| Author | Message | ||
     Matrim |
Sadly, no, this won't be on a Buell. I'm planning a trip from London down into Morocco, back into Spain, then East to Istanbul. 10 - 12 thousand miles in total. I leave May 2nd. If anyone has bike or gear recommendations (budget), places to see or things to do along the way please let me know. I'm sure some of you have done stuff like this in the past and I wish to learn from the wise. Sorry, wasn't quite sure where to post this but thought people might be interested. | ||
| Phelan |
tire plug kit, canned air, cash (not just a credit/debit card, but actual paper money for emergencies) gas can if you can fit it, quart of oil, etc. | ||
| Kalali |
I must ask, what bike? BMW, KTM? Sounds like a lot of fun... | ||
| Thylacine |
I would recommend a pre 2005 bmw gs with at least 30k miles. Continental knobbies and a spare set. I have done trips like this often.12k without service will take a toll on many bikes. No chain,no electronics, and spoked tubeless wheels required. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I'd be looking hard at a KLR-650 if I was going to do it. Big enough to carry a decent amount of luggage and hit 80mph if you can, but small enough and sprung enough that it won't get beat to pieces by really bad roads and minor crashes. Pack spare chains and tubes. | ||
| Matrim |
Hey all, thanks for the great input. Those three bikes - BMW, KTM, and KLR - were my top choices going into this, but unfortunately they are a bit out of the budget. Think a 2000 CB500 would do the trip? Thylacine; why are spoked wheels better for this sort of trip? | ||
| Matrim |
Phelan: don't know why, but I hadn't thought of the tire plug kit yet. I've never used one before. Are they just good enough to get you to a shop? | ||
| Thylacine |
Spoked wheels do not break, cast wheels crack and bend, A decent gs can be had for 3grand if you are not worried about aesthetics. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Anything could do it, witness Dave Barr. The question is how much "adventure" you want in a given day.  Though I'm not familiar with that particular bike (I don't think we got it in the states), the CB is probably a decent choice as standards go. Reliable and durable. I'd just worry about fenders packing up with mud, wheels getting bent, side of the road maintenance, etc. If you could get a GS for $3000 I'd have one in my garage... everything I see is more like $5000 USD and up for one with 80k miles. I see a lot of almost new to new KLR's for $3000 to $5000 though. | ||
| Kalali |
A smaller GS650 would be ideal. The bigger GS gets pricy. The nice thing about the older CB500 is its parts are very interchangeable with other Honda models and very available in most neck of the woods. |
