I've always wanted a motorcycle, more of a dual sport. I love the idea of being able to hit the highway with relative ease and then head to the dirt.

I've been looking for cheaper and more reliable bikes above 250cc such as the XR400/XR600 series bikes. I found a 1993 XR600 that somebody has gotten a title for and put a dual sport kit on it. It looks to be around $1000K, and in good shape. I'm sure it will need some minor things (such as DOT approved tires) but overall it looks like a solid platform.

Does anyone here own a dual sport or recommend ways to increase safety (as much as possible for a bike) and reliability on these types of bikes?

9/1/2012 4:35:36 PM

I love my DR650, but I have two sets of wheels for it, one Motard with sportbike tires and some with dual sport knobbies on it..

reliability and maintenance has been a breeze

9/1/2012 4:38:20 PM

You need to figure out how often you will be in the dirt, how often you will be travelling with luggage, and how often you'll be hitting the fun paved roads, then get a bike that does that one thing best. Dual sport covers an entire range of machines, and it's basically about the tradeoff between the off-road prowess, on-road handling, and luggage capacity. Something like a CRF250L (XR250 if you are looking at older bikes) will have completely different set of capabilities than a R1200GS. Somewhere in the middle there are KLR/DR/XR650 of F800/TransAlp/Strom etc.

If budget and reliability is your concern, the older KLR/DR/XR bikes are super reliable, bulletproof, and cheap to buy used.

9/1/2012 4:54:27 PM

KLR was built for this purpose.

9/1/2012 4:57:16 PM

It will be used around 50% road (mostly back roads near my house). No longer trips at this point, and any dirt riding will be on my farm or places like Busco or Uhwarrie.

My limiting factor at this point is cost. I have a budget between $1-2K.

9/1/2012 5:05:06 PM

+1 for the DR650, you should be able to find a 1998-2005 for around ~1500-2500. They havent changed since 1996 so parts are plentiful and cheap, and maintenance is cake.

The DR is more capable offroad than the KLR, as the KLR is significantly heavier and is geared more toward longer distances with the occasional gravel road. The DR however will go anywhere you point it. I run tight, rocky single track and forest roads here in Asheville with the DR that make Uwharrie look like flat open desert. I always have to wait for anyone who rides a KLR or larger bike.

XR600/650's are monsters of bikes, so your height will come into play.

Another option might be a DRZ400. Lighter, better offroad, but not good for sustained long distance (the bike will do it but wind fatigue etc will come into play). Also, a DRZ400 supermoto is one hell of a fun bike, but in the Raleigh area (if thats where your at) there arent really enough twisties to get the full enjoyment out of it, still a great bike. The only drawback is they are usually more expensive than the other options, however if you can find a DRZ400-E that has been converted to street use for your budget you might want to look at it as the E version pumps out a shit ton more HP than the S version.

9/2/2012 12:09:05 PM

the only street legal sumos one should consider should be orange..

9/2/2012 7:12:46 PM

You can ride a harley sportster down the occasional gravel road. Or do it like a boss on an R1200R lol.

Am I right Hiro?

9/2/2012 7:14:36 PM

Quote :

"the only street legal sumos one should consider should be orange.."

He said reliable and easy to work on though!

9/3/2012 1:55:27 AM

Yeah and a bigger ktm problem $$$$

9/3/2012 9:25:37 AM

Quote :

"You can ride a harley sportster down the occasional gravel road. Or do it like a boss on an R1200R lol. Am I right Hiro?"

haha, you are right sir!!!

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/mcy/3236663271.html

KLR +1

I'm sure the price is somewhat negotiable... Everyone has their selling price. But if not, oh well? I know Quinn has been looking heavily into this topic and if he recommends KLR, it must be awesome!*

*pending test ride.

[Edited on September 3, 2012 at 12:24 PM. Reason : .]

9/3/2012 12:22:48 PM

Also check out http://www.advrider.com/ specifically the thumper forum. Heres the DR page for ya. The KLR and DRZ400 are in there somewhere too.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135295

Also the regional forum has a Raleigh area ADV rider meetup group and Im sure you can find people with DR's, KLR's, and XR's to look at and maybe get some tests rides before deciding.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157135

9/3/2012 12:44:44 PM

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/mcy/3165600284.html

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/mcy/3192855308.html

http://hickory.craigslist.org/mcy/3243622326.html

9/4/2012 8:08:09 PM

are the ktms that fall into this category fun bikes?

can the supermoto's be dual sports with the right tires?

9/5/2012 7:43:19 AM

Having ridden a KLR 650, I find those bikes fantastic, but they don't carry a lot of speed, but still a lot of fun. Just make sure you if you do get an older one that you do the doohickey mod for the engine to increase the reliability. A cheap and simple thing to do if whatever KLR you get doesn't already have it.

My neighbor drove it from Raleigh to Colorado and back again with about 20% of the miles being completely off road.

9/5/2012 9:05:39 AM

Found a WR426 this morning in Wilmington that has been converted to a dual sport. 2 sets of tires and new parts. $2300 obo.

Waiting for an email back

9/5/2012 11:07:08 AM

Quote :

"are the ktms that fall into this category fun bikes? can the supermoto's be dual sports with the right tires?"

Yes and yes.

However, you wont find any that are in decent shape in this price range. Most of the lower priced KTMs are the older 250-400's, HOWEVER, most (if not all) KTM MCO's do not say "For off-road use only" so alot of them can be converted to dualsport use and titled/tagged.

Couple guys I ride with have 525 exc's with tire swap sets, they are nasty with SM wheels on and tear up the dirt with knobbies.

9/6/2012 3:07:28 AM

just what i wanted to hear...
my budget isn't really capped on this...

I just like the idea of a powerful daily rider that can play in the dirt.

9/6/2012 10:09:16 AM

Like I said, you have to figure out what it is that you want from a dual-sport. There is a reason why factory dual-sports and even the SMs are not just their dirt bikes with lights and/or 17'' wheels. Gearing and suspension that is good for MX may not be so good for highway or even for the trails. Throw in limited fuel capacity, lack of electric start (more of an issue on the older bikes), and engines that have to get a valve adjustment/top end rebuild every year, and suddenly the bike that is supposed to be fun is not so fun anymore.

9/6/2012 10:39:25 AM

10-4...

so the ktms need the annual valve jobs similar to most sport bikes?

9/6/2012 12:04:18 PM

EMM EFFING DOUBLE POST


[Edited on September 6, 2012 at 12:13 PM. Reason : .]

9/6/2012 12:12:56 PM

It's not KTM vs the japs issue, it's the racebikes vs trail bikes/dual sports issue. Each of the manufactureres has a separate line for each of those. There are always people that convert race bikes to dual-sports, and yes they will be faster offroad, but that comes with tradeoffs mentioned above.

9/6/2012 1:19:23 PM

http://www.ktm.com/us/travel/990-sm-t-usa/highlights.html#.UEjcp2jyZJU

???

9/6/2012 1:26:01 PM

That's definitely more oriented toward the street and touring. Similar to VStrom or Buell Ulyssus.
Alloy 17 inch wheels and no bashguard, but has hand protectors and luggage racks unlike the SuperDuke (which is now, sadly, missing from the US lineup due to slow sales)

990 Adventure is more of a proper dual-sport and is modeled after the competition-grade rally bikes.

9/6/2012 1:37:04 PM

Ugh no more SD? I want one. Not that I would ever buy a bike new though

9/7/2012 10:32:53 AM

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/mcy/3304936209.html

9/30/2012 5:32:29 PM