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Dirt Bike Discussions By Brand
Husqvarna MX & Off-Road Dirt Bikes
Opinions on best dual sport bike?
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[QUOTE="Whaler, post: 1375121, member: 115120"] It's all about trade-offs... More weight is actually nice on the road, up to a point: heavier feels more stable, tracks better going by the big trucks, smoothes out the bumps, reduces fatigue -- pretty much the opposite of the way weight works in the dirt. Yamaha has the WR series. Nice bikes, plenty of juice, but a little closer to their YZ-MX-brethren than the KLX Kawasakis, or the CRF Hondas. The newer Honda XRs, the Suzuki DRs and the Kawasaki KLR are yet another step away from the abrupt power and stiff spring-rates of the motocross bikes. You get a little more road-ability and little less dirt-ability. In my state (Oregon) we're increasingly stuck with bikes that are born as dual-sporters if we want to ride on the roads, as our DMV is starting to shut down the licensing of the dirt-bikes with Baja kits (allegedly for EPA reasons). (Now that everybody from California has moved to Oregon, we're getting stuck with all the Californian laws and regulation. The crime came up here too! :yell: ) Don't be intimidated by the KLR weight. It's an easy-riding bike, especially on open road. They're also durable and comparatively cheap to buy, particularly if you're willing to buy a 2006 or earlier bike. Kawasaki made some improvements to the KRL in, 2007 or 2008. Better suspension and a couple other significant tweaks that I'm told are very nice. (I've only ridden a 2005 KLR, and it's been piped and rejetted. It's no hot-rod, but it's not a complete slug either. It doesn't want to wheelie without bumping the clutch, but it's comfortable on the highway at 60 mph for 50 or 70 miles, and you can poke around in small towns all day long. Some of the adventure riders I see at rallys and camping events ride their KLRs 300 or 400 miles per day without difficulty, and there are tons of cool accessories available for them too. Not bad for a 650. The Suzuki 650 is great too, and not that much heavier than the 400 -- also cheap. If you want to step up the performance a bit in a lighter bike, the Kawasaki KLX 450 is a great possibility, assuming Alaska will license a Baja-kitted bike, as they're light and they have a great powerband from the factory. Here's the other cool thing: although they have been softened and adjusted from the KX-MX bike they're based on, the same accessories bolt right on to the KLX, including the mx pipes and other easy performance enhancers, so you could have a very light, fast, custom dualsport. It would be okay on the highway for short trips, and still be AWESOME on the sand/dirt/logging roads. (That's what I'd like to do, as I already have a road bike I love.) If you want great all-around performance, and you're not poor like me, I think the best dual-sport options are found in the KTM line. The 530 EXC is a road-legal dirt bike that goes like a scalded ape. It will eat the KLR. The factory seat sucks, but that can be fixed. Of course, it's likely to be more maintenance too. It won't like it if you blow off oil changes for 1,000 miles, while the KLR probably won't care. (No, I'm not recommending it.) The bigger KTM 690 is probably the ultimate dual-purpose travelin machine under 700 cc. I haven't met anybody who didn't love that bike, but they're pretty spendy. Finally, if you want a bike that will make you want to stay in the saddle all day long, test ride the BMW R1200GS. It's a totally different feeling, but a wonderful one that's addictive, and the bike does everything but wash the dog. It's not a Gixer, but does have 105 hp, it will wheelie without dumping the clutch, and it will track like it's on rails as you blast by a semi-truck at 80 mph. It will also scrape the foot pegs in the corners. I've had a lot of bikes (I'm old), and the BMW GS is the most fun I've ever had. It's not fast, it's not the best at anything, but it's good at everything and it's just plain fun. It corners better than my old race bikes -- effortlessly. I've had some bad wrecks over the years, and my back gets to hurting on most bikes, but I can still ride my GS for 400 miles and end the day with a smile on my face. My buddy's tell me the big KTM 990 Adventure is better in some respects and worse in others. Regardless, don't spend a bunch of money of a highway-riding dualsport without riding the big Beemer and KTM. Good luck. :cool: (Now that I've written a windy book :blah: , I plan to retun to lurking. I don't usually have this much to say... [/QUOTE]
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Dirt Bike Discussions By Brand
Husqvarna MX & Off-Road Dirt Bikes
Opinions on best dual sport bike?
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