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Posted: 4/24/2014 6:29:25 AM EDT
In this thread I posted about getting my son a Yamaha TT-R50 and I picked up a KTM 125sx. I've been riding with him and he's doing great.
However, the 125 sits so high and along with the other non user-friendly things (no kickstand, 2 stroke smoke and noise, etc) I decided to sell it. I loved the power it had, and with the aftermarket suspension any air I got was a non-issue (although i'm not some extreme rider or anything). However, it's not the best bike for helping a little kid out and the GF wouldn't go near it. Almost all of riding will be with one or both of them. I picked up one of these, thinking it would make a good bike for the GF and I'd find a 450. I wanted something street legal so she and I could ride to local forest roads and trails. 2008 Honda CRF230L I've been tooling around on this thing and I love it. It's so underpowered it's ridiculous, but it's hilarious fun, it tops out around 65 (and it's in no rush to get to 40MPH here in town). But it's so light, so low and nimble that I smile every time I'm on the thing. The suspension isn't anything that's going to handle big jumps but I'm ok with that. Now, I'm trying to decide what to get for myself. I've thought about another one of these 230's, but more power really would be nice. I could go to a KLR or other 650 dual sport, or I could get a street legal 450. Not sure if a 450 would strike a good balance between a heavier adventure bike like a KLR/DR or not. Any thoughts on how those would ride? I need to find a few for sale and get my own butt on the saddles of course, but any input would be valuable. |
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If you want to get on the highway, you need at least 600cc.....IIRC
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I'll get the main questions out of the way so others can help.
1.) What amount of offroad/onroad are you going to be doing? 50-50? 80-20? 2.) Do you mind doing a little bit more maintenance or do you need a Ultra Simple DD bike
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There are some street-legal dualsport 250s out there, like the Kawasaki KLX-250s and the Yamaha WR-250F. The problem with the 250s is the power for getting to the trails, and the smaller gas tanks.
I have a KLX-250s and it is great in the canyons and fire roads, but you need to keep an eye on the tank on longer excursions. I can stop at Ted's Place after a run through the canyons to top off, but the ride back on the highway on the small bike can be a white-knuckler. For a larger bike, there are bigger ones like the Suzuki DR-650 and the Kawasaki KLR650. Bigger tanks, and more power and weight if you will be on pavement. I am not sure what you would look at if you went away from the major commercial bikes. I have my eye on a KTM Duke 390 but that's for the pavement. |
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Quoted:
I'll get the main questions out of the way so others can help. 1.) What amount of offroad/onroad are you going to be doing? 50-50? 80-20? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
I'll get the main questions out of the way so others can help. 1.) What amount of offroad/onroad are you going to be doing? 50-50? 80-20? Around town versus off road maybe 60/40. While I'd like some power for highway trips, that might take the form of another bike for me, maybe something like a V Strom. I don't want to compromise that much. This winter I've mostly ridden my harley, which feels like a 1979 Caprice compared to this little 230. Maybe that's why I've had so much fun on it so far. 2.) Do you mind doing a little bit more maintenance or do you need a Ultra Simple DD bike
I can do my own maintenance, but for now I wouldn't want to get back into a 2 stroke. |
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I have a KLX-250s and it is great in the canyons and fire roads, but you need to keep an eye on the tank on longer excursions. I can stop at Ted's Place after a run through the canyons to top off, but the ride back on the highway on the small bike can be a white-knuckler. View Quote I think a DRZ400 might make a good blend of a machine, but I've never ridden one. I'm also assuming that the newer 250cc liquid cooled four strokes might have just enough more oomph over this 230 to make me happy. There's a KLX250 on Craigslist I might go check out. I'm gonna head down to Valley (off the Berthoud exit) this morning to play on this 230. Might hit some of the Loveland dealerships on the way back up. I really want to take this thing up Old Flowers Road but not sure if it's open this time of year? |
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Here would be my list to checkout
1.) KLR650 2.) DRZ400 (Kind of a Dog Stock) 3.) WR250R (My Personal bike ) Things to look for in the future 1.) Honda CRF250L getting the 300cc upgrade from the CBR300R 2.) KTM transplanting that 390cc from the Duke/RC390 into a Dual-Sport frame aka EXC390 If your rolling around on fire roads and ATV/4x4 trails you don't need a killer street legal dirtbike.
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I'm partial to BMW's dual sport bikes because I own one and have owned several. Mine is an R1200GS, which may be more bike than you want, but the G650GS or the F700GS would definitely be worth a look. The G650GS is a single cylinder, the 700 is a twin. Both have plenty of torque, suspension travel, and comfortable seat heights for on and off road riding.
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That DRZ-400 may be worth a ride. A friend let me try out his DR-600 on a ride- it seemed a bit top heavy so the 400 version may be more trail-friendly.
The KLX-250s can be tuned a bit. First off, the stock jetting and needle settings were poor for our altitude. I put on a FMF Q4 exhaust and re-jetted with some KLR parts. (Lots of information on Thumpertalk and kawasakiforums.com) Another consideration, since you are handy, would be a little gem called the Bill Blue 350 kit. I am considering it myself, since I like the 250s so much but would like a bit more power. It would result in a light and nimble 350- then you may just have to address the tank, but there are aftermarket options for that. |
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Husqvarna TE 250/310, the dealer are damn near giving them away now, 6g for a brand new one is very common at this point.
Yamaha Wr 450f ( if you can plate them in Colorado ) Both of those will have plenty of power for ya and aren't heavy pigs. Don't forget to slap your dick on the salesman's cheek and snap a pic while you are at the dealer Pete.
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There are some street-legal dualsport 250s out there, like the Kawasaki KLX-250s and the Yamaha WR-250F. The problem with the 250s is the power for getting to the trails, and the smaller gas tanks. View Quote The Yamaha is the WR250R. It has no problems keeping up with any street legal 650 (Not the dirt XR650R). The KLX250S is a big bore kit and a carb away from keeping up with the Yamaha. |
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Quoted: The Yamaha is the WR250R. It has no problems keeping up with any street legal 650 (Not the dirt XR650R). The KLX250S is a big bore kit and a carb away from keeping up with the Yamaha. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: There are some street-legal dualsport 250s out there, like the Kawasaki KLX-250s and the Yamaha WR-250F. The problem with the 250s is the power for getting to the trails, and the smaller gas tanks. The Yamaha is the WR250R. It has no problems keeping up with any street legal 650 (Not the dirt XR650R). The KLX250S is a big bore kit and a carb away from keeping up with the Yamaha. |
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Yamaha Wr 450f ( if you can plate them in Colorado ) Both of those will have plenty of power for ya and aren't heavy pigs. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Yamaha Wr 450f ( if you can plate them in Colorado ) Both of those will have plenty of power for ya and aren't heavy pigs. That's good to hear about the 450. You can plate them here, and I'd heard they are a handful but I spoke with a guy today at the track with one and he finds is easy to ride and nimble. Don't forget to slap your dick on the salesman's cheek and snap a pic while you are at the dealer Pete. On the saleswoman's cheek? Sure. |
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In before KLR owners.
I just sold a WRR in favor of a FZ-09. The WRR is a good all around bike. Does everything good and nothing great. |
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The baddest dual sport you can buy right now is a KTM 500 EXC. Its a race bike that happens to be street legal. I had the 530. They are monsters.
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Quoted: I'm partial to BMW's dual sport bikes because I own one and have owned several. Mine is an R1200GS, which may be more bike than you want, but the G650GS or the F700GS would definitely be worth a look. The G650GS is a single cylinder, the 700 is a twin. Both have plenty of torque, suspension travel, and comfortable seat heights for on and off road riding. View Quote |
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This always comes down to where do you want your performance/comfort? On the dirt or on the road? And, how long do you want to ride? To the next trail or 100 miles and then some back roads?
There's no good answer if you buy the wrong bike for the riding you intend to do. A WR250R is a fantastic "do all" bike with plenty of power, great trail manners, reliable and fun as hell (kicks that Honda's wimpy ass, too). The DRZ400 is a decent all arounder, it's not particularly good at anything but will do most things. The DR650/KLR's are heavy fucking pigs, but have great road manners and are cheap and ubiquitous. Then, there's the KTM's....which are awesome grin machines, but pricey and more race-bred for dirt. |
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This always comes down to where do you want your performance/comfort? On the dirt or on the road? And, how long do you want to ride? To the next trail or 100 miles and then some back roads? There's no good answer if you buy the wrong bike for the riding you intend to do. A WR250R is a fantastic "do all" bike with plenty of power, great trail manners, reliable and fun as hell (kicks that Honda's wimpy ass, too). The DRZ400 is a decent all arounder, it's not particularly good at anything but will do most things. The DR650/KLR's are heavy fucking pigs, but have great road manners and are cheap and ubiquitous. Then, there's the KTM's....which are awesome grin machines, but pricey and more race-bred for dirt. View Quote This guy knows what he's talking about. You also have the adventure touring bikes and my favorite of those would be a triumph tiger 800. |
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Let me give you some advice I gave a woman at work many years ago when she told me she was getting her 2 sons dirt bikes. I told her everybody I ever knew that rhode bikes got hurt badly on bikes and dirt bikes. She went ahead anyway and got them their dirt bikes. Six months later one of her sons crashed his bike and was run over by another kid. He broke his hip, pelvis, leg and was in the hospital with a bad infection. She ended up having a fund raiser for all the fucking hospital bills and had the balls to bitch at me because I didn't go to her fucking ziti dinner. I told her to fuck off. Just my 2 cents.
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Quoted:
Let me give you some advice I gave a woman at work many years ago when she told me she was getting her 2 sons dirt bikes. I told her everybody I ever knew that rhode bikes got hurt badly on bikes and dirt bikes. She went ahead anyway and got them their dirt bikes. Six months later one of her sons crashed his bike and was run over by another kid. He broke his hip, pelvis, leg and was in the hospital with a bad infection. She ended up having a fund raiser for all the fucking hospital bills and had the balls to bitch at me because I didn't go to her fucking ziti dinner. I told her to fuck off. Just my 2 cents. View Quote Guy here at work was dating a girl who had a teen age son with a dirt bike. She had no health insurance but enough $ for a dirt bike for her pot smoking son. Short story, he wrecks bike, compound fracture, air lifted to hospital = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ WTF |
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If you look for a drz, try and find a plated off road model as they have a bit more power, at least the one I rode was a noticeable difference. I've had a drz and now a wr450, both were/ are motards and almost exclusively ridden on the street so take this for what it's worth.
Of those two, the drz was more civil and easier to ride but a bit boring, they are known for being bomb proof. The WR just rips, but takes a bit a bit more attention to ride. Think roll on 3rd gear wheelies. Both suck on the highway especially the WR since it's so light. If be hard pressed to give the WR up. How about a Honda Dr 650. Heavy, but bullet proof and should be at least somewhat serviceable on the highway. |
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KLR - no so hot off road.
250 4 stroke - not enough nuts for me I would just upgrade the ktm to a 300. Seriously though, have you thought about the DRz400 or the XR650l? |
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Pete I've got a low mileage WR250X with a set of dirt wheels I'm looking to sell quickly...
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I think your physical fitness and how much work you want to do offroad are important factors too. The KLX250 is a 300lb bike, which is at the upper limit of what I would want to take off road (I'm 5'10", 160lbs). I can manage a heavier bike, but I wouldn't have as much fun. Of course, I guess what you define as "offroad" factors in there too - I've seen ride reports from guys "offroading" with their KLR650s and posting pictures that look like they're on a gravel driveway.
It sounds like you've already got a bike or bikes for touring, so I think you'd be better served by getting something like the KLX and upgrading the header, muffler, and snorkel, jetting the carb, etc if you've got to have the extra power. |
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The baddest dual sport you can buy right now is a KTM 500 EXC. Its a race bike that happens to be street legal. I had the 530. They are monsters. View Quote They are monsters for sure, I had a 450. Light and fast and once geared way lower than stock could ride up almost anything. You'd want to add a cush drive for extended (hard) road use from what I was told, I didn't have any issues since I always ran knobbies. The constant oil changes get old fast though, and highways were easily doable, just not fun. |
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DRZ-400 with a jet kit, airbox mod and pipe.
If you want to nutup to a real off-road go-fast bike, then a KTM EXC is your answer. I like the 450. I've owned both before going back to a CR-250. The DRZ is a blast on the street and is light touring capable. I'll have a new EXC-450 sometime soon. It's a great dirtbike that can spend time on the street. |
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Never take a KLR 650 on an expressway. That's beyond unsafe. It does fine on small highways and roads, it's off road capable as in trails and such. Fun knock around bike.
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Quoted: This always comes down to where do you want your performance/comfort? On the dirt or on the road? And, how long do you want to ride? To the next trail or 100 miles and then some back roads? There's no good answer if you buy the wrong bike for the riding you intend to do. A WR250R is a fantastic "do all" bike with plenty of power, great trail manners, reliable and fun as hell (kicks that Honda's wimpy ass, too). The DRZ400 is a decent all arounder, it's not particularly good at anything but will do most things. The DR650/KLR's are heavy fucking pigs, but have great road manners and are cheap and ubiquitous. Then, there's the KTM's....which are awesome grin machines, but pricey and more race-bred for dirt. View Quote This pretty much sums up the current selection of dual sports. With that said, I had a DR650 and am happy with it. It doesn't see much off road use, but has in the past an in stock form ( OEM TrailWings ) was able to bring me up many gnarly climbs in Utah. |
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trying to make one bike fill many roles is always disappointing. if you need a bike to ride with the gf and the kid buy a bike for that purpose. i just sold my wr 250f but i will own another one some day.
450 offroaders suck for highway and gf/kid rides, if you are trying to blow your homies away on the trail 450's are awesome. if i were looking 60/40 on/offroad with kids/gf it would be a 250 four stroke. buy a road bike or adv bike for the highway |
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There has been no mention of seat height so far. OP needs to decide whether he wants to flat foot, or tippy toe at stoplights - or whether he wants to throw a leg over the bike or climb aboard. My Suzuki DR650 has a seat height of 32". With a 14t primary on my DR, I wouldn't hesitate to take it out to CO and run on the jeep trails and fire roads. One disadvantage of low seat height is that it takes a bit more effort to stand on the pegs in the rough stuff.
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If you want to get on the highway, you need at least 600cc.....IIRC My ninja 250 would disagree That's because your ninja 250 isn't a dual sport. A ninja 250 probably has as much top end horsepower as a KLR 650. However, a KLR650 can just about idle up the side of a mountain. I have about 25,000 miles on my '08 KLR650. It's a great bike if you can handle the extra weight, and I single track it often. I can ride it for an hour to get to the trails, ride single track all day, and then ride home without ever worrying about how much gas is in my tank. It is NOT for everyone though. The Suzuki DR650 is slightly better for offroad since it is lighter but has less wind protection and less fuel capacity. The Suzuki DR400 is probably the best compromise if you want to do some pretty nasty trails and still hit the highway once in a while. Around here the KTM 400-450 size bikes are the most popular with the guys who ride fast and hard. I personally don't get the 250's for dual sport use. I see 250's as offroad bikes that "can" be ridden on public roads if needed. Just my opinion. |
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There has been no mention of seat height so far. OP needs to decide whether he wants to flat foot, or tippy toe at stoplights - or whether he wants to throw a leg over the bike or climb aboard. My Suzuki DR650 has a seat height of 32". With a 14t primary on my DR, I wouldn't hesitate to take it out to CO and run on the jeep trails and fire roads. One disadvantage of low seat height is that it takes a bit more effort to stand on the pegs in the rough stuff. View Quote I like the lower seat height on the 230, hated the high seat and pegs of the 125. |
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Let me give you some advice I gave a woman at work many years ago when she told me she was getting her 2 sons dirt bikes. I told her everybody I ever knew that rhode bikes got hurt badly on bikes and dirt bikes. She went ahead anyway and got them their dirt bikes. Six months later one of her sons crashed his bike and was run over by another kid. He broke his hip, pelvis, leg and was in the hospital with a bad infection. She ended up having a fund raiser for all the fucking hospital bills and had the balls to bitch at me because I didn't go to her fucking ziti dinner. I told her to fuck off. Just my 2 cents. View Quote So what's your advice? |
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I just put the 685 kit in my KLR... handles it much better. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Never take a KLR 650 on an expressway. That's beyond unsafe. It does fine on small highways and roads, it's off road capable as in trails and such. Fun knock around bike. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile I just put the 685 kit in my KLR... handles it much better. Please explain the physics behind this. The 685 kit piston weighs LESS than the stock 650 piston so the bike is actually lighter. How does this work? A big bore kit will make a bike handle better? |
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He wins. I have a BMW G450X. Excellent bike. Very light and lots of power. <a href="http://s1162.photobucket.com/user/BassOverflow/media/9BC6833F-C0ED-4B04-9FCE-6B9D097627F6_zpslztrpep3.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/BassOverflow/9BC6833F-C0ED-4B04-9FCE-6B9D097627F6_zpslztrpep3.jpg</a> View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I have a 2013 KTM 690 Enduro R. It is by far the best true dual sport bike I've ever ridden. Unlike most KTM's, the 690's maintenance schedule is very relaxed. He wins. I have a BMW G450X. Excellent bike. Very light and lots of power. <a href="http://s1162.photobucket.com/user/BassOverflow/media/9BC6833F-C0ED-4B04-9FCE-6B9D097627F6_zpslztrpep3.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/BassOverflow/9BC6833F-C0ED-4B04-9FCE-6B9D097627F6_zpslztrpep3.jpg</a> |
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I like the lower seat height on the 230, hated the high seat and pegs of the 125. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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There has been no mention of seat height so far. OP needs to decide whether he wants to flat foot, or tippy toe at stoplights - or whether he wants to throw a leg over the bike or climb aboard. My Suzuki DR650 has a seat height of 32". With a 14t primary on my DR, I wouldn't hesitate to take it out to CO and run on the jeep trails and fire roads. One disadvantage of low seat height is that it takes a bit more effort to stand on the pegs in the rough stuff. I like the lower seat height on the 230, hated the high seat and pegs of the 125. You do know you can buy a lower seat and have the suspension lowered to fit you. |
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I personally don't get the 250's for dual sport use. I see 250's as offroad bikes that "can" be ridden on public roads if needed. Just my opinion. View Quote For the most part I agree, although the 230 is fun around town. I wouldn't take it on the highway but might just commute the 20 miles to the track/dirt bike park rather than loading it into my truck at times. Maybe I'll go look at DRZ400s, seems like that might be where I wind up on this. At this point I'd rather have a dirt bike that sucks a little on the street than a street bike that sucks on dirt. I could always put knobbies on the Harley... |
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