Recommended dual sport bike?

[cdahl383]

On 9/7/2018 at 5:29 PM, EarthCruzn said:

air cooled is low maintenance (for the most part)for the "older bikes" on the top end.....

but for me a old bike is like made in '72,,,,, the Yamaha mono shock (first one shock rear suspension bike) came out in '76

Yamaha ruled for 4 years then....Honda started going ................4 stroke XR

Yamahas last HORAAAH was '79 with the TT500F.... (I owned one......... El Toro Orange,,,,,  the thing was awesome power.

Honda made the Thump then Braap and the story still remains the same.... 4 stroke / air cooled / carb / and screws to adjust the valves instead of shims (but I am old sckool)

Back to the ................. get a bike you will love to ride and don't care what anybody else says............... You will go faster with a smile

 

Yeah I really like the older vintage two stroke bikes, but I"m not sure if that's the best route to go.  Getting something more modern is probably the best bet.  

I think you're right.  As long as I get something that is reliable and fun to ride, it really doesn't matter.  I used to ride my grandpa's old 1980 Kawasaki KE100 all over with my Dad while he was on his 86 Honda XL250R.  Neither bike was all that fast.  The KE100 was horribly slow, would barely do 45-50mph, but back then I only weighed 130lbs or so, so it wasn't too bad.  I had a great time on that old bike though.  Now that I'm about 215lbs or so, I'm sure that poor KE100 would barely take off with me on it haha!

[cdahl383]

18 hours ago, Utah Rider said:

It sounds like the op ed just wants to fart around on some old bikes.  Any old enduro should fit the bill.   My dad had a 2012 klx250.  We lowered it for him.   Kinda under powered.  Geared for highway, squishy suspension.   I second the old DRs.  I have a 93 Dr650. Too heavy for serious technical at 330lbs.  The seats on the DRs are nice and soft.   I also have a 18 KTM 250 exc-f.  It is a street legal dirt bike, electric start, cooling fan.  Expensive, yes.   You could buy many old DRs for the cost of one KTM.  The seat is harder than hell on the KTM.  Can't wait to find an aftermarket seat for it.   The only thing I had to buy for the KTM was a skid plate and rotor guards and that thing is fully capable of technical single track right out of the box.   

On a side note, I ran into a 72 year old the other day that just had his family make him get rid of the motorcycles and switch to an ebike.  He had two artificial knees.   The latest crop of ebike mountain bikes are plenty fun, induce exercise, easier to haul around,  don't require huge time commitments like riding dirt bike. Cheers

 

That pretty much sums it up.  Not racing or doing any crazy stuff, just want to putt around up north on back roads, trails through the woods, and some two lane 55-60mph highway roads.  

650cc will be too big.  I've sat on a few before, I can't imagine it would be much fun going through the woods in sand and other softer terrain on one of those, though I'm sure many do it just fine.  Seeing how I"m used to smaller bikes, I'd rather stick with a 400cc or under.  

I know Suzuki made a DR350 for a while, up to 1999 I think.  Those seem like they might be good bikes for what I'm looking to do.  Not sure how much heavier they are than the 250cc bikes.  I think the old 250cc four strokes we ride are around 275-300lbs with fluids and stuff in them.  I think the DRZ400 is around 320lbs or so.  

KTM's look like great bikes, but it's overkill for what I'm looking to do.  I actually found a very nice low mileage KTM 350 EXC-F up north for $7K obo, think they're $10K new.  Looks like a great bike, good deal for that type of bike, but out of my price range and way beyond my capabilities.  

I have time through the winter to look around.  Still saving up some $$$.  

 

[cdahl383]

On 9/7/2018 at 11:32 PM, notime said:

DRZ400 is the 2000 version of the 1990 xr400.  

Should add that I'm not a fanboy of any brand.  I have 5 Hondas (one's a car) and a KDX200.  I need to get rid of a couple, but kids in transition is the story there. 

If you like the green color there's also the Kawasaki KLX400 the made for a few years in the early 2000's... it's a green DRZ.

The other thing is they're still making the DRZ should you need parts, and have been making the same bike for almost 20 years.

Doesn't really matter what you get, you'll have fun with your Dad.

I agree! That's the main thing!

[cdahl383]

17 hours ago, Tangochuck said:

What about KDX 200/220s. I've now bought two for my sons, light weight, lots of power, easy for me to fix.

I don't think those are street legal though are they?  Maybe you can get them plated.  I"m looking for something that is street legal right from the get go.

[timbanditos]

9 hours ago, cdahl383 said:

That pretty much sums it up.  Not racing or doing any crazy stuff, just want to putt around up north on back roads, trails through the woods, and some two lane 55-60mph highway roads.  

650cc will be too big.  I've sat on a few before, I can't imagine it would be much fun going through the woods in sand and other softer terrain on one of those, though I'm sure many do it just fine.  Seeing how I"m used to smaller bikes, I'd rather stick with a 400cc or under.  

I know Suzuki made a DR350 for a while, up to 1999 I think.  Those seem like they might be good bikes for what I'm looking to do.  Not sure how much heavier they are than the 250cc bikes.  I think the old 250cc four strokes we ride are around 275-300lbs with fluids and stuff in them.  I think the DRZ400 is around 320lbs or so.  

KTM's look like great bikes, but it's overkill for what I'm looking to do.  I actually found a very nice low mileage KTM 350 EXC-F up north for $7K obo, think they're $10K new.  Looks like a great bike, good deal for that type of bike, but out of my price range and way beyond my capabilities.  

I have time through the winter to look around.  Still saving up some $$$.  

 

I had the same previous thoughts, previously owned a DRZ400 that I heavily modded and it was a great dual sport, heavy and clunky for single track though. Now I have a XR650R, honestly it weighs the same as the DRZ but has more power. It is longer and kickstart only, but the only reason I would go back to a DRZ is if I couldn't get the XR. When I was shopping, the 250cc dual sports were so close in weight to the DRZ and had 10-15 less horsepower, to me the 250 didn't make any sense so I ruled them out. Check the stats, you might be surprised how heavy those street legal 250s are in comparison to the 400.

[YZF_R]

Honda CRF450X will take you anywhere.

[cdahl383]

2 hours ago, YZF_R said:

Honda CRF450X will take you anywhere.

Except on the road legally.  

Honda is making a CRF450L that will be street legal, but I'm guessing it will be pretty pricey.  

Are there other 400-450cc bikes that are street legal?  

[cdahl383]

15 hours ago, timbanditos said:

I had the same previous thoughts, previously owned a DRZ400 that I heavily modded and it was a great dual sport, heavy and clunky for single track though. Now I have a XR650R, honestly it weighs the same as the DRZ but has more power. It is longer and kickstart only, but the only reason I would go back to a DRZ is if I couldn't get the XR. When I was shopping, the 250cc dual sports were so close in weight to the DRZ and had 10-15 less horsepower, to me the 250 didn't make any sense so I ruled them out. Check the stats, you might be surprised how heavy those street legal 250s are in comparison to the 400.

I think the DRZ is about 20lbs heavier than the KLX.  The KLX is around 295-300lbs I believe.  The KLX felt like it had a lower center of gravity than the DRZ when I sat on them both at the dealer.  I would think a 650 would be too heavy for certain trails where we ride.  How much do those weigh?  

The Yamaha WR250R is supposed to be a great bike, but I'm not thrilled with the look of the bike and it's ridiculously tall.  I'm not an overly tall guy, but not short either.  Just feels goofy when I sit on that bike.  

How much hp/tq does the DRZ put out?  That might be a fun bike if I could get used to the extra weight.  I'm not thrilled with the 5 speed trans though, I've heard it's really not that ideal, either its great for trails but bad for the road or vice versa depending on how you set up the gearing/sprockets.  Wonder why they went with the 5 speed instead of a 6 speed.  

[timbanditos]

I think the DRZ is about 20lbs heavier than the KLX.  The KLX is around 295-300lbs I believe.  The KLX felt like it had a lower center of gravity than the DRZ when I sat on them both at the dealer.  I would think a 650 would be too heavy for certain trails where we ride.  How much do those weigh?  



The Yamaha WR250R is supposed to be a great bike, but I'm not thrilled with the look of the bike and it's ridiculously tall.  I'm not an overly tall guy, but not short either.  Just feels goofy when I sit on that bike.  



How much hp/tq does the DRZ put out?  That might be a fun bike if I could get used to the extra weight.  I'm not thrilled with the 5 speed trans though, I've heard it's really not that ideal, either its great for trails but bad for the road or vice versa depending on how you set up the gearing/sprockets.  Wonder why they went with the 5 speed instead of a 6 speed.  

Getting a 6 speed gearbox will be pricey, I think ktm and maybe the brand new hondas are the only ones with it. There are a few 650s out there, the xr650r which is the kickstart only model has the best weight to power ratio. I'm 5'8 with 29 inch inseam and it is a little tall at stop signs, but most riding time you are on the pegs. The dualsport is always a compromise, try to ride some before buying or go used so you can sell without much loss if you change your mind.

[nobade]

Has anybody mentioned the XR250L yet? Old tech, air cooled, kick start, plenty reliable, pretty much does what you want to do.

[YZF_R]

The HondaCRF450X is a green sticker bike. Buy and install a simple light kit and get it inspected and plates. No Problem!

[cdahl383]

1 hour ago, timbanditos said:

Getting a 6 speed gearbox will be pricey, I think ktm and maybe the brand new hondas are the only ones with it. There are a few 650s out there, the xr650r which is the kickstart only model has the best weight to power ratio. I'm 5'8 with 29 inch inseam and it is a little tall at stop signs, but most riding time you are on the pegs. The dualsport is always a compromise, try to ride some before buying or go used so you can sell without much loss if you change your mind.

The KLX has a 6 speed tranny, as does the Honda CRF250L and Yamaha WR250R.  Those are the modern 250cc enduro bikes that I've checked out anyway.  

Buying a used bike just to try for a bit isn't a bad idea.  Buy for $2500, ride for a year, sell for $2500 or so, move on.  Can't do that with a new bike.  Lose $2K right off the showroom floor.  But if it's the bike you really want and you keep it a long time, that doesn't really matter.  

[cdahl383]

1 hour ago, nobade said:

Has anybody mentioned the XR250L yet? Old tech, air cooled, kick start, plenty reliable, pretty much does what you want to do.

My Dad has a 1996 XR250L.  It's old school, kick start, air cooled, has needed virtually nothing in the last 15 years or so he's owned it.  He's offered to sell it to me for cheap.  I told him I wasn't interested because it needed stuff (had an oil leak by the head, wouldn't start, carb needs to be gone through, etc).  We finally got it started on Labor Day weekend, put a new plug in it and some fresh gas, fired right up on the 4th kick with the choke on.  

He says he's going to take it to a shop and get the oil leak fixed and have the carb gone through.  He said he'd still sell it to me after that if I wanted, otherwise he was going to sell it to someone else and get some money for it.

It's always been a dependable bike as long as he's had it.  It also fits me very well too, it sits much higher than his old 86 Honda 250 did, so it fits me better.  It's not all that fast, but it's not all that slow either, it will do 65-70mph no problem without killing itself.  Also has a 6 speed trans which is nice.

Only thing it kind of needs is new tires.  It has all out knobbies on it and my Dad mostly rode it on the pavement, so they're sort of worn down.  But tires aren't all that expensive.

Maybe I should pursue that route more.  I kind of wanted to get my own bike, but if I could get that one for cheap enough, I could have fun with it for a while and then maybe move up to something newer in a year or two.  

Think the bike has maybe 3500-4000 miles on it.

Edited September 11, 2018 by cdahl383

[nobade]

Sounds like a good plan to me. I'd be all over that. You can fix the leak yourself, save money and get better acquainted with it in the process.

[littleredridingwood]

1996 xr400.. 

A shame it wasn't even on your considerations list

bored out to a 440cc, plenty of power. Electric start conversion ?

been all over on this thing...

Edited September 11, 2018 by littleredridingwood

[cdahl383]

1 hour ago, nobade said:

Sounds like a good plan to me. I'd be all over that. You can fix the leak yourself, save money and get better acquainted with it in the process.

I was talking to my Dad earlier.  He said he'd get the oil leak fixed and the clutch lever (busted part of it off when he dropped it a while back).  That way it was solid to start with.  So he said he'd take care of that portion.

I mentioned to him getting the carb cleaned up while it's at the shop too.  The idle has always been a little low and it has a little hesitation to it sometimes even when it's warmed up.  I think it just needs to be freshened up.  I told him I'd pay for the carb related stuff.  I found a Dynojet kit online too for $60.  Could have it jetted and it'd probably start a little easier and run a little better too.  

I wouldn't mind trying to fix some of the stuff myself, but the problem is the bike is up north 200 miles away.  I can only get up there maybe once or twice a month for a weekend, and of that time my kids are usually with me, so I'm busy doing stuff with them.  Kind of hard to find time to fix things at home let alone a bike up north.  

I'll have to discuss it with him more.  Might just end up going that route.  I know the history of that bike, it's low miles, it does everything I need it to do with the riding we do, and it wouldn't really need anything.  Probably the most practical route to go.  

Glad you brought that up.  Sometimes stuff is staring at you right in the face but you don't see it since you're looking elsewhere.

[cdahl383]

1 hour ago, littleredridingwood said:

1996 xr400.. 

A shame it wasn't even on your considerations list

bored out to a 440cc, plenty of power. Electric start conversion ?

been all over on this thing...

Looks like a cool bike man!  A lot of these bikes people are mentioning I never knew were street legal.  Like XR's are generally not street legal unless there's an "L" at the end.  So I'm assuming a lot of guys just plate them and make them street legal with light kits and stuff.  

That's a huge tank too!  How many gallons does that hold?  Like 4-5 gallons?

[cdahl383]

1 hour ago, nobade said:

Sounds like a good plan to me. I'd be all over that. You can fix the leak yourself, save money and get better acquainted with it in the process.

Here's a pic of the bike...  Just after I got it fired up with the new plug, hadn't run in a couple years.  Rode it around on their property and then up to the local gas station to get some fresh gas in it.  They sell 91 recreational fuel there with no ethanol, so I put some of that in the tank, figured that was better.

Edited September 11, 2018 by cdahl383

[nobade]

Nice! Sounds like just what you've been looking for. Enjoy!

[timbanditos]

My bad, I didn't realize the new 250s had six speed tranny, that would be the only thing that could convince me into a 250. You can pick up a used drz400 or dr650 or xr650 for $2,500-3,500 almost anytime on craigslist and sell it a year later.