advice for a potential newbie... | GTAMotorcycle.com

advice for a potential newbie...

M

Marinoni

Guest
hi guys....would really appreciate some advice from the dual sport veterans.
heres my situation....ive been riding roadbike for about 25 yrs and really would like to get into off road/dirt road riding...im in toronto and would like to ride in areas like the ganny and northumberland etc. thing is i dont have the space and finances for a vehicle that can tow and a trailer...so i was thinking of getting a street legal drz400s or xr650l and using it to ride around town and go out on weekends to the trails..
i was just wondering , how feasible is this ? is riding out to dirt trails from the city for 1 or 2 hours,doing the trails and riding home being realistic ?
is there a suitable tire choice for riding on pavement AND dirt or are tires too biased for either on or off road ??
is there anything else i should consider ?
or should i just hold off until i can get set up to trailer a bike to the riding areas ??

thanks very much for reading !!
 
DRZ400 and XR650L are heavy for trail riding and since you're riding around town during the week you'll be severely compromised on tires. Anything is possible but I could see riding out to the Ganny getting old real quick. Nevermind breakdown or injury in the woods. Get a trailer, light bike and riding buddy.
Gravel roads on those bikes are great. I ride my DR650 all around north of Belfountain to Collingwood mostly without hitting pavement. You can really get off the beaten path doing that.
 
Don't write off the idea of a trailer. You won't need a new vehicle if you get one of the little 4'x4' Harbor Freight trailers. I have one and it pulls just fine behind a Hyundai Accent hatchback (manual transmission). The trailer weighs well under 200 pounds, and the bike weighs less than 250, so you can tow that setup with just about anything. The trailer is also short enough to store vertically, leaned up against the front wall of my garage in front of the car.

Both bikes would work, but their weight would probably make for a frustrating and tiring day. The Ganny is very sandy so you'd want the knobbiest DOT tires you can get, but they'd make for a loud, numbing trip there and back on the 401. I seriously considered the DRz, but I figured that it would be a lot easier and more fun to learn on a lighter bike.
 
I'd say go WR250R. Less vibration at higher speeds than the DRZ, Lighter, great for the twisty parts of technical tracks. Stock tires are road tires but you can legally run knobby tires on the street.

As for being able to ride out, do a few hours of trailing and come back depends on you really.. The bikers are more ergonomically comfortable than a Super Sport bike and you can get softer/wider aftermarket seats. If you are spry for being an old man, it is feasible but you also run the potential of injury in which riding home may be difficult or dangerous.
 
Might even want to consider 125cc. Light is good IMHO. If this isn't your commuter then the best tool for the job. If its real light you might even be able to fit it sideways on the back of your vehicle or in it.

I have a 250 road bike and I already consider it heavy and it actually isn't. So for myself I would want even lighter.
 
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Sunspark said:
Might even want to consider 125cc. Light is good IMHO. If this isn't your commuter then the best tool for the job. If its real light you might even be able to fit it sideways on the back of your vehicle or in it. I have a 250 road bike and I already consider it heavy and it actually isn't. So for myself I would want even lighter.
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What bike is it? KLX250 and WR250R are about 290lb I can't think of DS that's lighter without converting an actual sports bike and that'd be a harsh ride on the road to save 50lbs. An option is the Husqvarna TE250, which is about 245lbs but there is a whole other can of worms as they were bought by KTM and people saying they will be killing the brand.
 
XenoVibe said:
What bike is it? KLX250 and WR250R are about 290lb I can't think of DS that's lighter without converting an actual sports bike and that'd be a harsh ride on the road to save 50lbs. An option is the Husqvarna TE250, which is about 245lbs but there is a whole other can of worms as they were bought by KTM and people saying they will be killing the brand.
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Hi:

My road (and only) bike is a TU250X. Its dry weight is 140 kg (310 lbs) and the wet weight is 149 kg (328 lbs). It has a 12 L gas tank.

Like the TE250, mine is a single cylinder as well but mine is air cooled while the TE has a thermostat and electric fan and a 8.5 L fuel tank. Those are 2 additional parts to fail if they were to pull out of the market but probably wouldn't and both parts can be fixed. In fact, the TE looks pretty good!

By comparison the WR125R is 133 kg (293 lbs) with full oil and fuel. It is a liquid cooled bike.
 
There is nothing wrong with a DRZ.
It sounds like you have plenty of experience and want to give it a try so it would be a good choice.
The XRL is really old school. It's heavy and tall and the suspension is so poorly set up as delivered it will toss you to the ground in the first rough turn.

Northumberland County is a long way from Toronto on a dual sport. My advice would be to get a DRZ and start riding it. Find some dirt roads to get used to the feel of loose surfaces under your tires and to the feel of the bike. Try a trip to the "country" and some light trail riding. If you like it then buy a trailer. If you don't, or if you really like it the DRZ is an easy sell.
 
You should wait till you can afford a trailer,anything can happen to your bike in the woods.You could also get hurt and its a long ride to Toronto.A good knobby tire is what you need for the ganny to ride a bike to its full potential.A dual purpose bike is great for gravel or dirt roads but not really that good for single track,and the ganny has plenty of that.If you really want to enjoy the ganny get a light purpose built machine,and if you want to ride street and gravel maybe some dry dirt roads get a decent dual sport.Doing both dirt and road with either one bike is a compromise and I think you wouldn't enjoy either as much.
 
canuckwr250 said:
You should wait till you can afford a trailer,anything can happen to your bike in the woods.You could also get hurt and its a long ride to Toronto.A good knobby tire is what you need for the ganny to ride a bike to its full potential.A dual purpose bike is great for gravel or dirt roads but not really that good for single track,and the ganny has plenty of that.If you really want to enjoy the ganny get a light purpose built machine,and if you want to ride street and gravel maybe some dry dirt roads get a decent dual sport.Doing both dirt and road with either one bike is a compromise and I think you wouldn't enjoy either as much.
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I'll echo this. I mean honestly, it's not that big of a deal to wait a bit. Also make sure you have the right gear... Even though you think the bikes not that heavy and light.. it'll still put you on your *** pretty fast.
 
Oct 2013 ride.jpgmotocross jump 2 Sept 28.jpg

I gotta tell ya, I love my WR250R.
I commute in the city everyday on it (all winter as well) and also get out to the Ganny, some dual sport rides, Roaming Rally 2013 and 2014, Motocross track, etc... I ride it to all these places.
It is my do everything bike. The best I figure you can get for that kind of stuff. Granted it not the BEST bike at any ONE of those things, but I have no problem keeping up.
 
thanks for all the feedback everyone !
... im really fed up with street motorcycling here, the ridiculous insurance rates, boring roads and cops lurking around every corner waiting to spoil the fun....maybe getting a street legal enduro and riding some dirt roads is the way to go for now ??

thanks again, i really appreciate the advice :0)
 
IMHO, grab a cheap early 2000s DRZ400. Those bikes are pretty much middle of the pack. Decent resale. They'll do it all. Ride 120 on the 401 out to the ganny and run singletrack for the day if you want. Strap some bags on it and take it on a multi day gravel road tour. It won't be the best bike for any of the situations but you'd have a hard time finding a bike that will do all of them as well.

At least after a season of ownership you'll know if you want to go lighter and more offroad oriented (ex: KTM 350exc) or heavier and more touring minded. (ex: BMW 650gs)
 
WudzRydr said:
IMHO, grab a cheap early 2000s DRZ400. Those bikes are pretty much middle of the pack. Decent resale. They'll do it all. Ride 120 on the 401 out to the ganny and run singletrack for the day if you want. Strap some bags on it and take it on a multi day gravel road tour. It won't be the best bike for any of the situations but you'd have a hard time finding a bike that will do all of them as well.

At least after a season of ownership you'll know if you want to go lighter and more offroad oriented (ex: KTM 350exc) or heavier and more touring minded. (ex: BMW 650gs)
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This ∆∆∆ You may even keep the drz and get a set of sm wheels/tires, when you start to miss the street....
 
WudzRydr said:
IMHO, grab a cheap early 2000s DRZ400. Those bikes are pretty much middle of the pack. Decent resale. They'll do it all. Ride 120 on the 401 out to the ganny and run singletrack for the day if you want. Strap some bags on it and take it on a multi day gravel road tour. It won't be the best bike for any of the situations but you'd have a hard time finding a bike that will do all of them as well.

At least after a season of ownership you'll know if you want to go lighter and more offroad oriented (ex: KTM 350exc) or heavier and more touring minded. (ex: BMW 650gs)
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Best advice so far. Low cost, low risk option.
 
One thing to keep in mind is seat height. Both the DRZ400 and WR250 are very tall bikes. It may seem ok sitting on it or riding on the road, get off road and if you just learning, it's a long way to fall.
 
I went from a KLR650 to the DR650, it was night and day for off road, but still geared too tall for true off road. My brother-in-law's DRZ400 was brilliant.

I have a bit of bad news. Tires that will handle sand and mud off road will last about 1, 500 km on the road before they get sketchy off road.

I'd try to get a second set of rims and run 90/10 tires and have 50/50 tires like Kenda Trakmaster2 on the second set.

You would have the best of both worlds, awesome torque and nimble flick able bike in Toronto Traffic, then decent knobs for the mud.
 
Torontorocko said:
View attachment 33936View attachment 33937

I gotta tell ya, I love my WR250R.
I commute in the city everyday on it (all winter as well) and also get out to the Ganny, some dual sport rides, Roaming Rally 2013 and 2014, Motocross track, etc... I ride it to all these places.
It is my do everything bike. The best I figure you can get for that kind of stuff. Granted it not the BEST bike at any ONE of those things, but I have no problem keeping up.
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Love the WR250R! where is that first pic taken?
 
yyz said:
One thing to keep in mind is seat height. Both the DRZ400 and WR250 are very tall bikes. It may seem ok sitting on it or riding on the road, get off road and if you just learning, it's a long way to fall.
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Shouldn't be sitting down anyway.
 
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