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

[SteveR]

Bit late now and possibly a little bit too heavy, but hits the mark on simple tech..

Yam XT600E a minter....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YAMAHA-XT600 ... OSwGZRcdqT~

[OB1]

It's funny how your perceptions change with what you ride.

Over the past 35 years of riding all kinds of bikes, there has been a general trend in my ownership, in that, I normally have a large capacity bike which is my main bike with one or two smaller capacity machines for special occasions or just for summer. For example, when I had my 1050 Speed Triple, I also had a 1967 Speed Twin 500 and whilst I've had my current Tiger, I also had a 1978 XL250 and a 1978 CB400 A.

Since I bought my CRF250 Rally in January, I haven't ridden the Tiger as I know that I'll be selling it soon. I'd posted a couple of photos on a Facebook group after a bit of trail riding in Thetford Forest a couple of weeks ago mentioning that I was down-sizing from the Tiger to the CRF and I received a couple of comments back saying that I must be mad to drop from an 800 to a 250. My response was that it's not all about power and I explained the trip that Mike and I will be doing in 2020. Again, the response was "if I was doing that trip, I'd rather be on the Tiger".

This weekend I decided that I needed to get the Tiger ready to sell, especially as the insurance is due for renewal at the end of the month. After a couple of months of riding a relatively lightweight single, I was amazed just how heavy the Tiger is! The lightweight, agile bike that I remember riding 5,000 miles to Nordkapp and back round via the Baltic states was now a heavy, slow turning beast that I struggled to keep upright... and this was without luggage!

Maybe I'm just getting old but the lighter, slower-paced little CRF seems to be the ideal bike for a long-distance trip over varied terrain. Yes, the Tiger (and all the other "adventure" bikes) has its place, but it is well and truly on Tarmac, especially for someone of my limited off-road riding capabilities.

It's ironic that my name includes Chris Birch, but there is a David at the beginning which puts me well below the capabilities of my Kiwi namesake!

[Verve]

Hi All,

Newbie Nd first post so please be kind

I was in a similar dilemma a few months back when I decided to get back to riding. 40+, 6ft, 80kgs and medium strength (to lift etc).

Looked at many options from XT660Z, Versys, GS300, CRF250L etc ...

Had similar requirements:

Easy Cruising between 50-60mpg
Lightweight 180kg fully loaded with luggage
Good MPG
Comfortable
Tall (minimum 850mm seat height a must)
50-50 on and off-road

And after a lot of searching ... I ended up buying a new Rebadged Derbi Terra Adventure called UM Adventure TT 125cc!!!

It's Euro 4 EFI (v Euro 3 DTA), 15bhp, 17" rear and 21" front spoke, 130kg wet, 850mm seat height (looking at DIY the seat foam a little to make it more comfortable), 11L fuel tank, 200+ miles full tank range. Hits 70mph easily in calm winds.

It's a tall bike and really doesn't feel like riding a 125cc to be honest (discounting the power). For A and B roads it's ideal for me. It's very easy to ride and handles well on twisties.

No gear indicator though, that's one issue but aftermarket solution is available. Let's see how this one does on longer term but based on DTA reviews it should be OK.

Just another option if 15bhp meets your needs.

V

[Godspeed]

Those look nice they do!