Dual Purpose Motorcycles Road/Off Road Road Safe. (ride, bike, Japanese)

[DBCC]

Hi everyone,
I have previously posed a thread located at:

//www.city-data.com/forum/motor...win-honda.html

and would like to get some input from fellow two - wheelers out there who may be able to assist me in my search.

I am looking for a good quality Japanese (Honda/Yamaha/Kawasaki)...or other..... which takes on the shape of a Dual Purpose bike for Road 70% and Off Road 30% ......similar to the Africa Twin.

I have ridden extensively and favor the Africa Twin 750cc as my bike of preference but they are very hard to come by in the USA. I have ridden the Suzuki DR800 as well as the Africa Twin extensively in the Andes, South America, and Africa, and the latter remains to be my favorite.

Many people in the USA (only one on thread) suggested a BMW 650 but my reasons are stated in the thread: not enough spares freely available.....and waiting for spares to be shipped can be a pain in the butt.

I know there are older, used models of the Africa Twin and Trans Alp available, but would like to be able to look at something with lower mileage, less wear and tear, preferably in the 2004-2008 time frame.

Can anyone suggest a Japanese bike (or other... except BMW) that has similar appearance / performance, economy, and reliability?..... and of course, spares are freely available.

I would not consider dropping below the 600cc line.
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Question 2:
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I have been riding a DR1000 in Argentina for the last three years.

While they are great sport bikes and road conditions in Argentina are ideal for this type of experience (i.e. - no speed limits, roads that one can travel 300 miles without seeing another person, great big wide open spaces when one can see another traveler for miles in Patagonia) I am concerned that US Road conditions/regulations will not provide me with the same riding experience on such a big bike.

Comments please from sport bike riders appreciated..

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Question 3.
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Having been a bike rider since the age of 12 (mainly off road) and having my current motorcycle license (valid for the next 4 years) without any provable (I have the records) negatives/fines/misdemeanors, I will have to renew my license locally on my return to the USA.

I have previously ridden bikes across the USA/Canada with foreign driving licenses and was allowed to do so as I did not remain in the countries for longer than three months at a time on each trip. So driving licenses were not an issue.

Presenting my previous driving license from another country... will this make things any easier for a local (US) license?

I am keen to do the instructional driving courses (MSF or the like) to get rid of what I am sure are old and bad habits, and learn something new, new trends/laws etc, or give me an "awareness" on USA roads again.

Appreciate any comments on the above 3 questions...by the way, I am a recreational rider of 54 years of age. No racing, just fun.....

Ride Safe....
Dee

[tortoise]

Suzuki’s V-Strom 650

advrider forum discussions

craigslist

[DBCC]

Thanks Tortoise.....good feed!

[odessa3]

tortoise beat me to it with the V-Strom. They also make a larger 1000. Everything I've read about them has been positive.

[DBCC]

I have been reading up on the Suzuki V-Strom 650 and am impressed. It will be an interesting bike to have a look at and appreciate your input.
One other question: How does the V-Strom 650 compare with the Kawasaki KLR650? There's not much info out there to compare, and few riders who have actually commented on the KLR's performance.

[DBCC]

Ok found this site: Suzuki V-Strom 650 engine performance, reliability, maintenance costs, etc. rated by riders
---- The Suzuki V-Strom 650 appears to be the better deal compared to the Yamaha KLR650.
Thanks!

Any other commenst on teh other questions?

[mikeyyc]

Vstrom is a small twin, same engine format as the SV650.

KLR is a single.

World of difference.

As far as wide open spaces, well there's no shortage of them in the US and Canada.

[catman]

The KLR650 is a Kawasaki, not a Yamaha.

I like the V-Stroms, although the styling could use some help. Just my opinion.

[DBCC]

Mickeyyc, thanks, Cylinders are an important detail which I had noticed and have taken into consideration. Yes, I agree there are some amazing wide-open spaces in USA Canada, and I am familiar with many of them. Some of the roads I have traveled on in South America and Africa have been amazingly bare of people. I have travelled on stretches in patagonia of 400+ km (240 + Miles) and not even seen a sign of human life. Much like travelling overland Australia, without the rivers. In patagonia, there is an average of 1 person per 14 sq miles... I have done many hundreds of miles without seeing a fence, lamp post, dwelling, track, vehicle or anything else to indicate humans are around. The route 40 through the Andes mountains has a stretch that can only be done with support vehicles for fuel, a 900km (540 mile) stretch. Exciting riding.

Catman, my apologies, it is a Kawasaki.!! I have been down to the local Suzuki shop and had a look closely at the V Strom. Not as pleasing to the eye as the Africa Twin/Transalp, and seems to have a lot more plastic. I will be taking a test ride this weekend. How do Suzuki spares compare to thoswe of Honda/Yamaha and Kawa in the USA? Here is South America Suzuki is a little bit more than the others due to not being as popular and thus less spares are avilalable which pushes the prices up.

Thanks for your feedback
Dee

Thanks for your input

[catman]

The spares situation for Suzuki is fine, as far as I know. Probably a little behind Honda and perhaps Yamaha, but at least as good as Kawasaki. I used to like Suzukis more than anything else. Now I can't say that I have a favorite, although Hondas are typically the most refined. Aas long as the bike is recent, they are all fairly good about parts. My 25-year-old Honda doesn't fit into that category.