Truck camper and a motorcycle

Kawasaki KLR 650, Suzuki VStrom, DR650, 350, or 400 are good choices but don't overlook the BMW 650s.

MCIbus wrote:
With your size you will need to do a lot of adjusting to get something to fit you and your riding style. With being a new rider your stile will change over time.
I rode for years and stopped because of my work. When / if I every go back to living in a “house” I will be getting a bike or 2.

I would look at a V-Strom 650. It will have plenty of room once you get it adjusted. It is a dual sport, but it's set up a little more for the road. My parents 2 up on a V-Strom 1000 and do everything from tent camping on fire roads to trips that last a week across 2 or 3 states.

The V-Strom is another bike that I have on my list. I like the 650 = 700 cc range. I don't want to get in too far over my head but I know if I'm not comfortable on the bike I won't ride it. If I don't ride it I never get proficient.

I am 6'7" 225 pounds and my WR250R "hamster" dual sport bike fits me perfectly. It goes 70mph easy on the hwy and then I can twirl it around on a single track. Fuel injected too so there is no waiting 10 minutes for it to smooth out and warm up.

My wife is 5'8" and we actually had to LOWER her WR250R three inches just so she could get her tiptoes on the ground when stopped.

Wow, a post right up my alley!! I camp from, and commute all year, on a bike. I just back from a 3 day camping trip to Vermont on the bike.... to visit (drumroll) "Truck Camper Warehouse!!"

You really need to think about HOW you'll use the bike... and maybe how many bikes you can afford to own!

I can afford only one bike. I use it for year-round commuting to work, vacation touring/ camping, running errands, etc. So, there's stuff my bike NEEDS to have: comfort/ fit for a big rider (I'm 6'5", 290#), ABS, all-weather/ all-season, all-road ability, affordability, good fuel economy, reliability, and some conveniences (clock, gas gage, luggage, etc.). To get that, there's stuff I'm willing to trade off: speed, on-road performance, off-road performance, 'sexiness', etc.

The reason I say all this is because the bike you haul around and camp with would probably be different than the bike you'd go touring with, or the bike you'd have if you went TWO (two-wheels-only), or the bike you'd get if you lived far 'off the grid', or the bike you'd get if you were a speed freak into moto-GP.

When I was a kid (in the 1970's), stock/ factory bikes all looked very, very, similar - they were pretty "standard" and individual riders would customize them for the riding they wanted to do. Sadly, it's not like that anymore - bikes have evolved into different categories - sport, cruiser, dirt bike, luxury touring, etc. - all targeted at their specific intended use.

"Dual-sport", "Enduro," "adventure touring", etc is a cross-over type bike meant to be able to do a little dirt/offroad while not being terrible on the street. Since each such bike is a compromise, they excel at neither and usually are biased more in one direction than the other: compare a Suzuki DR 650 with a Triumph Tiger 1050. Are they really both the same "type" of bike? One is really 'dirt-oriented', the other really 'street-oriented.'

So again, figuring out what you want a bike FOR... how you're going to ride it - that will answer your question for you.

Guys tow big Harleys long distances, then ride the paved roads around their destination, or attend rallies or whatever. Other guys tow dirt bikes and camp at their off-road riding area. Plenty of RV's have scooters on the back - just enough to run to the camp store or into town. And there's guys like me who tour/ camp right off the bike - and even that group breaks down to touring mainly on- vs. off- road, and tour hotels vs. tour campsites.

First off, sorry for your loss. Being an MSF instructor, I can appreciate your large frame on a small training bike which proves the point, one size does not fit all. My suggestion for a great dual sport is the Suzuki DRZ400S. We've got 3 in the family and it's probably the most versatile one out there. Yes, others go faster with more comfort for putting down the miles, but the DRZ is at home in the dirt as any and at 300 lbs. is much more easily handled while tackling narrow single track or loading it back on the truck at the end of the day. I've fit sport bike wheels/tires to make mine a SuperMoto version and one just cannot have more fun on two wheels than one of these! I'm in the process now of fitting a carrier to my TC to negate the need of a trailer and still have a workable package that loads easily. Harder to do with a 500+lb. bike, but there are those here who swear by their heavy bikes as being easy to handle in the dirt and loading is easy. Sure it is...... ;)

SuperMotos are another choice. I have a 70cc Honda and 1000cc Kawasaki and both will haul my wife and me around...

As others have suggested I like the 650 v strom. I have owned a lot of bikes over the years and the wee is a surprising bike. Rode it to Pa. And back this year. It cruised at 75 just fine. It also handles gravel roads well.
Good luck!

When you fly to alaska and rent a dual sport its normaly a klr650, if that tells us anything. There are other options but most outfitters I have look into offered those. Tells me they are durable, easy to ride and adaptible. I trailer my harley if I dont just ride and camp. Deciding now to ride or trailer the smokies in a few weeks when the kids are back in school. I had a hitch mount ct110 traded it for a ct70 so my grandkids could ride it as well. Lots of chopices in the bike world. Keep the rubber down.

CAJW wrote:
First off, sorry for your loss. Being an MSF instructor, I can appreciate your large frame on a small training bike which proves the point, one size does not fit all. My suggestion for a great dual sport is the Suzuki DRZ400S. We've got 3 in the family and it's probably the most versatile one out there. Yes, others go faster with more comfort for putting down the miles, but the DRZ is at home in the dirt as any and at 300 lbs. is much more easily handled while tackling narrow single track or loading it back on the truck at the end of the day. I've fit sport bike wheels/tires to make mine a SuperMoto version and one just cannot have more fun on two wheels than one of these! I'm in the process now of fitting a carrier to my TC to negate the need of a trailer and still have a workable package that loads easily. Harder to do with a 500+lb. bike, but there are those here who swear by their heavy bikes as being easy to handle in the dirt and loading is easy. Sure it is...... ;)

I echo all the above. First- so sorry for your loss.

I also agree on the DRZ. For years I have ridden and continue to ride large sport touring bikes. But just this past spring I bought a Suzuki DRZ 400. What a ton of fun. Easy to move around. PLENTY of power. Handles everything from highways (75+mph) to loose dirt roads and the occasional trail.

BTW, I am 190# 6'2" and also ride a 1992 BMW K100RS4V but have more miles on the Suzuki this year than on the BMW.

Good luck with your decision. If you are looking at new, Suzuki has 0% 5 year financing. Use their money, not yours.

Throw the Triumph Tiger onto your list to look at.