Off road playing in the dirt...

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Ok, so, Patch and I grew up in the middle of nowhere, riding trail bikes. Nothing like what is available today, and none of the super cool two strokes that were available at the time. Just too dammed poor, and the horses kept us entertained.

Around 2008, I decided I wanted to get into adventure riding and kind of back into dirt and learn some stuff. So, I bought a 2005 KLR. Honestly, it was tough as nails, but was a huge disappointment on the highway, as it was WRAPPED out around 70. Then, on trails, it was fine, but became underpowered for what I wanted to do, and was a heavy bitch to pick up. Also, every time it fell over, something was damaged or broke, because of the street stuff.

That was not the bike's fault. I had the wrong bike. I have a tendency to be an idiot. It is what it is.

Then, my brother got a KTM, and I started riding Joe's DRZ400. A front sprocket swap fixed most of the DRZ's power issues, but it had significantly less grunt than Patch's 530. It had great aftermarket suspension, but my big ass could bottom out the rear. This bike was also heavy, but took drops way better than the KLR, and was tough as tough as any machine could be.

Getting there, but still not quite the bike I felt I needed. Better skill probably would have mitigated that.

Then Patch decided he wanted the new FI KTM, so after some shenanigans, he got a new EXC500, and his ECX530 became mine. Same 511cc motor, just one fuel injected and one not.

I have done some heinous things on this bike and haven't bottomed out yet. It does have upgraded suspension though. This bike gets dropped a lot sometimes and takes it all well. It's also pretty easy to pick up. It has MASSIVE power and can scare the crap out of me quickly. That bike's only limit is me. I took the seat to a local guy and had an inch shaved off the seat. That made a world of difference. I can barely touch the ground, but when I need to, it's always there. A Scotts Steering Stabilizer makes a huge difference.

Maintenance? Well, every 16 hours, I replace .6l of oil. Every 32, I replace trans fluid, using the same engine oil, and the oil filter. I think the bike is to the point where I only have to check the valves every 90 hours. That's a decent spread, and isn't that hard. Honestly, maintenance isn't that bad at all.

Regardless of what any of us think, you have to find the bike that fits you, your budget, and your riding style. A buddy who had a slightly older WR450 just bought a used KTM300 two stroke and is in love. It's a phenomenal bike. 4 strokes are easy to maintain and make good power. Don't overlook anything made by Kawasaki, Husqvarna, or Beta. A 450 Kawi will FLY.

As a matter of fact, I think his WR450 is still for sale. It's a great bike. Probably worth the trip if you wanted it. Hell, come down. We'll take you on some fun stuff.

 
I just bought a 2009 WR250X and installed TKC80's front and back. My first outing , at 53 by the way Wheatie, was a blast. We rode every type of trail. Hard ,rugged jeep trails, 2 track, single track, rock, sand , water, old railway bed, you name it.Wow . Fell off and fell over. (Short leg syndrome) I'm 5'8" and over 200lbs. The bike has ample get up and go for me.

 
Nothing wrong with a KLR.

As mentioned, a little suspension work, lower gearing and a fresh set of Dunlop

606s .

Canadian FJR

 
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The quandary of dual sport/enduro: how much street and what kind of typical street riding, how much dirt and how difficult the terrain you desire to navigate. I got a DR650 because it met the most of my needs overall compared to a KLR or XR. At times I wish it were more WR250 in gnarly dirt conditions but I also needed it to commute 50 miles a day on the highway so a 250-400 would be more on the frantic side for doing that. IF I needed the bike to do only some pavement but mostly dirt, one of the Japanese 250s would float my boat. I've picked up my 350 lb. DR in a mud bog, felt more like 450 lbs. at that point! I'd rather pick up a 250 lb. bike...

 
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Is 57 too old to start riding off road (ie learning how to fall down and shit)
I have to say, it depends. Physical condition is more important that years or miles. Personally, not only am I an old geezer but I am also overweight. The heavier I am the harder it is to do athletic things and the more likely I am to get hurt while doing it.

 
Depending on the type of riding you do, dirt riding is far more strenuous than you'd guess by street standards. My first time out on single track was when I followed Auburn FJR up in Capitol Forest outside Olympia on a day after it rained. I say "followed" rather loosely - it took me 20 minutes to go the first 1000 feet as the route was slippery clay, deeply rutted, and I had zero knowledge of how to get up a rutted hill. In 20 min, my helmet was soaked with sweat, but damn if I didn't make it up the hill, though I looked every bit the dirt sandwich I was.

After two times of trying in vain to keep up with his 13 year old daughter who had ridden since her single digits, I took several dirt bike classes - one and two-day courses. After the first class, I had some really good basic skills, and after the second class, I was actually able to keep up with Auburn (so long as he was riding a sane pace), do wheelies, and get over small logs and rocks.

I'm due for a refresher course, but my advice if this is the first time on dirt - spend the $$ (usually $160-200 per class) and take a few courses, with a month or two between so you can practice the lessons learned. That money will be the best you can spend, better than any upgrades, and it means the difference between riding somewhat boring forest roads and riding single track into super fun places you never thought you'd could go.

 
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Depending on the type of riding you do, dirt riding is far more strenuous than you'd guess by street standards. My first time out on single track was when I followed Auburn FJR up in Capitol Forest outside Olympia on a day after it rained. I say "followed" rather loosely - it took me 20 minutes to go the first 1000 feet as the route was slippery clay, deeply rutted, and I had zero knowledge of how to get up a rutted hill. In 20 min, my helmet was soaked with sweat, but damn if I didn't make it up the hill, though I looked every bit the dirt sandwich I was.
After two times of trying in vain to keep up with his 13 year old daughter who had ridden since her single digits, I took several dirt bike classes - one and two-day courses. After the first class, I had some really good basic skills, and after the second class, I was actually able to keep up with Auburn (so long as he was riding a sane pace), do wheelies, and get over small logs and rocks.

I'm due for a refresher course, but my advice if this is the first time on dirt - spend the $$ (usually $160-200 per class) and take a few courses, with a month or two between so you can practice the lessons learned. That money will be the best you can spend, better than any upgrades, and it means the difference between riding somewhat boring forest roads and riding single track into super fun places you never thought you'd could go.
The first serious trail riding I attempted on my DR650 I aborted after about 15 min. The trail was more like a rock garden and maneuvering my 'Bush Pig' through it was like wrestling a bear. After 15 min. my forearms and shoulders were toast and I had visions of dumping on a rock just wrong and breaking a leg and the bike so turned around and went back out. I discovered quickly that I lacked the skill, conditioning (and right bike for those conditions) but no doubt a skilled and conditioned rider could have ridden my bike the whole length of the trail and enjoyed it.

 
The first serious trail riding I attempted on my DR650 I aborted after about 15 min. The trail was more like a rock garden and maneuvering my 'Bush Pig' through it was like wrestling a bear. After 15 min. my forearms and shoulders were toast and I had visions of dumping on a rock just wrong and breaking a leg and the bike so turned around and went back out. I discovered quickly that I lacked the skill, conditioning (and right bike for those conditions) but no doubt a skilled and conditioned rider could have ridden my bike the whole length of the trail and enjoyed it.
Yes, no one short of athletic 16 year olds gets out of the woods without aches and pains, especially the next morning. Had you gone back the next weekend you would have gotten much farther with less effort. OTOH a DR650 on rocky trail is for masochists.

Riding off-road requires practice. You don't have your current skills on-road instantly the first time you threw a leg over a motorcycle. Don't expect same for off-road.

I take guilty delight in watching macho sport bikers ride dirt for the first time. For all their daring and risk taking, they are totally off balance the instant tires start slipping on dirt, and instantly start "riding like little girls." Then again our enduro and hare scrambles events always have kids races and I've seen some very fast 10 year old girls.

 
All dualsports and enduro bikes are a compromise. Good on the road usually means crappy off road.In the last 15 years i have gone thru 2 DR350's a honda xr650l a DRZ400 and currently run a Husky WR250 two stroke. The best overall to me was probably the DRZ. A little heavy but suspension was decent off road and it was decent on road. The XRL was huge and too heavy but really woke up with jetting mods had tons of useable torque. The Husky WR is basically a full blown off road race bike with a headlight and tail light. Feather weight great in singletrac trail but no fun at all on the street. Just starting out I would recommend the DRZ or the Yamaha WR250

 
Just starting out I would recommend the DRZ or the Yamaha WR250
The same DS bike that is better "just starting out" will also be better when you have more experience too.

IMO either of those bikes is a good compromise for Dual Sport as either can be ridden on road with reasonable comfort, or off road with reasonably decent performance. It will be neither a full on race bike off road, nor a full-on road bike on the pavement. But it will get you down the trails that you rode the bike to, so no need for a trailer and all that entails.

The WR is a little more nimble on the off road, but it isn't quite as good on road as the DRZ. The WR is fuel injected and makes its power at higher rpm, so you need to wring it out a little. For real off roading that means gearing it down to allow you to run higher rpm in the tight stuff, which of course makes it even worse on the road.

The DRZ is a little heavier than the WR, but not much. THe WR weighs just under 300 lbs and the DRZ only weighs about 25 lbs more. Not very significant. It has carburetor though, and the power is lower in the rpm range. Plus the displacement means more torque at lower rpm so you don't have to gear it as low as the WR to handle the tight stuff.

 
My first bike was an XR650L and that's what got me into motorcycle riding. Needless to say there is a world of difference between a street bike and dirt bike. I would put the XR in more of a dirt class with a lot of low end torque. I didn't take long to do all the mod's you read about on the XR forum. Re-jet the carburetor and change gearing. I am 5' 9 1/2 with a 30 inch inseam. Yes I have to tiptoe it when at a stop or lean to one side. I wouldn't give up the height though for anything. This bike will suck up bumps and rocks like nothing is there. I have dropped it many times and had to replace a few parts along the way but most things can be found on Ebay for short money. Amazingly they never ever change this bike and it's been around over 15 years also.You can easily cruise at 70 on the highway and it will do over a hundred if need be with stock gearing. Fastest I have been on it is 95 MPH. It's a proven engine and design and bulletproof. 17K now without any engine issues. Plugs and oil has all that's been done.

Best advise is to be in shape. You will work a lot harder doing trail riding. Oh and buy the way this bike is not good for tight trails. You will kick everyone else's ass on open trail though.
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Dave

 
What I'd really like to find would be a nice XR650R with a street title and not totally thrashed.

Of course I'd also like it to be free.
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In NH you may be able to do that with an aftermarket kit. They sell them. You can forget about that here in mass. They won't allow it. My brother inlaw bought my son's 78 Camaro which he purchased in Georgia. He didn't have a title in GA because you didn't need one for that old of a car. He has been trying to register and obtain a mass title for it over 6 months now. My son even applied for a GA title and got turned down to try and help him out. They don't issue tilte for cars that old. They won't accept a bill of sale. My son may end up getting a tilte in NH and then have to sell it again to my brother inlaw. It's insain here. No help from the registry at all.

Dave

 
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Yep, I know the drill well. Here's what you need to do:

"Sell it" (on paper) to a NH resident. No title is required for anything that old. Get NH plates and then sell it back to the MA resident. Bring the old NH registration to the DMV. They should issue you plates on the old NH tags since NH won't title anything that old.

The trickier part for me is finding a 650R in decent shape that they don't want a fortune for, since they stopped making them back in 2007. They have a sort of cult following now. Why Honda doesn't continue to make them is a mystery.

 
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Old, not over weight, but soft with an 16 EXC 500.

Don't feel much worse on it than muscling the FJR all day.

All I need is a rack to carry some stuff.

 
not sure how we went from a dirt bike thread to:

You could carry quite a lot with this rack

[img=[URL="https://slicktiger.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/epic-cleavage-life-time-censors-woman-sexy-breast-smile-demotivational-poster-1238519513.png?w=608&h=660%5D"]https://slicktiger.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/epic-cleavage-life-time-censors-woman-sexy-breast-smile-demotivational-poster-1238519513.png?w=608&h=660][/URL]
But I like it!

 
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