BootsnAll Travel Community

I am new to riding motorbikes/ scooters and after getting used to a 110cc Honda Supra I can attest to the freedom having your transport brings.

I hope one day to do a long trip overseas somewhere and wonder what the ideal machine would be.

Looking around on the web I like the 2000 XR650L.

Any tips?

Nick O'Neill
http://www.BaliBlog.com
BootsnAll's guide to Bali

Hey Nick,

Almost _any_ bike can be made to tour with the right considerations...

If you are looking at offroad stuff, something in the 600cc single cylinder dirt bike range is the go. But these are not ideally comfortable for long trips on the motorways due to the lack of speed and the ergonimics.

The ultimate compromise (except on price!) is probably the BMW 1150 GS Adventure. This is possibly the ideal bike to ride around the world. It doesn't go fast, but goes fast enough. It can handle off road conditions, but not too much etc etc.

I tend to choose big bore Yamaha road bikes in my touring. I've ridden around Australia (20,000km trip) on an '88 FJ1200 and last year rode more than 30,000 km around Europe on a '97 XJ900 Diversion. The motors are bulletproof and they are much cheaper than BMWs.

One of the main things to consider is luggage space. How will you carry the same quantity as your pack, but distributed safely across the back of the bike?

Check Rob's Travels for more of this discussion over the last few years...

_______________________
Rob - www.robstravels.com