Enduro Pangs

[dcarver]

Forgot to mention.. That's why I'm spending > 1.5k on making my 1987 ATK street licensed. Aircooled, bulletproof motor, (XR600) great suspension (*********** rear, 89 Cr250 Showa cartridge fork), disc brakes front/rear. Light weight as compared as to the other bikes mentioned on this thread.

Extra gearing (c/s sprockets) for running street/trail, pre-set to run without removing links from the chain. Good for just less than 95 mph on street with tall gearing, and short gearing good (enough) for trails. A little short on top speed for running with the crazies on I5 and a little too tall for SERIOUS offroad work.. but compromises, compromises.

Sure, it's not as 'comfy' as a KLR etc... but most folks I know don't ride the DS sport 600 miles to find the dirt.. They take the trailer and camper, find a base camp, ride the +/-200 of dirt all around, then move to the next camp.

Then again, can you tell I'm definitely more dirt biased for dual sport bikes than street side? <_<

As the gentleman before me said.. It's all in how you plan to use bike..

Just watch out for them little trails..

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

So I've had votes for the KLR, DR, XR, KTM, BMW, V-strom, what...no Triumph Tigers? ;-)

I saw a Honda 650 enduro at the dealership yesterday. From what I gather these are out of production so a brand new one is rare? I'm not sure what year it was but it had .6 miles on it. (probably from rolling around the dealership floor)

They had the KLR and DR there too, then I went and saw the 950 adventure. 458 pounds...seems pretty heavy to me for a dual sport. It was certainly built well as is obvious just by looking at it. That little trail story has me pondering the kind of riding I would do. Frankly, I'd be riding about 30 min to 45 min from home then hitting old mining/logging roads that criss cross the Sierra and spending all day trying to find lakes full of trout. I'd want to have my backpacking cooking gear with me to cook up my lunch (trout and the various plants that are yummy up there). Nope, I don't eat trout sushi style...too many parasites.

Anyway...that is a mostly dirt trail type setting. I could see doing this pure dirt but the problem is that the cops love nailing dirt bikers that hop from one trail to another via pavement. I'm not sure why they care so much, but boy they are handing out tickets left and right up there.

Currently, I trailer a Yamaha Warrior 350 for these rides. I have never been in a position where I had to move the Warrior around by lifting it. I have always been able to drive through/over/around whatever I have found up there. I think I'd be fine on a heavier bike. However, I also think that a heavy bike, while being more comfy in ways, will also give me a much harder workout.

Well...heck...I guess I'm still deciding.

 

[yamaholic]

Yep, neither bike will be that great at any serious off-roading. Too heavy!

Tires are a huge factor, too. Anything that works on the dirt will stink on the street, and vice versa. Been there, done that. You have to always tell yourself it's a compromise bike.

I used to dual sport quite a bit on a KLR250. By this I mean I would ride it to the National forest trail systems (about 90 minutes away), ride the trails for 3-5 hours(double track ATV stuff) , then ride home. I was *beat* after a day's ride. I would swap out rear wheel assemblies depending on what I was riding that day.

Buzzing around town it was great to have the visibility and lightweight to avoid. Plus the long travel suspension soaked up road bumps with ease. But it sure was no fun at all for an all day adventure. The 650 should be better at this (more torque and comfort).

Have you considered a KTM 950 Adventure? This is on my short list of bikes that I want sometime in the future for Adenture riding...

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Have you considered a KTM 950 Adventure?

Scroll through the second page of this thread...a 950 Adventure is airborne there

 

[fJROB]

Hi Andrew, I was thinking about you this morning when I was reading my local classified section.........

SUZUKI 2003 DR650, Under 2000 mi,

asking $3800/obo;

530-477-2685

If you get it I could take you on some trails in Grass Valley, if you can keep up with my DRZ400!

P.S. Anthony (ninja) also has a DRZ400.

 

[mech 1 twa]

Oh yeah I forgot to mention my current dual-sport, a 02 WR426. Pain to get legal in PA. but I did it. Much more maintance required if you like to street ride,TIRES. Knobbies don't last long. Engine more high strung 12.5 to 1 compression. Valve adj. more frequently.

265 lbs. wet. Better dirt bike than anything you can buy legally, and faster on 0-70.

Found a great website THUMPER TALK. All about 4 strokes, mainly. Has a huge membership and data base of info.

Some states its really easy to get a dirt bike legalized. Just another option to check.

 

[madmike2]

In CA, we can no longer street legalize trailees. If we could find one used that had already been converted and licensed, all is golden. The legislature closed all the loopholes a year or two ago.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

In CA, we can no longer street legalize trailees. If we could find one used that had already been converted and licensed, all is golden. The legislature closed all the loopholes a year or two ago.

Except when the dealer messes up with paperwork and you go get a VIN verification from a DMV inspector, or cop. My FJR was an off road vehicle for 7 months ;-)

 

[yamaholic]

website THUMPER TALK

I haven't been on there in awhile, but I am a charter member (number 15-more than 40K members now!) of the site. It started as a WR400F site, then grew from there. More info than you can imagine, but there are a lot of kids that don't know jack. Currently ride an 05 YZ250F (fun, fun, fun!!!) on the trails. Would be a really fun dual sport if no highway/high speed use is expected.

Too bad some states can't convert to DS. Here in Ohio it is no problem at all. Toss on a DS kit, have it inspected and get a title transfer (along with street registration).

 

[vagabond]

What about the dl 1000 vstrom. I have one and just love it. Obviously, its too heavy to be considered a trail bike. But, boy does it have plenty of power. Speaking of power, you are going to carry that great wife of yours to some of your adventure destinations. It can do it with ease. Ride with the GS boys for half the cost.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

What about the dl 1000 vstrom. I have one and just love it. Obviously, its too heavy to be considered a trail bike. But, boy does it have plenty of power. Speaking of power, you are going to carry that great wife of yours to some of your adventure destinations. It can do it with ease. Ride with the GS boys for half the cost.

I really want something more trail oriented than the V-strom...

 

[fjr]

Actually the first thing to change on the KLR is the seat.

It is torture. Corbin is a great alternative. I just sold my

KLR as it wasn't getting enough use. I found I put the first

1500 miles on in two weeks.... then 300 for the rest of the

year. I found the riding position very uncomfortable.

 

[racer157]

I am thinking about an enduro for some dual sport touring. I am leaning toward the utilitarian approach by looking at the Suzuki DR and Kawi KLR 650 models. If anyone has any of these bikes, or better yet, time on both, let me know if you like it and if you like it better than the other.
Thanks!

Get the klr. It has a larger tank great milage and good suspension. It comes with a reasonable seat. The seat on the dr was designed by the marque de saddle. If you ride it more than 10 miles you will need a butt transplant. Good Luck.