 | Home > Off Topic > What touring bike |
 
|
|
|
| Sonarmender Member Since: 04 Apr 2013 Location: Guz Posts: 338   
|
BMW R1200GS, I used one for just under 3yrs to do a 620mile round trip twice a week, there were no reliability issues and I felt as fresh as a daisy after each trip.
Buy anything else at your peril! Watch the Long Way Down to see the abuse these machines can take. You only have one life, live it....forget the cost.
90XS Hardtop |
||
14th Apr 2013 8:12pm |
|
| K9F Member Since: 12 Nov 2009 Location: Bournemouth Posts: 9610  
|
If you fancy pedal-power look no further.....
http://www.landrover-bikes.com/ It'll rust out before you finish your journey, gears will be notchy, fancy a short cut offroad, it'll perform faultlessly but at least you won't have throttle holding it's revs problems.   If you go through life with your head in the sand....all people will see is an ar5e!!
Treat every day as if it is your last....one day you will be right!! |
||
|
14th Apr 2013 8:22pm |
|
| yobbie Member Since: 15 Nov 2010 Location: Isle of Wight Posts: 712 
|
What do you ride at the moment? I hired a GS in South Africa and did around 3000kms on it, glad I did as I was sure this (or similar) was going to be my next bike. I found the bars too wide and couldn't get on with sitting so upright as all the weight is on your ass. My girlfriend hated it too had great bruises up her legs from getting on and off. I use a Hayabusa for touring 2up got Corbin seats ,higher screen, panniers & top box. Been to Switzerland, Austria & Italy on separate trips great on the motorways cruises at 80mph (less than half top speed) over 50 mpg. For solo touring I use an R1, I've converted the rear seat into a rack for carrying luggage, have been as far as Monaco on it.
|
||
|
14th Apr 2013 8:32pm |
|
| AndrewS Member Since: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Hereford Posts: 3707 
|
I currently ride a naked CB1300. The thing is do i go for it with the CB or get a more suitable set of wheels.
 Click image to enlarge |
||
|
14th Apr 2013 8:46pm |
|
| yobbie Member Since: 15 Nov 2010 Location: Isle of Wight Posts: 712
|
Personally if your comfortable on that, I would get some luggage for it and use it.
That was another of the issues with the GS the lack of weather protection, the Busa is great for this, but your CB won't be very good just like my CB500 isn't. I have full Givi luggage you can borrow if needed. |
||
|
14th Apr 2013 9:04pm |
|
| T1G UP Member Since: 08 Dec 2009 Location: Bath Posts: 3101 
|
Tourer for touring!
i personally like the multistrada. |
||
|
14th Apr 2013 9:07pm |
|
| Thor Member Since: 17 Dec 2011 Location: Didcot Posts: 446 
|
I ride a lot. Some days i'll do 14hours on the bike. Got my currant bike, a fazer 1000 on Dec 14th (brand spankers new with 18 miles on it) and its on a little unde 18,000 miles now.
i ride In all weathers and all types of roads and the CB is more than capable, especially if its a one off trip. No need to get some thing else maybe just a decent touring screen to keep some wind and rain off. I've put 40,000 miles on a CB. Are you after an uninvolving ride or something more laid back, so your sat up right and just...boring? If you don't want to spend to much then a second hand Honda Blackbird is a good bet. The Ultimate 'do anything' bike, + comfy pillion area so I'm told. (And fast) I've thrown a load of miles....a little under 20k, on a Yamaha FJR, you could ride to the moon and back on it before getting a numb arse!! MASSIVE screen and loads of luggage! Not the most exciting of rides though. Played about with a BMW GS as well as the RT. the only thing I like about either is the big fuel capacity.....and heated seat on the RT  ) Strong people are harder to kill and generally more useful!Last edited by Thor on 15th Apr 2013 7:30am. Edited 1 time in total |
||
|
14th Apr 2013 9:29pm |
|
| MartinK Member Since: 02 Mar 2011 Location: Silverdale (Lancashire/Cumbria Border) Posts: 2665 
|
Mine
Been round Europe a few times, happy doing 400 miles in a day (although I have ridden Zeebrugge to the South of France in a day a few times.
55mpg, 130bhp, shaft drive, fixed luggage, and still nippy enough to have fun on the twisties Defender "Puma" 2.4 110 County Utility (possibly the last of the 2.4's) |
||
|
15th Apr 2013 7:20am |
|
| x-isle Member Since: 26 May 2011 Location: Midlands Posts: 1327  
|
Can't believe they are still selling those pieces of junk...... I also can't believe they expect their "pro" bike to sell for almost £1K, that bike is worth about £300 max and even then it's still rubbish. Craig Rogers 2007 Puma 110 XS 2011 Evoque Coupe Dynamic Lux www.craigrogers.photography |
||
|
15th Apr 2013 7:53am |
|
| AndrewS Member Since: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Hereford Posts: 3707
|
Thanks for the help peeps
|
||
|
15th Apr 2013 7:01pm |
|
| a13x Member Since: 25 Sep 2011 Location: Burton on Trent Posts: 553
|
Can never understand why people say the 1200GS and that comes from someone who has had them out for many days with BMW to look at buying. Yes, they're a great bike and I loved it however its not a road touring bike. If you plan to do nothing other than road riding then they make little sense, no weather protection, little wind protection etc.
If you are doing serious road mileage you want to be out the way of the wind and rain, get a faired bike. Try out the BMW range, you will find these tourers are comfortable, good luggage space yet faster round the bends than you can handle, have the image of a middle aged bloke though. |
||
|
15th Apr 2013 7:09pm |
|
| Small Clanger Member Since: 22 Jun 2011 Location: UK Posts: 210
|
I've owned a couple of 1200GS's, an '09 and a DOHC '10.
Over the 26 months that I had them I covered 24,500 miles, riding in all weathers and spending long days in the saddle, either solo/no luggage or with the wife/full luggage. They're fantastic bikes. You need to be a bit long in the leg though, shunting a fully bagged up GS around a ferry, a garage forecourt or (Silverstone type) event car-parks can be a challenge. As can picking up the one week old GS you've just fallen off in Kielder Forest :roll: I'm 6'5" so I found them very comfortable, far more so than the BMW RT's and K's and my wife was more than happy on the pillion for hours at a time as long as she had the topcase to lean back on. If you go for a GS, find one with the ESA suspension, it's great being able to adjust the firmness of the ride whilst on the move and, once stationary, selecting Enduro mode lifts the bike 50mm which makes getting a fully laden bike much easier to get onto the centre stand. Heated grips are a must and I fitted an MRA screen with a small spoiler on the top edge which improved weather protection/buffeting at speed immensely. Another bike I covered big miles on was an '07 ElectraGlide, very comfortable and very reliable. Great if you're not in a hurry although I did the Harley Riders Edge Advanced course and it was certainly a good experience trying to keep up with the ex-police instructors around the Welsh mountain roads. I know loads of people (who've never owned one) take the micky out of Harleys (I've had 5) and some of them are a bit OTT but they are excellent bikes and they do look pretty cool with three or four thousand miles of road grime/dead flies on the screen instead of a ton of chrome. How do you get on with the Honda, is it suitable for a ten or twelve hour day of riding? Have a look on Touratech's website at the Streetline range of luggage, if they don't have anything specific to your bike some of the "fits anything" might work. Also Ventura will do something for your bike including their L-Bracket system which will give the wife a backrest. A good website is Horizons Unlimited, have a look on there for inspiration. Also, on the UKGSer forum is a section "GS Travellers" have a look at some of Tsiklonauts INCREDIBLE photo's from his travels around the globe, they really are inspiring. Have fun, ride safe. ps, my long distance days are over now, I have a Ducati Monster 1100evo to keep the soul stirred though :D Last edited by Small Clanger on 16th Apr 2013 1:59pm. Edited 1 time in total |
||
|
16th Apr 2013 7:07am |
|
| Sonarmender Member Since: 04 Apr 2013 Location: Guz Posts: 338
|
Some seem to think the Busa is the dogs dangly's, have they forgot about:
1. Chain and sprocket replacement, lot's of power so they eat them! 2. Oiling the chain.. BMW has the shaft drive 3. Heavy on rear tyres 4 And finally it's a Suzuki so don't take it out in the wet unless you have taken THE OPTIONAL FACTORY EXTRA OF PAINT... they dissolve, the finish is absolute s...te! 5. If you intend on doing more than 55,000 miles then forget it, the boxer engine is more than capable of 100,000 mile plus. You pay your money and you take your chance! You only have one life, live it....forget the cost. 90XS Hardtop |
||
|
16th Apr 2013 8:18am |
|
| ken Member Since: 18 Aug 2009 Location: Banging Birds with my bitches !! Posts: 4328
|
These things make my Honda NCT700 look tiny
|
||
|
16th Apr 2013 9:10am |
|
|
|
| All times are GMT |
< Previous Topic | Next Topic > |
Posting Rules
|
Site Copyright © 2006-2024 Futuranet Ltd & Martin Lewis
