Do you have a smaller trail/enduro bike?

I ride my R1200GS on trails quite often. It's getting to the point were most of my fun is off road. so I'm thinking of getting a smaller trail bike (250-450cc four stroke) in addition to the GS. I figure a trail/enduro bike will be more durable, cheaper to fix, easier to pick up and maneuver, plus it will save my GS from abuse. How many of you have a second smaller displacement bike for off-load riding? Is it worth while?

I think this has been asked before.
I have a X Challenge as 2nd bike. You can find em pretty cheap. LOTS easier to pick up. Ha.
Still decent on the road, to get to the good stuff.

Yup if you're riding smaller trails you need a smaller bike. I love my GS, but it's just not a trail machine. I recently picked up a DR650 but was really wanting a Yamaha WR250R, I just couldnt find one.

1987 Husqvarna WR430, great trail and desert bike.

DRZ400's are quite popular around here as a 2nd bike. I have a 99 DR350ES as a trailbike. Air cooled, 6 speed, threaded valve adjusters. Just like my GS.

DR650 although I ended up in the woods with it in VT on Saturday and Sunday last weekend and was wishing for a CR250. The damn thing is heavy when you have to turn around at a ravine where a little babbling brook moved hundreds of yards of material in hurricane Irene.

DR650 right now for me as my second bike. For a while it was a WR250F, which I converted to street legal, but I ended up riding less pure offroad and the street sections weren't that fun on the WR. The WR250R is supposed to be a lot better on the road with the 6 speed tranny and FI. I had a DRZ for a while as my only bike and it didn't do that well enough. It would be a good second bike for offroad and DS work though.

The DR650 has been nice. Cheap to buy and easy to work on. Will still run down the interstate if I need it too and just fine on the offroad stuff. Just don't plan on it being a fast offroad bike. Just very competent.

Husky TE250 Xlite here It is a fantastic woods weapon and my preventative maintenance plan for the GS, as I don't abuse the GS nearly as bad as I used to when I only had one bike.. However it winds out and is no fun at all past about 45mph... now I'm thinking about adding a mid-weight bike to the stable for dual sport runs..

Dr 441.

You are correct! Me and most of my friends who ride GS's have a "real" off-road bike. Riding a big GS off-road is doable, but it's work, parts are expensive and a sub 300 pound bike is a hell of a lot more fun to do it on!
My bike is a 2005 that is now "cheap" when compared to a new GS. I love taking my bike on fireroads, gravel roads, through shallow streams and some single track stuff, but getting a GS airborne or banged up on tree branches often will cost you. My friends and I have all experienced either broken plastic, broken spot lights, crushed saddlebags, busted up saddlebag mounts, broken windsheilds, crushed headers, etc... I don't think I would do half of what I do on my GS on a new $22,000 model. Just this weekend, my buddy bent his front GS rim (cast wheel) on a softball sized rock. But to answer your OP, I have a TW200, my buddies have DR650/DR400's, WR250's and Honda CRF's.

Drz 400s...

:d

yamaha wr250r -- it will feel like a bicycle after the GS

fuel injected, water cooled, 6 speeds, durable -- its the answer you're looking for

I'm going to look at a wr450f tonight. I just hate to buy something I'm not sure I need. I wonder if I'll end up riding the GS anyhow because it's so simple to throw a leg over and go. Whereas, the wr would have to be trucked 50mi and unloaded. I also wonder if part of the appeal of the gs it taking it anywhere. We have a trip planned to buffalo NY to see Roger waters (pink floyd) and the next day we'll be on trails in PA on the same bikes.

No trucks needed if you find a KTM with a title and live in a reasonably lenient state. I would love to put my 25 years worth of blue riding gear back to use with a WR450. But finding one plated is rare compared to KTM offroad bikes.

To a guy on a GS my 640 would probably feel like a lightweight trail bike. But 300 pounds still kicks my ass on tough trails. So this is my idea of a trail bike. It is a 12 pack or so over 200 pounds including the license plate and very fast:

that's all i have.

it's a DRZ400s.

it's too heavy for tight single track, though, so i will soon be adding a KTM for trail use. (you can, and i do just about every weekend, ride a DRZ on the most techincal single track you can find. but, it is *a lot* more work and a bit less fun than riding a real trail bike on that stuff.)

then the DRZ will be returned to the stock gearing and more street-oriented tires to make it a better adventure bike (it's not bad the way it is...it just eats tires and it gets a bit tiring on long slab rides).

consider a KTM 450exc or some other platable 450. then you don't need to truck it.

i even ride with guys who have plates on KTM and Husky 250 2 strokes in PA.

I have a F800GS that I spent a lot of time and money gearing it for off road. It's a great bike, but when I really want to ride off road, I go with the WR250R. I like it so much I'm taking it on a week long dirt trip that I would usually use the GS for.

It's always a compromise eh?
Stuff the GSs' get bogged on I blast past on the 640,
Stuff the 640 gets bogged on I blast past on the 200.

You probably need to consider exactly what sort of trail riding you mean, to me it's tight woods that are equivalent to a competitive enduro terrain, there is no way I will ride anything bigger than a proper enduro 450 in this stuff, the DRZs' are out of their depth.

If you want to ride to the trails then you are seriously compromised, off-road tyres will be shredded, the lack of cush drive makes it hard on you and the transmission, my suggestion is get an off road bike and trailer it.

I've ended up with a 200 EXC for trails, a 640 adventure for adventure, an older BMW for road & civilised riding and a small track bike, there is no way I can make one bike do all of this successfully, there are too many compromises!

Good luck.

Xt225 did everything I wanted, tight trails to indicated 70mph home on the highway. Now I got a dr350 which is
mo my size, seems to be a perfect true to the definition dual-sport, also great to putt around town over my viffer or vstrom. Plus when u are alone and crash with a small DS pinning your legs you can calmly lift it off of you, can't say that for bigger "dual sports".

Besides that they are fuckin fun, go buy one for 2k and sell it for the same price a year later, enjoy!

Also mess around with gearing, on my week DS trip I'll use a highway sprocket for the first few hours the switch it out when I get to the good stuff