A bike choice question

 


Yo all!

New to the group with a question.

I'm a former biker, BMW 500, Yamaha 500 among others (smaller).

Next spring I retire and want to, "Live to Ride!"

I'm one of those types who's heroes have always been cowboys so I see
a bike as a 'stand-in' for a horse. You can guess that my garb is
going to be western right down to the boots and spurs.

Right now I'm dealing with the choice of pony.

I want a bike that will pretty much do what a horse can do, only
faster and more enduring. I'll want to tour but I don't want to be
limited to the road. I'm in Eastern Canada and want to make the
Rockies and back in about 4-5 weeks in 2012.

I'll probably be buying second hand to avoid financing. I weigh in at
140lbs so I'd like to keep it in the 500cc class to avoid a heavy bike
off-road. I'm thinking that would allow me to cruise legal highway
speeds pretty much all day. Right? I toured most of Europe on my BMW
and didn't have any problems. I'll be riding fully attired so outside
a change of clothes, a netbook and some photography gear, I'll be
traveling light.

Harley D's don't put out a 500 so I'm thinking Honda or Yamaha. Don't
care for the others and parts acquisitions 'anywhere' seems assured
with either.

I haven't been keeping up with the industry since the early nineties
so I'm wondering if there are any model suggestions out there?

Thanks.

 


<snip>

Yamaha XT600E. Absolutely indestructible do-anything, go-anywhere basic
air-cooled trail bike. Fun on the road. Cheap, too.


--
BMW K1100LT  Ducati 750SS  Triumph Street Triple  Honda CB400F
Suzuki TS250  Suzuki GN250  chateaudotmurrayatidnetdotcom
Nothing damages a machine more than an ignoramus with a manual, a
can-do attitude and a set of cheap tools

 

On Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:14:29 +0100, totallydeadmailbox@yahoo.co.uk
(The Older Gentleman) wrote:


Thanx for the suggestion. I've had a look at the XT and noted it's
scarcity in my region. Aside from that I can't say I care for it's
look nor it's saddle. I could see me sliding off that without a prob
on a power take-off. I'm only 5'8" so would gravitate more to a
low-rider. Something like a 84-02Honda Shadow or Nighthawk or a Yam
Virago or maybe a VStar. Keeping ground clearance in mind of course.

I'm not talking off-road in it's greatest sense of the term, just
something that'll let me take an advantage without worrying about
getting bogged down with a weighty machine. The 84 Shadow 500cc is the
closest thing I've seen to what I have in mind, so far.

Thanx for the reply.

 

I'm only 5'8" so would gravitate more to a

Dude! Forget the cruisers for touring, they are just for boulevard
cruising.

The cruisers you listed will kick your butt in about an hour of riding
because of the
feet forward position.

Forward controls prevent you from lifting the weight off your butt
with your leg muscles when you see a bump coming, you have to pull the
bars instead.

But, don't worry about needing a lower seat height.

The best bike mentioned in this thread for medium/light touring is the
Suzuki DL650 V-Strom and the seat height can be lowered down from
about 32 inches to about 29 inches by installing a set of longer
aftermarket "dog bones".

The longer dog bones allow the rear shock absorber relay arm to rotate
a bit further up into the wheel well, lowering the rear chassis.

A lady who sometimes posts to this group under the nickname
"TexasShadow" is only about 5' 3" and she rides her V-Strom solo all
over the western USA.

You can buy a DL650 equipped for touring from the factory.

The DL-650 doesn't have any more off-highway capability than the
KLR-650, but at least you can install some decent tires without having
to buy aftermarket rims.

So far as the Kawasaki KLR-650 is concerned, the stock Department of
Transportation approved tires will only last about 3000 miles, they
don't have much of a knob pattern and the KLR's true character in so-
called "adventure touring" is to ride a very short distance on a flat
dirt road from a highway to a campground.

The very narrow (about 1.6 inch) 21-inch front rim helps to make the
KLR look like a Dakar racer, but the front tire is so narrow it slices
right into loose sand, stopping forward progress.

I was *very* disappointed at my KLR's lack of off-highway capability.

The KLR off the showroom floor is about 90% highway and 10% dirt,
unless you want to throw hundreds of $$$ into wider Accel rims so you
can fit wider tires.

 

On Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:18:45 -0700 (PDT), "?"


I'm not sure I take your meaning. Are you stating that a 500cc
motorcycle shouldn't be on the highway? Because they can't go fast
enough (legal speed limits)? Aren't powerful enough to carry my weight
and it's own up a hill or something? What does, "just for boulevard
cruising" mean?


I cruised the Autobahn for hours on a BMW 500 without a problem, why
would a Shadow or Virago be any different? All the controls are in
exactly the same places. Are they in different places on a touring
bike?


"Forward controls"?? Can you explain how that would be different from
the V-Strom? I've looked at some photos of it from 2004, when they
came into production, to now, but can't see how they are anything but
the 'forward control' type you're warning me of. Is there another
control, auxiliary control configuration available for them? Like on
racing bikes where the shift and brakes are on the back pegs and the
bars are lower on the front forks so the rider can lay out on the seat
and padded tank to avoid wind resistance?

Can you elaborate for me?


With a low-rider I won't have to buy anything extra or adjust
anything.


I think I posted that I wasn't buying new. Least of all do I want a
'touring' bike. I just want to ride from photo-op to photo-op, town to
town or gas station to gas station until I get to the Rockies. Ample
power, speed, reliability are the most important features to me. Next
to that would be the availability of parts and service and the ability
to man-handle the bike without help. All of these can be accomplished
with a second-hand, checked-out, Honda or Yamaha 500-650, low-rider.

Having a nice ride is nice but riding is nicer.

I would consider the ability to cross open fields, negotiating a
walking type trail and fording a shallow brook or stream the limit to
my expectations of 'off-road' capabilities. Places where you
definately wouldn't take a car.

Thanks for your reply.