Which bike would make a good "lifeboat" for a Unimog?

[805gregg]

Umm, as much as I like my TW....I wouldn't go so far as to say its Hwy friendly. I will do 55 but only for a little bit. I wouldn't even bother going faster because it feels like it wants to go into self destruct mode. Yes, it can go faster but comfort levels decrease greatly. 45mph feels just right. true, you can change gearing but I have decided to leave mine alone because 55 in a pinch is good to have, and don't want to gear higher because then the off road ability decreases. Just my 2 peso's

Matt

Grow some huevos, I read about a girl that rode her TW from Thousand Oaks to San Fran up the I-5 freeway and across the bay bridge. Mine will run all day at 60, and soon with a sprocket change maybe 63. These little engines run at very high RPM with no damage.

 

[Curtis in Texas]

I ride a KLR!
But I wouldn't reccommend it as a lifeboat bike.
I have a friend who rides the TW.
He has ridden that thing from North Texas to North Carolina.
He stayed on the back roads and wasn't in any hurry.
It was packed to the hilt with gear. He's still riding it.

For something to add to the back of a Expedition Rig as a lifeboat that could ride two up is necessary the TW is high on my list.
Especially if you are going to hoist it up onto the back of your rig!
Those fat tires are just the ticket for Third world countries back roads.

 

[Bogo]

- providing us with a "lifeboat" in case the Mog gets stuck or disabled out in the sticks

Needs to be light. Think about what would get a Mog stuck. You have the get the bike off the Mog and to hard ground.

No longer made by Honda for the US, but they are still made for other countries and were sold all over the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CT_series I'd go for a couple CT90s as they weigh less, and performance is similar to a CT110. Only 82 to 91kg each (dry). They are a nice little easy to handle rugged motor bike made for dirt tracks, etc.. Some models have a high/low range in their transmission which makes them that much better in rugged off road conditions. They are simple to maintain. You can ride two up on them, but being so light you could also carry two of them. Fuel economy is excellent.

 

[Ray Hyland]

Yeah, a Honda Trail 90 would be retro-cool and very capable, a TW200 is a very very safe (and sensible) choice, but hey, how cool would it be to have a Rokon 2x2 on the back?

 

[VTundra]

I vote TW200. If you get the Mog stuck the HUGE tires can lug through mud like no other. PLUS if you're really worried a lot of guys run rear moto tires up front and ATV tires in the back

http://tw200forum.com/forums/96981/ShowPost.aspx

. These things really ride like a 4 wheeler if you need em too and like a street bike when you need em to. Its a great combo. What other bike lets you putter through a mud pit and scrape a peg on the pavement in the same day? Plus its super low (seat height) while maintaining good clearance. I used to ride mine in to the back of my 88 toyota 4x4 Panel Van. Oh, and the cyclerack make a great handle for draggin this sucker out of a ditch.

 

[MrBeast]

I'll add a vote for the Honda XR650L. I had one of those bikes for three years. I rode the heck out of that bike. It's pretty basic, very reliable, and there's a multitude of parts available all over for them.

+1 the XR650L is a great bike, I had one for years and ran the snot out of it, it saw plenty of air time, and never left me stranded. great bike. If I buy another bike it will be a XR650L

You could go with a Yamaha TW200, it is a good bike but power limited, and by power limited I mean me weiging 220 lbs it would not go faster than 45 mph, and was not happy about climbing hills fast up in the mountains. The XR650L was a boss in the high country with power to spare.

 

[GR8ADV]

Hi all

My wife and and I have recently sold our bikes (BMW R1200 GSA and BMW F800GS) in order to purchase a Unimog for a RTW trip.

Wow, you must have had some crazy farkles on those :sombrero:

 

[westyss]

Needs to be light. Think about what would get a Mog stuck. You have the get the bike off the Mog and to hard ground.

No longer made by Honda for the US, but they are still made for other countries and were sold all over the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CT_series I'd go for a couple CT90s as they weigh less, and performance is similar to a CT110. Only 82 to 91kg each (dry). They are a nice little easy to handle rugged motor bike made for dirt tracks, etc.. Some models have a high/low range in their transmission which makes them that much better in rugged off road conditions. They are simple to maintain. You can ride two up on them, but being so light you could also carry two of them. Fuel economy is excellent.

I was talking with some moggers about just this topic, one of them had a rokon on the back of his mog, and they recommended the ct110 hi lo, rokon is not roadable, but the ct110 is, I started looking around for one but seems to be a little hard to find.
On last weekend's trip I saw one teamed up with some bigger dual sports out for the weekend, it was loaded up just like the dual sport bikes with all the gear,so must be able to keep up to those dual sports, they just look like a mo-ped to me.
Like you guys, I am looking for a life boat bike, I like the tw200, but $5000 for a life boat? I think I would worry about it when I wasnt around, maybe a mo-ped would work?? just doesnt have the "cool factor".

 

[dwh]

A used TW should be way less than 5 grand. 2 grand is more like it.

 

[JRhetts]

We first bought a WR250R, and found that for a 'lifeboat' on the back of our ExPedition vehicle it was WAY TOO MUCH - to heavy, too tall, too much! Very demanding to ride in the dirt, too top heavy, too tall, not either comfortable or fun, tho certainly very competent in its 'zone'.

Bought a TW200, and after 800 miles in the dirt, it is perfect! Can climb very steep hills, slog thru mud, cross cricks, go down the tarmac at 60 mph, etc.

Here is how we carry ours:

 

[Bogo]

The Honda CT series had a very long production life and was sold all over the world so parts are world wide available. Ripoff versions are still made by other companies. Sadly most of them don't have the high/low transmission. In Australia they are referred to as Postie bikes as the postal service used them for ages. If you get one with the high/low transmission they will lug allot of weight up a hill. Being light they can be handled by most people, even those not used to off road motorcycle riding. They also have a long range on a tank of gas. They aren't made for blasting across the terrain. They are made to do the transport work for you despite the terrain getting a bit rough. The CTs may not do 60MPH down a highway, but they will eat up the miles at 45/50.

 

[CoastalDefender]

Like you guys, I am looking for a life boat bike, I like the tw200, but $5000 for a life boat? I think I would worry about it when I wasnt around, maybe a mo-ped would work?? just doesnt have the "cool factor".

The TW200 is TINY. I found the Suzuki DR200SE to be the smallest "full-size" bike there was, and so got that for my wife to ride.

I would suggest a hard look at the bombproof and small statured DR200SE. We have been very pleased with ours.

 

[Rhode Trip]

The Tw200 will carry as much weight as a KLR650.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

 

[HenryJ]

The Tw200 will carry as much weight as a KLR650.

Maybe even a bit more. The stock KLR spring is pretty soft. I have a 2006 TW200 and a 2000 KLR650. That makes comparing pretty convenient

 

[JRhetts]

... I like the tw200, but $5000 for a life boat?...

I don't know where you got the $5K figure. I bought a new 2010 from a dealer for $3100, and good, used, 2000-2006 bikes on CraigsList go for $1300-2000.