VECCHI ENDURO:
Ho letto anche io i reportage di vecchi viaggiatori, quello che non ci accomuna con i vecchi viaggiatori e' il tempo che avevano a disposizione. Tieni presente poi che gran parte dei viaggi venivano fatti su piste o strade, qualche fuoristrada ma in questi casi a velocita' ridotta. Cercavano poi di viaggiare con il meglio della tecnologia disponibile a quel tempo. Personalmente ho incontrato giramondo burkina con un 125 due tempi e sicuramente si muovevano meglio di maximoto. Personalmente se avessi molto tempo a questo punto preferirei la trazione animale (cammello o mulo con carretto), difficile che si rompa e il silenzio e il modo di viaggiare e' quello a dimensione d'uomo e piu' ecologico.
KTM, Rally e Escursioni
Viaggiare con passegro con il mio GS80 mi sono trovato benissimo e lo ho sempre caricato forse piu di quanto potesse, ma ho viaggiato sempre bene. Ma ero al limite di guidabilita' e su sterrati un po impegnativi ci ho lasciato telaietto posteriore, ammortizzatore e viaggiavo da solo! (senza passeggero)
Dopo aver dovuto guidare un 2 tempi quando ho fatto l'auto di supporto e il guidatore si era infortunato ho capito cosa significa viaggiare "leggeri" e quindi mi sono chiesto esiste una moto che mi permetta di "volare" ma anche di viaggiare autonomamente ?
Mi sembra da quanto ho cercato e visto che LC4 Adventure possa permettere un adeguato carico, autonomia, affidabilita' forse a discapito della comodita'
In pratica e' come un vecchio enduro, con in piu quello che la tecnologia puo' offrire.
sospensioni, performance
Come mettere un po di carico?
Quanto e' affidabile?
Si puo' fare qualche viaggietto serio?
Viaggietto in KTM l'amico (Chris Addison) che ha avuto sia maximoto (bmw 1150) che moto piu' esasperate (Husqvarna)
ecco cosa scrive di altre moto:
"The BMW R1100/1150GS is a beautiful bike, very comfortable, economical, strong wheels, low centre of gravity, and proven reliability. The down side is weight, cost and sensitive to poor fuel. I have seen people ride these in the sand, and I know which bike I would rather be on, the KTM. Until recently I owned a related bike, an R1100RS.
BMW 650. The old Aprilia built Funduro and the new BMW built 650 suffer from being overweight (over 40Kg's more than the KTM). Seat height is OK. Fuel capacity is poor, though the power and economy is good, especially the new true BMW's. To increase the fuel capacity is a very expensive option. Suspension is nothing special, even the 'Dakar' model is nowhere near the same class as the KTM. All but the Dakars' have 19" front wheels, which makes them even less dirt oriented.
The Honda Varadero is not a serious adventure bike in my opinion. I will probably cop some flak over this, as it seems Honda can do no wrong in some people's eyes. I think it is an ugly, heavy, oversized, fuel hungry, poorly designed bike (for it's supposed purpose), though I'm sure it is a great road bike. One decent rock or pothole is all it takes to destroy a cast wheel, which rules out the Honda instantly.
The Honda Africa Twin. Only available in Europe, and extremely popular there. Three of the guys I travelled through Asia with had these, and they did go well. They look comfortable, but at the end of the day, they looked every bit as sore as me. They don't have much ground clearance, but they do have a low seat. Power and economy was a little lower than the KTM. probably a good choice if there isn't much off-road.
Honda XR600, Kawasaki KLX 650. Very much sport oriented, very light rear sub-frame, and in the case of the Honda, unlikely the gearbox or the motor would last. Until recently I owned a '97 XR600.
Honda Dominator. Weak rear sub-frame, and a shock that self destructs regularly on corrugated roads. They have a similar looking motor to the XR600, but they are made in Italy, and seem to be more robust.
Honda XR650 water-cooled model. Still an unknown quantity, but like the DR650, you would have to spend a lot to get it up to touring standard. The aluminium frame would worry me, especially the rear sub-frame. I would be interested to find out how they cope with poor fuel, which is an issue in Northern Africa and Pakistan. Like the KTM, it is a very tall bike. The suspension is way too soft. Most Japanese bikes are set up for 56kg riders with no luggage. All I did on the KTM was increase the preload on the shock spring to carry me at 90Kg+ and about 50Kg of gear.
Suzuki DR650. Strong bike, but like all Japanese bikes, needs a lot of money to get it to touring specs. Like the XR600, XT600/660 and the Dominator, the Suzuki is oil/air cooled, which can be a plus or a minus depending on conditions. I prefer water-cooled bikes.
Yamaha Super Tenere 750. An old design now, and a real handful on anything but the smoothest dirt roads. Very thin frame that cracks on corrugated roads, and no power down low. I believe the 850 version is better. Similar weight to the BMW, and very fast, but the wrong type of power. I owned one until recently.
Yamaha XT600/660/Tenere. This model was probably one of the most successful models Yamaha ever built. Unfortunately, the design dates back to the late 70's, and they don't make them anymore. Most are getting too many years and too many miles on them to be considered a reliable bike. I must have seen at least a dozen of them on my trip, and almost every one had a serious mechanical problem.
Yamaha 600 Belgarda. The Italian made model. I have heard of too many problems with these bikes to consider them seriously. Getting an aftermarket tank is a big problem too."