Advice choosing my first adventure oriented bike

[ChrisWMan]

Hello everybody,
I'm looking to buy my first adventure oriented bike and I was hoping you guys and girls could help me with some advice.
I'm new to riding (it's going to be my first bike) and the Netherlands isn't an off-road country. I'll probably be riding mostly paved roads (The Netherlands, Scotland, Scandinavia) but I'm looking for an all rounder which I can take off the beaten path if the need arises.
For now I'm looking at two different bikes:

Honda XL600 Transalp
1994-35000km-1450 euro
1996-47000km-1250 euro

Suzuki V-Strom 650
2005-22000km-3795 euro
2007-27000km-3955 euro

The Honda would be for a year or two after which I would probably buy something newer, the Suzuki probable 3 to 5 years (unless I'd want something heavier).

Any advice on these bike (or something more fitting) would be very much appreciated.

[qcnr]

I have an XL 600 Transalp. I have modified it a bit and it has knobbly tyres on it.
But it is no offroader although it does cope with tracks.. Also as it is only a 600, long journeys can be tiresome, especially if you
want to use motorways to get somewhere quicker. Anything up to 120 km/h is ok. Above that
and it start vibrating too much and drinks fuel. So there the time you gain by going faster
gets used up in more frequent fuel stops.
As an allrounder it can't be faulted, capable of most stuff but not good at anything, and they are
to be honest a bit heavy. My next bike is definately going on the scales before I buy it.
And I'll have a roll of carpet with me, so I can put the bike down and lift it up.

[zimtim]

As it would be your first bike I would go for the Honda, your are bound to drop it a few times, battle scars on a bike that old wont matter that much.
Also first bike wont be your last so use the saved cash for petrol, and adventures and put any left over towards your next bike.
Get bike
Get experience

[Brenhden]

Hello and welcome from Somerset UK,

Never easy to give useful advise. If it was me I'd be most into the 2005 V-Strom. But, like guitars, I would always choose the one that felt the coolest to me.

Cheers

Bren

[mr_diver]

The transalp 600 is an old bike.
If it goes wrong you will struggle to get parts.
The V-strom will have far less trouble if something breaks.
That's coming from someone who works in a Honda and Suzuki Dealer on the parts desk.

But the honda was a solid bike... but was built a long time ago.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[FatFreddy]

I have a similar “what bike to buy? dilemma. Not my first bike, but my first “Adventure “ bike.
Of the two you mentioned, the Vstrom is probably the most sensible option but personally haven’t always chosen the most sensible bike and have rarely regretted it

That’s not a very helpful reply though, sorry.

Toss a coin, when it lands, you’ll either be pleased or disappointed at the result. That will help you decide which you really want.

[willywombat64]

If you're in the uk I have a 2005 v strom with about 18000 miles on her.she runs and rides perfectly and has numerous upgrades incl bash plate/crash bars /madstad screen etc.Only negative points are a few battle scars where I attempted devon's green lanes!.
I love my bikes and maintain them to a high standard ..if anything isn't right it gets sorted. Hadn't thought about selling until now but if interested it would be a lot less than the one above mentioned.They are undoubtedly great bikes..cheap/ super reliable/comfy/ relatively fast + good fuel economy.
Cheers.
Bill