Would you go for a 450/500 EXC or a 690 Enduro?
I’ve been idly considering making myself a long distance trail bike suitable for wasting a couple of weeks each year doing parts of the TET and my head keeps telling me that that the EXC is a better base bike if I take it over to Europe in my van and hit out for a couple of days at a time then loop round and go to somewhere different for another couple of days each time but is that being a bit negative when I could get the bigger bike and just ride over there from home?
I’ve got a bit of an aversion to taking bikes to the area using 4 wheels unless it’s a smaller stink wheel but if I wanted to go to the Baltic region then riding there on any trail bike is going to be hard work. I’m thinking of putting a bigger fuel tank on the bike along with giving it the capacity to carry a roll bag and soft panniers so nothing too drastic. The biggest advantage of an EXC is that it’s about 30kg lighter and because I’ve got limbs like matchsticks lighter bikes are a good idea when you know you’re going to drop it at some point.
Taking the van means I can sleep in a tent and lock a bike in the back of the van if I want to plus I can carry extra clutter like tools and more than just a jet boil for cooking so from that perspective it makes a lot of sense.
This isn’t a buy it next week kind of idea, more of a get one for next spring thing in which case I’d drop my normal routine of taking 6 weeks off in mid winter and use the extra cash to buy the bike and sort it out. I might be tempted to get my act together a bit sooner and go to Morocco earlier in the year but I’d have to tie that in with a week in a hotel because my wife would see her arse if I went there and kept sending her messages telling her what a great time I was having
Any suggestions, tips on what to avoid like the plague or ideas on a more suitable base bike but keep in mind that I don’t buy Hondas.
I’ve been idly considering making myself a long distance trail bike suitable for wasting a couple of weeks each year doing parts of the TET and my head keeps telling me that that the EXC is a better base bike if I take it over to Europe in my van and hit out for a couple of days at a time then loop round and go to somewhere different for another couple of days each time but is that being a bit negative when I could get the bigger bike and just ride over there from home?
I’ve got a bit of an aversion to taking bikes to the area using 4 wheels unless it’s a smaller stink wheel but if I wanted to go to the Baltic region then riding there on any trail bike is going to be hard work. I’m thinking of putting a bigger fuel tank on the bike along with giving it the capacity to carry a roll bag and soft panniers so nothing too drastic. The biggest advantage of an EXC is that it’s about 30kg lighter and because I’ve got limbs like matchsticks lighter bikes are a good idea when you know you’re going to drop it at some point.
Taking the van means I can sleep in a tent and lock a bike in the back of the van if I want to plus I can carry extra clutter like tools and more than just a jet boil for cooking so from that perspective it makes a lot of sense.
This isn’t a buy it next week kind of idea, more of a get one for next spring thing in which case I’d drop my normal routine of taking 6 weeks off in mid winter and use the extra cash to buy the bike and sort it out. I might be tempted to get my act together a bit sooner and go to Morocco earlier in the year but I’d have to tie that in with a week in a hotel because my wife would see her arse if I went there and kept sending her messages telling her what a great time I was having
Any suggestions, tips on what to avoid like the plague or ideas on a more suitable base bike but keep in mind that I don’t buy Hondas.