These are the bikes on my radar. (The CRF450RL is only on there for reference.) At the moment, the ranking is:
- Yamaha Tenere 700
- Honda XL750 Transalp
- Kawasaki KLR650
- Honda XR650L
- Kawasaki KLX300
- Honda CRF300L
I know the bikes aren't all in the same category, but I'm just looking for:
- 21" front wheel.
- Not horrible on the freeway.
- Reliable and reasonably easy to work with.
- Durable.
- Reasonable weight.
What do folks think? :3
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I think I want to sell the CRF450RL. I can work with how tall it is, but the engine is extremely high-strung. Even after warming up, it wants to stall when giving it even moderate or more throttle, which is the "flame-out" issue that reviewers have been complaining about for years. If I can't trust the engine, I can't trust the bike and I don't need that when touring (on-road or off-road).
(The luggage is plenty good and I plan on keeping it for whatever in the future.)
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I have been very happy with my vstrom 650. It has an engine tuned for very friendly power delivery and some tech specifically for anti-stall.
The 800 is kind of ugly and requires premium fuel, but I can't speak to how it rides. I have no regrets with the 650. Riding as one this is plenty of power for everything you would do on road or off.
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Are motorcycles experiencing a resurgance among younger of-age generations today? :3c #motorcycle
(And I'm not talking about Harley sales!)
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Harleys are for x-ers and boomers, lol
the offerings from Japanese manufacturers are all great, and there is something for everyone out there.
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My #Honda #CBR650R sounds "bored" at the low end of the rev range, but begrudgingly does it, which is thanks to the dyno tune ECU flash. 🤙 #motorcycle
Before the flash, it was cranky and refused. As in, the throttle was mildly snatchy because I asked it to spend a lot of time at low revs when not going very fast. (Maybe sub-freeway?) 🤔
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@glitter
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. @clover finally rode her scooter on the street! :O (1)
She's doing great in her #motorcycle journey so far. :D
#photography #photog #photos #photo #mywork
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👀
Honda Unveils Its New Naked Liter Bike: The CB1000 Hornet Bares All At EICMA 2023
Honda stated in its launch video that the new big-bore Hornet takes some styling cues from the CB750 Hornet, but builds it on the fire-breathing Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade platform. That means that the steel frame of the supersport finds its way onto the liter-class naked bike and also other things like the Honda Pro-Link rear suspension system.
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When I was out riding my CBR650R on Saturday, the left heated grip lost all friction against the bar and started rotating freely whenever any force was applied. I had to hit up a hardware store and duct tape it temporarily to the bar end…which also suspiciously rotated without much effort.
On the latter half of the ride, I called my usual Honda and Kawasaki #motorcycle dealer (which isn't where I bought the bike from) and asked them what to use to glue the grip back on. The lead mechanic picked up the call and told me to use 3M "grip glue" after removing the existing adhesive and roughing the bar up (typical stuff). I didn't have much luck looking for any such dedicated adhesives, so I ordered 3M Spray Adhesive 90.
The adhesive showed up today so I went to do the fix. Guess what I found when I took the grip off? The bar was as clean as a whistle! The shop I bought the bike from didn't even bother to glue it on properly! >:(
At least it's all fixed now.
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Neil E. Hodges
in reply to Neil E. Hodges • •For context, the CRF450RL is what I have now and the engine is more of a princess than I really want to deal with.
Neil E. Hodges
2024-07-06 16:52:51
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LeeRayl
in reply to Neil E. Hodges • • •not my area of knowledge but when I rode Suzukis the VStrom was well respected for its balance in rode/adventure areas as well as doing well head to head with their counterparts. I see they live at the top end of $$ and power on this list but if you haven’t given one a go, demo one this summer.
Good used market and parts are plentiful but as with most Suzuki, not a huge custom market.
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Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺
in reply to Neil E. Hodges • • •I own a CRF300 Rally. At my body weight (75 kg/165 lbs), it'll do 110 km/hr (68 mph) all day every day, with a bit of juice left over - but not much.
If you need to cruise at higher speeds on your freeways you weigh a lot more, it might not be the best choice.
I've not owned any of the others, but I suspect the KLX300 will be similar.
The KLR650 only has 5 gears - might not be great at freeway speeds.
I hear great things about the T700 and Transalp.
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Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺
in reply to Dave Heinemann 🇦🇺 • • •Patrick
in reply to Neil E. Hodges • • •Neil E. Hodges likes this.
Pistonblown
in reply to Neil E. Hodges • • •Finally had a go on a mates CRF300 the other weekend I've got to say it was a lot of fun. Reminded me of the CRF125 I had over in Australia. Obviously more power (which was welcome) but still light and nimble and loads of fun on gravel roads. I didn't do much tarmac and so can't say what it would be like there.
Having said that, on your list I'd personally go for the Tenere. I love the Transalp, always wanted an original, but the Tenere just seems a bit better overall from what I've read
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gunnar
in reply to Neil E. Hodges • • •Neil E. Hodges likes this.