/out/ - Outdoors » Thread #2709498

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Anonymous Sun 17 Mar 2024 07:55:49 No.2709498 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>2709726 >>2709867 >>2709969 >>2710299 >>2710307 >>2710342

I would like to ride the TransAm Trail (https://www.transamtrail.com/)

I dont own a dual-sport cycle and have never ridden a motorcycle before, but I do have some experience with quads so I recognize its going to be a good while before I'm ready for it. What would be the best way to prep for this sort of thing?

I'm thinking on a KLR650, getting my motorcycle license. Ive found my state has some ADV training courses, so I figure take those and then get my feet wet for a year or two with owning/riding/maintaining a bike (for on-road and off-road use) and going /out/ motorcamping. Any thoughts on how to be best prepared for this sort of thing?

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 17 Mar 2024 12:59:03 No.2709518 Report

Quoted By: >>2709625 >>2709716 >>2709726 >>2710705

It's the most based way of becoming an /out/ man. Single cylinders are a good choice, also consider a drz400 which is even lighter and should be good enough for your early needs. Don't know how old you are but under 30 trial and error falling won't be that hard on your body, that's how I learned. Its a fun process and you'll discover how much stupid shit a bike can handle without falling over. Practice on long sandy dirt roads nearby, sandy plain, beach, and figure out what it takes to keep the bike upright (usually throttle). You will learn as you ride and become more confident but there will come a phase where you think you got it all figured out combined with being high on life and that's when you fuck up. Survive that phase and bring yourself down when feeling zany riding thinking that you're hot shit. It takes time to learn to know when you're riding on the limit which is always evolving especially the first couple of years.

Pack the tools you need for the bike: wrenches of various sizes (make sure one fits the front and rear axel nut), philipshead + flathead screwdriver, plier, 2x quality tire lifters if the wheels have tubes + tire repair kit + spare front inner tube (will temporarily work as rear tube if needed). Spare fuses, spare lightbulbs, quality duct tape, quality medium and large zip ties, 1l oil, chain lube, some bring spare clutch lever but I've only ever bent them.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 17 Mar 2024 13:03:47 No.2709521 Report

Quoted By: >>2709625

For camping bring a tent or if it's always warm enough a swag as the Aussies like it, sleeping bag + mat of sorts, small inflatable pillow is kino (neck pain is a cunt when riding), multi tool, lighter.

As for gear you can go full boomer and gear up like you're going to ride the Dakar. Or just get a jacket and replace the stock back padding with a back protector, riding pants that don't sag, boots up to your shins, enduro style helmet with high and wide visor + sun visor + peak is kino. Earplugs.

Figure out how you wan't to chuck it all on the bike, the lighter the better. Top case will make you more top heavy but narrow (plastic is ok), side cases offer more space and keep weight low but make you wide and can break with multiple or a single fall but easier to pick up bike (plastic not ok). Softbags also an option but stay away from innercities then. Tankbag is kino.

Don't overthink it and just get it done with the budget that works for you. There will be a lot of improvising along the way and only through doing will you learn your preferences. Enjoy one the last bastions of the faustian spirit that offroad riding has to offer, you won't regret it.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 17 Mar 2024 21:18:56 No.2709625 Report

Quoted By:

>>2709521
>>2709518

Thank you anon! I'm 32 but I'm pretty active and do BJJ so hopefully I won't be too old and worn out by the time I'm ready for the trip. Great advice!

Anonymous

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Anonymous Mon 18 Mar 2024 02:40:46 No.2709716 Report

Quoted By:

>>2709518
>picrel

KLR650's not a bad starter bike. Does everything, not good at anything. Bunch of stuff you'll want to do to harden it, depending on the year of the bike. Subframe, doohickey, etc.

Work out of the toolkit you bring with you. The factory toolkit is often missing pieces, especially if you add stuff (skid plates, luggage) to the bike.

I love my thumper for the low weight, feels like i'm cheating when I jump on that after being on my big adv for a while. But that 1000+cc v-twin is a much more comfortable ride for knocking out miles.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Mon 18 Mar 2024 03:40:36 No.2709726 Report

Quoted By:

>>2709498
As >>2709518 said getting a dual sport is the most based way to be /out/. You will see incredible sides of the county this way.
There really isn't a ton of prep you can do aside from watching videos on riding technique and learning about how much body position can really effect how the bike handles in certain situations/terrains. Personally I started out on dirt bikes, but ive found this the stuff you learn there does help some with the harder enduro style riding. Think like single track riding and anything that involves soft sand. Me being in Florida, the sugar sand here can be brutal. Honestly not sure what the majority of the terrain is like on the TransAm though.

As far as the KLR goes, its a good starter bike. Cross Training Adventure on youtube has a video explaining the pros and cons of all the 650s that are in the dual sport segment. Personally, the thing that steered me away from it was the weight. Compared to the XR and DR its a bit heavier for a 650 dual sport. Most guys will say that in the dual sporting segment that ounces become pounds when it comes to handling it on the rough stuff. But the compromise here is on your highway segments. The lighter the bike, the more you will be pushed around by wind and other forces. The added weight really does help to settle the bike when trying to pack down a lot of road miles which I rarely do. I usually trailer the bike to wherever i'm going to ride.

If you're going to spend a year or two riding around, try spending a little time working on balance training. Try practicing how long you can stand on the bike without putting a foot down on the ground, even for a second, and work up from there. Learn how putting weight on either peg can really shift how the bike leans on way or the other. Personally helped me a lot. Cross Training Enduro has some good videos too. Most of it is dirt bike skills but they transfer over to off road riding in general.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Mon 18 Mar 2024 18:57:01 No.2709867 Report

Quoted By:

>>2709498
Get a bike and ride it around for a season or 2 doing shorter trips while you build your loadout and figure out what works and what upgrades you'll need. Keep in mind there's two different kinds of adventure bike. There's road bikes you can take offroad and there's dirtbikes that you can drive on the road. The KLR leans to the former, the DRZ and Honda XR tend to the latter. Either way you're going to want to upgrade seat, footpegs and fuel tank. Other common upgrades are handlebar risers, skid plate, and side cover protectors to keep your shift or brake lever from punching into your engine when (not if) you dump it. For luggage I use a pelican case on the back rack with a drybag and a backpack, although saddlebags would be nice eventually. I wish you Godspeed, good weather, and open roads.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 18 Mar 2024 20:56:44 No.2709912 Report

Quoted By:

I'm really torn on what bike to get for this ordeal, while the TAT is the big goal for this whole ordeal, I'd like to use it as my motocamping setup as a whole but its hard to determine where to land on where I should be on the road/offroad spectrum.

The KLR seemed appealing due its low price, durability, flexibility, community and modding capabilities but I read a lot that it might be too piggy for the motocamping. I'm coming from a 0-experience background though so I don't 100% know what I need or don't need. whats the best way to make this decision? I don't really see myself doing really that extreme/technical terrain, but I want somthing that I can learn how to ride a bike on and get me to the places where a car cant while still being somthing I can invest into and last a while before I grow out of it. (which is my hesitation of a smaller bike)

I went to a dealership and the T700 was slick but beyond my price range

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 18 Mar 2024 23:57:51 No.2709969 Report

Quoted By:

>>2709498
>never ridden a motorcycle before
You'll have a hard time on a 650, they're a handful not so much for the power but the weight.
Consider an enduro bike like a WR250 or 400/450 whatever they're doing now.
For a long trip like that and carrying gear the bigger one would be better unless you're a lightweight like me.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 20 Mar 2024 01:53:01 No.2710299 Report

Quoted By:

>>2709498
I wish I did more backpacking before I started motocamping,
having your camping shit dialed in so you can sleep well makes all the difference on multiweek+ trips when you can't pick nice weather and will be travelling between biomes.

Would also recommend you start commuting on your bike if you have a commute, need a lot of hours in the saddle in shit weather/traffic so you can ride in your sleep, almost literally, because you will inevitably find yourself needing to push to the next park/NF/hotel in the dark. There are less places to camp with a vehicle than you might think in certain areas of the country.

Also a given that you need to do all of your own maintenance at home with your travel tool kit because you're going to be doing a lot of it on the road.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 20 Mar 2024 02:31:58 No.2710307 Report

Quoted By: >>2710362

>>2709498
DR650 over the KLR if you are looking for a 650. Something lighter would be better, easier to pickup when you drop it, a used KL250G is a solid machine. Spring is almost here so depending on where you are stuff should start popping up. If you get a bike with a carb do some research to see if you have to possibly re-jet along the way.

If you are taking a year or two to prep then put together a tool kit and make sure you can do. what you need to do with the tools in that kit, learn how to patch/change a tube, adjust the chain, bend back levers enough to be usable w/o breaking them, stuff like that. Look at recovery gear, you can put something together with a few pullys and some rope to get you out of a bind.

I’m running a TW200, fun but slow, I’ve considered something with a little more displacement but it hasn’t bothered me that much yet, I go solo so I don’t have to worry about keeping up. You can go on regional forums and download gpx files that people put together. You can try out those routes or use them as a starting point. Go at your own pace and enjoy what’s out there. I average 25mph between paved roads, dirt roads, and woods/trails.

Get a decent pair of boots, the forma adventure lows work for me, a good tradeoff between not too stiff but still decent protection. I can walk around comfortably in them.

I am in the northeast and am hoping to get back out there soon.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 20 Mar 2024 05:29:25 No.2710342 Report

Quoted By: >>2710362

>>2709498
Get any bike.
Any bike at all.
You as a first time rider should get a smaller more sensible street oriented or maybe adv bike that's lighter and has a smaller engine. This is called a. Starter bike.
It's gonna get you out motocamping and it's gonna get you on the road safely, let you build normal skills and find what you need and don't need, all in a comfortable budget.

I bought a shitbike and my second real ride was 300 miles of AZ, half of it om dirt and in sand, carrying my fuel, and supplies. It went super well and I actually cracked off a pretty good guess on what to bring, only really learned what not to bring. Coulda used a towel and some swim trunks but I never really considered I'd start a side quest to find the Colorado river

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 20 Mar 2024 07:00:41 No.2710362 Report

Quoted By: >>2710400

>>2710342
>>2710307
What is a good price for a used dual-sport? how does the prices depreciate? Thank you for your suggestions!

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 20 Mar 2024 10:44:25 No.2710400 Report

Quoted By:

>>2710362
Depends on your region. WRRs around me are going ~4500 with reasonable miles. things pop up between 3-4k periodically. The used market sucks up here but there are still deals to be had here and there. If you go the used route do some research on known issues with the models you are interested in so you know what to look out for. There are dedicated forums for every popular DS bike, browse those to get a better idea about pricing around you. Now is the time when people start asking what things are worth. People will put on all sorts of useless stuff and want to recoup that when they sell. Some things you will do anyway like bark busters, skid plate, rear rack, led headlight for older models. Other nice to haves would be a seat concepts seat and possibly a set of bar risers/lowering links depending on how the bike fits you. With the used market the way it is you can get something, ride it for a year and unload it next year and probably break even.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 21 Mar 2024 08:10:11 No.2710705 Report

Quoted By: >>2710911

>>2709518
ive never ridden a motorcycle before but once i read that on street bikes you counter steer and lean to turn. is this the same on dual purpose bikes on street and do they handle like dirt bikes off road? im completely newfag to motorcycles and dont have a motorcycle license, however i have a good deal on a honda 250 and am interested in using it to get to backpacking locations and trail riding. basically a vacation bike

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 21 Mar 2024 18:38:29 No.2710911 Report

Quoted By:

>>2710705
Yes, all motorcycles lean by counter steering. With enough practice it will become second nature. Practice doing figure 8s in a parking lot or field.
>Honda 250
A CRF250L I assume? They make several models. The L is what you would want in this context.

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