Taking a trip

[Apex]

Ok, so I was thinking this morning about something.

I want to take a trip on my bike. I'd love to explore the US on two wheels. To stop whenever/wherever I wanted to, and enjoy the sights. To be able to pull over anywhere and snap a picture. To be able to maybe just find a spot somewhere and camp for fun. It was then it occurred to me that I may be into adventure riding. I guess it is time to get that KLR rental, and permission from the wife to take a trip.

Anyway, I tried to think about what bike I would choose, if I could choose any bike currently made, to take on a trip. Now I'm not talking about a 2-3 hour journey to the next big city. I'm talking about a lengthy trip, like from SE Texas to Colorado and back. Something new and fun.

So I started to make a list of what I'd like to do on the bike, or what I'd like the bike to do for me....

• Comfort - Of course you will be on the saddle for a long time, comfort is of top priority
• Gas - the bike has to be easy on gas. 30mpg is not an option with the bike. It would cost too much for a trip.
• Versatile - The bike needs to do many things. If I see a dirt road and know how far away a gas station is, I may just want to take that dirt road and see where it goes (non-dualsport bikes are able to tackle this)
• Luggage - Need something with easy bolt on luggage that can be pulled easily too if stopping at a hotel
• Looks - Can't take a trip on a bike I can't stand how it looks
• Cost - Can't be expensive to own, operate or insure

So with comfort, many bikes fit the bill on that. Gas however is a bit tighter. 1500cc cruisers are not for this. Smaller engine, but not too small. A bike that is versatile, well a ninja 250 could hit a dirt road easily, a goldwing, not so much. Luggage is nice when you don't have to fab up something special to make it work with your bike. Easy bolt on hard shell saddlebags would be nice. Looks, well I'm not going to ride around on a deformed smurf, but each bike does have a certain appeal. And finally cost, I won't be spending $20,000 on a cruiser just because it has a lot of comfort stuff on it. I don't need an iPod player. Hand warmers may be nice, but can be installed via the aftermarket rather easily.

So what bike would it be? The cheaper the better, but also a quality ride matters, so not too cheap. So what bikes fit the bill?

I think:
Ninja 250*
GS650
GS800
Ninja 650*
KLR650*
Versys*
NT700
XR650?
Sportster*
V-Strom
FZ1
Bandit
Scrambler
* notes the cheaper options

What would you have on your list?

[backinthesaddleagain]

How about the VFR, sporty, does everything well (maybe not dirt roads, but if you are careful, and easy on throttle and brakes). Ultimate sport tourer?

I think the sportster, while fun, would shake a bit too much over the miles. Also smallish tank.

[Flashmonkey]

I would like to nominate the SV1000. The often overlooked, underrated, red-headed step child of the spourt touring community!

A VFR800 would be a close second for me....but then again if I were going on this trip, I'd probably attempt it on a Hayabusa or something equally ridiculous.

[Angel-be-Good]

A Yamaha R1. Sound ridiculous? Check out Nick Sanders' Parallel World.

[ScraitT]

I personally think if your not planning on hitting many big 60mph+ roads, then your 250 would be perfect. The only think it would really need is a way to easily mount and unmount luggage. Yes that would probably involve a small bit of modifications on your end, but it would still be much cheaper then buying a new bike.

If you are hitting faster roads, or want a little bit more power for lugging everything around....I would go with a 650. The versys looks like it would handle a little off-roading pretty well. And from what I remember reading, the kawi 650s get close to the same mileage numbers as the 250s if you arent beating them to death.


Sounds like a great potential trip...I have always thought of doing something like that, but I would preferably like to do it with a friend or two (none of which will ride 50 miles, let alone a few week trip). Plus money is tight, so not an option for me. But sounds like it will be awesome!

[Apex]

Originally Posted by ScraitT

Sounds like a great potential trip...I have always thought of doing something like that, but I would preferably like to do it with a friend or two (none of which will ride 50 miles, let alone a few week trip). Plus money is tight, so not an option for me. But sounds like it will be awesome!

I hope to do it. I've always wanted to, but there are a lot of things to do before I'd actually give it a try.

I'd love to have someone join me as well. We shall see. Might try it alone for fun. Heck, just a trip from Houston to San Antonio, to Austin, to Amarillo, to DFW, and back would be rather fun. I'd really like to see some mountains though....

[Apex]

Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain

How about the VFR, sporty, does everything well (maybe not dirt roads, but if you are careful, and easy on throttle and brakes). Ultimate sport tourer?

I think the sportster, while fun, would shake a bit too much over the miles. Also smallish tank.

That is true, I forgot about the tank size...

[backinthesaddleagain]

I think the 883 is 3.3 gals and 1200 is 4.+, but would also fit on the 883. The 883 I sometimes borrow is carbed, maybe the FI bikes give better mpg.

[Apex]

Well if I ever got a sportster, I'd get the 1200.

[CC Cowboy]

BMW, GS800. I have a friend who rides in far off places (Austrialia, New Zealand, Africa) every year. He and his wife always rent BMW on/off road bikes. He swears by them.

[JeffM]

EX500....Oh wait you said something about looks.



(actually I think it is an ok looking bike.)

[Cedilla]

I'm thinking about taking a trip this summer as well, but I will be kickin it on the 250, as a new bike is not in my budget for quite a while.

If I were looking for a new bike to take a trip on, I would look at the FZ6, or the GS650, the VFR800 seems nice too, but pricey. However having rode none of these bikes I would take my suggestions with a grain of salt.

[addy126]

Mark.. remember this... getting the right bike is the least of your problems... getting permission is going to take an act of god!

[Verus Cidere]

I'd also go with the VFR800. It looks awesome, does well for mileage (as it has a vtec engine), and it comes stock with hard saddle bags that a member of this forum loves. Only thing would be price, as I have no idea how much they cost...

[Apex]

Originally Posted by addy126

Mark.. remember this... getting the right bike is the least of your problems... getting permission is going to take an act of god!

This is true!!
Posted via Mobile Device

[Roostre]

As long as your talking sportster, you might as well throw Buell's Ulysses on your list. I use mine as a long distance touring bike that will do dirt competently. I generally get 48-50 mpg with several tanks over 55mpg.

My wife loves the bike for it's roomy comfortable back seat. (She won't let me sell it and she REFUSES to ride on the back of a KLR ever again!) She has done several 700 mile days with me and been no worse for wear.

The Versys looks like a near ideal package, but I've never ridden one.

There is a guy on ADV that rode a TW200 from northern Arizona to Alaska and back!! His ride report is worth checking out. He stuck to back roads almost exclusively and it seemed to be quite an adventure- low cost and high quality!

[adouglas]

Last summer I did a 2600 mile vacation on my newgen 250 and it was great. Do a search on Indianapolis and you'll find a detailed report on it, including ways to stay comfortable day after day, mile after mile.

The 250 is, for me, an ideal combination of economy (both to buy and run), size (I'm a 5'7" guy with a 30" inseam), ergonomics and handling, with enough real-world performance to make me happy.

Whichever bike you choose, I propose that the most important thing... perhaps the ONLY important thing... is comfort.

Some years ago I did a tour on an EX500 and the seat was torture. For me, the newgen is waaaay more comfortable. At the end of a long day, you don't notice the bike's performance. You notice your body, in particular your butt. You could be riding a moped for all you care.... and you'd be happy to if it made you more comfortable.

Around here lots of folks wax rhapsodic about clip-ons, rearsets, etc. etc. For track use things like that are necessary. For the rest of us they're a lot like stiletto heels for a woman. Incredibly sexy, but not very comfortable or practical.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Apex

Ok, so I was thinking this morning about something.

I want to take a trip on my bike. I'd love to explore the US on two wheels. To stop whenever/wherever I wanted to, and enjoy the sights. To be able to pull over anywhere and snap a picture. To be able to maybe just find a spot somewhere and camp for fun. It was then it occurred to me that I may be into adventure riding. I guess it is time to get that KLR rental, and permission from the wife to take a trip.

Anyway, I tried to think about what bike I would choose, if I could choose any bike currently made, to take on a trip. Now I'm not talking about a 2-3 hour journey to the next big city. I'm talking about a lengthy trip, like from SE Texas to Colorado and back. Something new and fun.

So I started to make a list of what I'd like to do on the bike, or what I'd like the bike to do for me....

• Comfort - Of course you will be on the saddle for a long time, comfort is of top priority
• Gas - the bike has to be easy on gas. 30mpg is not an option with the bike. It would cost too much for a trip.
• Versatile - The bike needs to do many things. If I see a dirt road and know how far away a gas station is, I may just want to take that dirt road and see where it goes (non-dualsport bikes are able to tackle this)
• Luggage - Need something with easy bolt on luggage that can be pulled easily too if stopping at a hotel
• Looks - Can't take a trip on a bike I can't stand how it looks
• Cost - Can't be expensive to own, operate or insure

How many street bike have you ridden on dirt roads, and how far? You might be in for a big surprise on how well non-dualsport bikes are able to tackle this!

[Sailariel]

I have done quite a bit of touring in past years. For the past three years, reading and studying bikes has been a lot of fun. Riding various bikes has also helped. I`ll start with what you have--Ninja EX250R: The first mod I would recommend is a Zero Gravity Touring windshield. The second would be a Corbin seat. The third would be moving your rear turn signals farther back (mine are on each side of the license plate where the red reflectors were) You then get two stick on red reflectors that are smaller and stick them where your turn signals were. When you make that mod, the Cortech saddle bag and tail bag fit with no problem. A good sized magnetic tank bag like a Dowco, finish the luggage. The last mod would be a 15T Sprocket in the front. I have done all of the above and feel that I have a "pocket tourer" that can go virtually anywhere. If you also want to do dirt roads, consider some Metzler Dual Sport Tires. Another road to consider would be buying a used touring machine. A Honda ST 1100 is a proven tourer. They are a bit hard to find. My favorite turn-key touring bike would be a Honda NT 700. Looks a lot like an ST 1100 but fits us short legged types better. That would be the most expensive way to go because the NT 700 is new to the US market for 2010. The price is $10,000US

[Apex]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

How many street bike have you ridden on dirt roads, and how far? You might be in for a big surprise on how well non-dualsport bikes are able to tackle this!

I've taken the 250 down a dirt road with no issues. I know it can do it.

I just know something that weighs 900lbs won't be able to nearly as well as a DS or like the 250.

[1994juggernaut]

Versys

[Mocha Man]

I love the VFRs personally