Looking for touring bike info.
Duffy
touring as a passtime when I retire, and am currently trying to
evaluate the different models, prices, pros, cons etc. I currently
ride a Vulcan 800 Classic, and, while its a great cruiser for
weekends, I don't think it has the "legs" for any really long
distances, 2 up & luggage. Based strictly on price, the Voyager XII
seem to be a clear cut winner.
I don't want my Kawasaki bias to influence my decision. Does anyone
have any insight into the Voyager, or should I be considering
something else ?
Thanks in advance
Duffy
VROC 2479
Ken B.
I just sold my Voyager but if I had to buy another touring bike it would
be the Voyager or a Concours. Dollar for dollar there is nothing out
there that will be the Voyager. It runs smooth, will pull a trailer all
day and not complain and is very comfortable to ride. I have put a
number of long trips in on it that ended up being gas tank to gas tank
type trips. It has lots of power and handles really nice. Everything you
need pretty well comes standard on it unless you want to upgrade the
pipes or add a CB. Prtas are abundant as there have not really been any
changes to the XII since it was first introduced in 1986. All the parts
are interchangeable. The downside is kawasaki may not be making anymore
of them.
I sold mine as I could no longer handle the weight after a long days
ride due to health reasons.
Ken B.
Brian J. Given
Guess we need a little more information, like how far to you plan to
ride, and where and whether you plan to carry a passenger? Are you packing
tent, bag, stove etc. or a credit card?
Just to get the discussion going ....
I figure that if it doesn't fit in the panniers I don't need it, but
lots of folks want camping gear, helmet storage, beer etc. etc. so a few
realistic trial runs are needed. No point in discovering after you have
mortgaged the cat that the only way you can carry enough stuff on your new
machine is to wear a back-pack.
Cruisers are great for cruising but that riding position can be pretty
hard on you over the long haul. Again, I think this is very much personal
taste. For a 100 mile day, almost any machine is just fine but for a 500 or
700 mile day (that's 804.7 to 1127 km. for you whipper snappers), small
problems with position can be really painful business, especially for those
of us who are middle aged. Maybe we should think of buying the saddle,
handlebars and footpeg position? All our bodies are different so it would
be best if we would put a thousand miles (of typical touring distances per
day) on any machine before we buy it. I've had two BMW's with Corbin
saddles and cannot stand the things ... give me the stock saddle any day ...
or a two by four! BUT it took me a long day or two to find out how much
those saddles don't suit me ... and lots of other folks think they are
great.
I tour on a BMW these days and used to travel by Harley back when these
two machines were the ones most serious travelers chose. There was a sense
that these were the bikes you worked you way up to. They were also the only
ones you could find a dealer for almost anywhere (in North America for
Harley and the world for BMW).
Things have changed and then, to some extent, changed back. For a few
years it was difficult to find a Harley dealer and Honda dealers were
everywhere. Now it seems to me that your best chance of a dealer when you
need one in the less populated parts of North America is to travel by
Harley. Not that I like the new hawgs all that much but you can get service
and the new machines are pretty reliable, if you don't mind some folks
assuming that you are an accountant who's bought himself an image (<G> just
kidding all you HD folks! ... but you do know what I'm talking about!).
The Honda Goldwing may be the most comfortable machine for a passenger.
Passengers sit high and can see the road where, on most bikes, they can see
the back of your helmet. On the other hand not all of us like a machine that
is that heavy or that complex. I tend to look at what all those "features"
are going to cost to keep operating when the bike is 15 years old (but that
is because they often are by the time I get them<G>). On the other hand,
there are a lot of old Wings still on the road with riders who love them.
Personally I wouldn't buy a bike with ABS or hydraulic suspension, if I
could get the bike without those features. I didn't like Citroen DS21's for
the same reason ...all that plumbing!
Almost any machine these days will hang together if you do basic
maintenance so the choice is really one of feel and maintenance difficulty.
I just completed (well, almost completed, but that's another story) a 900
mile trip on my 1967 Velocette Venom (500 single). Frankly, its the most
enjoyable bike I've ever ridden. It would be my first choice for touring in
company (a bit chancy without another bike along) but almost nobody else
would consider a Velocette to be a touring bike (and some have wondered if I
shouldn't look into my medication). The point, I think, is that the bike
that feels good to you, and that can be maintained using the skills you
have, is the machine to tour on.
On that latter question of skills. My own bias is for a machine that I
can understand (it has to be pretty simple!) and can fix by the side of the
road. Few of today's bikes qualify but some are very difficult to do major
service on and some are much easier. I have had to do major surgery in
places where the local dealer didn't even have a quart of (Harley 106) oil.
Most of that can be prevented with good preparation, but not all of it ...
depends on how far you are willing to ship a bike because you can't fix it.
I wouldn't buy a touring motorcycle (or any motorcycle) without working
my way through the shop manual first. How difficult is it to diagnose
problems? what about setting valves? adjusting fuel mixture? getting at the
bits you have to change? (My BMW K-bike has the fuel filter INSIDE the gas
tank near the bottom - no fun to change so many folks don't do that as often
as they should - and besides, its just dumb!) What about periodic
maintenance? To pick on BMW again ... wonderful bikes but R-bikes need to
clutch splines lubricated every two or three years for most of us ... big
job and expensive if the dealer does it. The K-bike needs the rear end and
drive shaft removed and the splines on the drive shaft lubricated with
grease because the engineers decided not to run it in oil ... and so on.
Its not that big a job but would put some folks right off. All bikes require
some sort of major service from time to time, whether the owners realize
this or not. It had better be done before we head "out there."
If I had to make a choice tomorrow I would pick up a mint airhead BMW
with panniers, like an R80RT or R100RT. Very reliable and you can fix almost
anything at a truck stop. Service and parts readily available and it sounds
like a motorcycle! You can probably get a good sample, with bags and
fairing, for around $4000 - $6000. The fairing makes for a lot of audible
engine noise so you might choose not to have one.
And I would bring a credit card<G!> ... and a Haynes manual!
Brian
"Duffy" <cly...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
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Arthur
touring two-up? With a trailer? How long do you expect to ride (ie, how
long will you own the bike)?
You need to try to determine what kind of riding you enjoy and what you
think you'll be doing with the bike once you retire. If you expect to be
two-up a lot of the time, you should involve your partner in your decision.
Consider attending meetings of a touring club and/or participating on their
rides. Chat with other "tourers". A list of local groups (not just
touring) can be found at:
http://motorcyclecourse.cyberus.ca/new/clubs.shtml
If you'd like further information on the local chapter of the Gold Wing Road
Riders Association (GWRRA) (we have riders of all makes), send me an email.
Obviously, I'm biased towards Goldwings, but if you're new to touring then
the Voyager is probably a good, inexpensive choice.
Good luck!
Arthur
'03 GL1800 Goldwing
"Duffy" <cly...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
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Dave Cruickshank
<brian...@rogers.com> wrote:
>Hi Duffy:
>
> Guess we need a little more information, like how far to you plan to
>ride, and where and whether you plan to carry a passenger? Are you packing
>tent, bag, stove etc. or a credit card?
Just to give you some perspective:
I just completed a cross-canada ride on an 805cc Volusia. on it I had
packed: 2 saddlebags (full with spare helmet and rain-suit), a
gas-tank bag, one clothes pack with enough complete changes of
clothing for 4 days., two bedrolls, a tent, food and camp-cooking gear
for about 4 days.
The modifications (from stock) I had to do to the bike to make it
endurable over this distance were: Windshield, Mustang Seat,
passenger back-rest, and forward controls.
It never broke a sweat. (3400 kms in 4 days)
So, if you want to spend the money on a big touring bike... feel free.
THey are very comfortable, and will more than adequately do the job.
But if you're on more of a budget... a smaller cruiser *IS* a
alternate way to go with little sacrifice to comfort or endurance.
George R. Young
news:U0RZa.1860$kp4.2...@news20.bellglobal.com:
I've toured on a 1965 160 Honda, an air-cooled 1973 RD350, a 1982 550
Vision, and I've just agreed to purchase a Kawasaki Concours. There are no
bad touring bikes. But I must say, shaft drive is nicer.
Paul Harris
<cly...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
Hi Duffy:
I bought a 2003 Voyager recently. 57years old, riding for 40 of them,
and owned an even baker's dozen of bikes.
I have only owned one other full-up touring machine, which was a 1984
Gold Wing. I loved the Wing, and in some ways it was a more relaxing
tourer than the Voyager, I think the (GW) engine is a bit torguier
(sp?) and somewhat lower-powered than the Voy. On the other hand, while
the Voyager hardly qualifies as a sports/touring machine, it is
definitely a bike that you can ride more to the max than the 1200 cc
vintage (1984-87) Wings. I do like to challenge the twisty mountain
roads here in BC occasionally, and the Voyager has definitely got the
edge over my old GW in this department. I think it's rated at 97 hp,
which moves it along quite well, even with me and a bunch of camping
equipment on top. I've seen a lot of cruisers getting smaller in my
rear-view mirrors, not even trying to dust them off. So, it's a big pig
of a touring machine, with most of the bells & whistles, but if you
want to crank on the power and scrape the footpegs, you can do a bit of
that, too.
I'm extremely happy with this bike so far, and would not want to go
back to my old GW. I don't like riding with a passenger, so while the
new Gold Wings are reputed to be very good performers, whether one- or
two-up, I wanted a smaller bike, and the Voyager fitted the bill
perfectly. (I never thought, when I was a younger man, that I would be
referring to a bike with a 1200 cc engine as a "smaller" bike!).
I rarely ride a M/C around the city, preferring a bicycle, but when I
do, the Voyager is actually pretty nimble around town.
I have heard that it's pretty well confirmed now that Kawasaki is
discontinuing the Voyager, but I don't see that as as reason not to buy
one (if you can still find a new one, or buy used). The Kawasaki
warrantee is great, and parts will be available for many years.
Have fun making your choice!
Regards,
Paul Harris
Victoria, BC
danb
your own body requirements. Any full turer or sport turer can be converted
into a bike that would be comfortable for 800 mile days. I rode the distance
on Wings (1500 & 1200) Yamaha Venture and a Concors.
None worked well for me out of the box but all became comfortable after
spending less than $1000 on essential modifications (larger wind screen,
handlebar raisers, day long saddles, highway pags, etc..). luggage capacity
is another issue, personally I prefer to replace the top box with a large
rack for better flexibility and for carrying large volume of camping gear.
Dan
"Duffy" <cly...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
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Duffy
discontinued, this may hasten my decision.
Duffy
"danb" <hat...@magma.ca> wrote in message
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Bram
Hi;
I wanted a sportier bike than a Wing, BMW or Voyager and I
didn't want
the size of the Voyager, nor did I want to spend the $$$ for an
FJR - my
choice was based on longevity, reliability, cost of entry and
support - I
went with the Concours.
It isn't perfect, but given the dramatically lower cost of
entry for a
new machine, I was able to put in my handlebar risers,
conspicuity
enhancements, back box and so on and still had thousands left
over. The
basic 3 year warranty and the somewhat overpriced available 2
year
unlimited extension (in the US they charge half as much for a 3
year
extension) is well worth while if you are planning high mileage
use.
For long term two-up (with an adult passenger) touring the
Concours is
probably a bit on the small side, but I wanted the handling
more than the
capacity since I rarely carry a passenger. Voyager has the
same warranty
and is probably well worth investigating - you can probably
make an
excellent deal for one now - if not in Ottawa, then for certain
at the
dealer near my home here in Montreal.
Bram COG# 5862
'03 Concours
'81 KZ550 LTD
"Duffy" <cly...@sympatico.ca> wrote in
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> Does anyone have any insight into touring bikes ? I am