Rode a 1200GS this weekend...

[dieselcruiserhead]

Here are the Honda Transalps I was mentioning. They are so casually mentioned I didn't realize they aren't in the United States but seem to be all over Europe and South America where you can rent one for about $100 a day.. I found them when doing google searches on these bikes...


These are photos of the 650...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

And here are the 700s... Something like this would certainly fit the bill...


http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/honda/2008-honda-xl700v-transalp-ar47282.html

http://www.motorera.com/honda/h0700/xl700v/xl700v.htm

 

[Christian P.]

this thread only needs two words:

KTM 950

 

[CoastalDefender]

I enjoy my wee strom, and at it's price, it might be worth a serious look considering the riding style and types you're referring to.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Here are the Honda Transalps I was mentioning. They are so casually mentioned I didn't realize they aren't in the United States but seem to be all over Europe and South America where you can rent one for about $100 a day.. I found them when doing google searches on these bikes...


These are photos of the 650...

I owned a ALp for a few years...great commuter with a really nice motor but I would much rather ride my Dakar.

 

[blatant]

really or firstly, you must not buy any of these NEW, especially the KLR, you must also realize, as I'm sure you do that the klr/trans alp and that family are much different than the gs / ktm 9 grouping of larger bikes. If you drop a klr, despite it being heavier than a normal dirt bike a dude of your deminsions can lift it up. A gs12 you will not be able to get up. I'm as big as you and well proportioned and can tell you from experience, helping others that dump their 20,000 dollar bikes (and it really pains me and intrigues me at the same time to be party to this) that a single dude can't lift it up in a funny/fcked up situation, which most of the time you're finding yourself.

ADV rider is going to be your best friend and will have more info than you care to even consider knowing about. However, I don't claim to know **** but as mentioned before you can obtain a KLR that is rather primo shape for 3 grand and it should have a bunch of bells and whistles for that price.

My advice, being that you stated earlier you've never really ridden is get a KLR OR something that you can afford to drop a dozen times w/o issue and that is supper easy to fix. The klr is an erector set, super easy and has 25 years of never changing behind it.

Once you decide you like riding, the wife doesn't mind you wrecking and coming home fcked up every now and again and you're pretty set wtih it, you can sell the klr for the same or a bit less than you paid and graduate into a disgustingly priced but super nice beemer. If you start off with a beemer, it'll cost you a ton every time you bail and it'll hurt extra, alot extra mentally vs a klr or some other super capable yet cheap alternative.

 

[CoastalDefender]

Also take into account if you buy the beemer, you're going to end up wanting something cheaper, lighter, and that wont hurt your pocketbook to put down while practicing in the dirt.

Go get that cheaper and lighter bike first...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

RR1, Christian, nice work! Looks like this is the ticket as far as I can tell. I wasn't looking at it before because I also read "out of my range..."

KTM 950 SE (Super Enduro)... 38" standover, 10" travel, good on the highway with correct tires, 40 mpg avg, carbed w/ 3 gallon tank switchable to as much as 8 gallon safari tank.

Here is an ideal set up one:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=538142

8 gallon SAFARI tank (coated with polyurethane bedliner)
HID headlight
OBERON bar-end turn signals
690SM tinted windshield
TOURATECH hard luggage
STAINTUNE stainless steel exhaust
FACTORY PRO titanium jet kit
UNI air filter
De-smogged
KTM handguards

Also a pretty sick photo thread on these. And also I forget his handle but Andrew Hyman up in Boise here on the board rides one of these as well assuming I remember correctly (and that its not an Adventure) and loves it. I am linking to a random post in the thread where they have it set up as a Motard:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3827629#post3827629


I completely agree/understand the last two posts about the BMWs. The KTM 950 Super Enduro also isn't cheap as well and it sounds like its so capable it would be a shame to put in the hands of someone like me as I would have trouble bringing it to its full potential... I am looking around the web and the ADV rider board though and people put these through hell, put them over all the time etc.

I have taken hard diggers on my MTB and had it flipping through the woods in the past to have to run down and grab it. It is hard enough to get a MTB back up and on the trail, I could imagine a dirt bike falling on the downhill side. So my move right now is to go ahead and find something cheap and maybe a regular old 425 or 650 Enduro, definitely used that runs well, or maybe a KLR and definitely not new. In the meantime I'll keep testing my theories on the 950 and hopefully come up with the cash to buy one outright rather than financing (I feel that financing a bike like a enduro might not be that good an idea if I F'd it up somehow) and also testing my theory that this is the right bike.. But it literally seems perfect with a semi off road tire, a windshield, and a couple other things... Price is pretty high but that is OK...

thanks guys again for all your comments, definitely keep them coming if you have thoughts comments and I am think skinned/newbie so all input is appreciated.

andre

 

[RR1]

Black Dog Cycle Works makes a rear tank for the Super Enduro so you don't have to carry all the weight up front. I have ridden one with that setup it is a huge difference.

 

[Scott Brady]

I believe the 1200 GSA is the finest motorcycle ever produced. Much in the same way I believe the FZJ80 is the finest overland vehicle ever brought to the US.

Of course, I won't own either- for my own nefarious reasons

 

[Hltoppr]

We all know you can't handle all that comfort and reliability....:elkgrin:

Where's the adventure in that!

-H- :smiley_drive:

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

I spoke with an acquinance who is 6'3 and maybe 10-15 lbs lighter but who has been riding his whole life. The 950SE seems really really capable but is so big/heavy that it is tough to get around and it takes an "incredibly skilled rider" to be able remotely use it to its full potential. From there he says "if you can get that bike around, imagine how much fun you would have on a 650." He bought one of the 950SEs new when they first came out, and now has a XR650R he built for commuting and using as his dual rider and absolutely loves it.

It now has me thinking the 690E looks just absolutely awesome. But the same weird EFI stuff and only the big city dealers can service it and routinely unlike the carb'd engines...

So I also 'learn to ride' I am looking at getting a cheaper (and these are almost super cheap) older KLR650 or perhaps a XR650L so if/when I put it over I learn and then take it from there. The 690E seems like a really dialed machine but the price tag is $11G so I would have to finance it and I have so little time on bikes right now its just not the right move..

So start small and take it from there..

Here is a 690E though, for the record..

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Chatted with Bill H the other day Andre, I think he just sold his bigger enduro in favor of something a bit smaller too no?

Your welcome to come ride my 450 XCW. While I was at first shopping for a 525 or 530 EXC that I could plate, I was quickly and easily talked into the lighter 450 by Vonski and Greg Fox (has the Venuzualan spec 80 Series), I honestly couldn't be happier with it. Though I think that relates 100% to the type of riding I like to do. I base-camp with my Tacoma and ride out each day from there... if I were trying to pack gear and take it over the road, it would not be a remotely suitable bike. For example I'll be down in Delta all weekend at the rock-crawl. I'll set up my Tacoma/tent at camp and ride the bike to and from the site, into town for food, etc. Works superb. Along with that I can have a fun day at the sand dunes, do Mineral Fork up Big Cottonwood or do 100 on the flats in the West Desert, fits my needs. Where it lacks is the highway, while plated even 50-60 mph makes it feel 'wrapped' out and I have very minimal cargo room... so overnighters would be difficult though I'm planning to do some later this year. I think eventually I'll look for a bigger enduro to do over the road stuff and de-plate the KTM for desert riding only. Money... money...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Cool, I didn't realize he sold it because he's getting another.. Word on the street is he sold it to fund a sick new jogger's baby trailer.. (joking, sorta)...

Take a look at his web site, I was always wondering why he was on a 650 as well (though it looks a little small on him too sometimes I feel). He mostly rides single track and hauls it out as well but did some neat multi-days back in the day...

http://web.mac.com/bhartlieb/iWeb/bhartlieb.homepage/mxadv.logan.html
http://web.mac.com/bhartlieb/iWeb/bhartlieb.homepage/desert.riding.html

My buddies in San Diego (one of which owns the 1200GS also) have the same bike as you except the 6 speed version, they both live on a military trailer that they haul out for that type of riding.. Right now again with mountain biking I don't want to realize how much fun it would be on a dirt bike so in an effort to keep worlds apart, I'm thinking I want to use this for more of the multi-day type trips and around town and commuting to Heber or SLC... Again I think starting with a nice cheap street legal 650 is a good call to see where and what I want to do... ?

 

[CoastalDefender]

Again I think starting with a nice cheap street legal 650 is a good call to see where and what I want to do... ?

Hell yes, great idea!
A 650 will-
Get you anywhere you want to go
Won't obliterate the pocket book
Easily maintain proper speed on the highway
Small/light enough for most trails
Maintain resale value
Be financially more affordable for another buyer if you decide to sell later on, so easier to unload

I would look at the tried and trues as far as the 650s go. Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, etc. Parts are cheap, plentiful, and easy to wrench on. But the biggest factor will be your learning experience on the bike. You will decide what you love, hate, and what direction you need to go for your next bike. It would be a damn shame to spend $18k on a GSA that you felt was too big if you were able to find out before hand that a 650GS or 800GS would better suit your riding.

It would be even worse situation if you found that the 650 was too much for your actual use and went with a 400 later and had to try to unload a $10k bike.


Remember, and this is what most forget about lusting after horseless carriages and motorized bicycles... Intended Use and Actual Use are two different things.

I was in between a KLR650 and a DL650... I ended up with the Zuk, and am glad I did because I gave serious consideration and a reality analysis on my intended use vs actual use. My intended use was 20/80, and my actual use has turned out to be 5/95. I think at this point I would have realized what a mistake I had made if I had gone with the KLR.

Remember a bike purchase is a GAERONTEEED money loss. Make your initial investment as little a loss as you can. Learn with the first, then apply the principles to your "dream" ride. It's amazing how much dreams change when you taste them.