What, you can’t just buy a brand new BMW R1250 GS 2014 V-Strom 650 with 8,000 miles on it and take it cross country for weeks?
What does it take to ride a motorcycle on the cross country tour? What do you need to travel on and off road daily, and to live off a bike? Not necessarily in this order:
Reliability
- Comfort
- Carrying capacity
- Safety
- Self-Sufficiency
Reliability – The Suzuki V-Strom is one of the most reliable motorcycles ever made. It uses a 650cc V-twin motor, which was previously used in the SV650. Remember that orange motorcycle from my ‘Why Tender Jewels’ post that I had in high school? Same motor. Nostalgia hit real hard on my first test ride of the V-Strom. I actually had a second, blue SV650 while I was in college. The bike/motor is that good. I was super stoked to hear this baby purr. By purr I mean a quiet yet deliberate *thub thub thub thub thub thub thub* of that 650 motor.
The bad news is after I bought this bike used from a gentleman in Oklahoma, I found out the fork seals were leaking. Leaking fork seals are real bad, m’kay? If I’m taking the forks apart, I might as well put new stiffer springs in because at 200lbs with gear on, I am a bit larger than the average 150lb rider the Suzuki engineers in Japan designed this bike for. Queue exhibit A above.
Comfort – The bike had new fork springs by Sonic Springs to help carry big me plus all my gear and camping equipment. The bike also came with cruise control, and I added some side mounted wind deflectors I made out of Lexan and a heat gun. I also lowered the foot pegs using AdventureTech’s shift relocator and foot peg lowering kit.
I put 2,500 miles on the bike in two months before the trip making sure everything was comfortable and set up correctly for a long trip. Doing shorter daily rides around the Hill Country helped iron out small issues that would have become big problems on a tour.
The seat was good for a few hours, but I wasn’t ready for the multiple back-to-back long days on the trip that would crush the goods. Live and learn.
Carrying Capacity – This bike came with two hard side panniers, which was AWESOME. These were always something I never thought I could afford when I was younger. I was suddenly gifted with two lockage boxes ready to be smothered in stickers.
The DOT load sticker on the V-Strom says it has roughly a 475lb vehicle weight, 950lb total weight, and thus around a 400lb cargo carrying capacity. Minus 200lb me in gear, I could fit 200lbs of hot dogs and buns in these hard cases. Fun fact, a hot dog weighs 1.6 ounces, meaning a pound of hot dogs must come in a 10 pack.
This trip is already starting to reveal the mysteries of the universe to me…
An 8 pack of buns weighs 14oz though so wtf guys get your shit together.
I did the math, 40 hotdogs and 40 buns weigh 9.375lbs, so with 200lbs of carry capacity divided by 9.375, I can bring about 853 complete hot dog units to the campsite. If I wanted to.
Safety – I bought all new touring gear getting back on a motorcycle. Shoei RF-1400 helmet, Rev’it Tornado 3 pants and jacket, and Rev’It gloves. I affectionately call it my expensive Dutch suit, and it also lets me safely bounce around like a rag doll if I need to.
Self Sufficiency – I pack all my tools. The bike has had everything checked and all fluids/maintenance done. I’ve got all my backpacking stuff loaded up. Insurance policy covers everything. Cell phone can share my location whenever. Maps are saved.
Everyone who has done a large motorcycle trip gives the advice on “Go now”. Ride whatever you have. There is always a Wal-Mart 30 minutes away, the world will not end if you forget your toothbrush, if you bike breaks down you don’t have to leave it there forever.
I think I’m ready. Lets get this show on the road.