Motorcycles/Scooter for a motorhome motorbike carrier

[Kempie]

I'm curious to know what machines people have (and any regrets), on a motorcycle/scooter that is suitable for a carrier. I have fitted a folding carrier ( Zorro) that has a 150 kg max weight and the motorhome has been up-plated to allow for this. I am split between a Honda sh125i ( sensible) or a Honda crf250l. Are their any other machines suitable that carry 2 persons? If you have a 125cc, is it suitable for 2 people in the real world? if so which machine? Interested to here peoples experiences.

 

[The Coops]

CRF 250 is a pure off road green lane machine with a seat like a teak plank , absolutely great if that is your thing, If you have passed your test look at the SH 300 not much heavier than the 125 and twice the power ( I Have the Yamaha T max but it goes in the garage! )

 

[Kempie]

Sh300 is too heavy, the crf250l is a trail bike so not so extreme as the 250x. Weight is the issue as most of the machines that i would go for are 175kg and upwards.

 

[denisejoe]

Honda PCX so good i bought the one I sold 3 or 4 years earlier 2012 model wet weight 124kg

 

[Richard n Ann]

Go for the SH125. We've got the Vision 110 and if I was buying again I'd go for the SH. It's up 4bhp on the vision, that takes it to 12bhp for only a 10kg gain

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[Richard n Ann]

The Duke 390 is just 149kg dry and 44bhp if that floats your boat, great fun to ride but not as practical as the Scoot.

 

[Kempie]

Go for the SH125. We've got the Vision 110 and if I was buying again I'd go for the SH. It's up 4bhp on the vision, that takes it to 12bhp for only a 10kg gain

Do you ride pillion? if so how does it cope? Sorry for asking but i have no experience of small machines, well not for 42 years.....

 

[The Coops]

You need BHP over economy! Did you ever ride a moped pre 1978 made? They made anything between 3bhp ( Honda ) and 7 BHP ( Garelli) and the difference being the Honda would out last the Garelli on reliability. If you are looking at two up you need a minimum of 18 BHP so you can at least use *faster* roads two up! KTM never thought of but would fulfill your requirements perfectly ( Still stop with my T max in the garage. KTM 1290 rider on Monday admitted he was hard pressed to keep up on B roads, Bloody hell they don't half go well. pity it has scooter looks! ) Not my problem,!

 

[XxAnthxX]

CRF 250 is a pure off road green lane machine with a seat like a teak plank , absolutely great if that is your thing, If you have passed your test look at the SH 300 not much heavier than the 125 and twice the power ( I Have the Yamaha T max but it goes in the garage! )

The CRF 250L is a road based dual sport machine......a completely different animal to the CRF250r or the CRF250x.

I‘ve owned two of the above and the CRF250L is a CRF by name not by nature.

 

[denisejoe]

PCX cruises at 60 two up

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[suavecarve]

PCX cruises at 60 two up

Suzuki address 110 reaches thise speeds 2 up.


Preferable to have had beans on beans beforehand though.

Been on the autostrata today and it gets overtaken by bmws just as well as other motorbikes

 

[buntyb]

My hubby rode the CRF250L on his daily commute, often 100 miles every day, 5 days a week and loved every minute of it. Comfortable solo and with pillion. A great all rounder with decent service intervals of 8000 miles

 

[J.R.W]

Just my thruppenceworth,

If you want a slow pootle out to town and perhaps a little solo exploring, then my lightweight of choice for hanging behind a van is a little Beta Alp 200 (103kg) dry. It will 'cope" with two up and being all of 17hp, the fact that the forks are as thin as breadsticks isnt too much of an issue.

That said there's not many places it cant get to solo.

For something a bit more substantial two up a CCM404DS (124kg) fits the bill well, especially with the supemoto wheels (or the off road ones depending on destintion). WP Suspension, decent frame, great brakes. Perfecly capable two up and very capable one up. I did have to fabricate some passenger pegs though..

Using an Armitages supplied chassis mounted bike rack, up to 170kg but not going to risk putting any of the big ones on it.

There are lots of trailies / enduros to choose from, be interested to see what you decide !

 

[XxAnthxX]

My hubby rode the CRF250L on his daily commute, often 100 miles every day, 5 days a week and loved every minute of it. Comfortable solo and with pillion. A great all rounder with decent service intervals of 8000 miles

My CRF250L...all be it tweaked a bit and had a bit of a diet Is like riding a push bike.

 

[bigtree]

You need BHP over economy! Did you ever ride a moped pre 1978 made? They made anything between 3bhp ( Honda ) and 7 BHP ( Garelli) and the difference being the Honda would out last the Garelli on reliability. If you are looking at two up you need a minimum of 18 BHP so you can at least use *faster* roads two up! KTM never thought of but would fulfill your requirements perfectly ( Still stop with my T max in the garage. KTM 1290 rider on Monday admitted he was hard pressed to keep up on B roads, Bloody hell they don't half go well. pity it has scooter looks! ) Not my problem,!

There’s a lot to be said for lower powered bikes, my wife’s Duke 690 is a weapon in the twisties and I have just ditched the Scaplel for the 1290 sdr. Roll on the first service to find out how it goes on my local roads.

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[buntyb]

Is that Stonehaven seafront?

 

[Ivory55]

Looks very nice, but so nickable. I can imagine it being like a magnet for thieves

 

[XxAnthxX]

Is that Stonehaven seafront?

Same coast....further south.

It was just outside the Heugh Gun Battery on the Headland Old Hartlepool.

 

[XxAnthxX]

Looks very nice, but so nickable. I can imagine it being like a magnet for thieves

Very true....

Even after its been ’abused’ and various shades of brown, before being ‘washed’ in the river it’s probably still very appealing to delinquent scrotes.....

 

[Richard n Ann]

Do you ride pillion? if so how does it cope? Sorry for asking but i have no experience of small machines, well not for 42 years.....

It's OK on the flat 2 up, it pulls away from the lights fine, faster than most cars (as long as they aren't racing ) and it keeps up with 50+ mph traffic. But hills kill it especially setting off up a hill 2 up, it's embarrassing when you pull out and need it to GO

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[Nasher]

A couple of things:

Many of the motorcycles suggested here have a dry weight of under 150kg

However, the wet weight (things like coolant, oil, battery, hydraulic fluid & fuel) can add between 20-30 Kg and that will make them way to heavy for the rack.
(you will also want to add a few kilos for a security chain, lock & tie downs)

Additionally, for overall payload, you will need to consider the weight of helmets, protective clothing , boots, etc


The OP mentions he hasn't ridden for 42 years, I assume he has a full licence?
Given the change in traffic since 1978, the OP may find it a good idea to get a little bit of training before blasting off into the sunset!!

 

[denisejoe]

My CRF250L...all be it tweaked a bit and had a bit of a diet Is like riding a push bike.

View attachment 423714

Can’t see Denise being happy with the rear seat

 

[XxAnthxX]

Can’t see Denise being happy with the rear seat

I can understand that.....but it’s like an armchair compared to my Ducati’s pillion seat or any super bike or sports bike seat come to think of it.

It could be worse tho, she could be on it on a river crossing......

 

[Kempie]

I've riden/owned many bikes over the years up to 1400cc, however my experience with anything under 600cc is 42 years ago in order to past my test. The weight of the ancillaries has been taken into consideration, however i have a total weight wet or kerb weight of 150kg. I am worried that a 125 scooter may not be powerful enough to keep up with traffic two up. Larger engined scooters come in above 150kg, so the alternative seems to be dual sport or as i know them Trail bikes the CRF 250 being an example. Pillion wise the scooter looks a lot more comfortable but i am swaying towards a larger engined trial bike, hence me asking for others experience. Thanks for the comments so far...

 

[Richard n Ann]

A 125 scooter will easily keep up with traffic on today's roads. Have a test ride, you'll be surprised.

The chap across from us on this site has always had big bikes, even rode to Spain and back. We got talking about our 110cc scooter saying how handy it is for town ect so I let him have a go down the site and back and he was surprised how it went. "Lol, it goes ok doesn't it" was his exact words. No gear changes too help it off the mark, but you want the 125 for best results

Another great advantage is the practicality, on a scooter you can get a case of beer in the step through area, also loads of shopping or helmet under the seat and your Mrs will get on and off it easier. The most popular scooter here in Benidorm is the SH125.

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[Wikky]

Same coast....further south.

It was just outside the Heugh Gun Battery on the Headland Old Hartlepool.

View attachment 423716

Ah remember it well.