Sub 220kg bike for 2 + luggage

Suzuki Vstrom 650.
Think it’s about 215 kgs.
Totally under the radar for me then rode one two up in Gran Canaria then again solo in Chile .

Utterly brilliant bike !!

All day comfy and I’m 6’1”.

Loads of grunt . Put a new Transalp to shame . Go try one .

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The new Vstrom 800 DE/RE is brilliant but the old 650 is a much better two up platform .
 
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ChasF said:
We’re just back from a 1000mile tour of the Pyrenees so I thought I’d drag up this thread discussing the issues of weight and pillion comfort. We were riding our 1989 R100GS two up with about 50kg of luggage including camping gear, our friend, who we met up with in Saint Jean Pied de Port was on a 2018 1200GS one up with quite a bit of baggage. We rode a lot of fast twisty roads and even managed an unintended very steep unpaved section. Our bike did everything asked of it and kept up well with the 1200. Comfort for me and the wife was fine the only issue being me getting off the bike with my new knees - balance is not quite as good as it was and it’s not possible to put the bike on the sidestand whilst sitting on it. Realistically as we’re not likely to do more than about 5k miles a year from now on, the old GS is probably all the bike we need.View attachment 327333
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.. and what a lovely thing that is.
 
Don't forget to look at the payload of the bikes your considering and what luggage they can take as some bikes will carry more weight than others and some might not be able to carry both panniers and a top box if that's important to you
 
Davey I think you need to sit on some bikes and feel how the weight is held. My F700gs has an underseat fuel tank which lowers the “ feel” of the weight. My 145 kg Vespa feels lighter than my 145 kgs ktm390 purely because the vespas weight is nearly all 12-18 inches off the ground. For example the F700 tenere is a lofty bike even though its a middleweight
 
ChasF said:
There are separate issues here: weight is not the make or break, pushing the bike around is one area where many people struggle and probably will be the main reason why I’ll sell my K1100 even though it’s the easiest big bike I’ve ever owned to put on the centre stand.

Some bikes do feel lighter once on the move but the 1100/1150GS definitely don’t which is the main reason I didn’t gel with mine.

Pillion comfort is the big thing for me and I find so many bikes are just too small and most seem to consider carrying a passenger as an occasional convenience rather than providing long distance comfort which includes making it easy for the pillion to get on and off the loaded bike - this becomes even more of an issue as we get older.

Really struggling now to find current model that would better my ancient R100GS.
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Varadero....
 
The answer is SIMPLE…..A Goldwing tour DCT. All the weight is low down , easy to get a leg over . If you have problems pushing it around, fear not….its got crawl and reverse gears. 2 downsides. It’s addictive and a bit pricy :D
 
Loads of opinions,
Lol
Personally,I’d buy a decent paralever GS airhead,
Spend a bit on it to remove gremlins and upgrade.
As roomy as you’ll get at that weight,power will be as much as you need,
If it doesn’t rock your boat you’ll sell and not loose out.
There’s a very good reason a good airhead gs g/s commands a high price
 
mikeyboy said:
Loads of opinions,
Lol
Personally,I’d buy a decent paralever GS airhead,
Spend a bit on it to remove gremlins and upgrade.
As roomy as you’ll get at that weight,power will be as much as you need,
If it doesn’t rock your boat you’ll sell and not loose out.
There’s a very good reason a good airhead gs g/s commands a high price
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^^^ What he said. Great machines as standard (bar that ridiculous sidestand) and can easily be made even better My partner was very happy riding pillion on my '89 GS (in NZ at the time - the perfect bike for the place). Lovely grunty engine, shaft drive, roomy & low seat and good luggage carrying ability. Standard 24l tank more than compensates for the 45mpg fuel consumption and you can get bigger of course (or even opt for the PD - but that's a weighty beast with the screen and all that scaffolding). My choice would be the 88-90 version.
 
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Nin said:

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… for a fully kitted out bike out the crate. Seen TMF has one on loan to do a video about (coming soon to his YT channel)
My only concern now, is that will it have same issues with the motor as does the 790/890/901 motors, seeing as the motor is basically borrowed from KTM.
 
Vulpine2 said:
^^^ What he said. Great machines as standard (bar that ridiculous sidestand) and can easily be made even better My partner was very happy riding pillion on my '89 GS (in NZ at the time - the perfect bike for the place). Lovely grunty engine, shaft drive, roomy & low seat and good luggage carrying ability. Standard 24l tank more than compensates for the 45mpg fuel consumption and you can get bigger of course (or even opt for the PD - but that's a weighty beast with the screen and all that scaffolding). My choice would be the 88-90 version.
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Got back on Tuesday from our 1000 mile jaunt in the Pyrenees

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I was going to use my K1100LT which is much heavier but has a sensible side stand and is the easiest bike I’ve ever owned to roll on and off the centre stand - both important considerations as I have relatively recent new knees which are prone to seizing up after an hour or so riding the bike. Glad I took the airhead although spectators were convinced I was going to drop it every time I dismounted.
 
jags said:
as arsey says, a vstrom 650. very underated.
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Current RRP

£5,995​

BRAND NEW SUZUKI DL650 V STROM, 3 YEARS WARRANTY, massive saving on RRP, plus on the road charges apply Call 01535 606 311 Buy with confidence from Appleyard Motorcycles:- West Yorkshire
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Or, this one with 7-year warranty, at

£7,999​

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Ta, but I live in France so would get stuffed for duty/vat on top of going to the UK to buy one. (Appleyards was my nearest dealer tho)
 
ChasF said:
Got back on Tuesday from our 1000 mile jaunt in the Pyrenees

View attachment 327779
I was going to use my K1100LT which is much heavier but has a sensible side stand and is the easiest bike I’ve ever owned to roll on and off the centre stand - both important considerations as I have relatively recent new knees which are prone to seizing up after an hour or so riding the bike. Glad I took the airhead although spectators were convinced I was going to drop it every time I dismounted.
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Good that you have the new knees.... With exercise, they should settle down if my 01 new knee (right) is anything to go by... Centre stand mounting was never a possibility until 4 months after knee replacement. Safe travels.
 
Bonnie Tyler said:
Too top heavy if OP is looking to lose weight on a bike ….
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I was looking at the NIGHTSTER™ SPECIAL, 225kg with fuel. All the weight low down, can be customized for touring. Only downside is the fuel tank, just over 11l. Can be had for less than £10K, second hand.​

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HAs anyone mentioned a KTM 1290 Superduke GT yet
A little over the wanted weight when fuelled but only just
 
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