For a really really long trip what cc bike would you suggest to make it the most friendly on fuel while still retaining some oomph? It has to be a dirt bike (moto/enduro) and I'm tossing up between a 125 (CR or YZ), 250 (XR's - some of the most indestructible and reliable bikes made these days) or the WR 450F.

The bike has to be powerful enough to carry me (65kg), some spare fuel + a tent/sleeping bag/clothes. Fuel efficiency while maintaining good power is what I'm after.

Any suggestions?

reliability wise i would go four stroke, but i ride a cr125 just because i like 2 stroke powerbands.

^Fucking A. No matter how many 4 stroke gulags try to explain the newest 4 stroke technology to bring it up to 2 stroke level, I will never accept that anything can come close to creating the wondrous experience of a single cylinder 2 stroke.


First of all, the only 'offroad' bikes good for many miles on the road are Supermotos - and they're still not great for highway cruising like POS Harley Davidsons are.
What do you mean by dirt bikes?

Motorcross bikes are going to be shit because they have short gearing and will be topping out in 5th gear just to do the speed limit - if that particular bike can do it at all. Zero 125's and few 250's will be able to, no matter what stroke Not only will this ruin your engine, but it'll eat the fuel. Besides, you can't register them.

If it's got a single cylinder, it belongs offroad and offroad only as a rule. 2 or more and it depends.


You men trailbikes right? Enduro bikes?

An old XR500 is your best bet, I rekon. It has the oldschool seat (Soft, flat, and wide), long range fuel tank, putts along nicely, swampy soft suspension, road registerable, and there's plenty of them about in good condition.

XRs, and WRs fit the bill nicely. I wouldn't really go for a DRZ, and if you want something more road oriented there's KTM's 690 Enduro....

..if you like KTMs.

Any off-road bike is going to fucking suck for distance. How far are you talking? Something like a Paris-Dakar BMW might fit the bill.

Cowboy of the Apocalypse: My experience on two strokes is pretty limited, I used to ride a kx80 as a kid. Then I moved to four strokes and the only thing stopping me from going back to a two stroke was engine breaking on steep hills. But now that I think about it my riding has improved a fair bit to the point that I'm going pretty damn fast down hills. So I guess two strokes are worth looking at. Since I ride a 250, and a 450 is a big step up, what about ktm 300 exc? (that's the 2, right?)

Yeah I meant Enduro bikes. Here in Australia you can road register most 250 four strokes and above. Trailbikes piss me off hardcore. They feel...flimsy and unbalanced. I love my xr250 because it feels like it can take on anything. My xt225 just feels like the back is too heavy compared to the front. It may be 'better' for on road riding, but I'm that used to the xr that I manage just fine.

xr500 I hear you say? How old are they exactly? Because I'm not too sure if we get them here. I think we got the cr500's, but xr600's are common here.

I'm not a fan of the big ktm's either. They seem like they'd be such a shame to drop, and I'm not kidding my self, I will drop my bike a few times.

Intravenous: Thailand to India. So not as far as Paris to Dakar (I think) but still pretty hefty. BMW is out of the question for money reasons.

Ideally it'd be one of the Japanese brands (easy to get parts, not overpriced) because I could modify one for the price it would cost to a stock Euro bike.

Thank you for all the good responses already! No one I know IRL rides so it's like asking a dog how to perform brain surgery. Fuck...so frustrating. "wuts a 2 stroke?" lol.

XR400 with a long range Acerbis fueltank.

http://www.sjaaklucassen.nl/eng.html

That might interest you. You don't need a trailbike to go around the world.

When it comes to a two stroke will they ever compare to a four when it comes to hill climbs?

In Australia you can't rent 2stroke dirt bikes, and I don't know any one who rides one so I have no way to test one.

So far for this is what I've gathered

Pros: Lighter, power band, less can go wrong with them, becoming cheaper

Cons: not as good at hill climbs, power is not steady (it's like..weak...weak...weak...EXTREME), if the revs drop you're pretty much fucked, sound like shit, less engine breaking.

Do they suck more fuel? I thought because they rev a lot higher they'd guzzle fuel. I watched some clips on youtube of a cr500...and fucking christ it looks impressive. But I'd really like to make an informed purchase.

Do they suck more fuel? I thought because they rev a lot higher they'd guzzle fuel. I watched some clips on youtube of a cr500...and fucking christ it looks impressive. But I'd really like to make an informed purchase.

Not necessarily, if you keep it below the rev limiter :D

But seriously, they can be the same, but with a 2 stroke you also need to buy and mix 2 stroke oil, so if a 2 stroke and a 4 stroke did the exact same MPG, the 2 stroke would be more expensive.

Of course a 2-stroke uses more fucking fuel than a 4-stroke. All of the oil for the engine, barring the gearbox, is contained within the fuel.

A CR500 would have to be the biggest piece of shit ever made. They are called ankle-breakers for a reason.

A two-stroke engine is not something to even consider doing a long distance trip on man, what the fuck.

Of course a 2-stroke uses more fucking fuel than a 4-stroke. All of the oil for the engine, barring the gearbox, is contained within the fuel.

A CR500 would have to be the biggest piece of shit ever made. They are called ankle-breakers for a reason.

A two-stroke engine is not something to even consider doing a long distance trip on man, what the fuck.

Wow man, how helpful. Basically what you just said, but more eloquently is "fuck 2 strokes, fuck CR500"

Yeah, how about suggesting an alternative because that just puts me back at square one.

And about the ankle breaking comment, don't the new ones come with decompression levers?

I have suggested more than one other option.

A decompression lever is a valve lifter. A two-stroke engine doesn't have valves, they have a series of ports in the cylinder bore. As for new ones, the CR500 is a discontinued model.

They were designed as a racebike, to be ridden in a 45 minute moto at max. Two strokes require you to regularly do plug chops and are far more maintenance intensive than a four stroke. Maybe you should learn what the fuck you are talking about.

I have suggested more than one other option.

A decompression lever is a valve lifter. A two-stroke engine doesn't have valves, they have a series of ports in the cylinder bore. As for new ones, the CR500 is a discontinued model.

They were designed as a racebike, to be ridden in a 45 minute moto at max. Two strokes require you to regularly do plug chops and are far more maintenance intensive than a four stroke. Maybe you should learn what the fuck you are talking about.

That's useful to know, and if I had all the answers I wouldn't be asking, would I? Chill the fuck out bitch.

I'd recommend a Honda Trail 70. Should get you where you need to go.

Get a four-stroke with a extra capacity gas tank, i would probably go for a 400, but depends how hard your going to need to ride.

I would recommend a 4-stroke for reliability and lower fuel consumption. I haven't got any ideas for a specific bike but something enduro based maybe.

Long distance, power, fuel consumption, comfort and luggage?

Honda Blackbird. (http://www.motorcyclenews.com/upload/856/images/MCBRX2004SXA-01.jpg) :cool:

Long distance, power, fuel consumption, comfort and luggage?

Honda Blackbird. (http://www.motorcyclenews.com/upload/856/images/MCBRX2004SXA-01.jpg) :cool:
ZZR1400 niggah.

Ah it'll just rust away and its swing arm crack after a couple hundred miles. :D

http://vintagebike.co.uk/Bike%20Directories/Triumph%20Bikes/images/Triumph-Thunderbird-6T-55.jpg

Shitty pre-unit Triumph
A requisite would be reliability. An engine where the gearbox bolts onto the back of the cases doesn't quite cut it.

A requisite would be reliability. An engine where the gearbox bolts onto the back of the cases doesn't quite cut it.

But it looks pretty swish!

But it looks pretty swish!

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4519/bullet2oc5.jpg

My BSA is cooler than all those shitboxes. :D