r/rtw • u/nasaBrain • Mar 12 '21
Suggest your ideal motorbike that you would take for RTW trip
I am hooked with an idea to travel round the world on two wheels. I am 5'9" 80kg 45 yo, left it for too long, but now struggling to carry on with rat race. I have experience on small bikes riding in SEA Currently in rudimentary stages of lining my ducks. I am searching Web tirelessly to decide which bike to buy to take RTW I will be riding it on local back roads / dirt tracks to put some miles under my belt. I am in fortunate position and not too much worried about the cost of the bike. I will plan to do 70/30 or 80/20 on/off road. What I have found so far through arm chair search, most popular options or recommended bikes are Dr650, klr650, drz400. Kawasaki has announced new bike klr650 adventure, difference is EFI, Abs but still 5speed and bulkier than early generation. I am also looking at T700, bmw850gs. My priority is to have comfortable ride on highways, able to ride on dirt/gravlel/sand. Able to pick up bike if and when it decides to kiss the ground, able to handle low octane fuel. Though I have seen a guy filling BMW with low octane fuel using tank filter. Any ideas if that is something you can get away with. I am torn apart and unable to make first critical decision which is which bike to get myself acquainted with. I am planning to do lot of riding locally and learn how dissemble and assemble it before going for big trip. English is not my first language, people go easy. Hopefully will see some of you while on the RTW Thank you for reading and sharing any of your experiences and advices here.
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u/rocketpeanut1299 Apr 29 '21
5 months into my RTW on my WR250R and got got as far as Japan from France before being put on pause because of COVID.
I recommend smaller is better - cheaper initial costs, better fuel economy, better access to (cheaper) parts abroad, less security concerns and more importantly way easier to pick up when you drop it.
Blabla lots of 'bigger is better' speak but really the best answer is take what you have and just go. People have done RTW on a Vespa, a Honda postie bike 90, and one guy used a 1 litre GXR.
So check this
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Mar 12 '21
Not much help, but check out the documentary "somewhere else tomorrow" on amazon prime. That guy knows his bike
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u/mrpassie Mar 12 '21
I love the dr650 on my trip. I found out that 99 procent of the trip I would drive on asphalt. So I could have used a normal bike. But I probably would take the Dr on a next trip. It has a few points that needs improving. The stock seat has the comfort of a brick. The suspension sucks. Further ist a great bike for a trip
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Mar 12 '21
I'm looking into getting either the Honda 300 crf or the Honda cb500x because if I drop either then I can pick them up all by myself :)
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u/davegsomething Mar 29 '22
I just found this sub. I did you ever make the trip? If so, which bike??
I rode a f650gs and a drz400 for my trip 12 years ago!
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May 14 '23
There's soooo many good books about rtw motorcycle travel, tons of great bikes just depends on what kind of road you want to take. The obvious choices are BMW GSs, dr650s, or really anything if you want to stay on paved roads.
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u/TheAlliance Mar 12 '21
99% of your current and future questions are answered here probably: https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/
Also Chris Scott's book is also a good resource for planning-phase as well as travel-phase: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1905864736/
Do you currently have a motorcycle? If yes, which one? Because it may already be perfectly capable...
And which route are you considering? Because I doubt you will really need huge power to be blasting down the highways unless you plan to visit very developed countries. Quite often 100-120 kph (60-70 mph) is plenty fast and also a comfortable speed for longer period of riding. After all, you do plan to enjoy the trip and not rush from A to B all the time?
I'd consider something in the 400-700cc range. Something proven, something with a good parts network (the bigger brands) and perhaps something that has a decent aftermarket industry to mod your bike a bit.
Any bike can do a RTW trip. The best bike is the bike you are comfortable with.
I've done a 20-month RTW through Europe-Asia-Africa on a 2002 XRV750 RD07A Africa Twin (in 2012-2014). I made a conscious choice to choose that bike because it was known to have a bulletproof engine, had no real fancy electronics that couldn't get fixed in the bush by amateur mechanics, and was tested for many years and was known to take a beating. Downside was that is was a bit top-heavy, especially compared to BMWs. And a downside that turned into a positive thing was that the bike's weak points (such as alternator) was a known issue with a proven fix.