Small motorcycles are easier to fixĬheap single cylinder motorcycles are much simpler and there is less that can go wrong. I loved the fact that my wife and I could quickly pick up our small 200 cc motorcycles on our own if it fell over. Yes, it is possible to ride a small 200 cc road bike on very bad roadsīeing able to firmly plant both feet on the ground and keep your bike upright with the least amount of effort, afford you much needed confidence if you are traveling in a foreign country. I was more concerned of breaking something, especially on the gnarly rocks of the Chalbi desert in Northern Kenya. While it can be tough in sandy ruts, if you take it slow in the dirt it is possible. You might be concerned about going off road on a small bike with very little power. I purchased a carb kit in rural Tanzania, a chain in Ethiopia and tube in Sudan, for next to nothing.ĭropping your fully loaded bike is inevitable, but picking up a small bike is simple I soon realized that these bikes are everywhere. When we traveled through Africa on two Chinese delivery bikes, I was worried about parts availability. Not only are the motorcycles cheap to buy, but parts parts are cheap and freely available in the developing world. Buying a cheap, small local motorcycle will cost far less than shipping your big adventure bike there and back. If you are planning on touring in Africa, South America or Asia the options of cheap Chinese bikes are near endless. At $5 199 that is nearly four times as much as an Asian import like the Tao Tao TBR7 (at only $1 399). In the United States, for most, a small, cheap bike might mean getting something like a Yamaha XT 250. Pro’s Con’s Cheap Uncomfortable Easy to ride Slow Easy to fix Small (for luggage) Safer Vibrations Likable by locals Reliability of some Easy to ship Advantages and disadvantages of small capacity motorcycles for touringįor those on a tight budget that are interested in taking on the open road on a motorcycle, read on to find out what we’ve learned over thousands of miles on small 125 cc and 200 cc motorcycles. Here we are near Karima in Sudan, the bikes still holding upįor a list of pro’s and con’s, check out the table below. The only issues we ever had were a few flat tires and a dirty carburetor. Later, we rode 9 630 miles on two Chinese 200 cc road bikes (basically an old Suzuki GN 250), from Cape Town to Cairo, over 90 days. We took the two little bikes into the desert a couple of times too. My wife and I have traveled 3 600 miles, without back-up, around South Africa on two Chinese 125 cc pizza delivery motorcycles (similar to Honda’s CG 125 from the 80’s) in 19 days. The biggest drawback is not being able to keep up with highway traffic, yet many adventure riders have successfully crossed continents on small capacity bikes. It is also much cheaper to tour on a small motorcycle. Touring on a small motorcycle is slow and uncomfortable, but it has many benefits, from safety to easy maintenance. My wife and I rode more than 9 000 miles from Cape Town to Cairo on two 200 cc pizza delivery bikes. Cheap little road motorcycles with capacities of 125 cc or 250 cc. This is even more true for inexperienced riders. Big adventure bikes are expensive and it can be quite intimidating to get onto a motorcycle fully loaded with camping gear.
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