Lee R
07-09-2016, 10:27 PM
I just recently completed a 4000 mile trip around Newfoundland from Upstate NY on my RX3.
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/Newfoundland_zpsoynjc6kn.png (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/Newfoundland_zpsoynjc6kn.png.html)
Newfoundlands amazing go there, it's basically a giant Acadia National Park. Heres a few observations for those who are planning something similar in the future. I'd like to say first that the bike completed the trip without any mechanical problems other than some really noisy valves when I got home. It does have some serious limitations for long trips which I'll note below.
The Good!
It's pretty comfortable for all day riding. Not BMW GS or large ADV comfortable but it's really not bad for ergonomics. If you keep speeds to about 55-60mph or 80-90kmh it cruises really well.
Fuel economy is normally about 50-60 mpg, for me it's about 53 average. Not wonderful for a small engine but better than larger bikes which saves a few bucks on gas. I filled up every 150 miles or so and the RX3 saved 1 liter of fuel over the KLR 650's when they filled at the same time.
Chain adjustment is a breeze on this bike, takes maybe 10 minutes in the field.
Tire life is long. The stock CST tires were used and after 4k miles they are about just past half worn. You could likely count on 6000 out of them on the east coast, not sure about out west with the rougher pavement and hotter temps though. The Shinko 805's go about 4000 miles as well if you need more aggressive tread.
It's good in wind for a light motorcycle. The 2nd gen KLR had some serious speed wobble issues in crosswinds at 70-75 mph which the RX3 does not have. Pretty stable to max speed
The BAD.
Fuel range is too low, it makes for way to many stops for my tastes. If you're in a group like I was it means your stopping the group all the time for gas when they're at near half tank. I carried a spare fuel can and used it half a dozen times so we didn't have to stop so much and because I ran dry twice.
Fuel economy in adverse conditions. If you encounter a headwind be ready for your mpg to take a huge nosedive. I saw 29mpg. Be prepared if you're crossing a 100 mile gap as you might not make it.
Top speed is fine for off highway use. It's a 250 so the highway is really only under ideal conditions and then only barely. I used the trans-canada on the way there and could barely maintain 110kmh but was so far off with a headwind on the way back it was not even close to doable. I couldn't maintain better than 82kmh in 4th pinned with traffic flowing at 130-135 which is pretty unsafe and maybe illegal if the min speed limit exceeds that. This was without luggage which I offloaded into my dads truck (his TT250 didn't make it in time) to get better speeds, with luggage I would have been far slower. Even in 90kmh areas the RX3 couldn't maintain the speed limit at times due to winds. Due to the need to get to work and no extra day of vacation to use an off-highway route which the bike would have done fine, I loaded it in the truck and skipped about 300 miles of highway.
Valve adjustment intervals got in the way on this trip. After about 2800 miles they started to tick pretty loud and when I got home they were very obviously out of adjustment. I wish the interval was longer because doing valve adjustments in a campground or parking lot isn't my idea of vacation time well spent. That interval needs to be a solid 5000 miles. Mine were set at .08mm when I left.
The USB accessory is low output and won't keep a phone running or a Delorme PN-60 running for more than 4 hours or so. I burned a ton of battery's on the GPS to keep it running. The regular 12V with a usb plug works but rattles loose a bunch.
Headlights are ridiculous, get aux lights and make sure the mounts are strong. I had one break due to vibes, the other when I fell in loose gravel. That made the ride home limited to daylight only. Way too many deer in the Northeast and never mind the Moose at night. Even with an H4 which I tried I'd want aux lights to be safe.
Don't try to keep up with KLR's on proper rough trails the RX3 has far less suspension travel than those bikes. It's basically a street bike dressed in ADV clothing with some great crash bars and a skidplate that'll likely break at the front weld when you hit something. That and the centerstand mounts are way to low and hit everything.
The paint. It scratches/chips very easy and gravel will basically bead blast the low areas. Lots of touch up needed on mine as it's missing a lot of paint. I did about 150 miles of very loose gravel and it took it's toll. (Golf ball sized)
So that may of sounded overly harsh but I'm just trying to be honest with my experience. In the end a 3500 dollar motorcycle just did a pretty good amount of miles to a location where had it broken parts replacements would have taken a long time to arrive. It made it without any mechanical failures which says a lot. Would I take it again? No. Next time I'm using my Stelvio as it's far more comfortable and the fuel range is double plus great lights and headwinds don't affect it. You could buy 3 RX3's for the price of a Stelvio though and take some friends. To be fair the KLR owning friend of mine is now buying a Super Tenere for the next long trip. Those same headwinds kept them at max 65mph on the highway.
A few photo's from the trip, Newfoundlands pretty amazing.
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4483_zpsa13j0b6h.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4483_zpsa13j0b6h.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4413_zpsrkwtx5li.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4413_zpsrkwtx5li.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4396_zpsuatw9fd8.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4396_zpsuatw9fd8.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4321_zps3jinmbmj.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4321_zps3jinmbmj.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4294_zpsoan2hhnl.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4294_zpsoan2hhnl.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3567_zpst9lnhazq.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3567_zpst9lnhazq.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3583_zpsmlsh2cwb.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3583_zpsmlsh2cwb.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3936_zpshsrd94fv.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3936_zpshsrd94fv.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3812_zpsfny31dmg.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3812_zpsfny31dmg.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3695_zpsfefi1bol.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3695_zpsfefi1bol.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3597_zpsyfiuesf1.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3597_zpsyfiuesf1.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3600_zpsyeyczrxh.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3600_zpsyeyczrxh.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3613_zpsmpxrjlst.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3613_zpsmpxrjlst.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3619_zpshbli4ztf.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3619_zpshbli4ztf.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3636_zpsuagdi17k.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3636_zpsuagdi17k.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3662_zpsdasppgyt.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3662_zpsdasppgyt.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3746_zpsdc2s6ugi.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3746_zpsdc2s6ugi.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3759_zpstafmdzz2.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3759_zpstafmdzz2.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4248_zpstztzdl8x.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4248_zpstztzdl8x.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3808_zpskhq6usc4.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3808_zpskhq6usc4.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4279_zps02g8n1bs.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4279_zps02g8n1bs.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4494_zpsbozdsgcg.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4494_zpsbozdsgcg.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4713_zpsfr8uzmlo.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4713_zpsfr8uzmlo.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4859_zpsskkw2fhu.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4859_zpsskkw2fhu.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/Newfoundland_zpsoynjc6kn.png (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/Newfoundland_zpsoynjc6kn.png.html)
Newfoundlands amazing go there, it's basically a giant Acadia National Park. Heres a few observations for those who are planning something similar in the future. I'd like to say first that the bike completed the trip without any mechanical problems other than some really noisy valves when I got home. It does have some serious limitations for long trips which I'll note below.
The Good!
It's pretty comfortable for all day riding. Not BMW GS or large ADV comfortable but it's really not bad for ergonomics. If you keep speeds to about 55-60mph or 80-90kmh it cruises really well.
Fuel economy is normally about 50-60 mpg, for me it's about 53 average. Not wonderful for a small engine but better than larger bikes which saves a few bucks on gas. I filled up every 150 miles or so and the RX3 saved 1 liter of fuel over the KLR 650's when they filled at the same time.
Chain adjustment is a breeze on this bike, takes maybe 10 minutes in the field.
Tire life is long. The stock CST tires were used and after 4k miles they are about just past half worn. You could likely count on 6000 out of them on the east coast, not sure about out west with the rougher pavement and hotter temps though. The Shinko 805's go about 4000 miles as well if you need more aggressive tread.
It's good in wind for a light motorcycle. The 2nd gen KLR had some serious speed wobble issues in crosswinds at 70-75 mph which the RX3 does not have. Pretty stable to max speed
The BAD.
Fuel range is too low, it makes for way to many stops for my tastes. If you're in a group like I was it means your stopping the group all the time for gas when they're at near half tank. I carried a spare fuel can and used it half a dozen times so we didn't have to stop so much and because I ran dry twice.
Fuel economy in adverse conditions. If you encounter a headwind be ready for your mpg to take a huge nosedive. I saw 29mpg. Be prepared if you're crossing a 100 mile gap as you might not make it.
Top speed is fine for off highway use. It's a 250 so the highway is really only under ideal conditions and then only barely. I used the trans-canada on the way there and could barely maintain 110kmh but was so far off with a headwind on the way back it was not even close to doable. I couldn't maintain better than 82kmh in 4th pinned with traffic flowing at 130-135 which is pretty unsafe and maybe illegal if the min speed limit exceeds that. This was without luggage which I offloaded into my dads truck (his TT250 didn't make it in time) to get better speeds, with luggage I would have been far slower. Even in 90kmh areas the RX3 couldn't maintain the speed limit at times due to winds. Due to the need to get to work and no extra day of vacation to use an off-highway route which the bike would have done fine, I loaded it in the truck and skipped about 300 miles of highway.
Valve adjustment intervals got in the way on this trip. After about 2800 miles they started to tick pretty loud and when I got home they were very obviously out of adjustment. I wish the interval was longer because doing valve adjustments in a campground or parking lot isn't my idea of vacation time well spent. That interval needs to be a solid 5000 miles. Mine were set at .08mm when I left.
The USB accessory is low output and won't keep a phone running or a Delorme PN-60 running for more than 4 hours or so. I burned a ton of battery's on the GPS to keep it running. The regular 12V with a usb plug works but rattles loose a bunch.
Headlights are ridiculous, get aux lights and make sure the mounts are strong. I had one break due to vibes, the other when I fell in loose gravel. That made the ride home limited to daylight only. Way too many deer in the Northeast and never mind the Moose at night. Even with an H4 which I tried I'd want aux lights to be safe.
Don't try to keep up with KLR's on proper rough trails the RX3 has far less suspension travel than those bikes. It's basically a street bike dressed in ADV clothing with some great crash bars and a skidplate that'll likely break at the front weld when you hit something. That and the centerstand mounts are way to low and hit everything.
The paint. It scratches/chips very easy and gravel will basically bead blast the low areas. Lots of touch up needed on mine as it's missing a lot of paint. I did about 150 miles of very loose gravel and it took it's toll. (Golf ball sized)
So that may of sounded overly harsh but I'm just trying to be honest with my experience. In the end a 3500 dollar motorcycle just did a pretty good amount of miles to a location where had it broken parts replacements would have taken a long time to arrive. It made it without any mechanical failures which says a lot. Would I take it again? No. Next time I'm using my Stelvio as it's far more comfortable and the fuel range is double plus great lights and headwinds don't affect it. You could buy 3 RX3's for the price of a Stelvio though and take some friends. To be fair the KLR owning friend of mine is now buying a Super Tenere for the next long trip. Those same headwinds kept them at max 65mph on the highway.
A few photo's from the trip, Newfoundlands pretty amazing.
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4483_zpsa13j0b6h.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4483_zpsa13j0b6h.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4413_zpsrkwtx5li.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4413_zpsrkwtx5li.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4396_zpsuatw9fd8.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4396_zpsuatw9fd8.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4321_zps3jinmbmj.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4321_zps3jinmbmj.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4294_zpsoan2hhnl.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4294_zpsoan2hhnl.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3567_zpst9lnhazq.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3567_zpst9lnhazq.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3583_zpsmlsh2cwb.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3583_zpsmlsh2cwb.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3936_zpshsrd94fv.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3936_zpshsrd94fv.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3812_zpsfny31dmg.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3812_zpsfny31dmg.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3695_zpsfefi1bol.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3695_zpsfefi1bol.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3597_zpsyfiuesf1.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3597_zpsyfiuesf1.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3600_zpsyeyczrxh.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3600_zpsyeyczrxh.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3613_zpsmpxrjlst.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3613_zpsmpxrjlst.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3619_zpshbli4ztf.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3619_zpshbli4ztf.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3636_zpsuagdi17k.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3636_zpsuagdi17k.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3662_zpsdasppgyt.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3662_zpsdasppgyt.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3746_zpsdc2s6ugi.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3746_zpsdc2s6ugi.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3759_zpstafmdzz2.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3759_zpstafmdzz2.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4248_zpstztzdl8x.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4248_zpstztzdl8x.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP3808_zpskhq6usc4.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP3808_zpskhq6usc4.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4279_zps02g8n1bs.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4279_zps02g8n1bs.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4494_zpsbozdsgcg.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4494_zpsbozdsgcg.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4713_zpsfr8uzmlo.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4713_zpsfr8uzmlo.jpg.html)
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/kalimarus/IMGP4859_zpsskkw2fhu.jpg (http://s924.photobucket.com/user/kalimarus/media/IMGP4859_zpsskkw2fhu.jpg.html)