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What Dual Sport do you recommend?
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Posted by: Crazyeddy---------------------

I'm thinking about purchasing a DR200SE, DR400S , XT225, or maybe a 650. I'm 5'6" 170lbs. so seat height is an issue. What bike would you reccomend? I mostly will use it for around town, but I live in Northern California with endless logging roads so I will be taking it off road when I can. Any feedback will be appreciated....Thanx.

Posted by: JPIVEY---------------------

I would stay away from anything big and heavy or anything smaller than a 250, find one you like with an E button and if can go TTR,XR,DRZ or whatever and get a dual sport conversion and keep the weight down to a minimum. I know guys that have the 650r and on alot of occasions they have to drag them under fallen trees,pull them out of rivers and all kinds of crap.

And seeing that you are short and light ( not a slame ) you should scoot pretty good on a smaller/lighter bike

Just my opinion

Posted by: Dave'sDRZ---------------------

You really have to think about your priorities. Most 250cc bikes that are street legal are geared pretty high to enable them to do highway speeds. This isn't good when you are off road and need lower gearing. Get one of these small bores if you will never go over 55 for much distance. I've found that you can gear down the bigger bore bikes and still have a bike that will do 70 comfortably. I think the XR400&650 will be pretty tall for you. The same for the DRZ400, however, they make lowering links for all of these bikes. The DR650 has a low seat height and is pretty good offroad--not as many aftermarket products as some of the others. The KLR650 is pretty low, also, but it is a heavy mother. If you are going to ride mostly dirt roads, either the DR650 or the KLR650. If you are going to do trails then I'd go with the DRZ400S or the XR400 with a dualsport kit. Go to your dealer and sit on some bikes--you can generally feel what is going to be best for you.

Posted by: One Dollar---------------------

KTM 520 EXC with a dual sport kit. If you can afford it there is no better setup.

Posted by: Derhntr---------------------

I would go for the DRZ400S, Quite, fun go any where.

Posted by: John 300 EXC---------------------

The DRZ400E or DRZ400S are probably the best bikes currently available for the mission you describe.
I have a DRZ400E with a Baja Kit that is an excellent Dual Sport bike. I have never ridden the S model.
I also have a KTM 520 EXC with a tag and I have used it as a Dual Sport bike. It probably has too many compromises for day to day D-S usage but can be made to work.
If I were not racing the KTM and could only own one bike for Dual Sport riding, it would definitely be one of the DRZs.

Posted by: dirt bike dave---------------------

The older DR350 is a little lower in the seat height than some of the newer bikes. Many of the dirt models have Baja kits.

Offroad performance is not up to the standards of the newer bikes, but it is a good reliable fire road cruiser. And a lot cheaper than the newer machines.

Posted by: sparkymarky---------------------

you must decide, do you want a bike for street riding, that you can dabble in the dirt with , or do you want a bike for dirt riding, that is also street legal. if you're anything like me, once you start riding in the dirt, you'll stop thinking about anything else. i got a klr650 for commuting and touring and stuff, and started riding some firetrails and easy singletrack, and i got hooked. i ended up buying a klx300 for trailriding.

the easiest solution for you is a drz400-s. it'll hold up to all sorts of street-riding, and most anything reasonable off-road. it's too heavy to race offroad, or to do really hairy trails with (unless you are skilled and confident), but it's 100's of times better offroad than a dr650 or klr650, and hundreds of times better onroad than a dirtbike with a baja kit. good luck.
mw

Posted by: Crazyeddy---------------------

I want to thank all you for posting and helping me out. I think I little more info would help out. I owned a KX125 for about 6 years and the seat height on that with Race Tech suspension was around 38 inches. The bike was under powered big time, and I felt a lot better on my buddies CR250s (power and seat height). I also was able to ride a friends XR200 which was a damn fun machine. Enjoyed riding the XR at Carnegie, near Livermore, because that damn bike can climb anything. Right now I'm thinking more along the lines of a DR400 or the 200. Also will be riding the bike to my parents house about 2.5 ours away to visit so will the little 200 be able to keep up at highway speeds for 2.5 hrs?

Posted by: sparkymarky---------------------

oh, that's different. i would definitely get the 400 then. i've ridden my wife's xt225 for an hour each way to get up to cow mountain (to ride in the dirt) and it's underpowered and annoying on the freeway, plus the suspension is way too soft in the dirt to go fast, even the spodely novice kind of fast that someone like me wants to go.

the 400 has all the power you need for street use, will be perfectly fun in the dirt ( i see 400s's on pretty serious trails in norcal all the time), and can be lowered if you desire it. it sounds like the perfect fit for the riding you describe.

Posted by: DougRoost---------------------

I agree that it's hard to find one you'll really like -- and be safe on -- in both uses, especially with 2.5 hours of highway use. The weakest link in both places will be tires. Any kind of knobby tire on the highway is just dangerous -- your contact patch is that center knobby. Riding trails without knobbies will have you frustrated that you can't climb things the bike would otherwise fly up or over.

I recommend doing what I did and getting a good trail bike and an inexpensive trailer (used perhaps)! It's just too big a compromise, especially for highway use.

Posted by: sparkymarky---------------------

Quote:

Originally posted by DougRoost
Any kind of knobby tire on the highway is just dangerous -- your contact patch is that center knobby.

that's a little alarmist. pirelli mt21's are perfectly useful for both applications. obviously you can't ride it like it's a roadracing bike, but it's not like you'll crash or anything, unless you ride stupid.

i put in the occasional pavement miles on non-DOT tires, and they still work fine. they sure wear down fast on pavement tho.
mw

Posted by: NVR FNSH---------------------

If 2.5 hours of hwy riding is in your future then give up right now on everything but the DR650 or KLR650. I commuted on an '88 XR600 that was street legal a few times from Merced to Catheys Valley (just downhill from Mariposa). I did it because my CJ-7 was beating me to death - the XR made the Jeep look like a RollsRoyce.

I just did the Cal Poly Penguins DS and it was 75 miles of pavement before hitting the dirt - pure misery on an XR250R. Would have been awesome on a street bike though.....

Brian

Posted by: gulliver---------------------

For that long of highway riding, I would certainly get liquid cooled.

Posted by: WoodsRider---------------------

XR650L

Posted by: Crazyeddy---------------------

I'm getting a lot of good info out of you guys...thanx. What it comes down to is this will be my only transportation for the next two years... until I finish college. I'm thinking DR 400SE. Enough power for the occasional 2.5 hr trip @ highway speeds, go around town and for the trails. If anybody knows a good lowering kit for the DR 400 or a way to get the seat height low enough for my short @ss I'd be stoked on any ideas. Likewise, if any of you are in Nor Cal.... Chico area or East Bay area what dealers do you recommend? Thanx everybody.

Posted by: Jimmy!---------------------

Yo! Crazyeddy, greetings from another Chico dweller! Before I got my CR, I had an XR400 with the street bits on it. Worked very well for me. I've ridden all the way up to Lake Almanor through the woods from my doorstep quite a few times. I've put in quite a few miles running around on that XR armed with a GPS & USGS maps imagining myself to be some kind of rally nut...

You probably won't want anything smaller than a 400 if your going more than about 20 miles at a stretch on the pavement. I'd get passed by EVERYONE going down the highway, even with my 400 gear pretty tall the max cruise speed was about 65 ....

I can point you at all sorts of cool spots if you're interested ...

Posted by: dirt bike dave---------------------

If you are serious about that kind of highway use, you will want 600+ cc. My personal choice would be street legalize an XR650R. Sure, it is big and heavy but it will destroy the KLR650, DR650 or XR650L offroad.

Posted by: z4me---------------------

For your mission, the DRZ-400S was built.
It will handle the ride, but don't do it with a passenger.
Plenty of highway power w/ a 100MPH top speed stock.
Trail ability is there especially w/ some decent knobbies on it.

sparkymarky put it really well:

Quote:

it'll hold up to all sorts of street-riding, and most anything reasonable off-road. it's too heavy to race offroad, or to do really hairy trails with (unless you are skilled and confident), but it's 100's of times better offroad than a dr650 or klr650, and hundreds of times better onroad than a dirtbike with a baja kit. good luck.

Posted by: Crazyeddy---------------------

kalitude, yeah I will be doing that ride only about 4 or 5 times a year. Does El Sob = El Sobrante? My parents grew-up there! Anyway, I will probaby do it in the middle of the night so i don't have to deal with the traffic thru the Bay Area. This will be my first time riding on the street (legally) and for that long, but 98% of the time it will be only under 30 minute trips.

Jimmy~
Yeah, I see you MTB too! I've been riding upper park when I get the time. I'd be interested in the trails you know for both MTBs and dirtbikes.

Thanx guys...

Posted by: dirt bike dave---------------------

Hey, I love riding my buddy's street legal DRZ in the dirt and it will be nice on dual sport runs, but I would DREAD riding it 2.5 hours on I-5. Speed limit is 70 mph, but average traffic moves at more like 80. If highway safety and comfort are a big part of the equation, go big bore or take the bus.

BTW, there is a good two day dual sport run (the Sheet Iron) from Stonyford to Fort Bragg and back 320+- miles, May 19-20. There is a short stretch of Highway 101 on Day 2, but nothing like a 2.5 hour ride on I-5. Rides like the Sheet Iron are what the DRZ-s was made for.

Posted by: z4me---------------------

Yeah well I see guys turning around on XR650R's around here where ... Oh yeah this isn't the flame board ...LOL

- Sean

Posted by: Dave'sDRZ---------------------

I still think you need to rethink the height issue. I have a 32" inseam. On my DRZ-S I can stand flat footed with one foot. With the XR650L I can stand on the front half of one foot. With a KLR650 (the only dualsport I've ever sat on with a comfotable seat) I can stand flat footed with both feet. WIth the DR650 I can stand flat footed with both feet and my knees slightly bent. I love my DRZ, but that seat will split you in half on a long ride.
On tires-the MT-21's are the best knobby on the street-you can lean as far as you dare with them and they will stick just fine. I like the Dunlop 606 better though, because they rock in the dirt over the MT21. They also seem to be lasting longer. They are a little slippery on the street, but not dangerously so.

Posted by: Tree Crippler---------------------

I just rode my WR400 to work the other day. I have a Pirelli MT44 on the front and a Kenda Trakmaster on back. It wasn't fun passing trucks on the highway at 65+ mph.

Posted by: Jimmy!---------------------

I'd go to Riverfront Kawasaki/Suzuki in Yuba city. I've had MUCH better luck dealing with them vs the dealer here in Chico. The Honda dealer here in town is good though. Tell 'em you know me and they'll :scream: <LOL>

Posted by: Crazyeddy---------------------

Jimmy
I went to the Suzuki dealership in town. They did not help much, but I will go check out te Yuba City dealership when I can. As for the Honda dealershipin chico, I went in there once and the lady was a complete bitch. If I do decide on a Honda I will not be it from her or that dealership.

Posted by: BunduBasher---------------------

DRZ400S with D606's and maybe Kouba links for the height. An all round great dual sport package - check out http://www.thumpertalk for info on the DRZ's

Posted by: GFM---------------------

I'll cast another strong vote for the XR650R. Only the tightest trails bother it. On faster trails, dirt roads or the street no other DS bike can touch it. Modern suspension and lots of power. And don't say "yeah but it's heavy" because all DS bikes are heavy.

Maybe not as good if you're real short, but it would be worth trying one out if you can. Get the power up kit in it - you'll absolutely love the motor!

Greg

Posted by: tm-enduro---------------------

As mentioned by others, if you're going to do much pavement get a 600+. The KLR is water cooled, very much street worthy, will run forever, and will ride 2-up for hours on end w/o complaining. I know die-hard Honda riders that own KLR's for dual sport use.

Posted by: xr600r---------------------

i thought the ktm 400 and 520 wer'nt made for dual-sport?
narrow gears, frequent oil changes,?!

Posted by: OnAnySunday---------------------

2 and a half hours on the road??
One word : displacement! The more the better.
If your talking new bikes, i'd say XR650R -w- dualsport (enduro as us old farts would say) kit.

If we're talking used, maybe an older XL-600R, XT-600??
(still has the power, but with lower seat height)

I have an '82 XL500R -w- MT21's and stiffened suspention, and i love it!
Chugs up hills and tight trails that give sub 400cc machines fits, and will cruise for hours at 65+mph.
(yea, it's heavy as hades, but that just makes you stronger!)

Mt-21's work great but they seem to wear out quick.
(about 1,500-2,000 miles rear , quadruple that for the front)
Smooth on the street, hook up pretty good in the dirt!

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What Dual Sport do you recommend?

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