Is motorcycling allowed?

[IceCreamMan]

Isle of Man TT been cancelled. ;( Had booked and paid for it and been granted leave by the big boss at home. Think i will defer my trip to TT 2021. Then take the week i would have been on the island and ride up to scotland and chill a bit there. Ride the NC500.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

I realize I will be limited for offroad riding with a V-Strom, just not sure yet how much as we haven't done any real offroad touring yet so not sure what were in for.

The V-Strom has always popped up in my price bracket.

As mentioned above we've only ever ventured offroad on the DR and although it was a horrible ride with the bike I still maintain for that type of riding it was a great bike.

I'm hoping the 800gs will give us a more comfortable and powerfull but equally ruggedly ready experience as the DR.

I guess I'm hoping if I buy an older V-Strom we will manage to get buy until I can afford something better equipped.

If that makes sense....

 

I also had high expectations of offroading adventures and the Tiger ended up as a road commuter.

The only last advice I would give is around wheels. Alloy wheels just don't hold up well offroad plus the tyres will be limited as proper knobblies tend to be 18/21 inches whereas the road based models you will stuck with 17 inch front and rear.

Proper offroading, which doesn't sound like your aim, will also benefit from being able to disable electronics like ABS.

Good luck with the decision:)

[RocknRolla]

My 19 year old son is my pillion, he never complained about comfort. but being 19 he is farkign hardegat out of principle.

 

Never did long trips with pillion. have done two loaded trips to the garden route, and the bike can do 800km days easily.

 

I am also mid-range height wise. and the bike has the lower seat fitted. This does effect inseam reach to the floor, but also bum to footpeg, which after 4 hours in the saddle becomes a bit uncomfy.

 

In my opinion the 8gs is capable offroad, but it really is a great mid-sized engine tourer.

[BenReaper]

Ok sweet thanks. I'm 1.78 so that matches pretty good. interested to see what the gs800 will be like height-wise for us shorter people..

Went to have a look at that BMW last night, hadn't realized it was a GSA and not the normal GS. Only sat on the bike to get a feel for it and I must say it's quite comfortable.

The seat is quite high, I couldn't quite put my feet flat on the ground with sneakers on, but seeing as the normal GS models I'm interested in have a slightly lower seat height it should be perfect.

 

I have an inseam of 870mm just for reference.

[sawystertrance]

I think the GS800 is higher even than the GS1200

[sawystertrance]

And I'm sure that, like the 1200, the seat is adjustable for height.

[BenReaper]

Went to go have a look and test drive a F800GS this afternoon. Had the wife along aswell to check seat sizing. It's a well used, but well maintained bike for a very good price. Just about what I expected handling and power wise and the seat height is just about perfect for me.

 

I'm still going to go test my mates V-Strom this afternoon, but I might be sold on the GS.

[Hairy]

Went to go have a look and test drive a F800GS this afternoon. Had the wife along aswell to check seat sizing. It's a well used, but well maintained bike for a very good price. Just about what I expected handling and power wise and the seat height is just about perfect for me.

 

I'm still going to go test my mates V-Strom this afternoon, but I might be sold on the GS.

looks like you were making "brraap brraaappp" noises whilst seated

[BenReaper]

looks like you were making "brraap brraaappp" noises whilst seated

Quietly by myself. [emoji6]

It might've sounded like moaning to those around. [emoji16]

[Kranswurm]

Went to go have a look and test drive a F800GS this afternoon. Had the wife along aswell to check seat sizing. It's a well used, but well maintained bike for a very good price. Just about what I expected handling and power wise and the seat height is just about perfect for me.

 

I'm still going to go test my mates V-Strom this afternoon, but I might be sold on the GS.

Nice bike

My son has the Adventure and he loves it

TBH for me its either the 800 GSA or the Honda Twin.

[BenReaper]

Nice bike

My son has the Adventure and he loves it

TBH for me its either the 800 GSA or the Honda Twin.

The GSA and the newer AT are definitely on par. They are however out of budget for me.

[Kranswurm]

The GSA and the newer AT are definitely on par. They are however out of budget for me.

Second hand it will be

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Went to go have a look and test drive a F800GS this afternoon. Had the wife along aswell to check seat sizing. It's a well used, but well maintained bike for a very good price. Just about what I expected handling and power wise and the seat height is just about perfect for me.

 

I'm still going to go test my mates V-Strom this afternoon, but I might be sold on the GS.

 

 

Suits you.

Maybe just join a few forums and see what you are in for wrt mileage and maintenance.

I know you have a budget in mind but if it breaks down it will cost a fair amount to fix, depending on what goes wrong. Especially if you say it is well used, small things like no fork or shock servicing could cost a few rands to replace.

[BenReaper]

The owner did give me a short history lesson on the bike over the phone. First owner was a German man who had a stable of these, he used them to do tours with foreign tourists. So they racked up alot of miles, but were presumably not thrashed around. This one is now on 74k km's. When the German man got rid of the bikes the now owner and a friend of his baught two of them. Apparently the German did a fork rebuild before selling to current owner.

 

I am able to get the bike at about R10k less than average price. That'll leave me with a bit of moolah left to fix up what might be wrong or do preventive maintenance, for example fork seals and neck bearings and maybe chain and sprockets.

 

I'm a member of the WD forum so will ask a bit on there aswell for what to look out for and when certain things should be done.

[BenReaper]

Went to go test my friends V-Strom 650 this evening, just for comparison.

The Strom is like a couch, moerse comfortable with the screen perfectly positioned height and distance wise to block of wind. It has power in all the right places and pulls great with the wife in the back. But I can't see myself being comfortable offroad on it. The reach to the bars is a bit far to my liking and that massive front fairing......as nice as it makes the bike on road I can't see myself taking on technical offroad terrain with that.

 

I know I said I'd probably be doing mostly gravel road touring, but I was spoiled with taking the GS out first.

 

I did a small gravel stint with the GS and felt moerse comfortable taking it up to speed, the bike was very stable and I could break the back wheel loose a bit around the turns like I do with my DR. The GS felt much more controllable and nippy on the steering than the Strom.

 

@Steven Knoetze (sk27) get now what you said.

The V-Strom will make a great tourer that will chew up the km's on the tar, but will most likely be horrible offroad, especially 2up.

The F800GS will not be as comfortable on road but will be perfect offroad, even 2up and will do very good over technical terrain.

First "upgrade" will definitely be a deflector on top of the windshield, the normal screen screen is just a tad short.

[Spokey]

Lekker bike you got there. Moerse upgrade from the KLR, even though that was a lekker bike in its own way.

Many safe kilometers dude.[emoji1690]

Thanks man!

Although I am keeping the KLR, I enjoy the KLR in the dirt and love the simplicity for solo forays into the Klein Karoo.

 

Last week I needed to go to Joburg for a flight medical so I went on the Katoom. Was brilliant......apart from the wind around Middleburg! I had around 6 hours of the trip up in rain, some very hard and unbelievably managed to stay dry with my R180 Agri Store rain suite. Bike was faultless and very comfortable as I had put Anakee Adventure tyres on. Two up on the dirt roads of Klein Karoo it is awesome, even with those tyres. We turned back from a two up trip over Montagu Pass on Monday due to the heavy rain on Sunday making the conditions real slippery, preffering to get to Paardepoort via Outeniqua Pass. That Katoom is a beast and now enjoying a well earned rest while I am back at work in Mid East.

 

That GS looks to be a fine machine, if you are going to ride two up on the gravel of the Karoo I would recommend that as opposed to the ‘Strom.

Edited March 19, 2020 by Spokey