Knuckle Dragger
Just got it firing!
Point taken, Paul. I've pondered just that myself. My current arsenal is inadequate for the bush, so I'd rather fancy another MG for a change. You foreign fellows have a rather different interpretation of "the bush" than I. To us in Oz, the bush refers to anywhere outside of city limits. Given that we're the most urbanised nation on earth, it basically refers to the entire continent except those 5 "teeming sores" that infect our shorelines, & maybe a few scabby isolated regional centres.
I actually wasn't aware that aux lights were spots or floods, thinking erroneously they might be foggies. I've only ever had one single bike that had adequate headlighting st'd. The rest have always been pretty crap. Point taken.
As for alternative bikes, there's little if anything else suitable available on the market. I need a min. of 400km range, with another 400km worth of additional storage capacity (a 20l PVC jerrycan strapped to the racks would do) plus a min of 10, & pref. 15-20l of water capacity too. That's a min/max luggage range capacity "in extremis" of about 20-60kg!!
I'm guessing the "trad" adv bikes the likes of the Suz DR or Tenere 650s or some other east asian equiv. just won't be big enough to carry that sort of extra weight safely, nor will the smaller KTM/BMW parallel twins either. I don't really know much about asian bikes (or cars, or anything really). Never ever had one, nor ever likely to. Can't really afford to buy a new BMW or KTM either.
I also (obviously) need a big, beefy centre-stand & maybe a wide footed sidestand puck too. A max total rolling mass of some 290kg is a whole lot better than 350kg+ (over 1/3 of a ton!) for a new boxer. I suspect that I'll be needing to pick the whole kit up from a topple from time to time!
Big boxers or even the old/er Stelvio are just too big, heavy & thirsty too. I'm not suggesting either will be badly built, but some 800+ km of the Gunbarrel or Tanami Tracks' heavy corrugations would all but kill just about any heavy bike, let alone the mug who tries to pilot it. It'd be like trying to wrestle & hogtie a reluctant hippo!
That's why I thought Guzzi's "tutto terreno" concept might work. Small, cheap, lightweight, inexpensive suspension & components & an 18" & 19" wheel combo that's ideal for corrugated gravel. Tubeless rubber is an absolute must for this type of low-pressure running, but that's easily overcome (I hope) with some silicone sealant & 3M tape. I like the rather simple uncomplicated nature of the bike. Primitive & crude in a characterful and relatively easily-maintained way. Cheap components are also cheap to maintain & replace. I see even BMW have ditched their Brembos for budget-quality brakes from a USA bicycle mnf'r now! Yet a new one will still cost about AU$35K when optioned up! The baby Guzzi should be about half that price.
The only other Guzzi I've ever owned (SP1000) was easily the most comfortable touring mile-eater despite its crap seat, so I thought a modern slightly smaller, lighter & in comparison to the competition cheaper model would work. Guzzi's (now) unique combination of air cooled longitudinal vee motor & cardan shaft makes it just about the ultimate expression of tucked-in, compact, low COG air-cooled perfection in a tourer. As long as the going doesn't get too rough, the limitations imposed by the drive shaft's lack of travel shouldn't even be an issue.
As I'm now approaching my 7th decade of life size, mass, manoevrability & ergonomics become seriously important considerations. Any alternative suggestions for a comfortable medium-weight rough-road tourer would be appreciated.
I actually wasn't aware that aux lights were spots or floods, thinking erroneously they might be foggies. I've only ever had one single bike that had adequate headlighting st'd. The rest have always been pretty crap. Point taken.
As for alternative bikes, there's little if anything else suitable available on the market. I need a min. of 400km range, with another 400km worth of additional storage capacity (a 20l PVC jerrycan strapped to the racks would do) plus a min of 10, & pref. 15-20l of water capacity too. That's a min/max luggage range capacity "in extremis" of about 20-60kg!!
I'm guessing the "trad" adv bikes the likes of the Suz DR or Tenere 650s or some other east asian equiv. just won't be big enough to carry that sort of extra weight safely, nor will the smaller KTM/BMW parallel twins either. I don't really know much about asian bikes (or cars, or anything really). Never ever had one, nor ever likely to. Can't really afford to buy a new BMW or KTM either.
I also (obviously) need a big, beefy centre-stand & maybe a wide footed sidestand puck too. A max total rolling mass of some 290kg is a whole lot better than 350kg+ (over 1/3 of a ton!) for a new boxer. I suspect that I'll be needing to pick the whole kit up from a topple from time to time!
Big boxers or even the old/er Stelvio are just too big, heavy & thirsty too. I'm not suggesting either will be badly built, but some 800+ km of the Gunbarrel or Tanami Tracks' heavy corrugations would all but kill just about any heavy bike, let alone the mug who tries to pilot it. It'd be like trying to wrestle & hogtie a reluctant hippo!
That's why I thought Guzzi's "tutto terreno" concept might work. Small, cheap, lightweight, inexpensive suspension & components & an 18" & 19" wheel combo that's ideal for corrugated gravel. Tubeless rubber is an absolute must for this type of low-pressure running, but that's easily overcome (I hope) with some silicone sealant & 3M tape. I like the rather simple uncomplicated nature of the bike. Primitive & crude in a characterful and relatively easily-maintained way. Cheap components are also cheap to maintain & replace. I see even BMW have ditched their Brembos for budget-quality brakes from a USA bicycle mnf'r now! Yet a new one will still cost about AU$35K when optioned up! The baby Guzzi should be about half that price.
The only other Guzzi I've ever owned (SP1000) was easily the most comfortable touring mile-eater despite its crap seat, so I thought a modern slightly smaller, lighter & in comparison to the competition cheaper model would work. Guzzi's (now) unique combination of air cooled longitudinal vee motor & cardan shaft makes it just about the ultimate expression of tucked-in, compact, low COG air-cooled perfection in a tourer. As long as the going doesn't get too rough, the limitations imposed by the drive shaft's lack of travel shouldn't even be an issue.
As I'm now approaching my 7th decade of life size, mass, manoevrability & ergonomics become seriously important considerations. Any alternative suggestions for a comfortable medium-weight rough-road tourer would be appreciated.
