What Dual Sport should Honda build next

what's w/this goofball?.... i can buy a nice plated KTM 450 for way less $$$ as that 230 new... ... w/excellent suspension, and probably 2x the horsepower.... and real brakes.... and a smooth hydraulic clutch.... and it weighs the same or less..... and it runs like a raped ape and not a lawn mower..... and if you're too dumb to adjust the valves, tinker w/the jetting, change the fork oil, change the springs to the correct weight, use a kick start, etc., then you shouldn't take the thing out to bumphuque, egypt..... and if you can't tell the difference, then i dunno what to say..... get a quad, and be happy....

Looks like I was wrong there.:huh Never mind. Back to the Freeride 350 to make the point...

Fixed it, nuked the erroneous posts.

Cool, dude, glad you like your 450 KTM. I think it is nice. A nice young guy came along with us Friday on a nice 450KTM.

I have nothing against euro bikes, I have looked at them eg the KTM 350 and the 500 and the Freeride, and the Husky 310. For me, I made my choice, I like it, I like that I spent less and have fun riding. And the amount of maintenance on the 230L is...not much needed!

Yep, so can I......

That's why I have an XRR


Some people, including many on this site, either can't work on bikes or don't want to. They want to buy a new one, and they want it ready to ride/tour/whatever they want it for. People like that give people like us a good used market to chose from.

So is there something wrong with a person that wants to buy a new bike that meets their desired criteria? I don't think so. When I buy something used, I plan on a certain amount of time and money to get what I want. When I buy new, I pretty much want it right and ready to go. If that is not available, I look at the used market.

If the bike I described above was available on the NEW market, I probably would have bought one. It wasn't available, so I did the next best thing 'for me' and bought a used XRR then made it work. A used KTM would have worked for me also, but I still would have done modifications to it. For some reason though I'm not a big KTM fan, never really looked for one. No real reason, just never did.

Yet another guy who owns a KTM spreading disrespect. Glad that you like your bike and thrilled that you think so much of yourself. Darn those other people who like (dare) to ride something other than your god KTM. You are sooo right that I ride a motorcycle without any suspension adjustment jetting or anything (not) because I do not ride (your god) a KTM Oh, strong logic, I have never had a bike needing kickstarting, jetting etc, has high HP, long travel, exotic (not...again), nooo unless I spout KTM bullshit then..not worthy

I paid $2900 with 900 miles on the 230L. Rode it nearly 7000 miles since May. Rode trials terrain, traveled gravel roads, pavement with a load. Needs hardly any maintenance, change oil, tighten things, air filter. 7000 miles since May!

This is a Honda topic thread. I like my Honda, ride it a lot, I like other Hondas. And you are here why?

Hey guys.
The OP has been gone for two days. He's bored of this nonsensical drivel as well.

Aside from not wanting a project XRR because I am lamo working on stuff, I like the throttle too much. I shopped some XR650R and not too bad, look great, good prices. Lotta HP and weight, for me safer to resist, my family worries enough...Too bad Honda does not make the XRR now. The guy at the local shop is in the movie starting Baja on one, and tells me the XRR is reliable and would travel well.

KTMs look great but...I see them being worked on out when I am trail riding, guys I invite to ride on their KTMs often say, "gotta get it runnin'" My Honda always works well.

Which? The overbearing disrespectful punks who think spending lots of $$ for a KTM makes them better, smarter and literate? Holy f***, Obama always has a solution- blame Bush. You f***tards always have an answer "KTM- mine better, mine bigger...you don't KNOW I Know bla bla

Or the drivel from the Honda guy posting on a Honda topic thread who will not defer or back down to these blowhards?

Better to just discuss Honda motorcycles and leave people out of it.

Wow...

Just wow.:huh

You really don't have a clue do you.

Holy crap this thread has turned a 180 from the topic. I was away from the computer all day RIDING my bike. ADVNCW please go troll another thread, we now have 4 extra pages of crap that has nothing to do with the topic. If I hear you post one more bashing KTM post or another 5 page essay on a CRF230L then your going on ignore bud.

been lurking though all these posts... ADVNCW, you and your 230 need to leave this thread. And please, take your fail with you!

I don't know WTF that was, but I do know what it wasn't: available from your friendly neighborhood Honda dealer.

Looks like maybe a CR500 derived Dakar bike. What I was talking about regarding two strokes is Honda's corporate philosophy against them. They don't even make two stroke outboards, PWC or power equipment. If direct injected or other high tech two strokes become all the rage in offroad motorcycles, and I hope they do, Honda will be the last company to offer one.

Honda has become so simultaneously conservative and weird these days how could anybody even guess about a new dual sport? They could go with another conservative world market commuter bike dressed up as a dual sport or some weird DCT scooter hybrid dressed up as an adventure bike. But, since the operative word here is "should" produce, I stand by a new 650.

We already know the Japanese aren't going to compete with Euros and offer a plated dirt bike. But I would think a major update on the XR650L could be done and still keep the price down. We know decent suspension already exists. Then add a modern SS/aluminum exhaust and battery to drop a bunch of weight. Then new plastic, light and instruments to drop a little more weight and bring it into this century.

Hell, maybe even go with EFI and water cooling to uncork the beast and still meet emissions. A water cooled 650 motor already exists and they are already offering EFI bikes. Since the basic engine and frame tooling has been paid for since Reagan was president, you would think working around those parameters could be done under Honda's new cheap, basic commuter bike corporate philosophy.

I would certainly consider a red 650 if it made 50 hp, had real suspension and was at or under 300 pounds.

If you or other lister don't know, Honda is a major financial contributor to the green movement. This is one of the reasons they are anti-2 stroke. And, for every new Honda purchased: car, motorcycle, or whatever; Honda contributes part of that purchase price to the world-wide enviro-nazi movement.

So, in other words, Honda Inc is funding a movement seeking their own demise. :huh

I do know that (minus the tin foil hat part) as in:

What I was talking about regarding two strokes is Honda's corporate philosophy against them.

there's alotta topics here on this forum like this.... i don't think it's so much about brand bashing, but more about this fear of mechanical stuff, and the need to understand what going on, therefore a really simple bike like this honda is tremendously better than a modern well suspended high compression water cooled race oriented bike.....

dirt bikes are intrinsically mechanical, and demand attention.... yeah, maybe the air cooled, low compression bikes demand a bit less, but they're still gonna need some.... there's a bunch of the major, epic travel threads here that have people doing some absolutely crazy and dangerous travel things in bumqhuque, egypt on mechanically unsound bikes cause' they were too dumb to know that it was past time to fix it....

some of these dorks get into their happy place, thinking that their 'super-simple' yama-hon-saki' will run forever w/no maintenance, since they bought it new at the dealer, and mama 'yama-hon-saki' knows all and will take care of them. and since these dorks need instructions on a crescent wrench, those KTM's, YZ's, KX's, etc. are inherently evil cause' it takes a few moves to change the oil, and you gotta do it a little more frequently.... really?.... running chains and sprockets till they break in your hands?.... never changing oil, and bragging about it?... putting a million pounds of gear and your fat arse on a bike w/springs that were designed for a 150lb japanese guy, so that the sag's way outta whack and it squats like a big dog whenever you gas it?.... and then when you come out of it alive, you get this smarmy feeling of accomplishment... "Yeah, i beat that evil mechanical system... i'm a badazz... all those monkeywrenchers are fulla shizzit!..."....

i think it's more of a 'freudian' fear of the penis thing, that you're afraid of what it might do/happen when you get into it, so it's better to just live w/that monster in the closet, rather than confronting him and kicking his azz.......

Thinking a kit would sell quite well.

yes Honda sold out to the communist greens.That 2 stroke was called the exp 400 it was an experimental 2 stroke that used Direct injection and activated radical combustion that was used for off throttle and midrange which is basically detonation and complete burn,It also had a high tech powervalve that closed off the exhaust from going and killing the fresh charge from going out the exhaust.It relied on the spark plug for starting,lo speed operation and wide open throttle. It was raced in baja,Dirtbike mag and Dirtrider talked about it like it was going to be the next best thing since sliced bread back in 95-96.On the test they took the expansion chamber off and put there finger in there and there wasnt any oily 2 stroke residue at all, rumors had it was cleaner then the cleanest 4 stroke at the time and then just like that nothing more was ever said or mentioned about it.It was gone and forgotten not another word was mentioned about it.The next time Honda made an announcment it was they were going all 4 stroke an no more 2 smokes.But the technology does exist why Honda killed it wether for price or blackballed by the elite green movement or whatever I do not know. I also thought w some mods a xr 650l could make 50 something hp

I would like to see a 21st century one of these. XLV 750R on a Jenny Craig plan.

Never knew they existed until this morning.

Thats a cool looking cycle that xrl 750.My take w honda going back to affordable wide world units for emrging markets like one other person stated here.I think the efi 650l or LC efi 650/700 xr since they already have the tooling,engines it wouldnt take too much work to dualsport one and if necessary could remap it to be lean for emissions to get it thru epa and DOT etc.

When any of the big four build a 250 lb., 40+ HP dual sport with real, usable suspension I'll buy one. Until then I'll keep riding the KTM.