hey all
am the proud owner of a 650 abs wee - second hand with 11K on it (now 13 after 2 months). i've bought this with the grand plan of saving my money up over the next year, chucking some luggage and my partner and the back and seeing if we can make it from sydney to england overland.
we both work for non-profits, so the saving phase may take some time, but we're aiming for july-aug of next year
i've had a few bikes before - i learned to ride on a step through when i lived in vietnam, then learned how to use a clutch (i've never had a car license) on a honda baja which i rode across NW laos, bought a gn250 when i got back to new zealand (and made it from auckland and dunedin and back), still own a bmw r65 (which almost goes) and recently toured NZ on an xj750
my partner is just learning to ride - she's a very old and loud gsx250 at the moment
reasonably comfy 2up
good on tarmac
good off tarmac
within our budget
i've had a few long rides already and had it on the gravel, with a trip to wombeyan caves (in the rain on the way back) and have found it a dream. we settled on the strom as it seemed:
my first big trip in australia is coming up - i'm bringing my little brother over from NZ in november and we're going to ride from sydney to ularu and back. we'll follow the tarmac on the way there, then intend to swing past broken hill and head on to the dirt roads.
i'm very keen to see what recommendations australian riders might have for tyres for such a trip? 5000 odd k on tarmac and 2000 on outback roads....
i'm also looking at what side cases to put on it. one of the biggest questions that i have is around the safety of hard cases when 2-up - a trip as big as we are planning will involve us falling off either a) lots or b) often (i'm hoping for a). anyone have any thoughts as to whether there is any reasonable chance of destroying my partners ankle when i put the bike down with her on the back if we have hard cases on it? or am i being overly paranoid?
any thoughts folk might have on tyres and cases will be warmly met!
am the proud owner of a 650 abs wee - second hand with 11K on it (now 13 after 2 months). i've bought this with the grand plan of saving my money up over the next year, chucking some luggage and my partner and the back and seeing if we can make it from sydney to england overland.
we both work for non-profits, so the saving phase may take some time, but we're aiming for july-aug of next year
i've had a few bikes before - i learned to ride on a step through when i lived in vietnam, then learned how to use a clutch (i've never had a car license) on a honda baja which i rode across NW laos, bought a gn250 when i got back to new zealand (and made it from auckland and dunedin and back), still own a bmw r65 (which almost goes) and recently toured NZ on an xj750
my partner is just learning to ride - she's a very old and loud gsx250 at the moment
reasonably comfy 2up
good on tarmac
good off tarmac
within our budget
i've had a few long rides already and had it on the gravel, with a trip to wombeyan caves (in the rain on the way back) and have found it a dream. we settled on the strom as it seemed:
my first big trip in australia is coming up - i'm bringing my little brother over from NZ in november and we're going to ride from sydney to ularu and back. we'll follow the tarmac on the way there, then intend to swing past broken hill and head on to the dirt roads.
i'm very keen to see what recommendations australian riders might have for tyres for such a trip? 5000 odd k on tarmac and 2000 on outback roads....
i'm also looking at what side cases to put on it. one of the biggest questions that i have is around the safety of hard cases when 2-up - a trip as big as we are planning will involve us falling off either a) lots or b) often (i'm hoping for a). anyone have any thoughts as to whether there is any reasonable chance of destroying my partners ankle when i put the bike down with her on the back if we have hard cases on it? or am i being overly paranoid?
any thoughts folk might have on tyres and cases will be warmly met!