Ride around the world - what bike?

Fireskull said:
1200GS every single time, 'cheap as chips' and a bike that can go around the world don't mix ;) unless you are a master mechanic.

But I would still take my GSXR :D Nick sanders did it on an R1, and another guy I follow did it on a GSXR recently.
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If you give it to me for free, challenge accepted :)
 
Fireskull said:
1200GS every single time, 'cheap as chips' and a bike that can go around the world don't mix ;) unless you are a master mechanic.
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Did you see the C90Adventures website? You don't need to be a master mechanic to keep on of those running.

Plus the BMWs are hardly the pinnacle of reliability. Lots of owners have suffered problems with them, and the Long Way Round showed then having lots of issues, including a snapped frame at one point.
 
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Dogbreath said:
Did you see the C90Adventures website? You don't need to be a master mechanic to keep on of those running.

Plus the BMWs are hardly the pinnacle of reliability. Lots of owners have suffered problems with them, and the Long Way Round showed then having lots of issues, including a snapped frame at one point.
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Snapped frame due to massively overloading the subframe. Only other issue was ABS failure....due to being fried by welding the frame.

In the 2nd one, using the new 1200, the only issue was repeated Ohlins rear shock failures, which they fitted as aftermarket items.

I know I sound like I'm just defending my own bike, but they really are very very reliable. It's the reason most of the adventure tour operators use them. Put it this way - I love KTM bikes, and I'm looking at buying one for Enduro use, but if it came to wanting a bike to take me around the world, I would definitely pick BMW (or Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki) over one.

As for the C90, I've actually bought that DVD on the homepage - might watch it at the weekend :)
 
Dogbreath said:
Did you see the C90Adventures website? You don't need to be a master mechanic to keep on of those running.

Plus the BMWs are hardly the pinnacle of reliability. Lots of owners have suffered problems with them, and the Long Way Round showed then having lots of issues, including a snapped frame at one point.
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I have seen it, and I would still rather go round the world on a sportsbike than a C90 :D

I never said they were but they are certainly more world renowned for endurance bikes though, and nobody can go against their comfort and rideability, they are in my opinion the perfect bike for a round the world trip.
My dad has a 1150 and its had a few problems but nothing major and as Segalout pointed out a lot of the problems people have is because they are 'doing it wrong' :D
 
Hah, sorry, this was one of the 70's ones built between strikes! I think it broke down on his ride from the factory to London!

Edit - actually it was a Triumph Tiger 100
 
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Depends on budget and type of terrain. Where are you staying etc.
Some guy went around on a Honda cg125 cost him next to nothing.
I planned on going around on either drz400, BMW f650gs or a xt660z because I wanted to go more off road into sandy areas and a bigger cc bike is very hard to handle by yourself without a friend or team.
Try having a look at the hubb or advrider for the types of bikes used by people
 
it must be fantastic to go around the world though

I would be a bit scared of getting mugged/kidnapped in certain places
 
if its not one of the bmws then surley an army bike

Armstrong MT500

mt500-1.jpg


or

the Harley MT350 ( well its really an Armstrong with a leccy start)

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good enough for the army, heck theyd abuse they crap outta em and they are rock solid and easy to fix and the gun cases draws some looks:)
both have served time, falklands, iraq, afgan, iraq part 2,
 
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I'd imagine spares for a MOD sourced Harley might be difficult in downtown Mongolia.

And they're probably quite easy to repair if you've a REME LAD detachment attached to your unit.

I'd probably go for one of those Suzuki singles that Guy Martin used for the riding on water thing in Speed. Seemed to take multiple dunks quite well, and single cylinder simplicity combined with Japanese reliability/spares.
 
Sherpa said:
I'd imagine spares for a MOD sourced Harley might be difficult in downtown Mongolia.

And they're probably quite easy to repair if you've a REME LAD detachment attached to your unit.

I'd probably go for one of those Suzuki singles that Guy Martin used for the riding on water thing in Speed. Seemed to take multiple dunks quite well, and single cylinder simplicity combined with Japanese reliability/spares.
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Lol, I don't think a mx bike with service intervals of 15 hours for oil changes, and a new piston every 100 hours would make a very good RTW bike!
 
Didn't even check that! I just assumed it was similar to the XT660, I've seen a few pages with people using those. I stand corrected.
 
Just watched the C90 Adventures DVD - great watch, really enjoyed it....even the R1200GS bashing!

Amazing how he's edited a single camera footage into such an entertaining film, but he obviously has a good attitude to travelling :)
 
Was gonna suggest cg125, totally reliable for me despite my bulk and natural urge to rag the backside off everything.

Good on fuel, cheap bits, it's a honda, so nothing falls off...

That said I sold it to a guy at work who bought it to learn on and he fannied around with the carb settings for some reason and knackered it. So they can be broken if you're an idiot. D'oh.

Round the world? Well the adventure bike is the obvious choice so... BMW K1600 or Goldwing. Fairing enough to deflect storms, grunt enough to gobble miles, hills etc. Good on fuel, enough space in the boxes to pack a machine gun and ammo :)

Just the advice to bear in mind - "Stick to the roads. Stay off the moors."
 
I often wondered how feasible it would be on my Yamaha XT225 if I were to keep it real lightweight

But realistically I'd probably look at using something like a Kawasaki KLR650 if we were talking about proper long way round kind of stuff
 
Meetgrinder said:
Was gonna suggest cg125, totally reliable for me despite my bulk and natural urge to rag the backside off everything.

Good on fuel, cheap bits, it's a honda, so nothing falls off...

That said I sold it to a guy at work who bought it to learn on and he fannied around with the carb settings for some reason and knackered it. So they can be broken if you're an idiot. D'oh.

Round the world? Well the adventure bike is the obvious choice so... BMW K1600 or Goldwing. Fairing enough to deflect storms, grunt enough to gobble miles, hills etc. Good on fuel, enough space in the boxes to pack a machine gun and ammo :)

Just the advice to bear in mind - "Stick to the roads. Stay off the moors."
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cg 125 around the world here
 
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