I am thinking of getting an ADV bike as a second bike I have an Electra glide CVO but would like a bike I can ride on gravel/back country roads and paved roads. Thinking more of a street bike type vs dirt ie duel sport. Thinking Africa twin Suzuki Versey that type of bike possibly a Euro bike ie Ducati, BMW, Triumph but not sure on the reliability of these might be money pits with high part prices. I should mention I would be buying used. Anyone have any of these bikes have any comment's thoughts.
ADV bikes
- Thread starter mxzguy
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DRD
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Check out the 14+Vstrom 1000. Can be had cheap and they are decent. If you want to chase crotch rockets look at the 1290 Adventure...It's like asking for a sandwich, so many different kinds all biased one way or the other. If your a HD fan, go ride a Pan America.
drew562
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I had a KLR 650. Good bike to get your feet wet. As far as the Harley Davidson Panama. Absolutely thrilling bike to ride 150 hp. Handles great. Safe a 180km an hour down gravel roads no problem.
teeroy
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I have a '23 Africa Twin, Adventure Sports model with the DCT trans. It also has cruise, electronic suspension, heated handgrips, 6.6 gallon fuel tank, and tubeless wheels. Rode the Ultra Classic up to AK in '22, decided to get an ADV bike to do the Dempster and the Dalton. Rode it up both this past June, bike was great. No regrets.
The AT from 2020 and up have a ten year warranty on the touch screen display, no matter if you are original owner or 10th owner. Had mine replaced on warranty after the touch screen stopped responding.
The AT from 2020 and up have a ten year warranty on the touch screen display, no matter if you are original owner or 10th owner. Had mine replaced on warranty after the touch screen stopped responding.
How do you like the auto, was it strange at first?
teeroy
Active VIP Member
Yes, very weird. Kept squeezing the manual upshift flipper thinking it was the clutch. Been riding dirt and moto since I was a kid, definitely a learning curve. But once you get onto it, and find the shift mode you like, the thing is a rocket. The only downside I can report from my experience is you can't wheelie it through multiple gears. Well, I can't...yet. It also has a sh!tload of nanny electronics, front and rear ABS, traction control, and wheelie control all with varying amounts of settings. I bought a dongle from an outfit called LSK Electronics that shuts everything completely off, other than front ABS, with a press of a button on the left control pod. Much better.
Bnorth
Active VIP Member
I rented a couple BMWs last year the 750GS and 850GS both are very nice bikes and handle extremely nimble.
Stay away from the some of the KTM's these days, they are having camshaft issues. I have 2 friends with BMW's and they are nice bikes but just aren't as reliable as the Japanese units. If there isn't a dealer close the BMW's are a pain. Guys I know have to haul the bikes to Edmonton for warranty, and to keep the warranty the dealer has to do all the servicing. Honda and Yamaha just requires receipts showing the use of their oil and filters with mileage recorded in the manual and the warranty is unaffected by doing your maintenance.
brokenbones4
Active member
I just bought a 23 vstrom 1050de, my other choice was the bmw f900gs, price was about equal but servicing, parts and proven reliability made the suzuki more appealing. But damn that bmw is nice!
- Thread starter
- #11
Thanks for the input all the bikes suggested sound awesome but was looking for something a bit more budget friendly. Found a 08 Buell Ulysses at a great price going to put some adventure tires on it should do what I am looking for. Taking a bit of a chance as parts down the road might be an issue but maintenance parts are still available. It’s a fun bike to ride and people say they are reliable so will see.
S.W.A.T.
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How heavy is that thing? Sounds like a half ton pickup
teeroy
Active VIP Member
Adventure Sports model with DCT is 529 lbs. Lighter than everything else in it's class of 1000cc plus ADV bikes.
DCT model is 558lbs but still on the light side compared to most 1000+cc bikes. My 2023 SuperTenere ES 1200 is like 584lbs, but I don't know if that includes the hard pannier cases or not, they do come with the bike.
teeroy
Active VIP Member
You're right, I posted weight for the non DCT model. Honda claims a dry weight of 551 for the 2023 DCT. With myself and gear loaded I weighed in at just over 900 lbs.
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its pretty wild that once your moving on these things the weight seems to disappear
teeroy
Active VIP Member
Kind of like a Harley, but with a way higher center of gravity. I've only dumped mine twice loaded, both times were while stopped ffs. They fall a lot further lol.
Sending my ECU out for a reflash, then I will remove the headpipe and remove the catalytic converter, these changes are supposed to make a huge difference. ECU tuning if strictly for meeting emissions, once the engine is tuned for what an engine like they run much cooler with smoother throttle response. Going to be a long wait until spring time.
FanaticalKilla
Active VIP Member
Who did you send your ECU out to?
Tuned last year with Mikey Moto Racing out of Brampton for my 2015 V Strom 1000 and it runs so much better.
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