ideal trail/adventure bike?

[garyboy]

so .. what would the design features of your ideal trail/adv bike be?
.. .. or what is your `best` bike, (already made),
and why?
.
.
.
this is mine .. .. ..
so what would be my ideal trail/adventure bike?
. water-cooled .. keeps better stable temperature,
. fuel injected .. nice a t low revs, smooth,
. 450cc .. ideal size, torque/power/weight,
. steel frame .. simple and strong, weight mitigated by low c o g,
. steel sub-frame .. to carry all that baggage (and ex's)
. low c o g .. flattish engine like the nc750 .. heavy, but easier to pick up, (upper parts light),
. variable seat height .. from Very Low .. to high, adjustable for (less than) 5`4" - 6-4" plus,
. small distance between seat and bash plate .. ruts!!
. low height of triple clamps region .. more stable? less likely to highside?,
. 8 gears .. is it really impossible though?,
. comfy seat .. must be flat and wide at bum, but narrow at legs?,
. spoked wheels but tubeless .. punctures a pain on TT tyres .. plug n go type repairs!,
. fuel tanks as per ccm450gp .. plus a large `real` tank for touring/long trail days,
. paniers (narrow) or panier rails as standard,
. heated grips as standard,
. flat seat level .. not this rear end high-up thing, (leg over easier),
. vg low but gentle torque at low revs .. but can rev fairly high for motorways, or pull a higher gear?,
. longish trail/rake .. better stability, and roll over of obstacles?
. long rear swing arm .. better stability, (- but reduced manoeuvrability),
. more ? ?

. radiators incorporated inside the bash zone .. I mean protected by their position, (narrower),
. minimal plastics,
. ? ?

[minkyhead]

your looking for one of these so are most of us


178047169 by minkyhead56, on Flickr

[garyboy]

the mythical unicorn, does it exist?
the holy grail, the never-ending search, ..

but yep ... bikes are just `steel horses`,
but easier? to look after and maintain,

[bill_qaz]

It will always be horses for courses, your cart horse will not win a steeple chase and your race horse will never pull a wagon uphill
Just like life, your bike will always be a compromise

[garyboy]

True

And even if we had the ideal dual sport bike we would never have the ideal Tyre?



But what would your ideal dual bike look like?

[mr_diver]

I have a unicorn!

But I tried using a v-Strom for trail riding... It did the light and dry flat stuff well. But when it got muddy she became a good plow.

Now I have different tools for different jobs.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[captinktm]

I tried a post like this a while ago, and folk just cried too heavy too expensive, too this, too that. But I really do think that the current crop of so call adv bikes are very lacking in innovation and things that would help when out there in the great unknown. Yes I realize most are used for nothing other than advertising how much money you have, but it's shame they don't have a few practical things to help those that are out there. So my solution as been to build it my self. My list of must have's is a little different to garyboy.

Firstly I should explain my version of Adventure. This as I have been told on many occasions is different for everyone. For me adventure is riding into the unknown, to do that it has to be off road, even off track. I want a bike that will carry 60kg of gear, 34 liters of fuel 3 liters of water and be able to cover unknown off road at a good pace. The road bits for me are just a way of getting to the off road.

Mine would be V twin and produce minimum 100 bhp and 70 ish lbs torque (You can't get one with out the other)
It would have carbs. I have not ridden or seen an injected bike yet that carburates properly. This coupled with the electrical requirement of an injection system makes it something I can do without. For those that say it's all about emissions, that of course is bollo because the first thing injector boys do is re map to get it running ............like a carb.
The suspension would be air and totally adjust able on the fly, even ride height which would range from low, feet down to 12 inches front and rear. The engine would have a compressor (this could of course be one of the cylinders on an injected bike) and the swing arm would act as a reservoir.
Because of the wheel travel it would have to be chain driven, but would come from the factory with a built in lube system. ( not too much to ask on 16k bike?)
Maximum weight would be 200 kgs. If you can't lift a loaded 200kg bike then perhaps you should get a landrover
Fuel load would be in two forward side tanks, and one under the seat. 34 liters total.
Wheel would be strong! I am not bothered weather they are tubed or tube less but having had a front wheel fail on me the strength is more important.
It would also come with a built in GPS system which of course would be linked to the computer and fuel use.
It would have 7 gears, allowing first to be much lower. Also I would like to have a reverse gear.
It would have to electronic systems, one would take care of the bike, and the other which would be charge on a smart split system would be used for charging phones etc.
I could go on and often do but that 'll do for now.

[Spike941]

Or just find a suitable horse and stick a horn on it. No point compromising road handling if you're not planning on doing the Stella. I stick to the black top and I'm a big guy. I carry way too much kit when I travel, and like to travel in comfort. So a big powerful road orientated shaft driven 'looks the part' bike, capable of carrying loads of kit and adapted for comfort. Sorted. Others will ask me "Why didn't you just buy a GSA"? I have many unsatisfactory answers to that, but still struggle to convince myself.

[captinktm]

so .. what would the design features of your ideal trail/adv bike be?
.. .. or what is your `best` bike, (already made),
and why?
.
.
.
this is mine .. .. ..
so what would be my ideal trail/adventure bike?
. water-cooled .. keeps better stable temperature,
. fuel injected .. nice a t low revs, smooth,
. 450cc .. ideal size, torque/power/weight,
. steel frame .. simple and strong, weight mitigated by low c o g,
. steel sub-frame .. to carry all that baggage (and ex's)
. low c o g .. flattish engine like the nc750 .. heavy, but easier to pick up, (upper parts light),
. variable seat height .. from Very Low .. to high, adjustable for (less than) 5`4" - 6-4" plus,
. small distance between seat and bash plate .. ruts!!
. low height of triple clamps region .. more stable? less likely to highside?,
. 8 gears .. is it really impossible though?,
. comfy seat .. must be flat and wide at bum, but narrow at legs?,
. spoked wheels but tubeless .. punctures a pain on TT tyres .. plug n go type repairs!,
. fuel tanks as per ccm450gp .. plus a large `real` tank for touring/long trail days,
. paniers (narrow) or panier rails as standard,
. heated grips as standard,
. flat seat level .. not this rear end high-up thing, (leg over easier),
. vg low but gentle torque at low revs .. but can rev fairly high for motorways, or pull a higher gear?,
. longish trail/rake .. better stability, and roll over of obstacles?
. long rear swing arm .. better stability, (- but reduced manoeuvrability),

Interesting you should want the seat to be adjustable rather than the suspension?

Interesting you should want the seat to be adjustable rather than the suspension, surely this would be a better solution?
. more ? ?

. radiators incorporated inside the bash zone .. I mean protected by their position, (narrower),
. minimal plastics,
. ? ?

[garyboy]

Having adjusted seat height on several bikes by simply lowering the suspension has always left the bike susceptible to grounding out in ruts and bogs.

Having the seat height adjustable. as u know. leaves ground clearance standard ..... for different height riders