small bike for touring advice

[crofty]

Hello
I wanted the forums advice on a choice of smaller bikes for touring.
Being retired I don’t have time constraints, the desire to go fast and
I need to think about economy.
My favoured choices just now are both Hondas a crf250l and a xr125l
I am 16 stone and would be carrying perhaps another 2 stone of luggage
So I was thinking the 250 was the obvious choice but after reading an article about the 125 I am not so sure.
Am I right in thinking the running costs of both bikes will be about the same ?
I like the crf250l the most but its newness and lack of range might be a concern.
The xr125l has a great reputation and could probably tootle along at 50mph for 250 miles between fill ups,its lighter weight is attractive as well.
Your thoughts appreciated

[picos mestizo]

DR 200 or in preference it's quasi-commercial derivatives. Djebel / Trojan.
Bomb proof engine & transmission.
55-65 mph cruise depending on gradients & wind.
250mile 90mpg range.
Practically go anywhere.
Still made for many markets.
Great headlight on the Djebel/Trojan.
Longish travel suspension.

[SteveW]

Crofty, I had a sneaky look at your profile, you've got a NCX 700. Is that not the perfect bike for touring?
Or are you planning to get your tyres muddy?

[kito]

We're are you planning to travel ?
I traveled with a guy in Bolivia and Peru who was riding a xr125 and he was traveling light with just a backpack on the back. He was struggling to get up hills. I have a photo of him giving his bike a helping push to get the bike up one climb.

[crofty]

Picos I will check out the Djebel/Trojan thanks
Kito now you have got me worried pushing up the hills OMG :unsure:
SteveW yes I have a NC700x and it is a cheap ride but I took it down
to Morocco this year and tried a few dirt roads and thought - no if i come
back here its got to be really light :woohoo:

[byewayrider]

hell man..thats like a lot of weight on a punny engined bike...me and the wife weight what you do alone..and most 125cc bikes we`ve hired struggled up slight hills with us both on...

stick with the Honda you already have..as its fuel efficient and can cary you and your luggage well..

why the move to a small cc bike?

I rode a xr250 with big fuel tank over lots of europe..but then I weighted 9.5 stone and carrried about 10kg for all the luggage etc..

Riding a heavy bike in the dirt/trails is no problem if your experienced and have right tyres..I ride on knobblys 100% of time..worst case is the tyres grip ..

[HorseyBiker]

Get a 125 varadero, it's not the fastest but it's a damn sight comfier than an XR- pre 06 carb'd models have better power delivery and wind protection. It's massively over engineered, you can hold it at high revs all day with no stress. Just change the oil regularly..

Brilliant off road too!

[peterekins]

Modern Royal Enfeild, no contest (thumbs)

[crofty]

well maybe if i explain things a bit more. I was down in Northumberland a couple of weeks ago and eyeing up these boats/rupps (hope I have got that right)
anyway I did,nt fancy trying them on the 700 as I was finding the country lanes a
handful,so i thought I will get a wee trail bike and come back in the spring and have
a wee tour of Northumberland/Yorkshire staying at youth hostels and ambling about the
b roads and any green lanes I can manage.and if that went okay I would think about further afield.
I am 64 now but still reasonably fit still kayak/ski to a reasonable standard and have this idea about trying a bit of dirt roads with an idea of going to the Moroccan pistes next autumn
byewayrider you are probably right about my weight and the 125 but maybe the 250 is still a contender.
HorseyBiker and Peterkins - oh no more choices :woohoo:

[Gedge]

You havent mentioned a budget...if you have a decent budget the KTM 350 Freeride looks like a nice option...lightweight, lowish power but more than the other suggestions......just expensive...