Another "Which Dual Sport Bike is For Me?" Thread

[duxrneet]

How about you try riding a bit slower on road and enjoy the scenery? Then you can get as light a bike as you want! Or XR600R :)

[S8W7]

My intention wasn't to kick over the hornets' nest here, I genuinely need advice.

[LngRidr]

Husky TE511

[S8W7]

Originally Posted by LngRidr

Husky TE511

Care to expand on your suggestion? How hard are they to find parts for?

[rgoers]

Lots of questions to ask BEFORE any of us would be able to give you a useful recommendation...
- How much highway, and how fast? (If highway; 55 MPH, or 75 MPH?)
- What level of 'adventuring' are you talking about? (3000 mile trips with multiple overnights, or 1 night stays closer to home?)
- Will you camp, or stay at hotels?

The reason I ask is; I love my KLX250. I bought it for the type of riding ***I*** am into. Some back roads (55MPH or less), lots of dirt roads, and lots of single and double-track. I need to carry a day's worth of "stuff" for a full day of riding, or an overnight camp-out (within a couple hundred miles from home). Of course, I *can* do 75+ on the interstate for short distances, but this is NOT the bike you'd want to do that with very often. For ***ME*** the klx250 is the ultimate adventure bike. For ***YOU*** it may be totally wrong...

[S8W7]

Highways @ 110 kph (70 MPH). Any plated bike I buy will have to do this comfortably without feeling like it's going to explode or fall apart. In terms of how much, I would very much like to be able to do road trips on this bike. That Trans Canadian Adventure Trail looks awesome, and I'd like to ride coast to coast some day.

I'm a woodsman first and foremost, so I'll mostly be camping it.

[perterra]

I'll ask again, have you ever owned a bike? Because if you havent there are more friendly bikes to learn on than big singles. Highway manners suck compared to a road bike (IMO).

[NJ-Brett]

Sounds like fun to me!

There is a big difference in motors.
Some love to sing, others do not.
All the Suzuki's I have had would be happy to run at high rev's all day long, and seem happy to do so.
My tw200 (Yamaha) likes to rev, but starts making nasty noises when it does.

My TU 250 is very happy to run at full throttle and higher rev's all day long, and seems to run cool doing it.
My DR650 was also happy to run at high rpm's and loads.
I am sure my TU250 would love to run cross country at full throttle, then love to run back.

Originally Posted by S8W7

Highways @ 110 kph (70 MPH). Any plated bike I buy will have to do this comfortably without feeling like it's going to explode or fall apart. In terms of how much, I would very much like to be able to do road trips on this bike. That Trans Canadian Adventure Trail looks awesome, and I'd like to ride coast to coast some day.

I'm a woodsman first and foremost, so I'll mostly be camping it.

[Kommando]

There are several bikes that you would likely be pretty happy on with a few intelligent mods. It really depends on your riding style, packing habits, budget, wrenching skills/inclinations, performance expectations, etc.

In dualsports, I really like bikes than can be made versatile in either direction...economically. I'd rather put the bulk of my money into travel and early retirement, instead of having to have the latest and greatest in performance machines and the costs that go with fixing/maintaining/modding them.

For long trips on the highway, it's not just about power. It's also about stability and comfort. It could also be about fuel range and maintenance intervals/effort, or even just the ability to haul your luggage. You need gearing for an engine that isn't revving it's guts out, with enough power to get out of it's own way. It should also be stable enough to hold it's lane at the speeds you would want to travel, with tolerable vibration levels and ergonomics that can be made high-mile comfortable. If you're racking up mileage, you'd also want a bike that doesn't need constant attention, like stopping for fuel every 90 miles, or 500-mile oil changes or valve jobs that take 4hrs and 16 tools. You'll want to make sure whatever bike you're into has the ability to handle your luggage/load. Some dirt-oriented dualsports don't have a very sturdy subframe to mount a bag/box. The XR650L and early KLX250S come to mind, although there are ways around this.

Just getting back into things, I'd find something inexpensive and plentiful in the used market. Ride it and see what you would like to be different about it. If it's not something that is easy to fix for that model, sell it for about what you paid and then try something different.

2 economical dualsports that have a good aftermarket and solid following are the Suzuki DR650SE and the KLR650. They're both a bit big and heavy for serious dirt, but with the right setup and rider either can go just about anywhere a big dirtbike will go. By the same token, they're both a bit tall and light for breezy interstates, but they can get you arrested in any jurisdiction.

I'm a DR guy. To me, it seemed like the DR was a better dualsport than the KLR in every way...except three. The KLR is better if you want to ride 2-up much. It's slightly more spacious. The KLR also seems like it would fit a HUGE person a little better, but either bike is better with some customizing of the ergos. The KLR also puts out a bit more wattage for running lights and other accessories.

The DR has air/oil cooling. It works, even when busted and bypassed. I've never even heard of a DR650SE overheating as long as it was still circulating oil...EVER. I can't say the same for air-cooled bikes or liquid-cooled bikes.

The DR has screw/locknut valve adjustments. There's no need to mess with shims.

The DR is lighter, even after swapping to a Safari 8+gal tank. If you want to ride like a dirtbiker, the DR is easier to pick up after a biff.

KLR fans tout the screen, wider seat, and bigger tank over the DR...but many KLR owners change these anyway. Upgrades in these areas are available for the DR for pretty cheap...and they're nicer than the OEM KLR parts. I prefer my dualsports (and most bikes) sans windscreen anyway. I have no buffeting issues with just the DR's OEM shroud.

I've seen dyno charts of 50+WHP naturally-aspirated non-nitrous DRs. The bike responds well to mods, although both start out with similar stock power. I've never seen a dyno chart of a 50+WHP KLR. The DR feels "peppy" with just an uncorked intake/exhaust and a tuned carb. Power-wheelies in 2nd, and 100MPH (GPS), are not hard to come by.

The DR is smooth. It, the WR250R/X and the BMW Rotax 650 singles are some of the smoothest thumpers around.

The DR isn't known for burning oil until it's just plain worn out, even when flying slab.

Fit, finish, and parts quality seems generally better on the DR than the KLR. Neither bike is a hand-crafted Swiss watch though.

While neither bike comes with premium suspension, both do much better with mods. Adjustable performance suspension is not difficult/expensive to swap onto a DR.

Either bike (MOST bikes) would be much better with some intelligent mods.


You may prefer something dirtier, or something more street than these two 650 thumpers. The WR250R is a bit more expensive and high-tech, but is more of a dirt performer. The DR250/350 is an older and simpler option. If a carbed 250 works well enough for you on the highway, there are MANY other options in this class. If you have a larger budget, you may also like more of a performance-oriented big-bore thumper, like a Husky TE, KTM enduro, or a BMW G-X. If you want more power than these offer, but with a weight penalty, you may prefer a dirty multi-cylinder, like the 990/950 KTMs, the BMW GSs, or the Triumph Tiger 800XC.

Find a simple and economical DEAL right now. Ride it, have fun, and learn what you want to improve on. Go to Daytona Bike Week next spring, or something similar, and demo-ride every big-name dualsport around. See what strikes your fancy. Sell the first bike to buy something more appropriate...or keep it and enjoy.

[S8W7]

To answer some folks on here, yes I have owned bikes before - dirtbikes!

Thank you for the excellent reply, Kommando! I was definitely leaning towards the DR650 before your post, but now you've almost entirely sold me. I've been looking into a few of the farkles that people have been doing to theirs and it seems that there's a pretty standard theme of suspension tuning/mods (for my weight, that seems like a good idea to get squared away first), upgraded handlebars (I've read that the stock DR handlebars are prone to bending?), upgraded seats, safari tanks (I simply cannot argue with 30 litres), and some go-fast tuning (Coming from an automotive tuning background, I'm of the mindset that more power is never a bad thing when employed responsibly. I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it!).

I will more than likely go the previously-owned route when it comes to this motorcycle. It will be my first plated bike and I don't want to make the newbie mistake of blowing a whole bunch of money on a brand new machine that I'll probably just end up scratching all to hell anyway. I'm certainly not well-to-do, but I'm not broke and I've been turning a wrench since I was old enough to do so - being able to do all your own work is definitely a cost saver! That said, pre-owned options for dual sports in my neck of the woods are severely limited. When a bike does come up on the market it's either something that is virtually brand spanking new and they're asking almost retail price for it (I like to consider myself pretty frugal and tend to avoid retail if I can help it), or it's a 20+ year old 250. While the 250's would be leaps and bounds more fun in the loose stuff, and I'm more familiar with driving smaller dirt-oriented machines, I'm weary of these because of highway performance. I keep reading, on ADV mostly, that 250's lack the power needed for highway driving, especially the extended distances I'm looking at. If someone can shed some proper light on this subject I'd be immensely appreciative.

If I ever feel the inclination to ride an MX course or gnarly single-track, I can always just hop on a dirtbike, but I still refuse to compromise off-road manners to get something that is dedicated to the street.

[blk-betty]

At 5'7" and 29" inseam, seat height was a concern for me and it boiled down to the DR or KLR as both have the lowest OEM seat heights of the 650cc DS bikes that can handle sustained highway speeds.

I went with the DR and I'm happy with my choice...few mods later and here it is living in van down by the river.

[S8W7]

Originally Posted by blk-betty

At 5'7" and 29" inseam, seat height was a concern for me and it boiled down to the DR or KLR as both have the lowest OEM seat heights of the 650cc DS bikes that can handle sustained highway speeds.

I went with the DR and I'm happy with my choice...few mods later and here it is living in van down by the river.

Beautiful machine! Is it alright if I PM you to ask you about it?

[perterra]

The DR will do fine, there really isnt a wrong choice if your willing to live with the short comings of what ever you choose. In my opinion the big thumpers are pretty poor interstate tourers though they will do it. 30 horse power isnt going to get you down the road very fast, 75 mph is pretty easy but too many claim to cruise at 85+, thats pretty optimistic to say the least. 10 hours on the road at red line does not make for a long life for an engine and it damn sure is hard on the rider.

[S8W7]

Originally Posted by perterra

The DR will do fine, there really isnt a wrong choice if your willing to live with the short comings of what ever you choose. In my opinion the big thumpers are pretty poor interstate tourers though they will do it. 30 horse power isnt going to get you down the road very fast, 75 mph is pretty easy but too many claim to cruise at 85+, thats pretty optimistic to say the least. 10 hours on the road at red line does not make for a long life for an engine and it damn sure is hard on the rider.

~68 mph is all I'm really interested in doing. It'd be nice to be able to squeeze a little more than that when it comes time to pass or get up a hill, though. Will a 650 thumper not do that?

[Thanantos]

Originally Posted by S8W7

~68 mph is all I'm really interested in doing. It'd be nice to be able to squeeze a little more than that when it comes time to pass or get up a hill, though. Will a 650 thumper not do that?

Man, there is just so much room here. Everything from a WR250 to a 1200gs would fit with what you've explained.

My advice is buy used and get a good enough deal that you can resell without losing much, if any, funds to try something else.

Nobody gets it right in the first try.

P.S. If you follow my advice a DR is a great choice. At least around here they can be had for as little as $1500-$2000 if you are patient and look for a good deal.