Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 19

Thread: dual sport motorcycles?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    16
    Feedback Score
    0

    dual sport motorcycles?

    Curious if any of you have put any thought into a motorcycle like a Honda XR650, Kawasaki KLX650, Suzuki DR650 etc. Something you can take on the road and off road if need to. I'm wondering how far you can really go off road, can you really get from point A to point B.

    I've been looking around the web for a good used motorcycle and I don't know if I'm trying to justify the need/want but I have thought about owning a motorcycle as part of my plan.

    Obviously if there are road closures in the future, a motorcycle wouldn't be a great idea in the city, but farther out in the country, a motorcycle would come in handy, IMO. Maybe I am over thinking this. But a little bit beyond the city limits from me is mostly undeveloped land that is accessible from 3 major roads.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    630
    Feedback Score
    4 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by machinegunman View Post
    Curious if any of you have put any thought into a motorcycle like a Honda XR650, Kawasaki KLX650, Suzuki DR650 etc. Something you can take on the road and off road if need to. I'm wondering how far you can really go off road, can you really get from point A to point B.

    I've been looking around the web for a good used motorcycle and I don't know if I'm trying to justify the need/want but I have thought about owning a motorcycle as part of my plan.

    Obviously if there are road closures in the future, a motorcycle wouldn't be a great idea in the city, but farther out in the country, a motorcycle would come in handy, IMO. Maybe I am over thinking this. But a little bit beyond the city limits from me is mostly undeveloped land that is accessible from 3 major roads.
    I owned few iterations of the BMG GS series over the years, the most recent a 14 1200GSWC. They are pretty much go anywhere bikes and have done hundereds of miles off-road over the years. Best use was during Wilma in South Florida. Area lost power for about 2 weeks and few-no generators for Gas Stations or stop lights, so every stop light became a 4 way stop. Traffic during rush hour backed up for miles everywhere and I rode my GS down the side of every road in the grass/dirt/sand making my commute more fun and just as fast.

    I would think any of the bikes you mentioned would be great for this as well, equipped with big gas tanks and hard side cases.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    122
    Feedback Score
    1 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by machinegunman View Post
    Curious if any of you have put any thought into a motorcycle like a Honda XR650, Kawasaki KLX650, Suzuki DR650 etc. Something you can take on the road and off road if need to. I'm wondering how far you can really go off road, can you really get from point A to point B.

    I've been looking around the web for a good used motorcycle and I don't know if I'm trying to justify the need/want but I have thought about owning a motorcycle as part of my plan.

    Obviously if there are road closures in the future, a motorcycle wouldn't be a great idea in the city, but farther out in the country, a motorcycle would come in handy, IMO. Maybe I am over thinking this. But a little bit beyond the city limits from me is mostly undeveloped land that is accessible from 3 major roads.
    Between the bikes you listed, the Honda is geared more like a dirt bike less comfort on hiway, the suzuki is more 50/50 and the Kawasaki is more road worthy then the other two. They all three are good, Kawasaki dropped KLR a year ago and didn't make a replacement. If you go with the Kawasaki, make sure to check to see if the Doohiky was replaced if not replace it with one from Eagle Mike's https://www.eaglemike.com/Complete-l...ols-clkwts.htm. And also I changed the fuel petcock, the factory one is vacuum operated and will go bad and also if you need to get fuel out you can't, so rou put a manual on from a raptor.
    I do have a KLR and is a very good bike.
    Here is a good link for adv riders https://advrider.com/f/

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Bora Bora
    Posts
    6,047
    Feedback Score
    3 (100%)
    Any of the Jap bikes will be pretty reliable.

    It really depends on what you want to do with it......All of those listed would be more than I would want on a trail. I own two, one more oriented toward dirt riding, the other more oriented toward street. The former manages quite well on a motoX track as well.



    Last edited by HKGuns; 08-20-20 at 09:55.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Posts
    122
    Feedback Score
    0
    If I remember right the KLX series only goes up to 250 now. BUT the KLX650 was replaced with the KLR650 which is more road centered with some off road ability. The tires are one of the giveaways. They look more like a wet street tire than an off road knobby.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Northeast
    Posts
    1,064
    Feedback Score
    4 (100%)
    I raced amateur mx all during middle to just after high school. If you are a decent rider there's .ot many places you can't go on a dirtbike.

    In the country you wouldn't even need roads save for bridges to get over real deep water. In the city if needed you could go on side walks or stairs if needed, heck you could probably get up and over som barriers if you really needed to.

    Really depends on your skill level.

    Looks like all the bikes you listed were 650s, I've been out of that kind of stuff for a long time. Don't be afraid to look at smaller bikes if they are available. Take a few for test rids and see what feels best for you.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    The Outer Limits
    Posts
    493
    Feedback Score
    16 (100%)
    A smaller bike with a big fuel tank or carrying supplemental fuel would get you almost anywhere as noted above. Big bikes are comfy for long dirt road/highway runs but they can be a real drag in rough stuff. I rode a plated KDX 220r all over the place for a lot of years. When it got to the point where you had to be legit to get out on the road I rode a DRZ 400 with an much larger IMS fuel tank for better range.

    You could do a lot with a carefully selected older bike. Carb vs. fuel injection and as little electronics as possible. Make sure it has a kick start even if it has an E-button, etc. and you are well on your way. Skip the brappy exhaust and go with a full pipe/spark arrestor and you have a surprisingly quiet platform that will go almost anywhere while sipping fuel.
    Open the pig!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    163
    Feedback Score
    1 (100%)
    I'm a fan of the DR650 in that size range.

    You need to decide the mix of long range comfort / highway with ease of riding the bike off-road. I live in the Mojave and see people doing amazing things off-road with big KTMs and BMWs. Things I am not skilled enough to do on a bike that size. I also see people get in over their heads pretty quick once they leave the pavement.

    Adventure Rider is a good place to poke around.

    You can definitely find some good older bikes, but if you are going to see real changes in elevation, then FI beats carburetors.

    Don't but a cheap helmet.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Location
    NC
    Posts
    27
    Feedback Score
    0

    dual sport motorcycles?

    I bought a KLR650 to dirt/trail ride with my 3 sons, while it was certainly doable to adventure off and do deep trail riding with the big KLR it was very exhausting. I down sized to a two stroke 300 and had more power and far less weight to contend with. A far more enjoyable experience.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    7
    Feedback Score
    0
    The larger displacement bikes don’t offer a whole lot in rough terrain. I’d prefer a Honda 250.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •