New DR650 for me :)

[CoyoteX]

Here is my new bike. Just got it today for $4650 out the door. I can't find a good mileage estimate but it seems like 47mpg is about right so that is what I will put in the combined mileage box. Guess I will find out how good it does though over the next few weeks.

Now I just have to plan for a trip to Alaska on it next summer Anyone else that has a bike want to join me?

[thisisntjared]

very nice! i want a biek pretty bad....

[MetroMPG]

Alaska? Seriously?

I'm betting you've watched "Long way 'round."

[CoyoteX]

nope those guys stayed at a hotel everywhere possible, that seems like cheating I plan on camping most of the time and cooking a lot of my own food. I will be setting the bike up with hard saddle bags and a small tank bag. That should let me pack everything I need. At most this summer I might make a few trips on the transamerica trail close to home but nothing big. That will be next year after I have my required camping gear all figured and and perfect for a long trip.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=228592

or

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83480

Actually half the threads on that ride reports sub-forum seem pretty interesting. Don't go there or you will be buying a bike and wanting to hit the road yourself.

As for myself I have always had bikes and never really rode much. But now that I am living pretty comfortably and am single with no debt or anything holding me back I figure it is time to have some real big adventures. Also having a job as a college teacher lets me get a lot of time off so I can do goofy stuff like spend a month and a half on a trip from WV to AK.

If you are wanting a bike the Suzuki dr650 is a pretty nice all around bike, it can do highway speeds with no problems, gets decent mileage, can do some offroading and is a simple, very reliable bike. I figure the new emissions stuff coming means the air cooled carb'd bikes will soon be history. No simple and easy to work on bikes ever again when that happens. Also these bikes are really cheap for what you get. I don't think it is the ultimate mileage bike but it doesn't do bad for what it is. I would probably get one of those American Lifan 200cc dual sport bikes that get 90mpg if I wanted something just for commuting though. They seem to be a pretty decent small bike.

[CoyoteX]

Message # 201 on that first thread I linked to

Originally Posted by NoahSpurrier

A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I watched "Long Way Round" looking for some inspiration. It had a few moments, but overall it left us both feeling flat. I couldn't put my finger on exactly why. We knew it had something to do with these guys being rich bastards with months of planning, two SUV support crew, satellite phones, free equipment, TV deal and lots and lots of money. But there was something more, and now I get it. It's because Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman are p******.

Thanks to Makiko for some real inspiration. I should be riding more.
Now I just need to get some clothepins so I can dry my socks on the mirrors of my Multistrada.

Yours,
Noah

hehe

[red91sit]

haha, i love how many common interests we all share here!! I'm also a member of advrider.com, and it's also been a real inspiration to me. If either of my bikes could make it that far, I would definetly be game to join you on your voyage. I've been interested in purchasing an old Honda-200, I figure 2 cyl. 2 carbs would be MUCH more easy to repair, maintain, and repair again than my 4 cyl. 4 carb. bike.

Can't wait to see a ride report from you in the future!

[GasSavers_DaX]

Nice bike - I was looking at one of these last night as a matter of fact. My dad's riding to AK next year, but on a 1200 cc BMW.

[bones33]

Missed this thread, late to the party.

Motorcycle touring is THE best way to go. Sun is hotter, rain is wetter, views are expansive. Simple, fun, the essense of being connected-to-the-environment-travel and the people around you. You travel slower, notice more, smell the air and almost taste as well as see the land travelling under you. Let the weather, other kind souls you'll meet and your own natural pace dictate your speed. Find yourself. Do the trip, you won't regret it. Spend as much time as you can possibly find, it will be worth it.

I spent a month and a half on a used GSX400 in Australia. It was a dream travel that I never knew I had deep inside. Since then I vowed to circumnavigate each continent before I die. Hopefully now some of it will be with my son.

Be prepared!! It will change you forever.

[CoyoteX]

red91sit: The dr650 is a single cylinder bike so it is hopefully very easy to repair. It has a reputation for being a very reliable bike though so if I am lucky I won't have to find out how easy it is to repair.

I am trying to come up with the minimum required stuff to carry on the bike. I figure the easiest way to do that is to do a few weekend camping trips this summer. I have a tent and sleeping bag and need to pick up a good self inflating pad still. I have everything I think I need to cook basic meals. I have my Cingular 8125 pda phone to take pictures and videos and upload them to a website so I don't need a laptop. I just got a solar powered bluetooth gps module that will work with the 8125 and google maps/tom tom navigator to keep me more or less in the right direction. Can't think of much else I really need but I'm sure I will figure it out over a few camping trips.

Anyone on here that lives near WV interested in a weekend camping trip? Lots of great places to camp around here.

[CoyoteX]

My first real tank of driving got 51mpg I would say 20-25 miles of it was on dirt even. I might have to adjust the number I put in for combined mileage but I have still not found a country that does EPA style mileage ratings on bikes to get the numbers from.

I picked up an Olympia AST jacket and Airglide pants so hopefully I won't kill myself when riding now. Riding in a tee-shirt/jeans just never did seem like a smart thing to do to me. Only thing I need now is a set of saddle bags and I might even start riding this thing to work.

When I used to ride before it was on a smaller bike so riding on the road was not much fun but with this 650 thumper it is way more fun, it has some real grunt to it. I will write up a full review of this bike and post it in the review section once I get 500 miles or so on it.