New DAS Biker: Best bike for long distance tour?

[Freols]

I'm planning to to the DAS after my 21st this summer, and then spend the rest of the summer doing long trips across the UK and Europe. It's a bit mad, but feel like I really need to do it. I've spent years at Uni in a big city, I never had a gap year or anything so I just get away on my own and see the world.

That's the boring personal stuff covered. My question is, what would be the best bike for my purposes?

As far as I can see I need something that is:

Reliable: I'll be on my own, it needs to be rock solid.
Comfortable: Long journeys!
Spacious: I will be carrying everything I need for a month or so.
Motorway Capable: Motorways will be used quite a bit.
Forgiving: I will be new, and doing something very ambitious and fairly dangerous, I don't want the bike to add to my problems.
Resale Value: I may not want to hold onto the bike after the summer, if not, I don't want to lose too much money when I sell it.

Things to know about my personality and taste:

I prefer functionality and safety over style and speed.
I have classical/retro taste, sports bike types don't appeal to me.

Any thoughts?

I'd also be interested in any general ideas about kit, locks, experiences etc. But I know I can look elsewhere for that kind of info.

Cheers guys.

[Shaft]

I guess it depends on budget, but my first thoughts involved a BMW K series or a Yamaha XJ900 of some sort.
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[Freols]

[Shaft]

[Teflon-Mike]

OK, well with those sense of asthetics, I'd first query need to do DAS.
What you want is a break free adventure.... its about covering miles.
That means petrol, that means money......
So ecconomical..... cheap, gotta be on the list somewhere, suggesting smaller less glamorous bikes.....
Forget motorways..... you wanna tour, you see NOTHING from the three lane! On that score tiddlers can be great keeping you off the big roads and actually exploring unseen parts of the countryside.
SPACIOUSE.... Hmmmm... riding solo..... doesn't need to be THAT spaciouse..... just comfortable.....
LUGGAGE... now thats a good question. No doubt about it hard luggage makes life an awful lot easier. Not many bikes have hard luggage as standard, and those that do, its not always the right size and shape. Accessory luggage gives you more options to choose boxes to suit what you are going to carry, but a decent system is £300 to £500 ish, depending on what you pick, and it wont add to resale to the bike in most cases.

OK, lets start where you wee leading...... Pan Euro..... definative tourer. Steady easily managed, a bit heavy but low C of G. Nice forgiving power delivery. Would 'do' as a newbie bike. Fairing, comfy seat, hard luggage.... pretty much ticks all the boxes..... but 50mpg is 'good' on one. Can be bought for reasonable money though £2K should get something pretty tidy and serviceable with lots of life in it. They are mile eaters so you dont need to worry too much about high miles examples, and they sell well, so resale is good, too.

Looks promicing, but you are looking at probably £3K to get you on the road, and six weeks touring, doing 1000 miles a week, at 50mpg, is 550l of fuel, or about £750's worth......

Down scaling......... a 500 twin, perhaps a Duville...... or a CB500..... better ecconomy, not as 'plush', but cheaper to buy, insure and stick petrol in.......

What about going ALL the way down market, and tidler touring? Couple of mad Chilians, spent four years going round the world on a pair of Yamaha YBR125's not long back! Had a hoot on the way, and all for penies, reletively.

Bunch of lads on here chronicled a Tour of France of old 100cc two strokes.......

This is the sort of 'Adventure' biking touring should be about...... a Pan COULD make it just ALL tooo eeeasy!

What about a Honda Benley?

They do them in four sizes, 125, 175 (older) 185 and 200...... with 20bhp on tap from the 200, you wont get anywhere in a hurry, BUT they are dead economical, and dirt cheap to buy.... comfy too, AND you wouldn't have to do DAS to ride one..... so plenty of money in the pot over to enjoy some riding.......

Having 'done' the big bike stuff, and had bix boxes on my VF.... yeah, at 40 years old, I REALLY apreciate the attributes of a Pan Euro...... but at 19, I toured the country on Kawasaki AR125..... it was all I could afford while at uni! It was as much, if not more fun in its own way, working round the limitations of the bike..... getting cramped? Excuse to stop, get off, find a pub, have a coffee and talk to people!

Now, I have a CB750, which is a regulation road bike..... it sort of a nice compromise between the two extremes......

But, refusing to give in to middle age..... Snowie is keen on getting me back on a tiddler for some rallys and touring! And I have to admit, it does seem 'fun'.

Basically, we could reccomend ANYTHING, end of the day, you have to decide what you want out of it all..... if you JUST want to get places, if the bikes no more than a means of conveyance..... then find, Pan it..... if you want a bit more 'adventure'..... then think small....... you COULD with a little compromise, get an awful long way on a YBR..... around the world in fact! But maybe something more 'middling' would be a tad more comfy...... CD200 Benley? Duville? Old 750 street bike......

You need to work out YOUR approach to it.......

And think on the budget..... just illustrated, a six week tour on a Pan, your are probably looking at £5K, or more 20% of the budget JUST on fuel and servicing.........

£500 Honda Benley? You'd probably spend more on petrol than the bike cost... but you'd go further, and have £1500 left n the bank for 'other stuff'.......
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[Shaft]

[Slacker24seve...]

VFR750, surely?
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[pinkyfloyd]

Honda Dullville?

Its comfortable to the point of boring.
Plenty of room for carrying things with its boring looking panniers.
Ideal for boring motorways.
Its a Honda so boringly reliable.
Spacious because its the size of a small country
Resale value couldnt get lower.

https://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSIing0pVSgevvbeLSKaO57u1svu4-8jYjoEJ-wfZbhzcFglgUb&t=1
The Honda Dullville.
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Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.