"Adventure" Riding on a KZ?

I would not do that trip on a KZ. In 1997 my brother and I rode from California to South America and back. I was riding a Suzuki SP600 and he was riding a KZ750 two cylinder. The KZ was reliable however on the return trip it started to fall apart. The fork seals started leaking really bad along with the rear shocks. Cracked the frame in several places, including the rear shock mounts and seat mounts. Some of the roads through there are REALLY REALLY bad. I was impressed with the KZ I thought it would have died on the way down but it held up for about 7000 miles. I have another brother who lives in Belize and when we arrived there on the return leg we left the KZ there and my brother flew home. The KZ was not designed for extended riding on third world dirt "roads." I spent a lot of time doing "trail" repairs on that KZ to keep it going. There were no parts available for the KZ, none for the SP600 either. Now with that said I guess you could modify it to deal with it. I would go with the KLR. Unless you have ridden in third world countries you have no idea how BAD the conditions can get. It's not like riding on a dirt fire road. That video is nothing compared to whats down there. I don't want to sound like I am trying to disuade anyone from doing this just make the smart choices and go prepared.
My brother packed really light all he had was a back pack tied to the back. I on the other hand looked like the beverly hill billies with panniers and all sorts of stuff strapped to my bike.
This is what I rode

Sell your KZ and get a low mile KLR. Riding a 34 year old KZ on those roads is sking for a dead KZ. Riding a KLR on those roads is what it is made for. Add a few adventure bits, pack some spair parts, and have at it. Take a look at these adventure bits.....

www.giantloopmoto.com/collections/giant-loop-gear-collection
www.dual-star.com/index2/
www.happy-trail.com/Default.aspx

893cv wrote: Sell your KZ and get a low mile KLR. Riding a 34 year old KZ on those roads is sking for a dead KZ. Riding a KLR on those roads is what it is made for. Add a few adventure bits, pack some spair parts, and have at it. Take a look at these adventure bits.....

Blasphemy!!! Sell the KZ!? You're crazy...

Seriously though, I cant sell the KZ, maybe I'll feel differently when the engine seizes in the middle of Kansas on my June trip, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I've been checking out all kinds of adventure bits too, I think I have the bug...

Lots of good info here. Especially from someone who actually DID IT>>>Thanks baldy.

Over on advrider I have a thread looking for a cheap dual sport and getting a lot of encouragement to go on the KZ, but part of me thinks... of course they want to see the guy attempt it on a KZ! Who wouldnt read that ride report!?

I passed on that KLR, it was too far away and I cant quite come up with the money right now. I'm going to wait until after the 4k trip to have a better idea of if this sort of thing is for me or not and to save some cash.

I definitely am appreciating and absorbing all the advice offered, thank you guys. I'm not completely ruling out the KZ. Part of me wants to just go for it and save the couple $K to fix up the KZ when I get back, or just have more money to travel longer (or pay off loans). I have always thought that someday I'll put the time and $$$ into my KZ that it deserves, new suspension, paint, etc... Might as well beat it to S&*#T before I fix it up... We will see... we will see.

You asked me to post a bit about my experiences from my last 17k mile trip on the KZ.

Plain and simple, if I did it again I would buy the KLR. the backroads stuff is my favorite as well and KZs just weren't made to go there. Not to say you can't, I'm a firm believer that its the rider NOT the bike (check out Sjaak Lucassen) that is the crucial factor in being able to go off-road, however KZ's have their limitations. A big problem that you will run into is ground clearance. I thrashed my headers bottoming out on logs, rocks, roots, whatever. Picture driving down a creekbed with rocks ranging in size from softball to watermelon and that will be some of the roads you are likely to encounter. As has been said before the frame will start to crack apart. If you took your centerstand off PUT IT BACK ON. The bike I had came to me without one and i wished the whole time that i would have tracked one down before i left. I ended up having to jimmy rig sketchy stands when i needed to change tires, chain, sprockets, oil, etc. I had the bike fall over once when I had the front wheel off for a tire change. ouch.

Also Having traveled through central and south America I can tell you that you will probable want to find a lockable garage every night you are in a decent sized city (or even small ones). I was in Colombia a couple years ago and ran into some Germans doing the Alaska to Tierra del Fuego trip and they were stuck in Medellin for over a month waiting for new carbs because someone stole them off their bike in the night.

Be prepared to be stopped by police for seemingly no reason, when they say you have to go to court for a traffic violation, ask if you can pay the "fine" right there in cash. happened to me a couple times in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. If you don't know Spanish you better start learning.

You will have to contend with the Darien gap when you get to Panama, probably have to get a boat to take your bike to Cartagena for that, as there is no road and the area is territory of the the FARC and you don't need to get kidnapped.

IMO you could spend a bunch of money on your KZ preparing it, or you could buy the KLR, and have a bike that will love the paces you put it through.

despite all the negativity i just wrote, you will have an awesome time, just trying to give you a heads up.

also watch out for the cold. :woohoo:

sft1662 wrote: Might as well beat it to S&*#T before I fix it up... We will see... we will see.

this is exactly what i did, Now i'm rebuilding the KZ and saving up for a dual sport

Thanks DoctoRot!

Lots of good info there and nice pics too. I wont be worrying about the Darien Gap - I'll be turning around to head home when I get to Panama. Not enough time or money to include South America.

I think I'll be looking for a dual sport. You're in Seattle though, so you know how much used bikes tend to be overpriced around here. I've had a hard time finding something for under $2k that wont need another $1k plus put into it for this trip. If I find a bike that I can afford, awesome. If I cant find it or afford it, I'm going to thrash the KZ. Its not often in life you get the chance to take a 3 month "vacation" so I'm not going to let not having the perfect bike stop me.

Thanks again for your insight.

When you're on the 4k trip keep an eye out for deals along the way and ship it back home.

Maybe find a dealership that will let you take a test ride. :laugh: :woohoo:

damarble wrote: When you're on the 4k trip keep an eye out for deals along the way and ship it back home.

My parents are going to be headed through the same region a few days after me on their way back West. I'm trying to convince them to take the truck instead of the Civic but they are not a big fan of this plan for some reason.

Sounds like a fine plan to me, they should be more accommodating.