Looking for some advice. At age 61.96, I'm contemplating buying my first motorcycle. Initially I was considering something like an Indian Scout (maybe a Bobber or Rogue). But it really makes more sense for me to go in another direction.
With kids leaving the nest and my job being something I can do remotely much of the time, I'm planning to spend a good chunk of time exploring and fishing rivers by kayak or raft, solo. The quandry, of course, is how to get back from the take out to the truck at the put in spot.
I figured the solution was to get a small, light motorcycle that I could put on a hitch-mounted rack on my pickup and drop at the takeout. At the end of the float I'd secure the vessel, ride the bike back to the truck, load the bike and drive back downstream to retrieve the boat. So I decided to look for a "shuttle" bike that I could also tool around on when camping.
I wanted something that I could use on forest roads that was also street legal and not too expensive. Toyed with the idea of a Honda Trail 125, a Monkey or a Yamaha XT 250. But then I stumbled on the RE Himalayan and figured, "This is it." I could throw panniers on it and use it for short-haul camping trips, independent of the shuttle mission.
Now, I'm not looking to do a lot of freeway cruising. But the reality of the mountain West is that there are places you can only get to on the interstate, often with some hefty grades. This is where the Himalayan comes up short. The low power to weight ratio, and the limited top speed all make me nervous about sharing the freeway with four and eighteen wheelers pushing 80.
After much research, I'm giving serious consideration to the KTM 390 Adventure. Not too big or heavy, and power and speed much better than the Himalayan. I'll admit that "mission creep" has me thinking about longer trips and more bike, something like the 890 Adventure (the base, not the R), but I can't really justify the added expense. Any thoughts from my wise forum brethren? I'd be looking at 2023 models, if that makes a difference.
With kids leaving the nest and my job being something I can do remotely much of the time, I'm planning to spend a good chunk of time exploring and fishing rivers by kayak or raft, solo. The quandry, of course, is how to get back from the take out to the truck at the put in spot.
I figured the solution was to get a small, light motorcycle that I could put on a hitch-mounted rack on my pickup and drop at the takeout. At the end of the float I'd secure the vessel, ride the bike back to the truck, load the bike and drive back downstream to retrieve the boat. So I decided to look for a "shuttle" bike that I could also tool around on when camping.
I wanted something that I could use on forest roads that was also street legal and not too expensive. Toyed with the idea of a Honda Trail 125, a Monkey or a Yamaha XT 250. But then I stumbled on the RE Himalayan and figured, "This is it." I could throw panniers on it and use it for short-haul camping trips, independent of the shuttle mission.
Now, I'm not looking to do a lot of freeway cruising. But the reality of the mountain West is that there are places you can only get to on the interstate, often with some hefty grades. This is where the Himalayan comes up short. The low power to weight ratio, and the limited top speed all make me nervous about sharing the freeway with four and eighteen wheelers pushing 80.
After much research, I'm giving serious consideration to the KTM 390 Adventure. Not too big or heavy, and power and speed much better than the Himalayan. I'll admit that "mission creep" has me thinking about longer trips and more bike, something like the 890 Adventure (the base, not the R), but I can't really justify the added expense. Any thoughts from my wise forum brethren? I'd be looking at 2023 models, if that makes a difference.
Last edited:
Used are not too bad. You can get a used with around 25k miles for $19K or so depending on year.
