Is motorcycling allowed?

[forkie]

I am also in the market for a Dual-Purpose Bike. I Kinda like the KTM Adventure 1190, but its a Big, Tall Bike. Don't think my feet will even touch the ground when I'm sitting on it..

We were discussing this the other night. I am on a gs800. my mates have KTM 1190 and a Triumph 800. There really is not a bad bike out there, but they all do different things. So you must decide what it is you want to do and then get the bike that suits. For me I want to do long trips that have as little tar as possible and even no road altogether. GS800 is the answer. if you are going to be taking a pillion along for the ride, you need to go bigger than a 800. if you are planning to spend more time on the tar, the triumph or the heavier bikes are the answer.

[dirtrider]

We discuss the pro's and con's of different bikes almost daily at the Ultra City morning pit stop . Only coffee involved so it does not get to out of hand , but in general everybody agree that if you want to get a DS bike BMW would be the obvious candidate . 

1 . after sales service is apparently very good

2 . Spares availability the best of any manufacturer

3 . They claim that their DS range are very capable off-road and on

 

Even the KTM and Truimp  (one) dude has to agree . The poor chap with his Truimp said he's been waiting for some spare for his bike for 2 months now . 

 

I gave up MX and weekend riding many years ago and now only commute . So I don't own a DS bike anymore and have never owned a BMW bike , one BMW car was enough to put me of the product  . 

 

But even on my NC750 I have noticed that normal consumables like filters , plugs and the likes are very expensive compared to what the BMW people claim they are paying . 

 

 

[RocknRolla]

We were discussing this the other night. I am on a gs800. my mates have KTM 1190 and a Triumph 800. There really is not a bad bike out there, but they all do different things. So you must decide what it is you want to do and then get the bike that suits. For me I want to do long trips that have as little tar as possible and even no road altogether. GS800 is the answer. if you are going to be taking a pillion along for the ride, you need to go bigger than a 800. if you are planning to spend more time on the tar, the triumph or the heavier bikes are the answer.

 

I had my eye on gs12's but TBH, the market is a bit inflated at the moment. One would think that the prices will drop given the current economy, but most of the bikes I looked at was 10 to 20 grand over market, with not a huge amount of accessories.

 

I will be using mostly for commuting, dropping my eldest off at school in the mornings, thus the 800gs was a pretty good compromise.

[Grebel]

I am also in the market for a Dual-Purpose Bike. I Kinda like the KTM Adventure 1190, but its a Big, Tall Bike. Don't think my feet will even touch the ground when I'm sitting on it..

 

1190 Adventure R isn't being produced anymore if what I've heard is true. End of last year saw a lot of deals on 2016 bikes. April is supposed to see the arrival of the long awaited 1090 Adventure R (According to dealers anyway...) 

 

All boils down to what you are looking for. I've been looking for a while and my requirements were a dual sport bike that can handle the tech stuff that is WAY off the beaten track but still capable of doing multi-day trips. I don't want to be worried about how far apart filling stations are either so a descent amount of fuel on board was important.

 

Cost was also a driving factor. I am unfortunately not in the position to drop R100k+ on a bike so I obviously had to look second hand.

 

I ended up getting an older KTM 640 Adventure R (2003). More than up to the task when it comes to the technical stuff. Came with soft luggage and racks for this multi-day trips. 28lt fuel on board so that gets me about 400km. I am not interested in cruising at anything more that 130-140 kph on the highway so no issues there either.

 

Spares wise, cost might be slightly more than their Japanese counterparts. If they don't have, it can be here in 1,5 weeks. (For interest sake agents filters are cheaper than aftermarket and the agent had stock where the aftermarket had to order in...) I have also not had a bad experience with my dealer of choice. Always friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.

 

I don't commute on mine. It's for weekend fun. I realise that I am going to have to tinker on it but that's not an issue for me. It came with a few battle scars but I have a plan to make it look good again. That process started last weekend...

[Allrounder]

very insightful topic. 

 

I heard one guy say, you can buy the NC, but you will always wonder if you should not have waited and bought a GS. 

 

For me and my riding, home to work on tar in traffic. about 20 km one way. and then the odd breakfast run with the wife. together we hit the scale at round 135kg.

 

And then once a month I need to go over the mountain about 90 km one way. 

 

I would like to do 120 when the traffic is travelling at those speeds, and comfort is a big must. 

 

Thats how i got to the point of NC or GS. but then again the versys is also very nice!!

[dirtrider]

For a commuter you simply will not find anything better than an NC . I travel 128km everyday , rain , snow and wind . Been doing it the last 12 years and 2 been on the NC . It will not rip your arm of when you pull away but it does 160 very easily . Mine gives me 31.9km now and as you may have gathered , I do a lot of 160 riding to stay ahead of the cagers on the N3 . Once you replaced the air filter with a K&N unit your service cost drops a lot , and service intervals are every 12000km . 

The bike also handles very well . People say it feels like the bike does not want to turn , but if you lean it you can be sure it will stay on course and you can scrape footpegs if so inclined . But it is a commuter and not a superbike , it does what it is suppose to do exceptionally well .

[forkie]

your commute is not very long and it looks like you want to more exciting rides on the weekend. You will not be sorry with a GS. I cruise comfortably at 160 with the wife on the back. 180 without her. and as I mentioned it will climb any mountain.

[Lexx]

Also love the GS 800. Not to big that I feel intimidated by it. I will also prob commute with it, and use it for some Mozambiquen weekends away with the boys

Now I need a big Pannier that can carry beer and ice and keep it cool for long hours

[Grebel]

Also love the GS 800. Not to big that I feel intimidated by it. I will also prob commute with it, and use it for some Mozambiquen weekends away with the boys

Now I need a big Pannier that can carry beer and ice and keep it cool for long hours

 

One thing that you are never short of in Moz is cold beer. You can bee in the middle of butt **** nowhere, no civilization in sight and no electricity and there will be ice cold beer for sale on the side of the road. No idea how they do it 

[Lexx]

One thing that you are never short of in Moz is cold beer. You can bee in the middle of butt **** nowhere, no civilization in sight and no electricity and there will be ice cold beer for sale on the side of the road. No idea how they do it 

That's so true. Myself and a couple of friends did a mtb ride from the borderpost @lebombo over Corumana Dam and we came across this shebeen/old hut that had the coldest 2M and Laurentina's I had ever tasted. And there were no town in sight. I think we payed like 110meticals per beer, think its about R20. But I would've gladly payed R50 at that stage, because it was Hot as Hell.

[RocknRolla]

For a commuter you simply will not find anything better than an NC . I travel 128km everyday , rain , snow and wind . Been doing it the last 12 years and 2 been on the NC . It will not rip your arm of when you pull away but it does 160 very easily . Mine gives me 31.9km now and as you may have gathered , I do a lot of 160 riding to stay ahead of the cagers on the N3 . Once you replaced the air filter with a K&N unit your service cost drops a lot , and service intervals are every 12000km . 

The bike also handles very well . People say it feels like the bike does not want to turn , but if you lean it you can be sure it will stay on course and you can scrape footpegs if so inclined . But it is a commuter and not a superbike , it does what it is suppose to do exceptionally well .

 

Very sensible.

 

However, for me motorcycling is more of a heart purchase than a brain purchase for me...

That's probably why I fell for the BM. If it was a 100% heart purchase it would have been a 690 adv.

100% head purchase would have been an NC or the more recent NX. But those bikes really does nothing for me...

 

I know a lot of peeps say the same for the bee-em brand. But for me they have a good balance of function and attitude (more of a cult following)

[RocknRolla]

1190 Adventure R isn't being produced anymore if what I've heard is true. End of last year saw a lot of deals on 2016 bikes. April is supposed to see the arrival of the long awaited 1090 Adventure R (According to dealers anyway...) 

 

All boils down to what you are looking for. I've been looking for a while and my requirements were a dual sport bike that can handle the tech stuff that is WAY off the beaten track but still capable of doing multi-day trips. I don't want to be worried about how far apart filling stations are either so a descent amount of fuel on board was important.

 

Cost was also a driving factor. I am unfortunately not in the position to drop R100k+ on a bike so I obviously had to look second hand.

 

I ended up getting an older KTM 640 Adventure R (2003). More than up to the task when it comes to the technical stuff. Came with soft luggage and racks for this multi-day trips. 28lt fuel on board so that gets me about 400km. I am not interested in cruising at anything more that 130-140 kph on the highway so no issues there either.

 

Spares wise, cost might be slightly more than their Japanese counterparts. If they don't have, it can be here in 1,5 weeks. (For interest sake agents filters are cheaper than aftermarket and the agent had stock where the aftermarket had to order in...) I have also not had a bad experience with my dealer of choice. Always friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.

 

I don't commute on mine. It's for weekend fun. I realise that I am going to have to tinker on it but that's not an issue for me. It came with a few battle scars but I have a plan to make it look good again. That process started last weekend...

 

I had a 640 adv years ago (used to marshall the 94.7 mtb race when it was still through leeukop, and country base) for a weekend...that suspension offroad is just sublime...the vibes will kill be tho...Love the bike, but not sure I could live with it...

[Grebel]

I had a 640 adv years ago (used to marshall the 94.7 mtb race when it was still through leeukop, and country base) for a weekend...that suspension offroad is just sublime...the vibes will kill be tho...Love the bike, but not sure I could live with it...

 

It can be a bit viby I won't lie... I come home with pins and needles in my knees after a ride from when I grip the tank.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Wow, so glad my post has got everyone chatting again.

When I bought my Triumph I tested a few bikes. Test rode 2 different BMW 800GS's. I found them to be too tall and also underpowered compared to the Tiger. It is basically a seriously stroked 650 twin. I thought this would hinder it offroad where the extra power would be good.

I excluded the 1200 explorer, 1200GS, 1190 KTM's, etc just based on weight. I am planning on doing a fair bit of offroad as well as longer trips between Pretoria and PE/CPT.

Triumph services are quite pricey, aftermarket parts are also really expensive but lots of 3rd party items to choose from.

Check out a site called Revzilla.com lots of good products and reviews.

 

My trip was great, bike gave a consistent 18km/l at around 140km/hr. Tank could be slightly bigger for less stops and the seat could be a bit softer. You can stand comfortably at 130km/hr but have to hold on tight, takes some pressure off the behind thankfully. Will look into a taller screen, some spotlights for riding before dawn and also some soft luggage but otherwise really happy.

[Allrounder]

I made it.

Licenced at the age off 31. (motorbike of course)  

[RocknRolla]

Bliksem, I love my new bike ❤️

It's better than I ever imagined.

Been cruising all over mosselbaai. Luckily I only have to be back in JHB on Sunday...

 

 

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