Choose me a "watered down" adventure bike.

I had a KLR. I loved it in a tractor-as-motorcycle way, but the vibrations just killed me on the road to and from riding the Good Stuff.

I sold it and bought a 650 V-Strom. It's the complete opposite. Smooooooth on the highway, comfortable, plenty of power, still farkles aplenty to make it whatever you want. Mine came with luggage, improved rear shock, added fuse box, bar risers, windshield, seat and more for around $3500 with 40,000 on it. You can spend more for fewer miles but they really don't have any problems. I've read so many things from guys who bought a 1000 Strom that later went to the 650 I'd never bother with the bigger bike. Unless you're planning on riding 2-up long distances, you don't need the added heft and poorer economy of the big Strom.

My only complaint with it is the Michelin Anakee tires are pretty useless off-road. A decent set of knobbies would solve that, and I'll get something different when these are done. The KLR was heavy, so this is no different off-pavement, but it's never going to be a tossable little thing like any 250.

I considered the Transalp as I came from a Honda family but the lack of accessories, coupled with the price and the limited availability turned me off.

I also road a Triumph Tiger 955i which is a great bike. Three cylinder engine is uber-smooth and has gobs of power. The only reason I didn't get one was I just didn't feel comfortable on the thing; something in the ergos didn't work for me. The Strom fits me perfectly.

I also liked the Aprilia Capanord but they were harder to find than a Transalp.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I really wanted a bike I could put some panniers on and ride on or off road but with a predominance for great road manners...I'm not really going to ride it across Mongolia... I'm going to ride up an occasional narrow track to a mountain top or hit a few dirt roads in questionable repair for a hundred miles of every 3000 of windy asphalt.

In which case, you can make just about any machine work. From a Vstrom to a Harley Road King.

Dwight mentioned the fun he had with his KLR, I could mention similar fun with my old Honda XL500. Far more dirt capable than I actually needed, with rather unpleasant asphalt traits (squashy suspension, weak brakes, knobby tires, etc). With most of my riding actually being on asphalt roads, the bike was a poor fit actually.

So, find a bike that fits you nicely, and put interesting shoes on it. Tires are the factor for getting along down dirt roads and such. I've put that Road King with it's Dunlop treads into places it shouldn't be. In no small measure because the center of gravity is low, the engine is a tractor engine, and I had workable tires. While at the same time letting me cruise comfortably all day long around town or on slabs of interstate highways.

Truthfully, I've been very disappointed at the lack of scenery on fire roads and trails here on the east. Trees everywhere, blocking my view of virtually anything, and I have to focus on the road/trail, instead of being able to look around. In the Rockies it's a different story. In the Appalachians though, it's trees, everywhere.

Allow me to make some suggestions:

CB500X
Ulysses
Wee-Strom
Tiger
Multistrada

That's probably the order I'd look at them in, too, if I were in the market for such a bike.

If you like the Transalp then also look into a used Yamaha Super Tenere.

It looks like it was possibly sold only starting in 2010 in the US, but I remember them from the early 90's as a good alternative to the Honda. I was not living in the states back then.

I vote Moto Guzzi Quota. You can usually find them for ~$4k.

You gotta really be honest about how you're going to use the bike. If you're really going to be taking it "off road on narrow paths" then I'd get a WR250R or a DRZ400.

A BMW 1150GS(A) is a street bike that'll handle some fire roads. It's in no way a double track type of bike unless you're an excellent off road rider and extremely strong so you can pick up the bike yourself when it falls over offroad.

Alot of the bikes people have posted are good street bikes, but have limited off road capability.

The KLR is the swiss army knife, but it kinda sucks are everything and needs a lot of work to get it right.

If you're looking for a liter bike the KTM 950/990 is probably the best blend of a street/off road bike.

I have a KTM 640 Adventure and it's a great bike. Not as good as the 950/990 on road, but better off road due to being 75lbs lighter than the bigger KTM twin.

Another choice would be a KTM 690 Enduro, but that's much more of a off road bike vs a street bike...

If you're riding mostly road stuff with some soft roads thrown in then the WeeStrom is your bike.

A co-worker rode one from VA to Vancouver years ago. He did a lot of gravel and dirt road riding and enjoyed every minute of it. Had some dual sport tires on it and said the thing did just fine.

FSP_ZX2 wrote: Sportster "Scrambler" The bike shown is a pre-2004, and has the rigid-mount motor. About 50# lighter than the later rubber-mount bikes. Need longer rear shocks to get the stance.

I cannot get this particular bad idea out of my head.

Woody wrote:

FSP_ZX2 wrote: Sportster "Scrambler" The bike shown is a pre-2004, and has the rigid-mount motor. About 50# lighter than the later rubber-mount bikes. Need longer rear shocks to get the stance.

I cannot get this particular bad idea out of my head.

Allow me to further contribute to the delinquency...

In reply to FSP_ZX2:

Keep those ideas coming...

+1 on Wee Strom. Owned one, and would gladly again. My brother has a TDM 850 , which is awesome if you can locate one (cheap when I see them for sale).

Woody wrote: In reply to FSP_ZX2: Keep those ideas coming...

Build thread on the white bike.

EvanB wrote: I vote Moto Guzzi Quota. You can usually find them for ~$4k.

For me, the fact that I've never, ever seen one of those makes it a poor candidate no matter how good of a bike it is.

Those HD powered bikes are gorgeous. No doubt. I owned quite a few Buells and can say...

• They'll be real heavy to hoss around any dirt.
• The belt drive system doesn't like gravel. Any ATV that used a belt drive now completely encloses it. I've seen gravel sheer the belt in half. Check out the chain conversion on the yellow bike.
• They won't ride like a modern bike with a more modern suspension design that avoids twin rear shocks.

Wee Strom. Just do it.

I wonder what the "best" compromise tire is going to be. I know on rock roads and such my VFR isn't really what I would describe as "confidence inspiring" on sport-touring tires and I doubt the changes in steering head angle and such on a 'strom are going to make it a whole lot better. Right? It seems like tire choice is key here.

I keep forgetting the Vee Strom. I may have to wait and see if I cannot work out a Christmas present for me.

I saw a KTM 950 Adventure pop up somewhere the other day for cheapish.....I wish I knew where.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

Sorry for the minor thread derailment with my new found Sportster fascination.

You may want to see about bringing in a Honda Africa Twin. They predate the Trans Alp and may have been sold in Canada.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50630&highlight=sportster

If I were in the market to get a bike, i'd rock that CB500x. Put some decent tires and bags on it, and ride ride ride.

African Twins were very popular in Europe as a poor person's BMW GS. The Guzzi is definitely an option and most of them are about as complicated as the proverbial box of rocks, but I'd check spares availability first. There aren't that many people who will wrench on a Guzzi.

I vote Vstrom. It fixes all the things I didn't like about my SV650S. I think if you rode two up a lot or carried heavy gear you would want the DL1000. Not really any weak points I can think of.

One of these days I'm going to build a GS500 Motard.

Just saying.