big adventure bike. BMW vs Triumph.

[LakeCleElum]

Anything bigger than a 650 single shows you are not serious about riding off road.

[Oracle]

I think te Tiger XC is the better one.. Cheaper to buy, cheaper to own and fun. My buddy took his XC to Alaska and no issues..
As usual anything for "BMW" is more expensive..

[VincentVega]

Why not get a comfy cruiser for the highway trip and something smaller/lighter for the adventure stuff? You know you cant have just one bike.

[jhynesrockmtn]

I've got a GS1150, they are heavy bikes but if you are riding pavement and forest service roads on long trips, it works great. I had a Suzuki 650 Vstrom my son used to ride, sold it a year + ago in great shape for $3,500. Lot's of aftermarket support, lots out there and very reliable. The 650 will feel quite a bit lighter than a big GS. You might look at the GS800 as a middle ground but I'm guessing they are rare as hens teeth used.

[vash]

i thought i was pretty clear...i am not going off road much.

this is a get away from anyone and everyone, and everything road tripping machine need. i dont like those full dressed touring bikes, so i asked how an adventure/tour bike was..and i love the sound and feel of that bigass triumph. but i see way many more BMW here.
there is a huge club here in sonoma wine country.

[jorian]

If you're riding coast to coast,sounds to me like you are staying on pavement. Adventure bikes (the biggies like the ones mentioned) are in their element on a ride like that. Big, powerful and comfortable. They swallow up the miles with ease and are kind to your body. As others have said, stay off anything more technical than a FSR and you'll be fine.

If you're going by yourself I'd stay on pavement anyway. I have the Ducati Multistrada 1200 and a F800GS with TKC80s on it. Far prefer the Fbike on FSRs but with a short inseam the standover height becomes an issue in anything technical.

The KLR is a compromise bike on all surfaces and is probably best suited for a round the globe trip. Single cylinder bikes get old real fast on the interstate. If I were going coast to coast on 90%+ pavement I'd take the Multi. That Tiger you posted would great too.

[Chocaholic]

Get a street bike for street riding. Get a dirt bike for dirt riding.

Different tools for different jobs.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by motion

Cliffie,

Unless you're on pavement or hard packed dirt 95% of the time, avoid the big bikes. I know lots of people love them, but fighting that weight gets old really fast. I have sooooo much more fun on 250s on the trails. Even my KLR650 seems like a bloated pig compared to the small bikes I've been renting. If you're going to see dirt, trails, fire roads, etc, stick with 800cc or less. Just my 0.02, whatever that's worth

I'm no where near the bike expert Motion is but I would echo what he said... my XL500 at 300 lbs was a pain in the butt in the dirt. When we would go out to the desert I would hop on my friends 250-175 and have a ball.
IMHO dual purpose bikes are a compromise and not really good at either job.
If I were going cross county I would get a cruiser, both BMW and Triumph have nice models.

[vash]

not going in the dirt...

[vash]

unless going in the dirt is what you kids these days are calling chicken tacos.

[911boost]

Then get a big twin like the GS. I loved mine, but could not find a windshield that really worked for me based on how tall I am.

I had Jesse bags and they were awesome, the titanium Remus exhaust really opened up the bike too. They handle amazingly well also...

However you will need a Schuberth helmet and Aerostich riding gear to fit in with the adventure guys

Kidding....

[yetibone]

I love my GS enough to put 12k miles on it since Feb, 2016, but yeah, if you're srsly about going off road, you'll want a lighter, more dirt-centric scoot pretty quick. I've been off road on mine a little, and the 21" spokey Behr front rim made a huge difference with stability and control, but a 450 lb. bike is still a 450 lb. bike. Makes my 350 lb XR feel downright little.

'06 R1200GS

'97 XR 650L

[motion]

Hey Vash, you going to be doing much off-road???

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by motion

Hey Vash, you going to be doing much off-road???

not unless he can find chicken tacos out there

[nostatic]

fwiw - the new Triumph Explorer looks to be a better bike than earlier ones, the previous iteration was a pig with a tractor transmission (at least that's how it felt to me). I owned the smaller 800XRX for a year and that is a fun bike, and is a competent solo touring machine. Since we're doing a lot of 2-up, I ended up selling it in favor of a new GS (had my 2008 for about 6 years). The current wassboxer is a fantastic bike, and a perfect "do everything" bike as long as you fit - though there are low seat and suspension tweaks if need be. We load it up for weekend getaways and it still is a hoot to ride. I take it solo in the canyons and it does a reasonable impersonation of a sport bike - with cruise control and heated grips and no knee pain. If you're willing to go new, you can find leftover '16s for significant discounts and depending on the month, very low interest rates (I got 0.9% for 6 years). Tons of aftermarket support.

No, I wouldn't do serious off-road on the bike, but even 2-up it handles fire-roads just fine for short stretches if need be.

For higher canyon fun I have one of these (still has heated grips and cruise control):

[motion]

Welcome back, Todd

[nostatic]

Steve emailed me asking about bikes relating to this thread so I figured I'd come to add my $0.02, sans dirt or tacos.

Been an eventful April - shingles for the wife and emergency appendectomy for me. Finally will get back on the bike this weekend.

[epbrown]

I'll think outside the box here - how about the original adventure bikes, like a Scrambler? The Ducati is in your price range, powerful enough for road work and light enough not to be a pain off-road (under 400lbs, iirc). The Triumph Scrambler might be more stable on road as it's heavier, but should have enough grunt.

[jhynesrockmtn]

My son and I a few years back in Montana. Spokane to Butte and back with a few days riding south of Butte on some fire roads and a little single track.

[Steve Carlton]

Cliff, it seems like your dirt quotient is going from some to very little to none, yes? For cross country jaunts, I'd recommend 1,000ccs or more. The V-Strom 1000 would make sense, as well as any of the Tigers. What's your budget. One caveat that rarely gets mentioned is sitting vertical will send shocks right up your spine. That was my personal experience with my brother's GS1150. A big factor here is going to be your budget, which I didn't see mentioned here. And you don't have to get an adventure bike to avoid a Harley dresser. There's a million bikes in-between.