Dual Sport Time

[CBRJOHN]

I've started looking for a couple of Dual Sport bikes. One for me and one for my wife. The reason for this is we have a large property with trails running through the bush and the area we live in consists of more dirt roads than paved roads.

Since it's her first bike and she's on the short side I was thinking of something like a Suzuki DR20SE, A Yamaha XT225 or a Kawi Super Sherpa.

For Myself I'm thinking either a Suzuki DR650SE, DR-Z400 or a Honda XR650L

I want something that can also do the occasional days on track when equipped with 17" Supermoto Wheels.


Thoughts ? Opinions ? Experiences with these bike ?

[fubar79]

Dear John,

If you are looking for a bike to ride through the bush, dirt roads, and some paved roads, I would say the DRZ400 S would be the way to go for you. From what I have read, the DR650E is heavier and better suited for paved roads/dirt as appose to bush. A year ago I started looking at the DRZ 400, DR650, KLR650 and ended up going with the DRZ.
(note that I dont have any seat time on any of these bikes except the DRZ.)

You can also pick up 17" rims so you can SM the DRZ and its a pretty basic swap. OR you could purchase the DRZ400 SM and then pick up a 21" and 18" rim for dirt.

[EasyD]

It's the age old conundrum of the dual sport bike, it will do both street and dirt adequately, but it's not really great at either.

I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in, but to get things started, I think the bikes you mentioned are good choices for dirt road/ fire road riding. For you, the DRZ-400s, DR650 are workhorse, reliable, low maintenance, inexpensive street legal dirt bikes. Also the Honda XR650 (I think that's right) has a huge following. But because they are street-oriented they are heavier than your normal dirt bike, and therefore more fatiguing to ride through the more challenging stuff, like trails.

If you want to get more performance-oriented, KTM makes a couple of street legal models, I think the current 450 and 530. And the Husquvarna's can be purchased as street legal. Or the cheaper option to get a lighter and better performance bike for trail use is not to worry about it being street legal and just get it trail plated, a one time $35 fee. If you are mainly doing trail riding, a WR250f or CRF250x has plenty of go and is very light. Those are the enduro trail riding models, you probably would want those as opposed to their motocross cousins the YZ250 and CRF250r due to the different gearing etc. A 450 on the tight trails has proven to be too much bike for some people, depending on their experience level, you rarely get out of 2nd or 3rd gear on a trail anyway, but it's nice when you hit the dirt road. But these competition bikes require more maintenance than say a DRZ400. Apparently the DRZ hasn't changed much in 15 years but it's very reliable.

One interesting new entry on the dual sport scene is the WR250R. It's a street legal version of the WR250f, heavier and detuned, but is getting good reviews. I saw one at envy rides the other day.

For your wife, a light bike like the CRF150 is very easy to ride (and pick up off the ground). But it is not street legal. For street legal, the ones you mentioned are good, plus check out the KLX250 and CRF230 for an inexpensive solid bike under $5k.

I'll leave the SuperMoto advice to Reciprocity, but it seems like a 450 is what you'd want if you intend to ride a supermoto track.

I'm no expert but i hope this rambling answer helps a bit.

cheers!
Derek

[CBRJOHN]

The trails around here aren't really too challenging. Except for the Bruce Trail but you can't use them on the weekends because of the hikers. The ones on my property are very smooth. (I groom them with a 7' landscaping box behind a farm tractor because they're also used for horses) So more of a trail bike than a competitive enduro like the WRs

Huskys and KTMs are a bit out of the price range, I'm not looking for a Supermoto Race Bike. Just something I can take along with my SV to the track to have some fun with.. With the problems Blue Plating dirt bikes I want a factory street legal one. The Cops are also cracking down on Green plated bikes on the dirt roads and when you take them into town

I wasn't too impressed with the CRF230 but the KLX250 looks pretty good

[EasyD]

I had a 2005 DRZ400s for a year and a half and I really liked it. Will do everything. I rode it in the Ganaraska single track on Saturdays and on the street on Sundays. Rode it from TO to Niagara a few times (not on the QEW) and TO to Cobourg once with my buddy to get his new cruiser. I do know guys who ride their DRZ on the 400 hwy up to Barrie, it's not exactly fun but it will do 120km/hr and hold it for as long as you like.

The last 6 month that I had it I put Pirelli street tires on the stock 18" & 21' wheels (poor man's supermoto) and it was an absolute blast. I miss that bike. I traded it for a proper street bike (Bandit) when I started doing longer street rides and my *** was getting sore. And I got a WR250 for the trails when I started riding single track almost exclusively because it's 60 lbs lighter than the DRZ S model. But that decision bit me in the *** a bit when I had to have the top end done on the WR this winter. The manual for the WR says to change the oil and check the valves after EVERY RACE! I don't race really, but I know i'm in for some regular maintenance. Compare that to the DRZ that you change the oil every 3k and that's it. I will say the WR is easier to ride and just as fast as the DRZ even though it is only a 250. And I'm a big heavy guy too. Just the difference between a competition bike and a street-oriented bike I guess.

Anyway, that's my real world experience. Also my wife rode a TTR-230 for her 1st ride and found it too big and heavy for her 5' 8" , 120 lbs. Then last year she rode a CRF150 and loved it. It's about 3/4 scale of a full size dirt bike, but as I said, not street legal.

[ross]

if you have large property, why you would not make mini MX track, enduro park: no insurance for bike required and you have tons of fun at your doorsteps
dual sport is always compromise: for road you need bigger bike, for off road as light as possible
I have 3: for street ex 500, for MX cr 250, for trails crf250x (blueplated), they are great for particular aplications, and sucks somewhere else