which bike is good for ALL weather conditions?

S

SkyRider

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hi! thinking about getting a different bike. done with the SS scene for now. need a bike that is proven to be reliable in long distance, rain or shine, tarmac or mud and etc etc. not snow obviously lol. what bike would it be? a bmw?

thnx
 
KLR650 if you really want all terrain and bullet proof reliable. Not so much fun in the twists.

Can't say for sure but BMW seem to cost on reliability but some of the GS series are very popular for what you describe.

Vstrom 650 might be a good move - reliable and much fun in the twisties.

Dual sport twins are better for a mix of touring and a bit of off road.

I like the new CB500x but you'd need to spend on weather protection.
VFR800 nice sports tourer but not muddy roads.
 
SkyRider said:
hi! thinking about getting a different bike. done with the SS scene for now. need a bike that is proven to be reliable in long distance, rain or shine, tarmac or mud and etc etc. not snow obviously lol. what bike would it be? a bmw?

thnx
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Probably one of the smaller "trailies" - one of the BMW GS bikes or a 650 V-strom or some such thing.

You will not find something that is ideal in all circumstances. All of the "trailie" adventure bikes are too heavy for proper off-road use, and the tires needed for mud etc are not that great on pavement and vice versa. There are smaller dual-purpose bikes - but they are generally not good for "long distance".

One of the moderators of this forum put over 200,000 km on a 650 V-strom and rode it pretty much all year, everywhere ...
 
Vstom 650 would be first choice for pure utilitarian purposes right out of the box. Has nicer ride for those not charmed by thumper. KLR requires to much fiddlin'n fixes from stock.
 
Brian P said:
and the tires needed for mud etc are not that great on pavement and vice versa.
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While this is true I'll happily report that the Shinko 705 series of 75/25 street/dirt tires work quite well at legal+20% speeds. No real compromise at those speeds.
 
BNKN said:
Vstom 650 would be first choice for pure utilitarian purposes right out of the box. Has nicer ride for those not charmed by thumper. KLR requires to much fiddlin'n fixes from stock.
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While I agree the Vstrom is probably the better choice (esp coming from street bikes) the KLR (outside of the 2008 bikes) only really requires one must fix from the factory, the "doohicky". All others are subjective and no more than you'd make to other bikes for comfort.

Personaly I love the TKC80's for all around use, but they can be spendy. Shinko 705's (kept at pressure), Heideneau K60's and Michelin T63's are other excellent choices
 
SkyRider said:
hi! thinking about getting a different bike. done with the SS scene for now. need a bike that is proven to be reliable in long distance, rain or shine, tarmac or mud and etc etc. not snow obviously lol. what bike would it be? a bmw?

thnx
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Coming from a bent-over SS position Hyosung GT250R, I found that my F800R was immediately much more comfortable. Though pretty much any motorcycle would be better than an SS for long distance.

Bikes with fairings, big screens, and all that jazz would obviously be best for touring. However, I've done all weather conditions (except snow) and road conditions (except dirt roads in the rain) and found my naked bike to be pretty good. It was comfortable for going to Florida and back; great amounts of fun in the twisties and relatively comfortable and stable in the rain (including heavy summer Florida rain). If you still want the fun of an SS but more comfortable and able to do long distance then go for any modern naked bike (Ducati Monster 696, Street Triple, F800R, ER6N, FZ8, etc.).

So, if you're just looking for something more comfortable than an SS but still fun, go naked.

However, if you take your question extremely literally (being excellent and designed for ALL weather conditions) then a dual sport or touring bike would probably be best, but at the sacrifice of being the most fun in the twisties.
 
Multistrada over the motard. Motard has a gas-tank range of a moped.

BMW F800GS or the smaller 650 singles would be good candidates.
 
Honda CBF600
Its made for communting EVERYDAY.
a TALL bike with adjustable seating and windscreen upight riding position.
easy off the line so no skidding
abs
STABLE
20l tank so you dont get caught out off in bad weather
best compliment i ever got was
"dont lock that bike man...no one is ever going to steal it"
its been excellent for these things and why i love it

its been replaced buy a new 500 something but you can still get 2011 oor 2012.

one of the most popular bike for europeans for these reasons
 
Forget about nakeds without decent windscreens. They look cool but as soon as it gets cold the windchill is unbearable.

+1 on the CB600 or Honda F series. Bullet proof engines with great torque curve for the street. They rip on pavement and probably just as capable as the vstrom off pavement.
 
Dual sports and adventure bikes are what you should be looking at.

Kawasaki KLR and Suzuki v-strom are some examples.
 
New Honda NC700X.
Perfect for everything...cheap...super fuel efficient. Probably last 300,000+ kms. It was engineered with exactly half of a Honda fit car engine. Low compression, hi torque, low revs, low stress. They aren't very light but the motor almost lays flat int he chassis making them feel as light as a Ninja 250 literally. Plus the fuel load is carried low under the seat and has a storage compartment where the tank normally resides, that is big enough for a full face helmet. If I were looking for a universal bike to travel the world, it would be a serious contender.
 
Ominvore - you ridden one or just reading the brochure??

I'd take the CB500x in a heartbeat over the any 700 other than the DCT version.
 
Rode one.
I was shocked at how light it felt.
And it sounds fantastic....with a pipe it'd sound like a proper V-Twin powerhouse....even though it has quite a bit lesss power than an SV650. It's still enough power to pass car traffic, and acccelerate more briskly than 4 wheeled traffic. And nowadays, you can get some pretty good go-anywhere type tires in 17" too.

I have no interest in the DCT. I like to shift gears. I like the involvement. It feels like more fun. Auto anything is reserved for my work truck. For fun and sport, regardless of perfromance numbers, I prefer to have a clutch and shift manually. It makes the ride more challenging and rewarding for me.
 
Don't forget the triumph versions too. The smaller tiger is a good compromise and the larger triumph adventure bike is a competitor against the BMW.
 
For fun and sport, regardless of perfromance numbers, I prefer to have a clutch and shift manually.
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You want fun and sport on a detuned mileage box with 6500 rpm rev limiter???? Both my son and I agreed it was the most boring bike we ever tested.

I'd bet the 500 would eat the 700 for lunch.

48 HP on the free revving 500x versus 51 on the utterly boring 700x

430 lb versus 470

Higher insurance premiums for a 700 versus a 500 and the 500 is $1500 cheaper -

Why anyone in their right mind would buy 700x is beyond me. a

For the savings you can turn it into a nice mid range tourer

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omnivore said:
Rode one.
I was shocked at how light it felt.
And it sounds fantastic....with a pipe it'd sound like a proper V-Twin powerhouse....even though it has quite a bit lesss power than an SV650. It's still enough power to pass car traffic, and acccelerate more briskly than 4 wheeled traffic. And nowadays, you can get some pretty good go-anywhere type tires in 17" too.
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MacDoc said:
You want fun and sport on a detuned mileage box with 6500 rpm rev limiter???? Both my son and I agreed it was the most boring bike we ever tested.

I'd bet the 500 would eat the 700 for lunch.

48 HP on the free revving 500x versus 51 on the utterly boring 700x

430 lb versus 470

Higher insurance premiums for a 700 versus a 500 and the 500 is $1500 cheaper -

Why anyone in their right mind would buy 700x is beyond me. a

For the savings you can turn it into a nice mid range tourer
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I'm struggling coming to terms with this. My only experience with the 700 is sitting on it. It did feel very light, weight down low like an old BMW airhead. It certainly felt more balanced than my top heavy Triumph Bonny. Speaking of which, the Bonny has no low end torque so I have to spin it up to get any real urge and by spin it up I'm talking 7000rpm. Well I can ride all week and hardly see 6500rpm. Which is what the Honda tops out at.
I haven't owned a 4 cyl. screamer in years. None of my bikes or cars ever see anything past 6500rpm. I don't see how a 6500rpm rev limit is a problem for normal driving/riding. The understressed, undersquare 270 crank 700 "should" be a sweet motor. In theory.
I have a habit of putting taller gearing (usually +1 front) on my bikes because I love the feel of long legs. The Triumph does not tolerate this well but I'm betting the Honda 700 would.
I love small bikes with small engines on small roads. Canada is too wide open for a 500 twin imho.
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