Interested in ADV

[hawkvtx]

Hey all, as some of you know I've been riding a big ass cruiser for quite some time but I'm really interested in adventure riding. I grew up riding dirt bikes so it's not totally foreign to me but I was a kid then. I'm 63 now with back problems, bad eyes and it seems I have to pee every 30 minutes so not sure if it's for me. I live in Jackson County so I think there would be plenty of decent off roading around but not sure. Don't think I would want to get on anything super challenging. I'm pretty short too but I think I can handle the taller ADV bikes. The last off road bike I owned was a Yamaha IT 175 and that was a fairly tall bike.
So is the ADV community here pretty active? How's the riding here in N Alabama? Any other advice before I jump into something I'll regret?

[norton73]

@klaviator  @thinwater @pepperlady


Well, I thought that putting @ in front of a user name would "tag" them to see this thread.

Check here; https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/full-throttle-touring-150-through-the-rocket-city.647784/page-349#post-45674763 and here; https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/north-alabama-riders.1092367/page-111#post-45630607

Hopefully as it cools down, more rides will get listed on this site.

[klaviator]

A dual sport or adventure bike is the ideal type of bike for this area and there are plenty of rides locally.  I'd stay away from the big, tall and heavy large displacement adventure bikes.  No need for that for that unless you want to do some long distance cross country trips.  My recommendation for you would be something like a Honda CB500x,  Royal Enfield Himalayan or Suzuki DR650.

[mojo1]

I have the Himalayan. It's comfortable to ride all day & has low seat height.

[hawkvtx]

A dual sport or adventure bike is the ideal type of bike for this area and there are plenty of rides locally.  I'd stay away from the big, tall and heavy large displacement adventure bikes.  No need for that for that unless you want to do some long distance cross country trips.  My recommendation for you would be something like a Honda CB500x,  Royal Enfield Himalayan or Suzuki DR650.

I've always been a Honda guy and I really like the 500x but from what I can tell if I wanted to buy one new the wait time is forever. Haven't really seen any used. Certainly not gonna drop 15 or 20 grand on a GS or Africa Twin. Been looking at the KLR. I know it's a tractor of a bike and has a couple of design flaws but they seem to be plentiful.  Not really considered the DR but I'll take a look at it.
I'll keep you posted on if and when I do decide to buy.
Thanks for the input guys.

[hawkvtx]

I went and looked at a KLR last weekend and it's just too tall for me. I can ride it but it's a struggle every time I'd need to stop to slide over enough to get a foot  down. Looked for a CB500X and found one but it's in North Carolina. Didn't want to go that far to pick up a bike. Thought about the Himalayan. I really wanted to like that bike but I just felt like it would be too underpowered for an everyday rider. So this morning I sealed a deal on a BMW G310GS. I went ahead and ordered some accessories for it so I may be able to pick it up tomorrow. (9-10). If not I'll have it before the next week is over.  The 310 GS has a 33" seat height and has an optional 2" lowering link that doesn't sacrifice any ground clearance.  So I'm having that installed. As soon as I pick it up and get a couple of pics I'll post them up.
In the meantime I'll keep my eyes open for some off road rides. See you soon.

BTW I still have my VTX1800 for when I wanna be a biker dude. 

[Sadlsor]

Hey Mr. Hawk, which bimmer did you get?
Ah, never mind... just saw your sig. I haven't seen the 310 up close, only pictures.

[hawkvtx]

The best mod I can do to the 310 is to improve the operator.