2006-07-20 05:35:23 · 14 answers · asked by earlyout 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Motorcycles
You need something which will last the mileage and BMW's are usually the ticket. You'll need to get any bike serviced at a shop over that period and finding bmw dealers isn't TOO hard.
The bmw's have driveshafts which don't require as much service as a regular chain driven (or belt) bike. Also, the comfort level will be much higher....heated grips, seat warmer?, cd player, windshield. Another bonus is the luggage offerings which most other tourers don't have.
2006-07-20 05:42:51 · answer #1 · answered by cantstandya 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Check out BMW's R1200 GS, probably the adventure model with the 8 gallon gas tank. Those have made the trip before.
You'll need something that can handle rough unimproved roads so you can forget the goldwing's and the sport bikes.
Triumph makes a dual purpose bike called the tiger, it handles better off road than the BMW but doesn't handle as well on the street.
Someone mentioned the KTM, which I am told has been beating BMW in the Paris to Dakar race. Which would be a similar journey. Honda also has a dual purpose bike which is sold in Europe but not the US.
I've ridden the R1200GS and I believe it would get you there.
2006-07-20 21:31:11 · answer #2 · answered by Roadkill 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why are you people telling him to get ultra powerful uncomfortable bikes? he wants to go 17000 miles, not race a dodge viper.
Ok, I would go with either a harley or a honda cruiser. they are both great quality and really really comfortable. I have had friends get harleys up to 70,000 miles, and one has his honda cruiser at 22,000 without any maintanence.
I strongly suggest to stay away from performance bikes. a honda r600 requires the valves to be rebuilt every 9000 miles, that will ruin your trip. yamahas have the same thing. you cant let it go for very long, There is even a video of a vavle being shot through a mans arm, just like a dart.
If you do want to go with something more agressive, a buell is very comfortable, fast, and the engine is a harley, so its a breeze to repair. Even if you split a block, its only about $250 for a set and they just bolt on. A sport bike engine would be useless after that kind of failure.
2006-07-20 20:14:20 · answer #3 · answered by Doggzilla 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Honda's 750 shadow is a good one. It gets great gas mileage and it's comfortable too!
Stay away from suzuki's.
My brother and I bought 2 new bikes for a summer vacation. His 1200 Bandit leaked gas and ruined the motor before it got 2000 miles. We asked Suzuki to replace the motor so we could go on vacation.
It took 2 months to get a rep, then he said it’s to expensive and would cost $3000. After 4 months and the vacation gone they got the motor rebuilt at a their cost of $3700. The dealer wanted to replace the motor but Suzuki Rep squashed that.
The gas stained cases and burnt exhaust pipes were not replaced. The bike got nicked and scratched all over from being apart for 6 months. The rep rode it and looked at it, then said it’ good as new. It ran like crap and looked worse.
We called Japan, and even wrote the US CEO all for nothing. We spent $15,000 for the bikes to get ripped off by Suzuki. We spent our vacation hassling with Suzuki, and not one person there gave a damn!
Beware Suzuki’s warranty is not worth the paper it’s on! Buy one of their lemons, get shafted, we did!
I’m a 30 yr garage vet and I know when a rep and a manufacturer have ripped off a customer. This one stinks to high heaven! RUN from buying any Suzuki!
2006-07-20 18:55:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any of these will work
Honda 1300 or Gold Wing for comfort.
If you are going off road, you might want a enduro type bike, but I would not want to ride one for that many miles. You will be stopping every 200 miles for gas no matter what bike you get.
The best seat to buy for any bike you get is made by Corbin.
They also make heated seats.
Get one of the bikers friends bags they are the best on the market, you will need to email them to get you name put on the waiting list, they are so popular. Just watch the Video on their site and you will see why.
2006-07-20 18:50:50 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are planing on riding some technical offroad stuff I would recommend the KTM 640 Adventure. I know of a guy that has been riding one of those around the world for nearly 3 years now. If you are doing only some easy dirt and sand roads with the normal pavement, the KTM 950 Adv. would be more comfortable.
2006-07-20 12:59:42 · answer #6 · answered by fuzzy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A dual sport if your going to be on dirt roads for any length of time. the more upright riding position is more comfortable for extended periods and gives better control. Probably best thing out there at present is the Suzuki DL650, V-Strom, basically a modified SV650 engine in dualsport chassis. (styling is a bit weird though?)
The guy with the 1200 Bandit just wont give up. I want to know what he or his brother really did to kill the thing as even with gas in the oil, zero maintainance and redline everywhere I've seen them run for years.
?????????????
2006-07-21 04:53:49 · answer #7 · answered by 1crazypj 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would buy a very popular motorcycle that has many service/parts stores along the way. Honda or Kawasaki would be a good choice, I suppose. I would then try to see how many of these dealers are along the route and try to make sure that when you need an oil change or other maintenance done,you'd be near one.
2006-07-20 12:41:28 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
XR650L w/ a lot of protective gear (for the bike itself) sites like http://www.bajadesigns.com or http://www.xrsonly.com will help. The 650 is near bulletproof and parts are available quite extensivly and easily obtainable. Get metal saddle bags. an IMS gas tank, hand gaurds, O-ring chain w/ Tri metal sprokets, good exhaust (FMF or ProCircuit) and get the suspension setup ( http://www.devolracing.com , http://www.procircuit.com ) for just you and a guts saddle (soft and cushy) dont forget skidplate maybe a HID headlamp from Baja Designs too. Probably for the same price as the BMW all together and a heck of a lot tougher
2006-07-20 16:09:58 · answer #9 · answered by grifterds 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Beemer R1600 any model,you can ride it 16-18 hrs. @day and it's still very nimble for a big bike unlike the Japanese tourers plus they're very reliable also with the best abs system short of Yamaha's GTS1000 and FJS1600
2006-07-21 16:38:22 · answer #10 · answered by xmcracer 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋