You can't do that on a 650!

[motociclista]

I don't see this attitude much on this forum (which is why I hang around, I guess), but we've all seen the attitude that you can't do big miles unless you're on a big bike, that anything under a liter is not fit for touring, etc.

Call me perverse, but I love bursting stereotypes. So I really enjoyed writing about Steve McCaa in the latest issue of Accelerate. He qualified for the 2013 Iron Butt Rally on his 2008 Versys. And nobody is putting him in the "Hopeless Class," either. Lots of people only ride about 30 days a year, but how many of them put 14,000 miles on the odometer in those 30 days?

That got me thinking about why I prefer smaller bikes, so I wrote a companion piece on my blog about how I'll probably never buy a bigger bike than the ones I have now.

Just offering both up for reading, if anyone's interested.

[Gunner75]

great article. I ride my Ninja 650 all the time on mediocre rides. Ive not come across the cash flow or a companion to go on long rides (more then 500 miles). But I can see where it is totally possible to do so. My 650 gets great mileage, and isnt to bad since I threw a Gel Pad on it. Ive been told the Versys is even more comfortable.

[smccrory]

Yep! The 650 is a very fine size especially in a twin or triple. Enough grunt down low to get you moving while not over-revving at sane (and I do emphasize sane) highway speeds. Heck, in a four-banger it'll go like a demon when sport-tuned - I dare anyone to call a Zixer lazy.

I had a Suzuki S40 650 single, and it did everything I wanted it to do in the city and country when I rode one-up. The highway, however, was scary on it. Not because it couldn't keep up, but because it was too light (under 400 lbs) and my windscreen didn't help with being pushed around on windy days or around trucks. I upgraded to a much heavier (630 lb) VStar 1100, and while I love it especially for 2-up riding, it doesn't have twice the power of a 650. It does have a ton of comfort, but that's another story.

Sounds like you're enjoying your Versys - that's all that matters. And you're riding it.

[ReconRat]

British 650cc twins were once considered the minimum size to cruise long range.

Although many thought the 500 twins were capable also.

Guess that vanished...

[RSparky]

My 650 was awesome. I was stupid to get rid of it.

[Hoblick]

i dont think a 650 is not capable of touring at all.

that being said, the bigger touring bikes offer alot more in terms or room for rider and passenger, better suspension, better brakes, more and bigger luggage options, and a better chassis built for the job.

most 650 bikes are built cheaper to keep cost down so they are more affordable to the public. which is in fact a great thing, but also a draw back.

My good friend has a new NC700X, cool bike, but for 2 up touring just in no way would suit my needs. its underpowered for my liking, the suspension is under sprung. Its also the old school style forks (which most 650 and cost effective bikes are) which has very little damping, tons of brake dive! no adjustments on the forks, only preload on the shock.

loaded up with luggage and a passenger would concern me greatly not only because of the lack of power, but because the suspension, if its undersprung for a solo rider its gonna be 10x worse loaded 2up.

also a passenger would be cramped on that bike. which inturn would make the rider uncomfortable.

i guess it boils down to if your going to be doing solo touring or 2up.

i much prefer a bigger motor and a bike built to hold more weight and do the job with that weight.

[jnor]

My Versys still is my favorite bike ever.........It's a perfect touring bike...

If you want to run 80+ on the 4 lane it will do it. With a tail bag, and side bags it will haul a weeks worth of stuff with no problem...

Great ergo's, nimble/great in the twisties, good on the interstate....A 650 is plenty IMO

I like it far better than my DL1000...

Downside would be 2 up riding, which I dislike anyway...

Edited March 16, 2013 by jnor

[2talltim]

I read a story one time about a guy that rode from NY to LA on a 250 vstar in a week. So anything can be done.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

[oldschoolsdime92]

I have to admit, my fz1 in terms of power is way more than what I need. What i do find I like about having that power on hand is, when in heavy twisties, i don't need to shift near as much, I can just roll on throttle and it has plenty of grunt to do so. While I have never spent much time on small bikes, as I rode one season on a cbr f3 and before the end of that season I was on a triumph sprint st 955. After that, it was on to the fz1. The reason for the switch to the fz1. Two up riding, as most of you said. If i didn't do any two up riding I could very easily ride an fz6 with good suspension under it! Very good write up!

[conn-e-rot]

You can ride anything across the country if you have the time and feel like suffering. My buddies uncle was telling us last summer that back in the mid 60's he rode some 50cc scooter he had from Sturgis to Chicago to pick up rt66 then to LA and back to Sturgis on a freaking 50cc

I had a '08 650r ninja and absolutely hated it... rode like shit, way under powered, very uncomfortable for me riding and the wife went on 100 mile ride with me and was suffering told me get something else. It is what it is a lower end entry level bike good for running around town or commuting to work but not for any real distance riding.

[MrFurious]

I've basically come to the same conclusion in the last couple years. My last two bikes have been behemoths (Yamaha Road Star 1600 and Kawasaki Concours 14), and while each has had it's benefits I never found either to be anywhere near as fun to ride as my old Kawasaki EX500 or Vulcan 800A due to their size and weight.

In fact, even before I bought the Concours 14 I really wanted a sub-liter class bike - something in the 750-1000cc range. Unfortunately at the time (and still to this day actually) there was no such thing as a proper middle-weight sport touring bike with standard hard luggage, a comfortable/neutral riding position, and adequate protection from the elements. The old Honda VTR750/800 Interceptor was about as close as it got, but the ergo's on the VTR were too sport-oriented for my liking and I really didn't care for Honda's optional hard bags.

While I still don't see my ideal solution being offered by any manufacturer there are some good options out there that can be made to suit my needs...

The Triumph Bonneville's and Tiger 800's are appealing, as are the BMW F800's.

The Suzuki DL650 and the Kawasaki Versys 650 are proven performers.

The new Honda CTX700 is another possibility

Ideally what I would really like is a Goldwing Lite, or a full fledged middle weight touring bike that offers most of the bells and whistles of the bigger bikes but in a more streamlined and lightweight package. In fact, if Honda were to take the old 800cc VFR Interceptor V4 engine (or even the old Flat-4 Wing engine) and build a modern aluminum chassis around it with the hard luggage, full fairing, Lazyboy seat, cruise control, good suspension, etc and offer it for around $15k I'd be the first one in line to buy one. But no, these days anything even remotely resembling that has a lathargic v-twin engine in it and handles about as well as a canoe in Class 4 rapids.

The old adage still holds true...

It's always more fun to ride a slow bike fast than it is to ride a fast bike slow.

Edited March 16, 2013 by MrFurious

[scottie.harris]

smaller bikes are still very capable of touring but as hoblick said they are built to be more affordable. my katana was great i loved it and still miss it, but with that said it struggled to takeoff easy with a passenger or heavy rider, i could only imagen if i loaded it down with bags. bigger bikes are much easier and friendly but a smaller cc bike will still do the job without much problem.

[motociclista]

It really does boil down to what kind of riding you do. If I did huge miles two-up, then I'd definitely choose a larger and roomier sport-tourer, but I also know I'd regret it all the time I wasn't doing huge miles two-up. It's like McCaa says in the article. Sure the guys on Gold Wings and the like have an advantage when the next leg of the rally calls for 350 miles of non-stop interstate. But when the next location is at the top of Pikes Peak or down some barely paved country lane, he regains the advantage with the lighter Versys.

Others have made valid points about the cost-cutting on smaller bikes, but the Versys is a good compromise there. The suspension is not bad at all, definitely better than any style-conscious cruiser I've ridden, and the lower weight means the suspension doesn't have to be as good. It's also surprisingly good for two-up riding, though it would be cramped on long rides. But my wife's idea of fun is a day trip of 50-100 miles with lunch in the middle, and the Versys handles that very well.

I've never felt like I was "suffering" on the Versys, and I've done 700-mile days. Now I have felt like I was suffering on a 400-mile day on the Daytona.

[Pokey]

Have a bad ass sport touring machine in the garage and a 250 dual sport, one of those bikes always makes me smile and giggle when I ride it. The WR is just a hoot to ride, pretty capable on both the slab and in the woods with the right riders on board. The C14 is an animal and just destroys the pavement, bring on the twistys and the superslab and it just does both with ease. But I will not buy another big and heavy bike like this again, less is more IMHO and something in the 650 to 800 range would be just ideal for me. My 1000 Vstrom was such a fun machine and wish I could've kept it, but the 650 Vstrom is the all around better and more capable bike "hands down".

[Agent3012]

My good friend has a new NC700X, cool bike, but for 2 up touring just in no way would suit my needs. its underpowered for my liking, the suspension is under sprung.

Definitely understandable, but I do think Honda isn't marketing the NC700X on its strengths as much as they could. Despite its initial appearance, it's not a sporty adventure bike, which is likely going to disappoint those looking for something to take off road or push hard on the twisties.

Honda does mention "commuting" on their website, but not enough to really highlight the bike's fuel efficiency. In terms of touring, it's almost on the opposite side of the same spectrum as the C14, FJR and even Goldwin. Not as comfortable or powerful, but also averaging twice the mpg as the bigger bikes.

It's really more a bike for "hypermiling" fanatics, considering the motor is essentially half of a Honda Fit engine.

[rollnhot]

In the late 70s early 80s (yeah I'm that old) we did tours on mid size bike all the time. I did 3000 miles in about eight days on a 500 Honda twin in 78' it was a little rough, but not too bad. Rode730 miles on my nekkid Water Buffalo in around twelve hours once. Now days I'm spoiled by my big roadburners and wont' get a smaller bike until I cant hold up the big bikes anymore.

[swingset]

There's a thread on ADVrider about a guy who tours the nation on a TW200.

That's some hardcore small bike fun. There was an asian guy who went all over the US on a Ruckus!

[drew95gt]

My Ninja 650 has been my favorite bike so far that I have owned, I could definitely see the appeal of a Versys since it is pretty much the same bike but with better suspension and ADV'ish styling. I imagine the Ninja 1000 and Versys 1000 are even better for distance touring and two up.

[John]

totalruckus.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=67

This is the guy went across country on a rukus scooter! People do it on a bicycle too..

I think you could do on anything you wanted, its just a question of what you're willing to put up with to get there.

[TSB67]

650s not allowed in my club.

[jschaf]

Back in the day a friend of mine rode his 305cc Honda Dream pretty much straight through from Colorado Springs to Dayton, OH so I would hope a 650 would be sufficient for touring. Then there's the issue of wants vs needs & acceptable level of comfort. For some, anything less than a Gold Wing is too small.

[gsJack]

I've done my last 14 years and 175k miles on a couple of GS500s and have done quite a few 400-500 mile Interstate days at 75-80mph indicated on them. Did my last 400 mile day to the Smoky Mtns to play on a GS500 back in 04 at age 72, staying a little closer to home now. But I didn't see many other riders out there this Jan-Feb than I ever have here in NE Ohio. The title of your thread caught my attention and reminded me it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than to ride a fast bike slow.

Edited March 18, 2013 by gsJack

[conn-e-rot]

I kept seeing some guy on a old little Honda (I think 250????) last year on the way to sturgis I'd pass him then stop to eat or get gas and run into him again then one day in sturgis I ran into him I think he said he was from Dayton area I can't remember for sure though.

[smccrory]

I imagine it takes some serious self confidence and thick skin to ride a 250 from Dayton to Sturgis. I wonder how many 1%ers could pull it off?

[conn-e-rot]

I imagine it takes some serious self confidence and thick skin to ride a 250 from Dayton to Sturgis. I wonder how many 1%ers could pull it off?

I wish I could remember where he was from but I know he mentioned riding through the Dayton area. The cross wind was brutal going across 90 last year I couldn't imagine being on a bike that small. I'll have to look and see if I have a pic of him and his bike.