charlieking97
Likes Dirt
that must have effected my friend when he got his 250 ninja, which was the largest size he was allowed to ride
Moto L's and bike choice
- Thread starter Urban DH
- Start date
SuchisLife
Likes Dirt
A well jetted wr450 will get you 120km+ before reserve. A poorly jetted one you will be lucky to get 80km.
Urban DH
Likes Bikes and Dirt
ok, cheers but i was more after kms per liter, seeing as i'll be doing big trips
fatboyonabike
Captain oblivious
DRZ 400/KLX 400 would be the choice,and the only choice
dont even think of getting a kato or husaberg.. 1: it will kill you in the bush,if you are a novice rider, 2: tempremental overpriced european bling!
if you are thinking of doing the cape, have a look at what the tour operators run..DRZ400's!.
no chance of fixing or getting parts for the european bikes anywhere out of the city, very few dealers carry them..they stick to good old jap bikes that run forever
i had a DRZ 250, and it was a great first bike, took it out to Louee and Lochmaree, and never missed a beat.
i now ride a KLX 400, which is a DRZ400 in green,that i purchased as a basket case and rebuilt from the ground up..top bike, plenty of power, kick and elec start(thats a biggie) BOMBPROOF!
i ride with guys that have KTM's, Husabergs, Gas Gas, Husqvarna, and they all have trouble with them..the rest of us with the Jap bikes just get on and ride away!
dont even think of getting a kato or husaberg.. 1: it will kill you in the bush,if you are a novice rider, 2: tempremental overpriced european bling!
if you are thinking of doing the cape, have a look at what the tour operators run..DRZ400's!.
no chance of fixing or getting parts for the european bikes anywhere out of the city, very few dealers carry them..they stick to good old jap bikes that run forever
i had a DRZ 250, and it was a great first bike, took it out to Louee and Lochmaree, and never missed a beat.
i now ride a KLX 400, which is a DRZ400 in green,that i purchased as a basket case and rebuilt from the ground up..top bike, plenty of power, kick and elec start(thats a biggie) BOMBPROOF!
i ride with guys that have KTM's, Husabergs, Gas Gas, Husqvarna, and they all have trouble with them..the rest of us with the Jap bikes just get on and ride away!
fatboyonabike
Captain oblivious
if you are thinking of doing the simpson desert and the like, i think a DR 650SE would be a good choice on a budget..
check out Vince Strang Motorcycles, thats all he does!
check out Vince Strang Motorcycles, thats all he does!
curlysurfer
Likes Dirt
DRZ400E choice of bike for most of the tour companies.
XR400, the toyota hilux of bikes Bit of light reading about XR400's, and a great site to help research the cape/simpson/adventure riding
upgrade the seat via seatconcepts.com sold in australia through adventuremoto.com.au best $200-odd spent
I got a 22l tank for my xr for $100, from gumtree, took a few months waiting though.
fuel economy depends a lot on final gearing.
Happy farkle-ing
Cheers
Rob
XR400, the toyota hilux of bikes Bit of light reading about XR400's, and a great site to help research the cape/simpson/adventure riding
upgrade the seat via seatconcepts.com sold in australia through adventuremoto.com.au best $200-odd spent
I got a 22l tank for my xr for $100, from gumtree, took a few months waiting though.
fuel economy depends a lot on final gearing.
Happy farkle-ing
Cheers
Rob
Matty manuva
Likes Bikes
+1 DR650. I rode the Simpson, Kimberley and Canning Stock Route on one. Very reliable and good fuel economy to boot.
Broken Bones89
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Wow, comparing anything to a shitlux is a pretty harsh insult.....
In light of all the recent comments urging you towards a 650 I still think a DRZ400 is the best bang for your buck. They're dirt cheap to buy and you simply cannot kill them.
curlysurfer
Likes Dirt
Sorry for your dislike of Toyota's. If you listened to every opinion of everything, nothing would be worth buying. Many things have their weakpoints. I could go on with a barrage of hatred, but. will. manage. to. rise. above.
Back on topic.........there was an XR400 in this years Dakar, DR650 I dunno, can't comment????
Comparing those ebay listings Xr's price range $1000-$5100, DRZ price range $4000 - $6500.
For long haul rides 650 will be the choice, if you wanna play in singletrack when you get back, the 400 will be better. 2fiddy even better. There will always be a compromise in whatever you choose. I guess just think where will most of your time be spent.
Oh and think of managing the bike up snotty greasy hills in the cape, light bike is more betterer. Yes I know of guys taking KTM 990's GSXR750 with knobbies, up there etc, etc. light bike will get there easier.
Cheers
Rob
Urban DH
Likes Bikes and Dirt
i'm not gonna be polite! FUCK YOU hilux's are the shit! go for ever mate has one will 800,000 od kms on it a drives it every day!
nissan are no my favorite pick of the bunch be they're good cars too!
yeh i'm thinking a 400/450 size because for the use on few trips in the near future and the use it will get while a home will be quite comparable, keeping in mind its needs to be a Lams bike, also they're a bit cheaper than a 500 and up sized bikes, so i'll check out the xr400 and compare it to the drz400 and see where we stand then
I took my dr650 to cape york and back last year, 9000ks worth of riding all over the place
will hold 140 all day long up crap dirt roads and has a reasonable service interval
Huge aftermarket part availability too 30L tank is a ticket to adventure
Downside it looks crap and isn't all that quick but it is a great tool for the job
will hold 140 all day long up crap dirt roads and has a reasonable service interval
Huge aftermarket part availability too 30L tank is a ticket to adventure
Downside it looks crap and isn't all that quick but it is a great tool for the job
theLIBERATOR
Squid
I found my Dr650 did nothing better than my WR250r and plenty of things worse......... the DR650 lovers have me stuffed
My 2c
I have a Husky TE310, great bike. I can also ride it all day on a motocross track if i want (albeit not as fast as some).
You say you want a bike that can handle a few jumps, you also mention you have expensive taste or a taste for quality...
In that case, forget all japanese bikes. The only ones worth looking at are the motocross bikes, and are not suited for what you want. My reason for saying this is because they all come with inferior components, ie. brakes, hubs, rims, and forget about the trail bikes like the drz or xr because after trying to jump one of these, if it hasnt killed you, then you will want to kill yourself for buying one.
My suggestion is with KTM or Husqvarna, They both offer some good mid range bikes (KTM 350, 2013 Husky 310 won ADB bike of the year) and they also have some nice things, like brembo brakes, electric start with back up kicker, etc.
For the kind of riding you want to do (from what I can gather an all rounder that you will be taking on a long trip) these mid capacity bikes are the go, they are light, and handle really well. I think you will find that if you get a heavier trail bike you will kick yourself for it.
I have a Husky TE310, great bike. I can also ride it all day on a motocross track if i want (albeit not as fast as some).
You say you want a bike that can handle a few jumps, you also mention you have expensive taste or a taste for quality...
In that case, forget all japanese bikes. The only ones worth looking at are the motocross bikes, and are not suited for what you want. My reason for saying this is because they all come with inferior components, ie. brakes, hubs, rims, and forget about the trail bikes like the drz or xr because after trying to jump one of these, if it hasnt killed you, then you will want to kill yourself for buying one.
My suggestion is with KTM or Husqvarna, They both offer some good mid range bikes (KTM 350, 2013 Husky 310 won ADB bike of the year) and they also have some nice things, like brembo brakes, electric start with back up kicker, etc.
For the kind of riding you want to do (from what I can gather an all rounder that you will be taking on a long trip) these mid capacity bikes are the go, they are light, and handle really well. I think you will find that if you get a heavier trail bike you will kick yourself for it.
curlysurfer
Likes Dirt
DRZ400 ready to go anywhere
Hey Urban, you may be interested in this. nothing more to spend.
http://advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20368911&postcount=41
cheers
Rob
Hey Urban, you may be interested in this. nothing more to spend.
http://advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20368911&postcount=41
cheers
Rob
Urban DH
Likes Bikes and Dirt
you make a fair point, to be fully honest it might hit a few tiny doubles in its life time, realistically i'm never gona go riding fully moto cross or even close.
the ktms and so on are what i was looking at but after thinking a bit the japanese bikes are what i'll go for in the way of price, reliability and above all availability, i'm not going to be a bloke who rides it to death if i get it it will be well maintained all the time, washed after each trip and given a good clean and regular fluids, i have a good mecanical knowledge in relation to cars so once i learn this will be no different, nothing will go unnoticed in the way of things out of the ordinary so even a jap bike that is well maintained and cleaned and serviced regularly will last well and if it really turns tits up for some reason it easier to replace!
mate thats exactly what i want except its allready done what i want, sorry but i dont really wan tot buy a bike thats allready dont alot of touring, that to me says its had a long, hard life and i'd rather a bike that was used as a weekend bike
Broken Bones89
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Also try and get a bike that's had an hour meter in it sunce new so you have an idea of whether you'll need to spend money on the motor. You'll be in a world of shit if you get up the cape or somewhere in the middle of nowhere and find she won't start because the valve clearances need to be redone or something like that, jobs like that aren't really something that can be done by the weekend spanner swinger.
landy_man
Likes Dirt
if you are serious about long distance riding.. don't get any of the highly strung KTM's.. you will need to change oil and filter while out riding which means carrying that crap with you..
the best bike for the job in your budget would be the DRZ4e as mentioned a few times.. long service intervals, quick enough and bullet proof.. there is a reason that most Cape bike rental/tour companies use them..
KTM's are great bikes but unless you are buying a 640 adventure or a 690 enduro.. you will hate it for anything more than a 50-100km loop around the local forest..
the best bike for the job in your budget would be the DRZ4e as mentioned a few times.. long service intervals, quick enough and bullet proof.. there is a reason that most Cape bike rental/tour companies use them..
KTM's are great bikes but unless you are buying a 640 adventure or a 690 enduro.. you will hate it for anything more than a 50-100km loop around the local forest..