Solo touring and off road (e.g. tet), small ADV bike suggestions

[Mike54]

I think Minky's summed it up very well.

When you add luggage into the mix it can make even a light bike feel heavy, so lighter, smaller engine which spins up quicker is ideal. I am over doing long distances on big bikes, my next trip is van to portugal and use my 300 TPI with mosko moto luggage, packing ultra light.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-DR350 ... 100623.m-1

[catcitrus]

I have a WR250R--2017 Bulgaria and back--camping all the way there and back--via Italy(then ferry) then Greece. Last year it was the Dordogne--camped at St leon sur Vezere and did 2 weeks trail riding and exploring on my own--and also another trip down to the West coast of Brittany. Bike has run like a clock and had nothing done apart from routine maintenance--but is set up with a bigger tank, Comfort seat, pannier frames and so on.

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[daveuprite]

That looks like a great set up, Calcitrus.

Out of interest, do you know what it all weighs by any chance? Luggage loaded, tank of fuel etc....

[catcitrus]

No idea--quite simply the bike is nearly as light as you can get, the bolt ons are necessary, and then its what you carry--I tend to carry all kinds of spares and any room left is camping gear and personal items--typically I like to think that I can either fix things or get it fixed easily--spare tubes, levers, chain links, pump, spare reg/rect, spare fuel pump, multi meter, first aid kit, gear repair kit, wire, chain lube, perhaps some oil, nuts and bolts , Li Ion starter pack, epoxy, bulbs, wheel bearings, workshop manual on CD, and enough tools to take most things apart. If its clothes then just about three changes and wash as I go--or there is always a supermarket! I tend not to do extreme trails fully laden--but of course the bike is more than capable--maybe the rider not so much. The other advantage of a small bike is that you can get pretty aggressive tyres to last a few thousand miles--I never rush around so tend to save the knobbles.

[halfpint]

wr is great bike for an adventure trip ,I have one and have trail ridden it all over . an electrical fault has stopped it at the moment . so changed to a bmw 310 gs for morocco. better on the road and ok off but no mountain goat . the bm is cheap as an ex demo model and will sit at 70 mph all day with ok comfort ,you can mod it to death but its not worth the effort in my view. I did try a crf rally before purchase but seemed a bit less power and just as soft. better off road but not on its your call.

[qcnr]

I see the advantage in a lighter bike after having a 200kg+ Transalp 600 for travelling.
But seeing as you have a motorbike, that is more than capable, have you considered training?
This will boost your confidence and give you skills in using the bike you have. Yes there is still the weight,
but you obviously bought the AT for a reason...

[SteveW]

If you want to go down the small, all roads/off road adventure travel bike route, I'd say a very big consideration should be comfort.
At 50/60mph cruising you're going to spend a lot of time in the saddle especially if you're on a long trip and have limited time.
I'd say It would be easier/more enjoyable to cover more miles in a day on somthing like a relatively comfy bike like an Enfield Himalayan rather than something notoriously uncomfortable like a modified KTM 690.
One of the most testing trips I ever took was Bulgaria and back on a KTM 690.....I'd tried my best, it had a Seat Concepts seat and a screen.....but it nearly cut me in two over 4000 miles in Three weeks.
I did some long day trips on a KTM 450exc and it was more comfortable than my 690.
Enduro based bikes are fundamentally designed for short trips and their ergonomics aren't the best for long-day comfort.
I did Bulgaria and back on my CCM GP450 and it was way, way, better at multiple day travelling than any modified Enduro type bike I've had....and I've had a few!
It cruises at 60mph with a hectic 40mph above that for fun and games. I find 60mph is the ideal cruising speed, it's capable of holding 80mph and topping out at 100mph."....but with just 5 gears things get a bit tiresome at a higher cruising speed and I only turn up the wick if I'm looking to get somewhere a bit sharpish.
I've tried modifying a few Enduro type bikes for travelling, they've all managed it but the CCM is designed from the ground up to do the job and it's a good blend of decent ergonomics, engine power and off road ability.

[OB1]

A friend and I had a similar question and, over the last 3 or 4 months of test rides and deliberating, ended up getting a pair of CRF250 Rallys.



Our choice of bikes was virtually identical to yours: Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Kawasaki X300 Versys and SWM 650.

Mike loved the Ténéré as he'd already owned one but the one that I test rode wasn't right... it didn't feel looked after.

The RE Himalayan was my front runner for the whole search but we were a bit cautious about the weight (190 kg) and reliability.

The 300 Versys was a great set-up... except for the engine which was very road-orientated: buzzy as hell and something I wouldn't want to ride off-road.

The SWM was just such an unknown quantity and prices varied between £7,800 and £5,600...

I the end, the Honda was just an afterthought: I saw the price of a new CRF250L and thought "that's cheap, let's go and have a look". Our local dealer had one L and one Rally on the showroom floor so we spent a good hour or so just sitting on them, bouncing the suspension, chatting to the sales guys. Then we popped across the road to the pub for a chat and a drink. 45 minutes later, we were back in the dealership shaking hands with the salesman for a pair of 250 Rallys for £5 under £5k each + heated grips.

We picked the bikes up last Friday and immediately put 70 miles on the just hooning round the local lanes like teenagers

Our trip is going to be 25,000+ miles through Europe and Asia.

[AlanHolt]

Clearly I'm biased, but there was only ever one bike designed to come out of the crate and ride anywhere and everywhere, and that was the KTM 640 Adventure. Its effortless to do 500 road km in a day, and will happily spend all day riding with EXC's and WR's.

But if it wasn't an option, what else would I consider? The CRF250L is an impressive machine, but it simply doesn't suit my build (6'2" 48" chest, 17.5st). I look and feel like an adult on a childs bike. That aside, they go everywhere my KTM goes, albeit slower, and i've sat behind my mate on his whilst he was happily doing 120kph on a single carriageway road.
The KTM 690 enduro ticks a lot of boxes, and is only 150kg wet, although personally I prefer the look of the Husky 701 despite them basically being the same bike.
The only other bike which has got me a little bit excited recently (and making me consider selling the KTM) is the AJP PR7. Everything else is either road biased (aimed at road riders who want to explore a little) or dirt biased (doesn't have a cush drive hub etc). On paper, the AJP looks to be able to do both equally well.