If you left your house and rode a motorcycle to alaska or chile, what bike would you take?

I had a Honda XR650L, and I didn't like riding it on the freeway for more than 20 minutes at a time, so i'm not sure it, or any dual sport, is the answer. However, it could be a matter of how the bike is set up - seat, tires, handlebars, etc. I think I'd lean toward the lightest of the adventure bikes, like the V-Strom 650 for comfort's sake while retaining some off road maneuverability. But how well would that work? Dunno.

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vcZziVJVL._SS500_.jpg

IMO, if one were heading to Chile and had engine trouble in Peru, all would not be lost but close to it.

 

Back in the day, I had a friend, an older gentleman that spent his winters down in Mexico. He had a semi permanent residence in a sleepy town on the Pacific coast. He was well liked and he spent money so it was all good. Once, while making the trek, his Guzzi Ambo broke a gear in the transmission. We was in the middle of nowhere in a town with a dirt street and not much else. He inquired if there was a mechanic in town and was told "yes." He was directed to a small shed and again he mad his enquirers. "Yes" the man said, he was a mechanic and he could fix his bike. Jack said he had a wooden tool carrier, like carpenters had with his full assortment of tools in it. The man set to work, pulled the transmission, extracted the offending gear and somehow welded the tooth back on. Then with a hand file dressed the gear until it meshed perfectly. He used cardboard from a stack to make a gasket. Jack rode that bike another two years with never any trouble. Never under estimate the resourcefulness of people.

 

Stretched busa Bro! lol

 

With a bigger tank and more comfortable seat I would take my DR 650.

 

Hah, I didn't have to post it. Those of you that would ride to tierra del fuego on a modern, farkle covered bike like the GS1200 are crazy. If a KLR breaks down (and that's one big 'if') in rural Peru, it's probable that a mechanic there could fix it. Many of the other bikes mentioned are just too modern and require specialized diagnostic equipment and tools to repair, rely on a bunch of little electronic doo dads and sensors that can't be easily jury-rigged.

 

There is a guy on the DR 650 forum that rode his DR from California to the east coast, then a boat to the UK then rode all the way to South Africa..... AND BACK! Reliable old school technology.

 

Here is this guys video and web site. Crazy dude.

https://vimeo.com/105964152

http://bugsonmyboard.org/

 

There was another guy who did aboot the same thing on a VFR. He went through 14 regulator/rectifiers.

 

Did he do it with a surfboard? lol I wonder how the bike handled at 80mph with a surfboard mounted.

 

I wonder what mods he did. Insider says that he'd do it with a bigger tank and a comfier seat. Doesn't the KLR have the bigger tank? There's something that bugs me about that bike - is the new model as reliable now as it used to be?

 

What if we looked at it this way:
1. What would you NOT take, due to reliability concerns, or parts availability? As much as I'd like to do it on a KTM, I'd be concerned about finding parts worldwide.
2. What bike could maybe use some universal parts? ie parts off other brands that will work, even if they aren't OEM.

 

The DR is very reliable and cheap to mod. I did Pro Taper bars and risers, Twin Air filter, airbox mod, rejet and new needle, FMF full exhaust, Resprung the forks and Cogent valves (did that Saturday) resprung and Race Tech valve in the shock (did that Sunday) and a bash plate (Warp). The suspension was always the weak part of the bike. The motor runs forever and even modded still gets great gas mileage. Long haul guys put the big tank on them and a Sargent seat. Put on bags, all kinds made for it and off you go. They are a bit heavy around 310lbs with above mods. You lose near 20 lbs with the exhaust mod. Will wheelie all day and cruise at 80mph all day. Not great for flying through the air but capable off road.

 

That's cool. The KLR is nice, comes with really nice bags too. But it comes in, dry at 432 pounds. Not sure if that's a big deal or not, but I suspect if you get into deep mud or sand, it might seem like a big deal then! Just seems like the KLR would take a lot less modding to get it ready for that trip. And less cash...but in the end, it wouldn't be the same bike as your DR. Guess it depends on what you plan on doing.

 

There are numerous KLR vs DR threads on the DR forum. The Kawi is probably even more popular world wide and a very capable bike. I think its probably just as good an all a rounder. Off road the DR set up properly might be a bit easier to toss around.

 

When I was in Spain riding with a couple guys, they had the BMW "adventure" bikes at the time complete with bags and such. One guy dumped his bike on a rainy highway probably doing around 50 mph I'm thinking, could have been less. The saddlebags came off the bike because the >>>FRAME<<< broke where the bags mounted. So much for a hard core "adventure" bike.

 

We also might ask how the board handled with a DR attached?

Gearwise the dude has a good read posted on the "Bugs on my board" site.

 

That's funny. Let me clarify. Did he crash because his frame broke and his bags came off? Or did he crash and break the frame in the process? If so, why did he crash?
I just can't imagine enjoying riding a big behemoth motorcycle like that. I don't think I'd want anything bigger than a VStrom 1000 - even that looks really big. Probably comfy on the highway, but I'm thinking the 650 looks like a much more manageable package, especially in person.

 

Two guys have posted on here about travelling to Prudhoe Bay by VFR, iirc both were 6th gens. I'd have no reservations about taken a good 5th or 6th gen to Prudhoe Bay under the conditions you stated. South America is a different story, the KLR or DR seem like good choices.