MajBach
Well-known member
Okay, well not faster but more agile through the twisties?
Last week I went out and dropped my tax refunds for then next 10 years on a new dual-sport. I had been playing with the idea for over a year now since there are just SO many trails to explore here on Vancouver island - trails that you could not access from some dorky "adventure tourer". I sat on the fence for so long because these bikes are ridiculously expensive, especially if they're street legal. I'm also restricted to a handful that are actually tall enough for me and have enough power to push my fat *** up a mountainside. That pretty much narrowed it down to a Husky, KTM or Honda XRL. I wanted a reliable and inexpensive ride too so that pretty much left only the Honda. My boss bought himself CRF 250 Rally last week and reminded me that we had a 'pact'; so, I actually bought a new one the next day - via text messaging no less - from a dealer on the mainland. There were only a handful of used ones popping up over the last 12 months and many of these were over 10 years old but still worth 80% of today's value. So, at 0.9% financing, it was a no-brainer.
Except for the highway trip home from the dealer, yesterday was my first time riding it. I wish I could kick myself...for not buying it sooner that is. This thing is SO much fun! I might even take a break from the FJ this year, (I can't believe I said that. I take it back!). Despite it being no where near as comfortable in any regard as the FJR, I spent a straight 6 hours riding yesterday. It's really serious fun and so different from what you get from sport touring.
Back to the topic. What surprised me the most with this bike was how nimble it felt. I don't mean light or sure-footed. Compared to expensive off road bikes, this is a heavy beast; I'm just used to the weight of the Yamaha. It's just that this bike felt like I could dust the FJ in the twisties with it. Not sure if it's an illusion or what. I have 100,000 miles of experience on the Yamaha and less than 100 on the Honda. I dropped several thousand on suspension last year on my FJ but I haven't even adjusted the shock on the new bike. I've been reading books on suspension, watching video tutorials on advanced riding and racing and constantly pushing my limits on the curves and yet the 'feeling' I had on the dual-sport yesterday was like I could navigate a go-cart track with ease. What gives? Is it just an illusion or are the dual sports capable of out-handling a precision machine like the FJR?
Whatever the reason, it sure is fun!
Oh yea. check this guy out. This is not me talking, just something I uncovered while doing my homework. He is actually referring to an XR650L - like the one I just purchased - not a KLR. I don't know what the author is riding:
Last week I went out and dropped my tax refunds for then next 10 years on a new dual-sport. I had been playing with the idea for over a year now since there are just SO many trails to explore here on Vancouver island - trails that you could not access from some dorky "adventure tourer". I sat on the fence for so long because these bikes are ridiculously expensive, especially if they're street legal. I'm also restricted to a handful that are actually tall enough for me and have enough power to push my fat *** up a mountainside. That pretty much narrowed it down to a Husky, KTM or Honda XRL. I wanted a reliable and inexpensive ride too so that pretty much left only the Honda. My boss bought himself CRF 250 Rally last week and reminded me that we had a 'pact'; so, I actually bought a new one the next day - via text messaging no less - from a dealer on the mainland. There were only a handful of used ones popping up over the last 12 months and many of these were over 10 years old but still worth 80% of today's value. So, at 0.9% financing, it was a no-brainer.
Except for the highway trip home from the dealer, yesterday was my first time riding it. I wish I could kick myself...for not buying it sooner that is. This thing is SO much fun! I might even take a break from the FJ this year, (I can't believe I said that. I take it back!). Despite it being no where near as comfortable in any regard as the FJR, I spent a straight 6 hours riding yesterday. It's really serious fun and so different from what you get from sport touring.
Back to the topic. What surprised me the most with this bike was how nimble it felt. I don't mean light or sure-footed. Compared to expensive off road bikes, this is a heavy beast; I'm just used to the weight of the Yamaha. It's just that this bike felt like I could dust the FJ in the twisties with it. Not sure if it's an illusion or what. I have 100,000 miles of experience on the Yamaha and less than 100 on the Honda. I dropped several thousand on suspension last year on my FJ but I haven't even adjusted the shock on the new bike. I've been reading books on suspension, watching video tutorials on advanced riding and racing and constantly pushing my limits on the curves and yet the 'feeling' I had on the dual-sport yesterday was like I could navigate a go-cart track with ease. What gives? Is it just an illusion or are the dual sports capable of out-handling a precision machine like the FJR?
Whatever the reason, it sure is fun!
Oh yea. check this guy out. This is not me talking, just something I uncovered while doing my homework. He is actually referring to an XR650L - like the one I just purchased - not a KLR. I don't know what the author is riding:
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