Bike choices: your suggestions...

Warthog · Jan 10, 2007

OK. This is an opportunity that bikers always enjoy: telling someone else what bike they should buy! :bounce1

However, before you post there are some criteria:
1. It must be a trailie of some sort, suitable for Super Moto conversion.
2. It must be 400 or above.
3. It must be reliable and decent mpg
4. It must have pillion seat and footpegs
5. Budget including wheel buillding must be about £2500-2700

And.......go!

FatAl · Jan 10, 2007

Yamaha XT600???
BMW GS650???

Nice 'n' Fat · Jan 10, 2007

I give you the watercooled XR650L

Kickstart only but easy peasy to get em fired up. Occasionally come up in Autotrader invariably with supermoto wheels

I'm not sure if they have pillion pegs as standard ???

Go get em tiger :clap

ovenpaa · Jan 10, 2007

Just buy an '04 Husaberg FS650e ready to go, you will get one for GBP2500 this time of year, you may even find an '05 if you look hard enough.

EDIT - Ah Bugger, you want reliable and pillion footpegs.

Yamaha.

Warthog · Jan 10, 2007

ovenpaa said:
Just buy an '04 Husaberg FS650e ready to go, you will get one for GBP2500 this time of year, you may even find an '05 if you look hard enough.

EDIT - Ah Bugger, you want reliable and pillion footpegs.

Yamaha.

Ah, yes.... the wild card pillion pegs always gets 'em: OOOWA HAHAHAHAHA!!

Meanwhile, back on Earth... what Yam did you have in mind, OVENPAA? I'm guessing XT 600E or straight XT 600? Are they much of a muchness?

ovenpaa · Jan 10, 2007

Warthog said:
Ah, yes.... the wild card pillion pegs always gets 'em: OOOWA HAHAHAHAHA!!

Meanwhile, back on Earth... what Yam did you have in mind, OVENPAA? I'm guessing XT 600E or straight XT 600? Are they much of a muchness?

To be honest I would loose the pillion and get the 'Berg, no matter how much I think about it I cannot see how a pillion can be that important.

Do you want this for dual sport functionality or purely SM?

JohnnyBoxer · Jan 10, 2007

Honda XR650R

Fanum · Jan 10, 2007

DRZ400S.

Bulletproof, reliable, you'd get a nearly new minter for your budget......

Greg Masters commutes on one every day with street tyres on his spare rims, then rips up the tracks on his knobblied wheels at the weekend....

Big enough for a fat bloke (FFS, I had one and it pulled me around

)

Loads of spares, loads of mods available, cheap to insure.

Problem solved

Warthog · Jan 10, 2007

ovenpaa said:
To be honest I would loose the pillion and get the 'Berg, no matter how much I think about it I cannot see how a pillion can be that important.

Do you want this for dual sport functionality or purely SM?

Yeah, but...no, but...

Truth is that I really like SMs. I also want to learn a bit more about off roading, so dual sport in this case: I hope to have a set of MX wheels in the garage to swap from time to time.

As far as other considerations are, this bike will not only be a laugh for me, itwill also be a workhorse. Basically, I like bikes that are a compromise. A Husky, 'berg, or LC4 would be too OTT, IMO.
I'll happily sacrifice a bit of cred, BHP and handling for the convenience of pillion pegs, bigger tank, electric start and even perhaps a small rack at the back etc.

To put it differently, given a choice between a R1 and a Fazer 1000, I'd take the Fazer.
Not quite as much fun, but more useable, and can still make you grin!

Deadskin · Jan 10, 2007

Another vote for the DRZ400S

ovenpaa · Jan 10, 2007

Warthog said:
As far as other considerations are, this bike will not only be a laugh for me, itwill also be a workhorse. Basically, I like bikes that are a compromise. A Husky, 'berg, or LC4 would be too OTT, IMO.
I'll happily sacrifice a bit of cred, BHP and handling for the convenience of pillion pegs, bigger tank, electric start and even perhaps a small rack at the back etc.

Ahhhh!!! Sir needs a KTM LC4 Adventure - forget the SM wheels and do as I do, TKC80's most of the time and Distanzias for winter - 350 mile tank range, KTM street cred, work nicely on and off road, have a rack, great work horses, electric start, not highly tuned or strung, and they crash well

The down side is GBP2700 gets you an 03 model at best and they are quite hard to find, however resale value is good and you can get some great low milage examples.

I have an LC4 Adventure - simply put, it does what it says on the box.

(RIP) Kaister · Jan 10, 2007

DRZ400

http://supermotech.co.uk/ > mart > bikes

snoopy · Jan 11, 2007

DR650 since you can't tour on the DRZ unless you're mad. Not sure about the mpg, but I did ask in my other thread. :nenau

Fanum · Jan 11, 2007

snoopy said:
DR650 since you can't tour on the DRZ unless you're mad. Not sure about the mpg, but I did ask in my other thread.

If Vince Austin and his missus Loris can do it all on Serow's and TTR250's, you could do it on a DRZ :nenau

There are bigger tanks (mine had an acerbis one on it) and gel seats etc...sure you won't do 600 mile days day in day out, but that's not what touring's all about

snoopy · Jan 11, 2007

I'm a big fan of the "any bike anywhere" philosophy but the DR650 is half the price - £1200 for a 99 model - and has far more worthwhile mods (Acerbis tank does 450 miles to a fill!). It's more reliable to boot. Seems a no brainer if you want to ride it any distance.

Wizard · Jan 11, 2007

snoopy said:
I'm a big fan of the "any bike anywhere" philosophy but the DR650 is half the price - £1200 for a 99 model - and has far more worthwhile mods (Acerbis tank does 450 miles to a fill!). It's more reliable to boot. Seems a no brainer if you want to ride it any distance.

Seconded

But the DRZ400 was a very close second when I got the SP46.

Bike choices: your suggestions...

Warthog

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FatAl

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Nice 'n' Fat

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ovenpaa

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Warthog

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ovenpaa

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JohnnyBoxer

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Deadskin

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ovenpaa

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(RIP) Kaister

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snoopy

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snoopy

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Wizard

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