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Deleted member 5383
Honestly, I think the bike could do it --
Of course it can do it. And I can carry buckets of sand all day long. I'd prefer not to though.
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Honestly, I think the bike could do it --
The suspension part is mostly due to the riders weight. I've noticed the guys that are 200lb or more need a suspension upgrade, especially when carrying allot of stuff such as for a trip. I'm in this camp as I weigh 220lb currently. But I'm cheap and stick to roads for now so not a real problem at the moment. But the people that say the stock suspension is great weigh 160lb or so. Where do you fall into, if you don't mind me asking?I want to do the TAT on my NC!!! As the above opinions suggest, there is NO perfect bike for the TAT. Big Adventure Bikes seem to be the best choice for the EAST side and due to the fact you'll have to carry "stuff." Smaller Dual Sport Bikes seem to be best for the WEST side once in CO due to the technical challenges.......AND THEN you have to think about how you are getting home and no way would I ride my CRF250L from Portland to Atlanta but know the NC would be fine coming back home...soooo what to do...whatever you want! Its your butt your money your bike you FUN!!!
My 2 Cents about NC on TAT:::
CLEARANCE is the ONLY real issue I see the NC having on the TAT according to my riding style and videos of the difficult parts of the TAT I have watched.
POWER is relative..I have owned a 1300cc down to a 250cc and loved them both for what they were/are.
SUSPENSION is in the butt of the beholder...people tell me the suspension of the NC is not adequate for OFF ROADING but yet I return from long 200+ mile dirt trips with mild butt pains while some of my buddies on their KTM and Gs and such are barely able to walk.
TIRES are key...I definitely recommend knobbies such as Shinko 805s or TKC80s as they can handle ROAD and OFF ROAD where others can handle road but NOT off road.
RIMS ???...I still have not made my mind up about if a larger diameter tire is MUCH better than a 17". My CRF has a 21 and yes it climbs over certain things like its nothing but those are not obstacles I am trying to climb over in my NC just because its not what I am wanting to do with the NC.
GAS stinks...I think the small gas tank hurts the NC big time and would suggest carrying a 1.75 RotoPax to take the range of the NC into the 300 mile range.
FUN...I could basically copy and paste my opinion on suspension minus the butt pain parts HaHaHa! Fun is relative, I never thought riding a "BIG" bike off road and in challenging tough trails would be fun but it is...to me.
When I was at the adventures unlimited meeting in California a few months ago a gal from the UK who rode the Trans America trail coast to coast and back again gave a presentation on her ride. I also talked with her personally for a few hours about her trip. She rode a 2015 CB500X that was tricked out by Rally Raid. The Rally raid kit upgraded the rims, the suspension, brake discs, and some other smaller parts. The rally raid setup also added a lot of frame and engine protection. There were no upgrades to the drive chain except for a heavier duty chain and sprockets... After seeing her setup, I would not recommend the NC for the trip. For starters, it's too heavy. Furthermore, you would need to spend thousands of dollars in upgrades (suspension, rims, brakes, tires, engine protection, etc.) to get it ready for the trip. Also, the NC bodywork wouldn't do so well after a few spills. After seeing her bike in person and absorbing all of what she presented, I would probably buy a used KLR 650 that was hopefully full of upgrades (most used ones are) to make a trek on the Trans America Trail. You are guaranteed to drop the bike many times and you want something that can take a beating without worrying about anything expensive to fix. The KLR has been virtually unchanged for the last 15 years. So, parts are really cheap and just about anyone can fix them. Plus, you want something that isn't sheer hell to get back on two wheels after having dumped it in some sand or mud. Just my two cents. That being said. I think a trip like that would be fun. She did the trip alone and met up with a few friends here and there. I would rather have a partner as I am not confident about handling all of the dirt sections alone. She is definitely a lot braver than I am.