Cheap reliable tourers - if you only had £1500 for a big tourer, what would you buy?

Originally Posted by gettin2dizzy

k100 ?

I would, christ knows why, but the idea of a 2-wheeled Panzer that is made of about 300kg of pig-iron appeals to me!

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

They're plenty cheap with tonnes of accessories and there's more green than red there, but the power thing just makes me go all floppy reckon a k&n and a can will encourage it to pick its feet up?

*sniggering at the ideal of a deauville with a race can*

Nah, the tuning potential is "limited" to say the least.


I'd be looking for a 900 divvy or a ZZR11, thunderace is nice but will stick your missus' head up in the breeze a bit compared to the more touring oriented bikes.

What's wrong with the SRAD?

Originally Posted by Tim in Belgium

TDM 850 sounds good.

Arnt they ment to be abit of an oil drinker though??

Originally Posted by BBadger

Arnt they ment to be abit of an oil drinker though??

TDMs aren't especially known for oil consumption, but they give CCT problems and the gearbox has about the worst shift of any bike ever built. I'd avoid the 850 like the plague, but the TDM900 is a pretty decent bike.

[Paul the 6th]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Nah, the tuning potential is "limited" to say the least.


I'd be looking for a 900 divvy or a ZZR11, thunderace is nice but will stick your missus' head up in the breeze a bit compared to the more touring oriented bikes.

What's wrong with the SRAD?

Nowt wrong with it, just not much fun to ride slowly, low tank range, not mega comfortable over a long day's riding.... Not getting rid of it, just pondering cheap big touring orientated bikes.

Originally Posted by carternd

I would, christ knows why, but the idea of a 2-wheeled Panzer that is made of about 300kg of pig-iron appeals to me!

Your sig line says it all... cobblers.

They're bloody awful dog slow, top heavy, overweight, foul handling, badly braked, over-rated pieces of unreliable crap that are usually over-hyped by their owners because they are too ashamed to admit they blew a huge wad of cash on a complete mess of a motorcycle. BMW have sold these things with their famed car reliability as a major feature - I think it's hilarious that BMW bikes are top of the RAC and AA's most recovered list, when they have such a small percentage of the bikes on UK roads

They pass off all their main design faults as BMW quirkiness (three indicator switches when every other bike can make do with just one?) and you really ought to hear some of the laughable claims of fuel consumption I've heard from BMW K owners - which bearing in mind these things weigh about the same as a small battleship, are frankly ludicrous. If BMW K engines were really that fuel efficient I think the world's governments would make them a mandatory fitment for all vehicles.

Avoid avoid avoid

Originally Posted by madness

900 Diversion?

Dull but worthy. A mate has one he's just turned 100,000 miles on with no major problems. He also has another high mileage early model XJ900, he really rates them

[JamesMio]

Exactly the same question I asked myself just over a year ago, and I bought a K reg ST1100 Pan European.

My Dad's claimed it now, but it's still going just fine (55,000+ miles on the clock).

It's a great bike to ride over long distance, if it ever packed in I'd get another one put it that way.

Originally Posted by JamesMio

Exactly the same question I asked myself just over a year ago, and I bought a K reg ST1100 Pan European.

My Dad's claimed it now, but it's still going just fine (55,000+ miles on the clock).

It's a great bike to ride over long distance, if it ever packed in I'd get another one put it that way.

The 1100 Pan is a great bike, but older ones can often suffer with corrosion in the swing arm around the shaft housing and the exhausts have a habit of flying apart. Other than that they are brilliant bikes. I'd avoid any ex-police ones though, cos they look cheap to start but then you've got the not inconsiderable cost of putting it back to civilian spec, and for that money you can buy a decent civvie one with lower miles.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by Lozzo

not inconsiderable cost of putting it back to civilian spec,

Out of curiosity, what's that?