Owner satisfaction results: top bikes

[Baldy]

Ride magazine (U.K.-based) did a J.D. Power-like owner satisfaction survey of 10,042 U.K. riders and ranked the top 110 bikes. Really well done. Overall, BMW's placed highest in build quality (Honda second) and second in reliability (honda first).

The top adventure bike was the 1150GS in 8th place, stellar for build quality, handling, comfort, dealers, and reliability but dinged for lack of power, mediocre brakes, and clunky gearbox.

At 17 was the 1000GS, dinged even harder for the gearbox.

The Honda Varadero was 19, great for comfort and reliability, mediocre for handling, brakes and gearbox.

The Tiger 900 was 28th. It was neither great nor poor at anything.

Honda 750 Africa Twin was 67; stellar quality, terrible brakes and performance.

R100GS was 69; good quality, comfort and service, bad brakes and gearbox, mediocre reliability.

80, Honda XL600 Tansalp. No brakes. Terrible performance, handling, and gearbox. Good quality (?), comfort, and reliability.

Not good enough to make the list: Cagiva Gran Canyon, Kawasaki KLR650, Suzuki DR650.

[Chopperman]

Originally posted by Baldy
Ride magazine (U.K.-based)

Not good enough to make the list: Cagiva Gran Canyon, Kawasaki KLR650, Suzuki DR650.

What you taking a pot shot at my post in Ask Baldy? :lol1

Seriously though, if the KLR is so crappy, how come so many ride them? How come everywhere I go there are accessories offered, trip tales written and general enthusiasm about the bike?

I can under stand why folks forget the DR and XT as they are eclipsed by the legions on XL/XR s and KLRs.

[fish]

Originally posted by Chopperman

Seriously though, if the KLR is so crappy, how come so many ride them? How come everywhere I go there are accessories offered, trip tales written and general enthusiasm about the bike?

It seems that the KLR has built a very strong and cohesive following, for multiple reasons, most of which I probably couldn't articulate as well as they could. Plus, the new diesel job for the military is just way cool.

As a preface, I probably don't ride the same places that the KLR and XR guys do. But out on the road, I see one or two KLRs, zero non-local XRs, and a shitload of beemers...all flavors. Uncountable harleys and leadwings. But very very few light "adventure" bikes. They're great for climbing over stumps and dodging trees, but once the trail ends and the asphalt begins, all that nimbleness hurts them. Weak brakes, no power, twitchy handling, low GVWR, high COG, etc.

I would never consider taking a 2000 mile ride on an XR or a KLR for that matter. YMMV.

[Chopperman]

Originally posted by fish


. But very very few light "adventure" bikes. They're great for climbing over stumps and dodging trees, but once the trail ends and the asphalt begins, all that nimbleness hurts them. Weak brakes, no power, twitchy handling, low GVWR, high COG, etc.

I would never consider taking a 2000 mile ride on an XR or a KLR for that matter. YMMV.

You probably only go on the roads where you will see those SUVs.

no 2000 mile trips on these huh?

you mean like:
http://www.motorcycleexplorer.com
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Island/3451/
http://www.rideoftheheart.com/
http://www.moonride.org/

and more.

Seems it just comes down to what you want to do. Street riding with some dirt roads thrown in. Or legal enough to blast down to the next leg of the offroad trail.

[fish]

Originally posted by Chopperman


You probably only go on the roads where you will see those SUVs.

Yes, I believe I stated that.

no 2000 mile trips on these huh?

I said *I* would never consider it, I know there are people who do. And it sounds like you will probably be one of them.

Personally, I think you won't be very comfortable on one of those little bikes for a very long trip just based on your sheer mass. What are you? 6'4" 270 or so?

Seems it just comes down to what you want to do. Street riding with some dirt roads thrown in. Or legal enough to blast down to the next leg of the offroad trail.

Ed Zachary. Do what you want. Right?

[Chopperman]

Originally posted by fish


Yes, I believe I stated that.



I said *I* would never consider it, I know there are people who do. And it sounds like you will probably be one of them.

Personally, I think you won't be very comfortable on one of those little bikes for a very long trip just based on your sheer mass. What are you? 6'4" 270 or so?



Ed Zachary. Do what you want. Right?

Yabbut...you got me too short and too fat.

"DO what you want."
Sure. but it must be done MY way!"

oooh

http://home.wish.net/~tom828/small_l...ightside_s.jpg

[Baldy]

Print. With very high production quality. Fatty thing. I'd offer to mail it but I already lightened my load...

Europeans don't like Tupperware bikes like the (choke) Gold (cough) Wing (wheez) or the L(azy) T(railerdragger), but they always have liked the ST1100 Pan European, and they voted it first. BMW R1100RS was #2. I owned one and aside from the tranny blowing twice in 17,000 miles and the buzzy surgamatic excuse for a low-horsepower engine, I liked it. Not. I rode it into the dealer and said "50 more horsepower please and make it smooth," and rolled away with a K1200RS.

Now if BMW would just build a K1200RT, the world would have a real touring bike. Know what I'm sayin'?

[fish]

Originally posted by Baldy
Fatty thing.

Fatty? Did I hear someone say fatty?

"50 more horsepower please and make it smooth," and rolled away with a K1200RS.

Too bad you didn't add "comfortable" to that request.

Now if BMW would just build a K1200RT, the world would have a real touring bike. Know what I'm sayin'?

Knock that shit off, will ya? At least not until SUNW comes back to around $50/sh.

[Baldy]

Originally posted by Razorbak
Sounds like yer looking more for a K1200GS, no?

Actually, I kinda like the GS engine in a GS. I'd prefer the Tiger engine (if it were reliable) 'cus it's got more zip and it's smoother, but I can live with the oilhead since the rest of the bike is so great. (And they don't seem to surge like my '94 1100 oilhead did.)

But on a big high-speed touring bike like an RT, it's hard to say an oilhead compares to some of the really great street-bike engines out there. We even hit a nerve with fish talkin' about a K12 engine in it:

Originally posted by fish
Knock that shit off, will ya? At least not until SUNW comes back to around $50/sh.

I actually think the RT is a great bike, truly awesome, but for the engine. Been on an R1 lately? Now that's an engine. Even the new (blanch) Gold (eeeeww) Wing has an amazing motor.

BMW makes such fabulous engines for their cars, how come they've got some klunky olde thing in their R street bikes?

[fish]

Originally posted by Baldy

BMW makes such fabulous engines for their cars, how come they've got some klunky olde thing in their R street bikes?

I dunno...I kinda like boxers. They may not be the fastest thing out there, but the gobs of midrange power and the way the bike puts the power to the ground it what it's all about. My Speed Triple is way more powerful than either of my boxers, but half the challenge is keeping the rearend hooked up.

The K engine puts out good power, but it's a heavy pig of an engine and only really well suited to really high speed roads. I took a K12RS for a testride on a lot of my favorite roads in the santa cruz mtns and just wasn't happy with the throttle response...it felt like there was a massive flywheel effect that I had to overcome going both up and down the powerband.

just my opinion...and I could be wrong.

[Claim Jumper]

I don't think the KLR 650 is imported to England, which would explain its absence from the list.

[Baldy]

I rode a KLR to work today and grinned all the way. It's just light and fun.

[Claim Jumper]

And cheap and fun on all road surfaces. Seriously there wasn't a lot of competition for my purposes. The F-650 is just too expensive and heavy. The big beemers are not really very practical for my uses (I rode my old Suzuki GS 1100 on gravel roads a few times, that was scary). Sure the KLR is ugly and a little cheap looking, but it does go the distance and it looks good dirty. Just buy a few practical guards for the exposed $$$ bits and ride it... I just had a conversation with a friends brother who insisted on buying a GS BMW for "adventure" in spite of my suggestions for more dirt oriented devices. But then again he is a lawyer living in NYC and I am a field archaeologist living in Idaho. We just have different definitions of adventure-to him it is going downtown-to me it is going out (to work, generally) with a bedroll, sixgun and lots of gas. Why bring a cell phone-they don't work out here anyway.

[Stephen]

Originally posted by digbum
And cheap and fun on all road surfaces.... Sure the KLR is ugly and a little cheap looking...

Cheap-looking, but at least it's cheap. Got a 98 (or is it a 97 ?? whatever, it's blue) with lt 8k miles for $2500 including sideguards and ortliebs sides and top. I've put another mebbe $500 in tires, chain, and minor maintenance crap. Oh yeah, and Gold Valve Emulators. Those last are important.

As for "all road surfaces", nothing like losing 120 lbs relative to my former R100GS to make bad surfaces a whole f..ing lot better.

Haven't put more than about a hunnert miles at a time on it yet, but we'll fix that tomorrow with a quick 500 mile out to the Big Bend. Miles and miles; lots of crappy roads. Film at eleven.

[Baldy]

Did a few 500 miles on my KLR. It's fine for Iron Men like you & me, but I'm afraid it would reduce fish to whimpers.