a light, low torque,low geared, easy handling farmer bike while he was tested to his limits on those stones and sands of the Sahara, but the trip didn't consist just of those tricky situations. Remember he had miles to cover, with all his equipment at all time. The Perfect Bike - A bike thats done a overlanding trip with all the goodies and conversions already on. Meaning no new bike is overland ready nor is there such a thing as the perfect bike. Its how you convert/change your bike to suit your travel conditions that determine wheter its the perfect overlanding bike. |
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A lot of bikes they don't sell in the US are marked that they pass California standards. The NX200 isn't brought here because it won't sell well. I saw tons of neat bikes in Japan, but they've learned their lesson about bringing them over.
The SR500 was only sold in the US 1978-81, but they still sell them in Japan. The GB500 was 1989-90 and a lot of them were shipped back to Germany because they didn't sell in the States. Americans, as a whole, like speed in a straight line. Not singles. |
It's funny, but someone posted the picture of the Honda CTX200 on three of the Chinese-made bikes groups on Yahoo Groups, ChinaBikes Group, Jetmotogroup, and LF200GY Group. I think that the owners of the Chinese made so-called clone bikes (cloned from old Honda XR200's)have a more sporty and off-roadable bike than this Honda is!
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Bush
I doubt "Dubya" has anything to do with what bikes are imported to the US and what aren't. I lived in Europe for 8 years and used to marvel at the dual-sport bikes sold there. Cagiva Elephante, Yamaha Super Tenere, the Africa Twin, etc, etc. In Washington State I bought a Yamaha XT-600 for a trip to South America. I had to special order an Acerbis tank to give the bike any kind of range. Bike imports didn't improve/worsen under Pres. Clinton. The Paris-Dakar rally has certainly boosted the market (and "adventure" riding) in Europe. In North America people have tried to produce similar events to the P-D, with little success. BMW has had good luck selling their dual-sports in the US I think. After riding through South America, I have met only one other American rider (there were many more in Mexico and Central America). I believe long distance dual-sport riding is just in its infancy stage here. When companies believe there's a market, the merchandise will flow, as will the cash. BMW may well have caught the right wave.
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[QUOTE= In North America people have tried to produce similar events to the P-D, with little success. QUOTE]
The SCORE Baja series are pretty big, but seem to only boost sales of the limited enduro choices we already have here, as opposed to expanding our market with other models (i.e. Transalp). If a bike company was smart, they would produce a North, Central, and South American television series, using a "big" Hollywood star who travels from the top of North America, to the bottom of South America. You would see quite a few of that particular brand selling well, and suddenly, adventure travel is the biggest new thing! |
Bro
Please, no TV shows. Can you image a Hollywood "reality" TV show about long-distance riding?? Less commercial stuff, not more! Sadly Yuma, you are probably right- if not certainly so. Before long we're all gonna need more earth to "get away." I'm thinking of improving my sailing skills...
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Do you remember a few years back when illegally riding cross-country on freight trains started to get popular? |
is that rack up front for beer or a sheep bumper? or both?
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CTX200, XR200, XL200, NX200...etc
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hello all,
I was browsing the web, reading some cool bike stuff, and I ended up on your forum. Nice one, btw. But I could resist to not register just to post a reply on this agro bike topic... The CTX200 is a bike made by the Brazilian Honda factory, which is responsible for the majority of small Honda bikes sold in the world. Any one recalls the push-rod 125cc CG ? Made in Brazil. This CTX200, derives from a bike named XR200R. Not the American XR200.. the Brazilian one. This Brazil's XR, derives from the NX200, which came after the NX150 also made in Brazil. The NX150, only had this 150cc engine in Brazil... in other countries it was a NX125, also named TransCity. And this 150cc engine used on the Brazilian NX150, derived from the old scholl Japanese ML125. Said that, it is proved that this design has been thru long time real-life tests. In fact, the Brazilian Honda Factory, makes the popular CRF150/230 sold in the USA, and these 150/230 engines, are pretty much the same as the 200cc used on the NX200, XR200 (Brazil), CBX200, and CTX200 (Au,Nz). These XR200 are VERY popular in Brazil and they are all factory street-legal. ( I know.. they should be named XL200 as they are in some coutries that Brazil exports them to, or XR200L, as they are in some other places...) And, YES, the Brazilian XR200R, looks very much similar to the agro CTX200, but way nicer... its suspension is higher... and it doesnt have all those weird racks or loooong rear fender. I own one.. it is not a fast bike, but is REALLY dependable. NEVER BREAKS, very simple chain driven OHC air cooled design, and its gas mileage is around 80-90 miles per gallon. Pretty nice these days. Also, they are one the the most popular bikes for offroad use in Brazil. Hope I helped |
top value
Let me add my two cents from someone who has owned these bikes.
Yes we used them as farm bikes. We had a Yamaha AG100 that served us for 21 years, and they stopped making parts for it after 8 or so in Aus. It was out in the rain, constantly covered in cow shite, and the hills I've seen it go up fully laden ie My large dad and two/three kids with fence posts, would put a BMW GS to shame. I took this through mud and creeks at 20yrs old. Came standard with great racks, hand guards and a comfy seat. We also had teh Honda Ag bike equivalent, 2000 model. Again, great features, chain guard etc, good power, durable. The only problem with the Honda was teh sidestands were too narrow, and in soft or wet groud the bloody thing would fall over all the time. In sayingthat, it always kicked of again. They are so slow because they are geared accordingly. You would note that in the adventure motorcycling handbook, Chris did an arican adventuer on one, and on the suzuki they recommended changing the rings every 40,000km!! Basically they would be a mongrel on any road over 80-90km, but for off road africa or mongolia, I would take one in a second. Also great for females as they are low to allow you to use your legs in the rough stuf. So if you don't have an ego that needs stroking, give it a go. No the apparent myth about Aussie farmers using them to chase sheep for shaggin......well tehy're a far better option than your pasty pommy back packer, and generally less hairy. |
By the way....when the AG100 died, I added the racks to an SR500. I've found it to be a great overlander.
Now if they would only put the 500, or 600 engine in the Ag bike frame, it would be a winner |
Ctx200
Great post enricodepaoli
I have a CTX200 and ride it everywhere. I have just done 1200km's in 4 days. Check out my blog: Trailrider - Adventures & Ride Reports I would like to know more about the higher suspension though. |
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