So Morton's apparently has a few Sertao's in stock. I'm contemplating a ride down there tomorrow. It's a lot of ugly slab from here to there so I figured, as is appropriate, I'd stop at Starbucks on the way down:

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Milner was talking about going but mentioned the traffic down 95 from there to Fredericksburg can be brutal on a Saturday.

Anyone interested in going? I figure I would leave here around 9 to be at the sbux by 10. If traffic isn't too bad, I figure just slab it down otherwise maybe find another longer route down.

Ride down through southern Maryland and cross the 301 bridge. Lots of back roads to get you there.

Yea, contemplating that except that I'm meeting up with folks in Woodbridge ...

This should be interesting. I've started looking at maps around Deals' Gap wondering about firetrails and the like.

We could meet at the Starbuck's on Sudley Manor in Manassas (where we've met before) and take Rt 28 to Rt 17. It's more scenic and would likely avoid some of the traffic.

Yermo, you could come around the top of the Beltway, hop on the new Express Lanes, and take them to I-66W. Rt 234 exit and then you're there.

I forget where that is. Google Maps link please?

Was it this one?

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Yes, that's it.

Cool. I'll text you when I leave. I am shooting to be there at 10am.

I've been looking at TAT bikes myself and found this article.


 BTW: OWD has much praise for the Triumph Tigers.

Great finds! Thank you!!

Those are really well done reviews.

Didja go? Ride the bikes?

I did take the G650GS Sertao for a test ride. Morton's had three in stock. A demo unit on the showroom floor. A used one outside and one in the back being prepped.

I took the used one for a 7 mile loop. It's quite tall but not as tall as the F800GS. I can just barely touch my heels down. Standing still it feels much more substantial that I would have imagined but once underway it's quite nimble.

Being a thumper it vibrates. Not nearly as bad as a KLR but still quite a lot. There are a few places in the rev-band that are particularly bad.

I think overall the video review that John posted was pretty accurate. The footpegs do seem oddly placed and are way too small. They would need to go.

However, I didn't find the bike unstable nor did I think the transmission showed any problems. The bike pulled strong all the way up to 80mph. The suspension is soft, the way an off-road capable bike should be. Because of the soft suspension the front does dive a bit on extreme braking but not anything like bikes from back in the day.

The seat is terrible and would be the first thing I'd replace.

ABS and heated grips. The ABS can be turned off which is key when heading down rocky slopes. These days, for me and my sore hands, not having heated grips is a real liability, so that further tilts me towards the Sertao. Of course, heated grips can be added as an afterthought on almost any bike.

The stock accessory plug is mounted in a very odd place on the left side under the "tank".

Looking at it, I think it's probably closer to being the "right" bike for the TAT trip than anything else I've seen or heard about. It would, however, need:

1. a new seat.
2. wider and longer foot pegs.
3. a better engine guard
4. a center stand
5. hard luggage of some kind.
6. more aggressive tires.

The used one they were trying to sell for $8900 or so. New they are 9400. The one in the back with 5k miles on it that was a bit rougher they said they might let go for just under $8k.

The jury is still out but I am starting to change my thinking with regard to the bike. I can see myself using it around the East Coast here more than I would have thought. Back in the day I used to really enjoy dirt biking but mostly it was exploring trails ... endless miles of trails. I'm starting to think it might be fun to have one of these ...

Thinking about it again, I think I might have to take a look at this little bike again:



I don't think I test rode it. It's very small with, I believe, the lowered suspension. It's cheap. Fuel injected. Heated grips. It could double as a trainer.

I think I'd probably enjoy the Sertao much more, but ... hmmm.