Size doesn't matter? - Small IS beautiful :)

[Mike Wright]

Beta Alp...............it's the future, for me (thumbs)

Have you extended the garage John? How many GS's do you have still? Those Alps are great bikes I see quite a few on the Lands End Trial.

[Simon_100]

Beta Alp...............it's the future, for me (thumbs)

Hi JB, to judge from the great mods you do to your bikes let me know when your ready to sell your Alp :whistle:

Regs

Simon

[Simon_100]

these guys agree with you simon (thumbs)

Thanks for this Chris - yes, it's good to start 'em young (thumbs)



See how he learned to just get right back on the bike - in the interview he's asking for a petrol bike for Xmas. His last comment as that no-one would believe that he could ride a motorbike :whistle:

Regs

Simon

[Simon_100]

Thanks Simon,

You rate it over the Giant Loop stuff.....why ??

I've got both. So far I've only used the Alrider as a 'dummy run' whereas I've toured for six weeks last year with the Coyote.

I'll do a proper comparison soon and post it on a separate thread for all to see. meanwhile:

A) the Altrider is 100% waterproof while the Coyote can leak through the zip and through the 'base' straps which runs into the compartment - o the Altrider this is completely outside and is much easier to fit. You need to have dry sacks inside the Coyote and the ones they supply, for a lot of extra money, are just too bulky and take up lots of space - all you need are standard dry bags that I buy for £2 by the dozen from field and trek!

B) the Coyote is really quite heavy and impossible to pack up to fit in the porch of a small tent - the material is like old fashioned oilskins. The Altrider packs away very small as the 'armoured' part is just the 'holsters' - which you might leave on the bike anyway )see below) and you can roll up the waterproof bag inside on 'holster' and use the other a a stash for the rest of your stuff - dry bags, tents stuff sacks, etc.

C) you can leave the 'holsters' on the bike and use them as panniers as they have tension straps that close them and will keep your shopping from falling out - my favourite camp sites are up to 30 kns from a shop!

D) the tension straps that fit over the whole thing, from front to back, are long enough to attach a duffle bag - guess what, I use the Giantloop that they also push with the Coyote, which doesn't actually strap to the Coyote at all without extra straps!

ALTR_20_loopduffel.jpg (81.26 KiB) Viewed 1709 times

That will do for now :whistle:

Regs

Simon

[johnnyboxer]

Beta Alp...............it's the future, for me (thumbs)

Have you extended the garage John? How many GS's do you have still? Those Alps are great bikes I see quite a few on the Lands End Trial.

Hi Mike, how are you?

Still got a brace of 1150 GSA 's
Garage has plenty of space still

Enjoying my Alp4 after a few XR's - I forgot how flexible & creamy the DR350 engine is

May see you at Devon TRF 's A2E ?

[fairyplum]

Small works fine. We have just gone round some of Indonesia on small bikes 4500 kms. 225cc and 150cc yamahas. I had bought an ortlieb saddle bag set which worked very well and that and a bag across the bag served for 7 weeks


[attachment:2]PA180432.JPG[/attachment

[Elle]

thanks Simon (thumbs)
I've just returned from a camping weekend with the KL250. I took to NZ some old Oxford saddlebags to use but they were difficult to set up without a pannier rack and keep off the exhaust. Had to use so many straps, it took an hour to fix them in place!
GL gear but it's way too expensive.

Also discovered my new Exped down mattress doesn't fold up very small & combined with my down sleeping bag, I have a very big holdall on the rear rack, although it's not particularly heavy.

If you get time, it would be great to see some close-up pics of how the bags avoid the exhaust on your bike.

A lady had a Beta 200 over the weekend, but not road worthy here in NZ so she was using a trailer to get to the off-road sections. Seemed to go a lot better at the steep hills than my heavy Sherpa!

[Big Yellow Tractor]

Thanks for the comparisons Simon. Most useful

[Tim Cullis]

Another interesting brand in Spain is Rieju. I was waiting for my KTM 690 to be serviced in Cartegeña and looking over the Rieju Marathon 200 (121 kg dry) which is a 21/18 wheel setup.

I particularly like the look of the Rieju Tango 250 (109 kg dry) which has an unusual 19/16 wheel setup.

They both have 6.5-litre tanks which I guess is OK for a small engined bike. I'm pretty sure Yamaha did something similar to the Tango in Europe as well.

I've just fitted mousses in the 690 which will dramatically reduce the tools I need to carry—discard the four tyre levers, two inner tubes, electric pump, bead buddy, valve puller...

[fullerton]

Just a sort of micro ride report as I took my (really Mrs TSB's) Beta Alp 200 for a three day 'Jolly last weekend.

The idea was to see how it rode with a fairly minimal luggage set up.

The Alp is about the smallest ADV you can get just 108 kgs and rides like a bicycle with a - pokey! - motor.

The result? Well, no problems with the luggage - a 'newbie' on the market: a saddlebag system from ALTRider that knocks spots off the Gian Loop Coyote, fitted in conjunction with a Kriega tank mount and with an option, that I didn't use, to strap a small tent onto the saddlebags as these have extra long tension straps for exactly this purpose.














































The be fair, after a winter 'off-bike' I found the Alp very spartan, not helped by having a heavy Kriega backpack - not Kreiga's fault, rather my Macbook and a ton of other valuables - or so it seemed after five hours!

Plus the fact that my trip began in -4ºC, albeit sunny, then freezing fog, then dense city traffic in the heat, well about 15ºC.

But the return leg without the rucksack was a dream, despite much more time in the much worse fog ver midday as I g¡had to re-cross the Ebro depression, that's the bit between the Pyrenees and the mountains to the south and the the Med. coast.

Pictures:

ALTR_2_ALPMONTREBEI_2015-01-16.jpg

ALTR_3_ALPTHREEQUARTERS.jpg

ALTR_1_ALPKRIEGAmount.jpg

ALTR_8_ALPMONTSANT2.jpg

ALTR_12_ALPCASTILLO.jpg

ALTR_13_ALPCOMIOLS1_2015-01-16.jpg

There's plenty of space in the saddlebags for sleeping bag, self-inflating mattress, ultralite cooking, spare clothes, etc. and on the meagre rack for an ultralite tent, waterproofs and a 'quick-change' set of clothes; flip-flops, swimming trunks and all the other summer necessities . . .

The only trouble that now I can't wait for the camping 'season' to begin and either have short 'jollies's on my own or, preferably, longer trips together with my X-Co acting as the 'Mother-ship' (thumbs)

Regs

Simon

can we please put a ban on these kind of posts, esp when i am sat in my conservatory -2 foggy and carnt play out.

steve