Do you have a smaller trail/enduro bike?

[Blink74]

Went and looked at the wr450 last night. It is not street legal and titled as such. I don't went to deal with the headache of converting the title and modding the bike. So, I'll look for a wr250r or a drz400. It will probably suit my needs better anyhow.

[codyh]

I've got two big streetbikes that won't even start anymore because I spend all of my (limited) riding time playing in the dirt on a 250 two stroke. I like to push the limits of my skills, doing this in the dirt is much safer than on the street and much cheaper than on a road race track. I think that being a life long dirtbike rider makes me a better rider when I'm on the big bikes too.

[Capt.saveaho]

I am the opposite of the OP, I started on small mx bikes bought a plated 525 and just recently bought a 990, now I am on the hunt for a 2 smoke 250 to toss around on the trails. I LOVE my 525 its awesome, but I am tired of how heavy it is and how I trash it when I get tired trying to get it up some of the gnarlier shit. I am getting to the point where I will have 5 different bikes for 5 different reasons.

[Lion BR]

My choice.

[BUGRIDER]

Ktm 300 xc for enduro trails, 450 excr street legal race bike, goes anywhere. rt1200r for street.

[blk-betty]

DR650, but not really a "small" trail bike.

However, compared to my 850 lb Road Glide it's light as a feather.

I find the 2 complement each other well in that I can take the DR anywhere on the highway the HD will go, albeit not as comfortably, and it does just fine off-road.

If I had good off-road riding areas close by I'd choose something lighter but I have to ride almost 50 miles of pavement one way just to get to decent dirt and it's still flat with no curves so the bigger DR is a better fit.

[NJ-GS]

I had a Kawasaki KLX250S for a few months. Booorrringg! Sold it with a little over 300 miles on it.

[TUCKERS]

James and Colleen each have BMW 1150's and we also each have a Yamaha TW200!

The Tdub is quirky and fun. Hopeless on the FWY of course but I do ride 20 miles on the FWY sometimes to get to our mountains. it will do about ANYTHING. I do yearn for WR250 though.

One of my riding friends has a Yammah XT225 it is pretty darn capable for a lightweight.

[Ronin ADV]

I rode my WR today up in the sierras on a remnant of a road that hasnt seen traffic in a while. Lots of logs down. Rode over the smaller ones, dragged a couple out of the way, then came to a monster (4+ ft thick trunk). It had fallen down across the road from above. Steep slope, no way around. Fortunately it was on an angle and there was a couple feet clear under one side. Laid the WR over aginst the edge, crawled under the log and dragged the bike under after me. I cant do that kind of thing with my F800, and since I really like to explore new areas off the beaten track, there really is no substitute for a smaller bike. If I had to sell all my bikes but one (, makes me sick even thinking about it), I would probably keep the WR. It might not be the faster thing, but it goes fast enough to get the job done and it just goes more places than anything else I own.

[hugemoth]

I've gone ultralight and really enjoy the freedom of a 175 lb bike on the trails. It'll take me places even a TW200 can't go. It's street legal, 43 years old with a 2 year old 140cc engine.

[NJ-Brett]

I am firmly in the small bike realm, tw200 for the sand and swamps around here (its great) and a tu250 for street touring.

Its hard to imagine a bike going through stuff better then a TW...
I have ridden the TW through stuff I likely could not get through on foot...

[hugemoth]

Springtime here in Central Oregon we have a lot of downed trees that I can lift the 175 lb bike over or drag it under. Couldn't do that with my 200. Guess I'm getting old.

Originally Posted by NJ-Brett

I am firmly in the small bike realm, tw200 for the sand and swamps around here (its great) and a tu250 for street touring.

Its hard to imagine a bike going through stuff better then a TW...
I have ridden the TW through stuff I likely could not get through on foot...

[Bucho]

Originally Posted by WW Ronin

I rode my WR today up in the sierras on a remnant of a road that hasnt seen traffic in a while. Lots of logs down. Rode over the smaller ones, dragged a couple out of the way, then came to a monster (4+ ft thick trunk). It had fallen down across the road from above. Steep slope, no way around. Fortunately it was on an angle and there was a couple feet clear under one side. Laid the WR over aginst the edge, crawled under the log and dragged the bike under after me. I cant do that kind of thing with my F800, and since I really like to explore new areas off the beaten track, there really is no substitute for a smaller bike. If I had to sell all my bikes but one (, makes me sick even thinking about it), I would probably keep the WR. It might not be the faster thing, but it goes fast enough to get the job done and it just goes more places than anything else I own.

Something like this...

[dashmoto]

No.

Used to have smaller bikes for racing - DR-ZE, and then a GasGas EC300. They only came out of the garage once a month to go racing. Thought I'd use them for trail-riding too, but always found myself taking the Tenere instead because I didn't have to put it in a van, or worry about fuel all the time, or service it every time I rode it.

So I got rid of the small bikes and started racing the Tenere instead

This is from a UK/Euro POV, where most of our trails would allow a 4x4 through, not much single-track. I've not really come across anything impassible by a sufficiently determined rider on a 650, but I've ridden plenty that was boring as hell on a 300cc stroker. It's all about the challenge

[NJ-Brett]

When I was younger, I had a friend who liked to go tough places more then anything else, while I was more of a high speed guy.
It did not seem like much fun getting a bike through a swamp, or making a trail through dense woods on a 100F day.
He would go through water up to the seat then have to drain the water out of our engines, ride right into a bottomless mud hole, lift the bike over 100 trees, etc.

Its mostly flat in South Jersey, so on the TW I can go around almost anything I cant go over or through.
Only water over the seat stops me, but YOU could don scuba gear and carry the bike across I guess!

If you could only find a way to put a TW rear tire on that thing!

Originally Posted by hugemoth

Springtime here in Central Oregon we have a lot of downed trees that I can lift the 175 lb bike over or drag it under. Couldn't do that with my 200. Guess I'm getting old.