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NC on the TAT?

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.
 
The original TAT design was for 200 mile days and stay in motels at night. That approach would greatly lighten the load and difficulty.
 
Small displacement machines that are designed with decent subframes can carry all you need and more. People have been doing this for years, decades. So that's no issue. The only edge larger displacement machines have in this type of trip is if you have to run lots of fast pavement miles to get to the start of the TAT, or do detours during the TAT, and to get back home. But even then, that's not set in stone either...

If you want to do it on the NC, it sure would do the fuel thing fine. It's easy to carry a small Rotopax (and a MSR bottle for your stove fuel) and make other "adventure bike" riders jealous of how little fuel your machine sips as they fill up their behemoth aftermarket fuel tanks ; }
 
I would think the ncx could easily get 70mpg+ on the tat, as long as you don't get stuck often. I would still carry an extra gallon just in case. The gpskevin trail as a rout now that starts around Delaware and works it way down to TN. I'll have to go ride that section as it's near my house.
 
vman1313 said:
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.
Click to expand...
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'd do suspension for sure, regardless of what i weighed. after riding something that feels nice when hitting hard bumps and rocks and roots and washed out ruts, and then taking my NC into some moderate two-track where it beats you pretty hard even if you take some tire pressure out... it just makes sense to address this if you plan on using it as an off-pavement machine.
 
TAT motorcycle is 21 inch front tire and 18 inch rear tire, weight under 350. Lots of Suzuki and KTM motorcycles on the TAT that are around 400CC. It is HOT!
 
I've thought many a time about doing the TAT. If I was going solo I'd take the CRF250l and figure out a way to pack even lighter. Going in a group (3 or more), I'd take the NC. IF it rains in MS, parts of AR, or OK, doesn't matter how light a bike, you are probably going to slab it. The mud is slick as ice and packs the tires. For CO I'd take the NC over the CRF. Yes in the rough sections I could go faster on the CRF but for the rest the NC is much more comfortable for all day riding and carrying a load. Riding off-road I can hardly tell a difference between having my luggage and not having it on the NC. It doesn't care that I have 50-60lbs back there. I still think the NC is a bit nose heavy so having the luggage lightens up the nose which is good for rocky terrain and sand.

The 17" front is a disadvantage. 17" just doesn't roll over stuff as easily as 21". As for it being cast aluminum, once I learned to set the pressure at 25psi or higher, I haven't had an issue. I did take a chunk out of one rim when I was running 20psi. Tire held air and it was actually several weeks later when I finally found the damage.

From all of the ride reports I've read, Utah is the only part I'm unsure about. I haven't ridden there and there seems to be a few really challenging parts there. Deep sand, rocky steps, and the part where the dude drove off the edge which seems to be a tricky spot. The sand I did on the COBDR turned out to not be an issue but that is all of the sand experience I have. From what I understand the current route from Sam goes around what was some deep sand in NV. He change it because of gas availability.

One question I always keep coming to with the TAT is how do I get back? If I'm on the NC I'd ride back. On the CRF, I'd rent a U-Haul. No way I'd ride the CRF for 2k miles of slab....and that brings up the time honored question of do you ride the bike for the 5-10% or tough terrain or do you ride the bike for the 90-95% of easy terrain and slab. With 3-4 people in a group I tend to lean toward the bike for the majority of the ride. 3-4 people can get the bike through a tough spot that someone can't ride it through.
 
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.
 
the KLR650 has needless plastic that gets busted. a better alternative platform is the DR650 which is also lighter.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
bvogel7475 said:
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.
Click to expand...

NC is only 50lbs heavier than the CBX.
As for body damage. Mine has none and it has been down multiple times. The muffler has dents and the frunk lid has scratches. I have Engine guard and good skidplate just like Jenny's RR CBX has. The RR kit doesn't upgrade the brakes. The wheels are spoked but are also heavier than the stock cast wheels. Jenny runs 28psi with the spoke wheels. Unless you find a used bike already kitted out, you have to do most of the same mods to a CRF, DR, KLR, etc except for the wheels. 2nd gen KLRs have body work that I've seen get busted. Only reason the CRF doesn't need crash bars is the body panels are cheap to replace. I've come to realize almost any bike you ride off-road needs the suspension worked on to fit your weight and riding conditions. As good as the WR250 is I have yet to ride with one that hasn't had suspension upgrades. Heck even for the high dollar KTMs there a large aftermarket for suspension upgrades.
 
I would be tempted by a 250 adventure. Been thinking about a 250 as a second bike. I don't need tremendous offroad capability, but would probably upgrade suspension anyway b/c of my weight. I want a low bike. Three on the list are tw200, super sherpa, xt250.
 
Underwhelmed by the crf250l RALLY -- even more weight and only a 2.7 gallon gas tank. Just a styling excercise. You can do better modding a low-miles used machine. Or not: people have come off the end of the TAT riding their DR200 or XT225 or XT250 or CRF230L, and some of them are stock or practically so. What they lack for the highway detours they make up for elsewhere. Though as Bamamate says, you aren't going to be able to beat feet for home at the end of the trip, though you can make it there at a more leisurely pace, perhaps planning some alternate routes ahead of time.
 
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