Posted: 5/17/2007 2:32:52 PM EDT
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"Mostly, dual purpose bikes are considered to be stylish, inexpensive, agile in the extreme, and tough as cockroaches. In short, they are just damn serviceable motorcycles. Although sport bikes have a more negative public image than dual purpose bikes, DP bikes are the assault rifles of motorcycling. Built to be rigorously functional under extreme use and displaying the aesthetics of raw function, they confer upon their owners a certain anti-social edge, the magnetism of the unpredictable and daring man. Like an assault rifle, the dual purpose bike is ready for the day when society or the freeways crumble. Both are prepared to go to the bottom line. On the road, the rider may feel like a man carrying an Uzi down Market Street. You tower above almost everything but the semi trucks, you can go where nothing else with license plates can, and your sense of control is superb. You present an image of a rider who can do absolutely anything he wants to in traffic, and for the most part, it's true." - Joseph Glydon I have to agree, and particularly like the way this guy thinks. I just picked up an 07 Kawasaki KLR-650. Yes, you are a bit more vulnerable, but you can sqeeze through and go around over or under most anything. With a 6 gallon tank standard and 50MPG's you can do a whole lot of bugging out, quietly and unobtrusively. 300 miles with one filling should get you pretty far away from trouble, quickly. And that's on the road or off. People have ridden these bikes from Alaska to the tip of Argebtina and circumnavigated the globe as well. Hey, this is the same bike in service with the USMC. That's got to count for something. Anyone else include or considered the 2 wheeled option for bugging out? HS-LD |
I've thought about it. my BOL is 65 miles north.. can get there almost the whole way by rail track - and a dual sport bike would be just the ticket for a low-gas consumption daily driver and also to get to the BOL.. downside being that it wouldnt haul very much stuff at all..  For now, I'm sticking with the Jeep for the bug out device based on carrying capacity alone.. but the bike is tempting 
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Mackinac Bridge, where's my cookie? 
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Crud, fellow Michigander beat me to it. No cookies for me i guess. |
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Nice bikes... As a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Rider Coach I get to play with a lot of bikes. I'll be teaching again tomorrow, and will ride 15 different bikes over thw weekend. The dual sports are my favorite: They are incredibly nimble, and you can do a whole lot with them. If there is a complaint I have, its that they can be a little squirrelly in teh ass end when you brake hard. Make sure you don't slide up onto the tank or stoppies are a very real possibility. Ask me how I know....  One thing that you may find to be a useful SHTF bike skill is confined space manoveurs. There are lots and lots of bikers who need to pull a three-point turn to do a 180 in a street. Learn to really drive the bike. 1) Counterwieght. Pick your ass up and plant it to the outside. Press down hard on that outside peg. 2) LOOK. Turn that head and look waaay back over your shoulder in the direction of the turn. Keep looking that way 3) Turn. Honk it right over. With practice you should be able to pull a complete 180 in about 12 feet, often less. Additional practice means you can quickly slow, counterwieght, look, turn and scoot the heck outta there in no time flat... It also makes for greater bike confidence when you end up negotiating some unsually tight turns... |
 The real survival beauty of a Dual Sport is it gives you one more option and actually if planned right either takes up little room for what it does or adds more hauling capability if you go with trailer. Besides the obvious "can go places four wheel vehicles can" (before extreme 4X4s jump in, think between two trees), its versatility as a sout vehicle is even recognized by the military. How a bike performs as a dual sport is pretty much the same concept as a 4X4 with some being more road worthy while others more offroad worthy. Yet others are about 50/50 which I consider the KLR and BMW GS650. The bike pictured is a TW200 which is known for its oversized tires and low gear ratio. This makes it a quite unique experience offroad with exceptional traction. This allows (for those who ride) rather than hitting an obstical hard to have the option of taking slow. Obviously better offroad than on, the TW200 falls short as a long-distance bike. With a top cruising speed of 65mph, it will tire you out at that speed in a couple hours due to vibration. I give is 70 offroad 30 on road better suited for off or back country roads. Those of you that are KLR fans or in the market. The new 2008s will be out in June/July time frame. The newly designed KLR is leaning more road than the previous models and features a full body fairing. The good news for the old style fans is at the dealer today, I was given a end of year quote of $4,700 on a 2006. Also worthy of mentioning is the recently introduced KLR 250 which has the basic features of the 650, liquid cooled etc, but much lighter with more fork travel which makes it more suited for offroad than its big brother, however the Kawasaki folks added a sixth gear so the little 250 can do better highway speeds. Tj |
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I've been eye-balling the Yamahopper R1 pretty hard. Bought a Z two years ago, an Xterra last year ... need something to make payments on again. With gas at $3.55 today and ready to hit $5 if some oil state leader cuts a fart in temple I need a bike. I wouldn't mind a dual-purpose bike if they made one big enough ... off to look at the Kawasaki KLR-650 ... 
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Um, actually, from the AO and I think I remember that photo being posted before, that would be the Verrazano Narrows bridge. But I could be wrong. |
Wow - I didn't realize they were making thise again - and it looks like some good changes. Thanks for the info. For those interested: www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.aspx?id=206. |
Yep, that was my choice over the TW, however it way too tall for my street riding tastes for my height and unlike the 650 not as many lowering options. The weight is excellent though for offroading and the whole package is very sharp, very modern state of the art looking. The reason why I'm in the market again, is my son wants the TW so I figure next one will be bigger and heavier more road worthy. I may even consider for a second a street bike. The Concours was redesigned for 08 with a larger engine, 1300, and fuel injected. Kawasaki hasn't put out the price yet. Even so, I really expect it to take the sports touring market (mainly BMW now) by storm. Like the old Connie it will feature standar hard side cases and glove boxes so an excellent longdistance road warrior with some pep. Tj |
sorry, no cookies for you CancerLad.  ps to the Michigan'ders -- you guys have a great ORV trail system, and super nice folks. i have about 3000 Michigan trail miles on my trusty wr250f, and every one of them has been enjoyable. about 2000 of those miles have been on the U.P., including some hard-fought days on Drummond Island.   no, wait -- check that, only 2999 miles have been enjoyable.  regards, ar-jedi |
38HP maybe, but the torque is impressive. It's faster than most cars and will cruise the highway all day long at 80+. Top speed is a "reported" 105... As one reviewer wrote: "on paper it might not look like much, but the sum is much greater than it's parts." Someone else mentioned that the KLR and BMW F650 are about equal on and off road. Not that I have any experience with the Beemer, but the general forum (KLR and ADVrider) concensus is the KLR is more off road worthy and the Beemer is more street worthy. I'd gues probably KLR = 60-40 road/off and the beemer 75-25 road/off. BUt either bike is great, the beemer will just set you back double the cash.  I'm very pleased with the KLR. HS-LD ETA: AR-Jedi, your bike is a tree hugger!!! 
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It's not hard. You can learn in a weekend. The hard part is avoiding getting killed by the chick putting her eyelash makeup on while balancing a cup of coffee in one hand and the cell in the other. |
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Not that I ever plan on getting a bike, but the Diesel KLR from f1 engineering that is made for military use seems like the way to go. Diesel/JP8/Biodiesel and it gets 105-120 mpg. IMO it looks better too www.dieselbike.net/militaryproduction.htm 
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i agree with the above, but i will add this: you can learn 80% of what you need to know in one weekend. another 15% will take you about 3-5 years. the last 5% will take you about 10 years. if you have reasonable balance and a reasonable panic threshold, you will have no problem riding a motorcyle. there are a few catches: you need to get the clutch/gearshift operation down, just like on a manual transmission car. you also need to understand the immediate ramifications of locking up either one of the wheels during hard braking. and finally, you need to understand that if you hit anything at more than 3MPH you will be off the bike. so, don't even ride around the block without your protective gear on. i see way too many young kids with shorts and sneakers out riding 750cc sportbikes. ar-jedi  |
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ar-jedi - How in the fuck did you wedge your bike like that? I'm impressed. That 5% you learn over 10 years is stuff like: Riding in the cold till your hypothermic, coming to a stop sign, and not putting your feet down when you stop. Front brake in gravel lesson. Numerous sides to that one. People in cars don't see you. Your right shoe/boot will end up with a mark on the toe from shifting, which you wear as a badge of honor. Chicks dig going for a ride. I mean they love it! Easiest way to hook up a date. The kickstand can melt into asphalt on a hot day. It is easier to replace cow hide then your own hide, always wear riding gear. |
I'm going to have one of those, mark my words.... For now though, I'll settle with my dirt cheap Ebay special:  Best money I ever spent on a bike, and 60 mpg ain't nothin to sneeze at when you have a 6 gallon tank. |
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I've been riding a "sport-cruiser" for the last 10 years, but only played off-road once or twice during high school. I've done the MSF classes (highly recommended to anyone interested in getting a motorcycle licence), and have a great sense of staying alive in traffic. Some questions: 1) How well does a dual-sport really handle on asphalt? What about wet asphalt? 2) How does one start off-roading? Just starting slow up & down the train tracks, or are there techniques that really need to be taught? Thanks, WhyTanFox |
good questions. (1) -- the answer to this how well the bike handles is very dependent on the type of bike and the type of tires. a DRZ400, for example, with DOT tires (short knobs designed for on-road use) is extremely docile and a capable commuter bike. a wr250f, like i have, with full knobs on it is less so -- it is basically a race bike with a license plate on it. it will go faster than a DRZ through the trails though. i've described by example the trade-off inherent in choosing a dual-sport bike; a given model will be better at one aspect than the other. when folks say "dual-sport", you really need to refine whether they mean 90% road/10% trails, the other way around, or some different mix. depending on what you want to do, you build/buy you bike around your riding.. ps: the ARFCOM of dual-sporting is Adventure Rider --> www.advrider.com/ (click on the pic to enter the forums) in this forum, www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2 you will discover some of the most unique and ballsy folks anywhere. the event that i ride in Michigan is detailed by some guys in this thread, www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153899 (2) -- to learn off-road riding, start by riding fire roads and two track (jeep trails). you will need to get adjusted for sand (keep the power on) and for obstacles like small downed trees (hit them straight on). water crossings also require some learned abilities, not the least of which is to keep the bike upright and the carb out of the water AT ALL COSTS!. two-track trails look like this: cannonshot.smugmug.com/photos/83780464-M.jpg small obstacles look like this: cannonshot.smugmug.com/photos/84715760-M.jpg sand: cannonshot.smugmug.com/photos/84726645-M.jpg logging roads: cannonshot.smugmug.com/photos/84726161-M.jpg through the water: cannonshot.smugmug.com/photos/84723283-M.jpg ps if you get a DS or enduro bike let me know and we can hook up for some riding. i have some relatively flat land in new egypt to ride on, it's good for beginner practice. ar-jedi |
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I've been riding bikes for well over 35 years. To give you an idea my first street trail was a 1975 Kawaski F7. I have little doubt, my off road experience has saved my life on pavement. Like it not, no matter who's bike you have, you hit a car, you're going to lose. Off road and on pavement are different especially in regards to bike weight/suspensions but many of principles in crisis are the same. I've recommened most of my life that if someone wants to ride, they should start in the dirt and gradually learn to push it the limit. I was lucky in my youth to ride with guys that competed mainly hillclimbing. A typical Saturday for me was "If you can climb it, it wasn't worth trying." You learn real quick riding like this to not only separate yourself from the bike but when and how. Unlike street bikes, extreme dirt riding, you are going to put the bike down. Those of us who have ridden mid-size to large street bikes, really don't consider any of the dual purpose bikes as truly road worthy. You take a light bike, I don't care whose, on a long haul and you're going to know it. Still my little bike, I ride 3-4 times a week around the back roads here and occasionaly when I find this path or trail, I'll zoom up it to check it out and I have my favorite little regular offroad paths. This is something you wouldn't dream of on a truly street bike. Yesterday I was looking at used bikes. I can always tell a bike that has seen alot of dirt. It simply will not be pristine. Its going to look like many of the bikes in this thread, dinged, scartched, replaced mirrors, and even painted. Now if you take it forgranted that a dual purpose bike is compromise concept, generally they do not quite as well on the road as another bike of the same weight made for the street. What they lack in ride, however, is picked up in how they handle in hazardous conditions such as wet pavement, crossing tracks, etc. I have a railroad track, pretty wicked crossing, in the valley where I live. Being the last bit of road before I get home, I tend to not over do it and follow the speed limit. I guess its hesitation to go home or something. There's a long straight away to the tracks and quite often I get a car or SUV on my ass, expediting me so to say. One of my favorite things to do is not even slow down a bit when I hit those tracks but simple stand a little and take them at 35mph or better. I then watch the vehicle behind me bottom the hell out. Tj |