Adventure Bike Rider Forum

Hi all,

You're going to love this post!...

Just come back to bikes after 14 year break (behaving for my little boy!).
Always rode sportsbikes, my last being a 5new at the time) Suzuki GSXR 750 k4.
Fitting then, that I just chose a GSXR 1000k3, for my sudden return to the fold!
Now, whilst I absolutely love the bike, I realise that, although I keep in good condition, I ain't so flexible now... I also fear for my licence, too!

For quite a few years I have had a liking for the big adventure bikes, initially being the GS1100. I'm now looking to go down this track, as it were and buy an ADV bike, so I can more enjoy the journey and the options it opens up, rather than racing form a to b all the time.
Trouble is, all my mates ride sports bikes and I just don't know enough about the various bikes, to make a confident purchase.
Important bit (to me), my Gixer seat height is around 830mm and that's quite enough for my stumpy legs!

Looking around the NEC show last week, I was easily lured by the GS1250 Rallye. But, then noticed the new Multistrada has actually started to look a lot nicer and had a lot going for it. The big Triumph also looked impressive...
Now, these bikes all come at quite a cost now, and I'm keen to get it right.

So guys, anything I should be considering here, that will help whittle the options down?
As a commited speed freak, I am trying to ignore BHP asa major seller, as I realise there is more to this than grunt!

Hoping to find a bike that still has a fair turn of speed/ acceleration, for little road blasts. But, opens up the world of offroad trails and big mileage touring...

I guess you've read it all before, so, apologies for going over well trodden ground...

I'm looking forward to a few test rides in the new year.

Paul

one of either of these
ktm 1050 [or above]
yamaha tracer 900



dave.

Cheers, Dave... KTM sounds nice...

Paul - you are about to be disappointed. Whatever ADV bike you choose, you will find it heavy and slow. None of them can ever come close to the feel of throwing around a GSXR. I'm sure you realise that. You trade all that handling and performance against just one thing: comfort. Is it really worth it?

You say that you want a bike that "opens up the world of offroad trails and big mileage touring..."

I would suggest that no one bike does that. You are describing 2 different bikes. One that opens up the world of offroad trails, and another that does big mileage touring. If I were you I would not try to mix those two things up.

So just buy two bikes!

One could be a dedicated enduro bike. Loads to choose from - KTM EXC, Beta RR, Yam WRF etc etc. Just do some research, pick the power/cc that you want and off you go. If you want to use it to explore further afield off-road then fit an extended range tank or go for a dual-sport bike that can cover more ground. But above all, stick to proper knobblies and keep it as light as possible. You can always trailer/van it to far-off areas and start riding from the bottom of the trail rather than slog along roads at 60mph. Whatever you get, you need to be able to ride along a dirt trail, spot a tight single-track through the woods and be able to ride it in confidence. This is true exploring. I would argue that nothing bigger than a 500cc enduro qualifies.

Your other 'big mileage touring' bike should be a sports tourer, which will retain some of the excitement and handling that you have been used to on the GSXR, while being capable of covering long distances in relative comfort. Triumph Sprint ST, Kwak ZZR1400, GTR1400 etc - that type of bike. You might even consider just fitting raised heli-bars and adjustable gilles rearsets to your sports bike, plus a corbin comfort seat, and riding it as a sports-tourer that will still light up when you get to the twisties.

I'm not saying that all ADV bikes are crap - not at all. As many on this forum will tell you, bikes like the GS, Tenere, KTM1190 etc etc are excellent all-rounders and satisfy many buyers. But they will obviously never match the demands of a sports bike rider on the tarmac and do not work well off-road on anything beyond fire-trails or open land negotiated slowly. And god help you if you fall off alone in a deep muddy rut.

IMHO nothing is worse than the unsatisfying compromise of being 'sensible' when it comes to bikes. There are different kinds of bikes for a reason.

Dave I think your being unduely negative here. I did exactly what this fella is saying a while ago moving from sports to dual. I would say it has changed my riding style massively. I use to go looking for those fast death defying twisted. I now am happy just potting around on the poor quality back roads and in classifieds. Especially as road quality is deteriorating and traffic increasing resulting in a much more hazardous ride on a sports bike. Although global warming seems to be improving our summers for the sport.

Now I’m safer and have more fun without pushing the limits and when you do fall off you don’t end up looking so sorry for yourself.

I bought an F800gs and did everything on it now I’ve got a husky 701 and when I have some spare cash I’m buying a set of road wheels for it as my trails arnt passable in summer.

Just do it and those ktms look awesome fun. I’ve seen people out ride me in the plain on 1200gs’s.

Cone wrote: ↑Sat Dec 01, 2018 9:12 am Dave I think your being unduely negative here. I did exactly what this fella is saying a while ago moving from sports to dual. I would say it has changed my riding style massively. I use to go looking for those fast death defying twisted. I now am happy just potting around on the poor quality back roads and in classifieds.

Yeah well that's great. I'm not criticizing those who decide that they are happy to change their style to fit a softer bike. What I'm saying is solely for those, like me (and Paul by the sound of it), who are used to sports bike performance and don't really look forward to forgoing it. I have huge respect for people who travel big distances on an XT660 or whatever exploring the world.

Personally I'm not the best person to judge. I've basically given up road-riding - partly because I'm unwilling to slow down, I always treat the road like a bloody race track and it's probably better for everybody that I stick to circuits or to the dirt.

Welcome fellow speed freak . To answer your question...

"Hoping to find a bike that still has a fair turn of speed/ acceleration, for little road blasts. But, opens up the world of offroad trails and big mileage touring..."

...based on my experience of riding the following I would say that these bikes might do some of the job:

BMW R1200GS - surprisingly quick enough and very easy to maintain a constant high speed
Ducati Multistrada 1260S - very fast and comfy...but boy does it have some vibes
KTM 1290 Super Duke GT - very, very fast but not super comfy and no real off road capability
Yamaha Tracer 900 - torquey and quick and good value but no off road capability

Hope that helps .

What's the budget for this new steed.
Would help folk steer you in a particular area and models?

KTM 1190 adventure will satisfy your needs unless you're considering enduro type offroad stuff which i think Dave above has assumed plus it will keep you entertained on the tarmac more than adequately

Scott_rider wrote: ↑Sat Dec 01, 2018 10:36 am Welcome fellow speed freak . To answer your question...

"Hoping to find a bike that still has a fair turn of speed/ acceleration, for little road blasts. But, opens up the world of offroad trails and big mileage touring..."

...based on my experience of riding the following I would say that these bikes might do some of the job:

BMW R1200GS - surprisingly quick enough and very easy to maintain a constant high speed
Ducati Multistrada 1260S - very fast and comfy...but boy does it have some vibes
KTM 1290 Super Duke GT - very, very fast but not super comfy and no real off road capability
Yamaha Tracer 900 - torquey and quick and good value but no off road capability

Hope that helps .

If you have the budget go for the KTM1290 Super Duke GT. It's just as quick as all but the very fastest modern sports bikes and goes round corners properly, while still carrying a weeks worth of undercrackers etc. But as Scott says - not for the slippy stuff.