I haven't replaced my bike since wrecking it up in Northwest Territories on my way to Tuk a year ago.

Here's a pic from the Dempster Hwy the day before I broke my ankle:



I had a pretty well kitted out R1200GS Adventure. I really liked the bike, and it probably saved my bacon when the mud froze and the highway maintenance team sprayed it with oil...

I was pretty comfortable riding with minimal gear on cruisers, but for adventure riding I really became a fan of "ALL the Gear, All the Time". Good gear saved me. My riding partner had a cheaper "bell" helmet, his head still isn't right. 20 people were life flighted off that stretch of road that weekend.

I sure like the BMW... I'm not sure about the Africa Twin, but a few people had them at D2D. Overwhelmingly...people either ride a KTM or a BMW. You see 3-4 times BMW bikes over anything else in Alaska and on these roads. My GS was just as comfortable on the road as my step-dad's goldwing, and it was way more comfortable off-road. The big thing is to figure out if you are an off-road adventure rider or a backroad adventure rider. They're really two different bikes. The big GS adventure is awesome to do dirt and backroads around the world...but it's a heavy bike on a narrow single track trail. It can be done, but you'll want the smaller, lighter versions if you trailer to places to ride adventure.

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Originally posted by fwbulldog:

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Originally posted by p113565:
Regarding Fort Nine review on the New Yamaha Tenere 700, have a look at the older Fort Nine review of the AT.

The T7 looks great, until you find out it's seriously undersprung. So you have to add the cost of new springs front/rear, shock re-valve, all the setup, etc. I'm 255lbs without riding gear and luggage. No way I can ride a stock 700.

By the time you add up all the work you gotta do, you're at Africa Twin or KTM890 pricing.

I keep going in circles trying to save a few thousand dollars, which is stupid considering I don't want to be stranded out in BFE with a busted bike.

True the T700 is under sprung for many, at 180# I'm a click or two away from max preload to achieve 30% sag. But it's not *that* expensive to have the shock re-sprung and a set of heavier fork springs. It's not like a stock AT will be dialed in for your weight either but I will admit my AT rode smoother over rough roads than my T7. The lighter Tenere' is more nimble and easier to handle on all types of roads but the AT with it's taller gearing is more relaxed for mile munching.
If ownership cost is a factor be sure to take into account service costs and ease of maintenance. My AT wanted the valves checked every 16,000 miles at over 5 hours shop time ($100 per hour) to *check* them, that's because of all the stuff that needed removed just to access them. If adjustment was needed add another hour. Air filter was hard to access as well. Tenere' is much easier to access everything and valve inspection isn't until 26,000 miles... this is a big savings. You can't go wrong with either.

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Originally posted by AKSuperDually:

Here's a pic from the Dempster Hwy the day before I broke my ankle:

The big thing is to figure out if you are an off-road adventure rider or a backroad adventure rider. They're really two different bikes.

What happened to the ankle? I've never ridden with hard panniers. Every time I see them I think "that'll break my leg".

My biggest problem is that my heart is a 20 year old two-stroker, but my body is a 50 year old software engineer.

Nice bike! I bet that was tons of fun. Well, minus the broken ankle and oily frozen roads, of course.

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Originally posted by ridewv:

The lighter Tenere' is more nimble and easier to handle on all types of roads but the AT with it's taller gearing is more relaxed for mile munching.
If ownership cost is a factor be sure to take into account service costs and ease of maintenance.

All great points. Always trade-offs. And around in circles we go. I know they say "never let the bike you want stop you from enjoying the bike you have".

KTM dealer is gonna have the new 890 R early December. More money than I want to spend, but it does look like a nice fit between the 790 and 1290. For sure it's a good time to be shopping for bikes. Lots of great choices.

quote:

Originally posted by fwbulldog:

quote:

Originally posted by AKSuperDually:

Here's a pic from the Dempster Hwy the day before I broke my ankle:

The big thing is to figure out if you are an off-road adventure rider or a backroad adventure rider. They're really two different bikes.

What happened to the ankle? I've never ridden with hard panniers. Every time I see them I think "that'll break my leg".

My biggest problem is that my heart is a 20 year old two-stroker, but my body is a 50 year old software engineer.

Nice bike! I bet that was tons of fun. Well, minus the broken ankle and oily frozen roads, of course.

We came around a bend in the rutty road to a spot where the shadows of the hill had the road shaded. Frozen ruts, with the oil mixture sprayed to keep the dust down (a maintenance worker was the second on scene, he was flabbergasted that motorcycles were even on the road). My riding partner went down instantly at the 45 mph or so that we were traveling at (another GS adventure). I was fishtailing, sliding one way then the next. The computer was working its magic, and I was trying everything to get straight. I'd get it up straight, and then it'd slide the other way. Eventually, my toe grabbed a rut and bent my foot around 180, boot and all, snapping my bones. I jumped off about the same time, no unable to stand on the pegs anymore. I didn't hit hard, but most of my gear was cut off of me at the clinic a couple of hours later. My riding partner had a SPOT satellite messenger, it couldn't get reception. A Canadian came by after a time and he had a sat phone. A road worker came by, and they drove to the nearest station to call for help. It was about a 3 hour response time, and a 2 hour, back of the truck ride to the nearest aid station/clinic. I ended up having to charter an airplane to get down to whitehorse, where friends drove from sitka to drive me back into the US. I learned that not all medivac insurance is the same, and the VA coverage does not extend to Canada. I also learned that displaced broken bones hurt a lot until they can figure out how to put them back...that took 3 days. One of the largest lessons was to always have a garmin inreach on my person. I used to be a retailer for SPOT, back in the first year they came out. They were a great company until they sold out...I'd never trust one again. I also place a lot of faith and confidence in BMW motorcycles. Let the computer do the work, if you do your part, it compliments you well. I'll buy another one.

Don't discount BMW because of maintenance costs for a couple reasons:
1. BMW maintenance costs aren't any worse than any other brand. I pay just about the same amount of money when I take my Kawasaki H2SXSE in for service that I do for my BMW.

2. The boxer engine is pretty easy to work on yourself so if you have the space and are handy with tools you can probably perform most of the maintenance yourself.

With that said the GS and GSA continues to be the number 1 selling adventure bike worldwide. Its a great all around do everything thing well motorcycle kind of like the Swiss army knife of motorcycles. If you're looking at riding primarily paved, gravel or dirt roads you can't go wrong with a GS/GSA. If you've planning single track roads or more challenging dirt roads, sand etc the BMW may not be the best choice.

As others have already mentioned Advrider is a great online resource but I'd also recommend getting a subscription to Road Runner magazine, lots of great articles on taking road trips CONUS & OCONUS. Plus they also have bike reviews and other motorcycle related articles of interest.

After going around in circles for weeks, I think I'm leaning towards getting a Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro.

As much as I'd like to think I'm an off-road rider, I see myself doing way 70/30 highway/dirt road with the occasional challenging 2-track thrown in.

The Tiger seems like a decent compromise between cost/features/comfort/performance. You get the heated grips/seat etc... More comfortable than the KTM/YT7.

Some day I'll have the enduro and a road bike. For now, I can only get one.

I'm a BMW R1200GS guy, but my closest friend and riding buddy has been on several Edelweiss tours to Europe where he always picks a different bike. His last was to northern England, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. He used the Triumph Tiger for the trip and liked it a lot. (His normal road bike is a Kawasaki Concourse.)

I know several riders with Tigers. They all like their bikes big time.

Brought it home today. Tiger 900 Rally Pro.

A few things I didn't know I needed until now:

1) shift-assist. This sounds like a stupid marketing gimmick, but I really, really like it.
2) heated grips. You don't have to live with frozen fingers anymore.
3) help unloading a bike. I was really nervous to bring this one down the bike ramp. It's under 500 lbs, but like most ADV it carries that weight fairly high. I was glad my wife was there with a 2nd set of hands.

That shift assist is a spoiler. My S1000XR had it but my F850GS does not. I had to really practice with my clutch lever to get back in the groove.

Congratulations.. That a good looking motorcycle. Does that model come with cruise control?

Congratulations on the new bike. Go get some miles on it, then get it dirty.