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Bye Bye V... Hello _______

5K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  vvlatko 
#1 · (Edited)
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#18 ·
:exactly:

Thats the response I wanna hear! :D

That pic I posted, we rode that entire trail 2 up.... She walked maybe 75-100 yards out of the whole thing.

To be a little more fair to the conversation, I do not have to have a "liter bike" (geez I really hate that saying, something about it seems snooty, say it in your head with a rich, snooty, fran drescher accent, liter bike. LLLiter bike >:) ). Remember above where I referred to liking the KLR...
OH, and no. No hard cases. Wolfman bags. But yeah, I wanna, scratch that, I AM GOING to ride with luggage, 2 up, through the gnarly stuff!
You'r an animal, Ever ride Chadwick? It's in the Mark Twain National Forest in southern Missouri
 
#10 ·
#13 ·
The set of requirements does really narrow it down to the ADV porker-tourers.

Super Tenere
R1200GS
1190
Africa Twin?

Hard bags when you want to go off road do not seem like a good idea to me. Plastic bags will break easily, I've seen it happen way too many times, and metal cases will bend.

I really doubt there is a bike that can excel at the superslab and off road; it's always a compromise, the better they are at one thing the more they suck at the other.

And KTM still can't build a stupid airbox; That would keep me from a used 1190. There is no way to know if the engine ingested dirt at one point.

Also the electronic suspensions scare the hell out of me. OEM suspensions are always crappy, and the spring rates are always a compromise for a "one size fits all" kind of thing. Sorting out these electronic suspensions does not seems to be easy, as any change to the valves or spring rate would have to include some sort of re-flash to the ECU.
 
#15 ·
#20 · (Edited)
I admire you and your passenger for perseverance. I can't imagine riding two up off road on rough stuff.

IMO if you have a repair issue that occurs while riding, there is a 99.9% chance it will be tire or crash related. Regular maintenance issues are the same on virtually any bike, lubricate and adjust and replace consumable parts.

The electronics are probably the most reliable thing on a bike and improve engine reliability, drivability and performance over carburetors. I've never heard of the electronics on a bike needing fixing. Other than the stater failing, which will leave you stranded irregardless, they do not normally ever fail during the life of the bike since they have no moving parts and are protected by fuses from shorts and overloads. They also make repair easier by recording fault codes you can use to track an issue. It would seem sophisticated electronics for ABS and stability control are here to stay. Engine management electronics have been around as long as electronic fuel injection. Some modern systems with a diagnostic port allow connecting with software on your phone (via a bluetooth diagnostic plug) to easily do all the things a garage can do like read and reset fault codes, read sensors, etc.

A 400lb bike is lighter than a 500lb bike because it is physically smaller which means less room for a passenger. Maybe consider getting two smaller/lighter bikes?
 
#23 ·
I bought the 250 to teach her to ride. She is doing ok but, certainly will not have the skills needed to ride what she enjoys for quite some time.
Not riding on the back she won't. Give her back her CRF, get your own dirty dual sport, and get out there and ride. Pretty sure she'd be able to pace you if you got a KLR.
>:)

or 2-up with luggage on a 690 Enduro. Never seen it. Is that even legal? Please post pics if you go this route!
 
#27 ·
There's no way I'd have 400 pounds of ass plus another solid hundred in bags/racks/gear on a 250 class bike and expect it to hold up to repeated abuse. Of course, I wouldn't 2up offroad, either, so my input probably doesn't account for much.

I've been looking at picking up a Duke 390 for my lady (and for me, lol), and the possibly upgrading the Versys to something with a little more balls...although I'll probably kill myself.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Good suggestion. The BMW F800 is a Rotax (reliable Austrian built engines) in-line twin like the Versys 650. It is probably the best BMW made that I'd have (no boxers or bricks anymore for me) and a lot more dependable than a KTM race bike.

The Husky TR 650 (a converted BMW G650) would be wonderful too and about as fast as the Vs. 650 but a single and off road: except it was a one year wonder and no one wants to support it: BMW, Husky, or KTM either one. This is because it could replace all the BMW bricks and KTM 690cc racers if they were supported. It is that good, but expensive and risky owning one due to lack of support. But the BMW F800 suggested above would be better for two up for sure.

I'm sure the Triumph is nice too, but BMW is number 6 motorcycle maker (with KTM race bikes number 7), and any lower can mean big bucks on parts and no service shops around.

Used BMW F800's are everywhere and you probably could test ride one at the BMW dealer if they have the 21" front wheel (GS) version you want. Good luck. This seems like the closest to your specs so far.
 
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