Do I want a Dual Sport?

I am thinking about picking up a small to mid-sized dual sport bike this fall to tinker with over winter and ride next year - or even now if it is in good shape. My commute to work is about 12 miles round trip on roads under 50mph, mostly under 40mph. My plan says I would ride to work in the warm months and then go find some trails or dirt roads to play on-on the weekends. The budget would be around $1500 for the bike, maybe slightly more to get gear as well because I have none.

I rode a Honda NX250 dual sport bike a few years ago for a summer or two and I have taken a few short rides on friends machines but it has been awhile since I've had my own. I don't expect a 250-400cc bike to devour highway miles with ease, but I think they would take well to riding back roads and trails. I've enjoyed four wheelers on the trail on and off too.

I was thinking of a bike in the 250-650cc range, depending on what is available and how much the asking price is. I've come across a few Suzuki DR's 250/350/650 a pair of Yamaha XTs 225/600 and a single but newer KLR250. Any major concerns here? Based on price and displacement I am gravitating towards the DR350.

What would be a good resource for finding trails? I think my best bet may bet may be the Allegheny Forrest but it is an hour away. I live in north western Pennsylvania right near New York and Ohio. If I had to trailer it I have access to a small ~10ft utility trailer with wooden sides and a ramp I could tow the bike with.

How fast and how long you plan to ride has a lot of effect on the answer.

If all you're planning is to ride on dirt roads and single tracks, never going above 40 mph for any length of time, with lots of stops for looking around and such, than yes, a smaller dual sport will be fine.

If you plan on trying to ride it for an hour or two each way, and want to be able to actually ride a state highway, let alone an interstate highway, than you're going to need to be looking bigger. While a 250 dual sport is legal under those conditions, and can technically do it, it isn't pleasant in any fashion.

Good chance I'll be selling an 81 Honda XL500s shortly. I'm not all that far from you, down near Gettysburg. Just something to consider.

If Foxtrapper finds my KLR650 too terrifying, it would be in your price range. It's much heavier than the lower displacement stuff but it will do everything you want, with the reliability of a refridgerator. 200+ mile range, 70 mph cruising speed, 50 mpg. Fine on anything but single track or really slow, technical, rocky crap (which it can do, but your skill level had better be a bit higher).

If you need to travel an hour to get to nice dirt roads, though, you may be better off trailering something. Even bigger dual sports are tedious to ride on the highway for that long. I don't mind the two lanes if I'm not in a hurry, but slab just makes me lust for the next exit, hence my decision to get a bigger, more road oriented bike, because all the dirt riding is at least an hour away for me over here in Lancaster.

I rode my TW200 everywhere. I even had it on I80 through the Poconos, but that was pushing it. I have had no issues with riding dual sports on pavement. My TW could take the twistings as well as a friends 454 LTD and better than another friends V45 Magna. I think a dual sport would be perfect for what you want, but I would not go below a 350. As for where to ride, I know of ATV trails in the Allegheny National Forest, but not sure if they are open to two-wheelers. I know the local ATV trails in the state forests here in the Poconos are for four-wheelers only, but they domake an exception for vehicles registered for road use so you might be ok.

The Allegheny area is a beautiful part of the state. I was up there in July, fishing Kinzua Reservoir. The area is a popular destinattion for motorcyclists.

It's true Nitro, he's gone all kitty now. One of us should help him live out his dream:

Well, Mr inseam-challenged Foxtrapper can't sit on my bike without falling over, so if the OP is interested there's a KLR halfway across the state you may like.

I've been reading up on Yamaha Wr250R and Honda CRF250L. They are smaller displacement, but look cool and are reasonably off road capable ( the Yamaha more so than the Honda). Check out advrider.com.

ddavidv wrote: Well, Mr inseam-challenged Foxtrapper can't sit on my bike without falling over, so if the OP is interested there's a KLR halfway across the state you may like.

The irony is I was living an hour outside Lancaster just a month ago.

LainfordExpress wrote: I've been reading up on Yamaha Wr250R and Honda CRF250L. They are smaller displacement, but look cool and are reasonably off road capable ( the Yamaha more so than the Honda). Check out advrider.com.

I think those two are a bit more expensive than I am looking for, but I have signed up for advrider. I know that is going to be a good resource.

A DRZ400S is the bike you're looking for if you want a cheap all-around capable dual sport. A DR650 with some weight loss and suspension work would be a great option too. I absolutely LOVE my WR250R however... I've done everything with it, from hard single track to riding it 6500 miles one way to Alaska from Maryland, and its never let me down in 43k+ miles of riding over the last 2 years.

The small old tech air cooled bikes are marginally updated leftovers from the early 1980's at best. They don't have the power to run on the highway, and they don't have nearly enough suspension to really get thrashed off-road if/when you start riding harder or more technical trails. Unless slow and plodding is your pace (and there's nothing wrong with that if it is), get something else.

The big ADV type dual sports are good at eating up the highway miles but are too heavy and cumbersome for any real technical riding. Bottom end (in more ways than one) of this type are the KLR's, others include the Versys, Vstrom, BMW GS's, etc.

skierd wrote: A DRZ400S is the bike you're looking for if you want a cheap all-around capable dual sport.

I love mine.

ddavidv wrote: Well, Mr inseam-challenged Foxtrapper can't sit on my bike without falling over, so if the OP is interested there's a KLR halfway across the state you may like.

I did not fall over! I only almost fell over, several times. And I don't think you really needed to hang onto the rack (I felt that a few times).

Tis true though, I am way too short for a KLR. I couldn't get get both tippietoes on the ground.

So get his well loved KLR.

I'm going to keep riding my XL500, and think about getting a Pacific Coast.

I just saw a KLR 250 the other day and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I always forget about those things. Interestingly, the guy also owns a Pacific Coast and a DRZ400S.

DR350 has six gears, it ads a surprising amount of versitility.

Some of you may remember I have a friend with a DRZ400. She's looking to sell a bunch of stuff she doesn't use anymore and this is one of them (she is also selling a GS500 street bike).

How much is a ~2004-ish DRZ400S worth? It hasn't been run in about 6 years (at least). The KBB-moto site lists it at $2750 in "excellent" condition. This bike is in good condition, but it needs some work. It's the yellow version of the blue one Woody has.

Over here in OH I rarely see a good mid-2000's DRZ400 for much less that $3k. I would call an '04 "excellent" DRZ at $2750 a really good deal. But, in my limited experience, its a lot harder to sell a bike that needs ANY work. I'd put it on craigslist at $2900 and see what happens.

To the OP: I have an XT225, it has the power to do highway speeds but it doesn't feel good up there. I don't know if it's the tires or the weight or what, but its not a bike to do 70 mph for hours on end. My understanding is that the other old-school small-bore Dual sports are all going to be in the same boat as far as that goes.

Well, I'm hoping it goes in MY garage... Not on CL.

I'm just trying to get a realistic price point to start with. She's a friend and I don't want to steal it from her, but at the same time she has a habit of having unrealistic value expectations.

I'd say $2500 would be fair for both of you if it hasn't been started. $3500 gets you a pretty decent one around here. Perfect ones (see above) are over $4k.

I suspect that a new battery and fresh gas is all it will take to get that one running, but the tires are probably dry rotted.

Cool. Thanks.

Been thinking the same thing lately, this popped up on my local cl search.

http://gainesville.craigslist.org/mcy/3317127983.html

I wouldn't mind having one of these.

Problem is, everybody else wants 'em too.

I like having the NX650's grand-daddy.

Although knobby tires on pavement, especially at 60-70 mph, is mighty squirrely feeling. And with the stock 23" front wheel, a mild knobby is my only option.

Cycle World has a good comparison this month, but in there was also a write up by Peter Egan. I've never considered a dual sport, but I would now.

Dan

I talked to my friend last night. Fortunately, she's not in a rush to sell and kinda wants it to go to somebody she knows, so come spring time, it looks like I'll finally be entering the wonderful world of moto ownership.

My family and g/f will be thrilled...