Best kind of bike for Colorado?

[Silverbird]

As most fo you know our roads tend to suck.  I have had lots of bikes ranging from an XR650L to my XX and all of them were only fun less than 1/2 the time because some roads are smooth and curvy and other are pothole infested and rediculously bumpy.  

I have recently been thinking about a 1200GS or bug adventrue bike to take some fire roads on but I also want to be able to really good corning capabilities. Any one given up in sportbikes in Colorado because of the bumpy roads?

[Justin]

I have not given up on Sportbikes yet myself here - but I think if I had 25k, and could buy one bike with it living here, it would be a GS. I really am a sportbike rider at heart, but there are times I really really wish I had a GS living here. I recall hearing that only 20% of CO's roads are paved.

[birdrunner]

big KTM


'nuff said.

[blakebird]

I haven't given up on sportbikes, but as a longtime offroad rider a good dualsport in Colorado will really expand your available riding area. Some of the real scenery is atop places like Imogene and Engineer Pass. The San Juans alone can be seen much better from the seat of a dualsport.

I've had a BMW GS Adventure, and they're awesome road bikes and can do some offroad (if you're a good offroad rider).
A better bike, IMO, would be a 950/990 Adventure if you're going to be doing much offroad but still want a good roadbike.

I leaned towards dualsported dirt bikes for years, but my current TE 630 is probably the best Colorado bike I've had. Six speed wide ratio gives you great offroad gearing and the ability to maintain highway speeds effortlessly. EFI means no jetting when you go up to 13,000 ft and above.
Good alternator output for the accessories you need in Colorado - heated gear, grip heaters, GPS...

I put a 6.6 gallon Safari tank on, good for 300+ miles in Baja and places where you can't depend on gas being available.
Carries the weight low so when partially filled (~4 gallons) it handles great offroad and still gives plenty of range.  

The bike is also a ton of fun on pavement in the canyons.

[coho]

Optimal ride for Colorado.  Year round, any road or lack thereof and plenty of storage for your outdoor activity accessories.

[JimWilliamson]

I'm paying notice to the thread too as CO has a nice mix between asphalt and gravel. Blakebird's post hits good topics - FI, range, power for electrics - is well taken.

I'd be looking for a machine that would be decent for both sweepers and forest roads / un-maintained two-track. Perhaps a V-Strom (something with a bit more ground clearance and suspension travel than a street only bike).



Invitation: Until {If?} I get back onto two-wheels, my Jeep is the wind-in-the-face sightseeng substitute for a motorcycle. If any of you wish to see what some of the Jeep trails are like, PM me and I'll let you know when a trail ride comes up. There's often a seat or three available. From what I hear, CO has a ton of single-track trails available to bikes. Two track for Jeeps, there is less but still a decent amount. A nice web site for two-track exploring is here: www.TrailDamage.com Edit: TD has a trail rating system. Finding trails with a high scenery rating and a low difficulty rating would be the first step for selecting a trail for bikes.

[bluedogok]

Coming from Texas where it seems like most of the roads are bumpy, rutted, tar snaked and cheese grater paved most of the roads that I have been on up here seem to be as smooth as glass in comparison. Tar snakes in day after day of 100+ degree heat can also cause a lot of butt pucker factor as well.

[bikerfish1100]

roads too bumpy for a sport bike? never noticed, really. I guess that telelever/paralever combo actually works really well, eh?

however- i think my F800GS is a real fine choice for the "do anything, go (almost) anywhere" need.

JimW- you've got my email- gimme a shout when you want a passenger or 2.

[blakebird]

however- i think my F800GS is a real fine choice for the "do anything, go (almost) anywhere" need.

The F800GS is a great Colorado bike.

On one of our Baja trips one of our group took his F800GS instead of his TE610, and it did great in some rugged offroad stuff. Much better offroad than I thought it would be. After that trip, a solid week of rough offroad riding, I came back considering one.

[bikerfish1100]

The F800GS is a great Colorado bike.

On one of our Baja trips one of our group took his F800GS instead of his TE610, and it did great in some rugged offroad stuff. Much better offroad than I thought it would be. After that trip, a solid week of rough offroad riding, I came back considering one.

no argument from me.

[Justin]

I'd be all over that  

[RodeRash]

When all your rides start at an elevation of around 5,000 feet and go up, my preference is for something with a lot of power.
I'm willing to deal with the extra weight that comes with it.

[black hills]

big KTM


'nuff said.

 

Not Colorado, but close:

[blakebird]

The only place I wouldn't want an LC8 on the White Rim Trail, would be going up Hardscrabble Hill or Murphy's Hogsback after a good long rain.
When that ground is wet it's the worst kind of slippery and steep.

 

Not Colorado, but close:

[black hills]

The only place I wouldn't want an LC8 on the White Rim Trail, would be going up Hardscrabble Hill or Murphy's Hogsback after a good long rain.
When that ground is wet it's the worst kind of slippery and steep.

They are a bit of a pig for "real" dirtbiking. but better than the competition in this area IMO? if you can keep it above 10mph it works fine, slower than that and it gets to be a real handful. Sure, I would mych rather have my 300 in the tight stuff, but once on anything that resembles a road the LC8 is fine.. I installed a Scotts stabilizer last night so am looking forward to a test ride sunday

[Clovis]

I always thought Colorado has some of the best sport bike roads in the country. I'm not bothered by tar snakes and rough roads, you just have to be aware of them and confident on your bike.

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Yamaha's new Super Tenere. It's gotten great reviews and most people place it in between a KTM and GS1200 in terms of a road/dirt balance. If I was in the market for a dual sport I would strongly consider that bike.

[Justin]

I always thought Colorado has some of the best sport bike roads in the country.

Yes, it has *some* of the best sport bike roads in the country - the problem is that there are not many. As of recently only 80% of the roads in CO were paved. For sport riding, you either have to ride the same roads all the time, or ride hundreds of miles to get to new roads (not that there is anything wrong with that  ).

Back in upstate NY, I had hundreds of windy paved roads I could choose from within 1/2 an hour of my house; and go another 30 miles and there will be another 50 roads. Out here I have like 5 roads within a half an hour I'd consider good or OK sport riding roads  

So for a true do it all CO bike, I'd definitely go with a GS or other adventure bike. For now, I'm happy eating paved miles still, and I really do like sport bikes. In the future, I'd really like to add a DS.

[sfarson]

Yes, it has *some* of the best sport bike roads in the country - the problem is that there are not many. As of recently only 80% of the roads in CO were paved. For sport riding, you either have to ride the same roads all the time, or ride hundreds of miles to get to new roads (not that there is anything wrong with that  ).

Back in upstate NY, I had hundreds of windy paved roads I could choose from within 1/2 an hour of my house; and go another 30 miles and there will be another 50 roads. Out here I have like 5 roads within a half an hour I'd consider good or OK sport riding roads  

So for a true do it all CO bike, I'd definitely go with a GS or other adventure bike. For now, I'm happy eating paved miles still, and I really do like sport bikes. In the future, I'd really like to add a DS.

Now Mr. J.... I could come up with more than five decent sporting roads within 30 minutes of say, Morrison. Even more if out of Boulder.    But would note the 80% paved figure you mention is actually the opposite... 80-90% of Colorado's roads are unpaved.  And yes, a DS is ideal for Colorado if having an interest in wandering down those stray and faint/dashed lines on the map.  Also, they can take one across the state in comfort, and they can be wicked in the curves.

[Justin]

But would note the 80% paved figure you mention is actually the opposite... 80-90% of Colorado's roads are unpaved.  

Yeap, I meant to say "unpaved", typo on my part  

Now Mr. J.... I could come up with more than five decent sporting roads within 30 minutes of say, Morrison.

I can come up with 5 "sporting" roads 30 mins outside of Morrison as well. And if you are at a "sporting" pace, you might actually be able to make it to 6  

[birdrunner]

Yeap, I meant to say "unpaved", typo on my part    

Technically I believe it's a  BRAINFART, not a typo as you actually didn't spell anything wrong.

Get with the program boy.  

I suspect a KTM 990 SMT or Adventure will "out twisty" may of our sport touring rigs.