To change or not to change

[GregMember]

Corey8 wrote:

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DanD wrote:

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How much offroad ability is required to make a dual sport “good”?

Good question my friend. I guess being able to handle main fire trails with ease and stable enough to feel comfy in the sadle at speed doing it

Well give them all a go find what suits you under those conditions

TB

[GregMember]

By the way Corey I am not looking to disrespect any of the above mentioned bikes, I feel they are all good bikes and they are all different and have different levels with which they do everything

By the way the KTM690 is well priced for the running gear it has but has a few set backs for a dual sport as in the seat, rider protection etc. I am test riding one for a weekend soon so will be able to pass on MY OPINION on it

TB

[corey heatherMember]

So if we go back to the topic LOL not one person has said NOOOOO don’t change you will miss pure birt bikes LMAO

[GregMember]

Corey8 wrote:

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So if we go back to the topic LOL not one person has said NOOOOO don’t change you will miss pure birt bikes LMAO

Dont do it Corey you will miss pure dirt biking !! Happy , what is pure dirt biking :huh: I have as much fun doing just about anything as long as I am on a bike

TB

[Alan EyreMember]

Hey corey i think you should change because your geting old now
and you carnt see properly , and you ride to slow and the dual sport would suit you

[corey heatherMember]

bigal58 wrote:

Quote:

Hey corey i think you should change because your geting old now
and you carnt see properly , and you ride to slow and the dual sport would suit you

Hello Mr Al see what you got me started on now. I have been looking at these things all night

[Mick DMember]

One of my brothers rode a KLR650 The 11,000 odd KM from New Orleans to Pruhoe bay in Alaska pretty well on his own and the only tools he carried was the standard tool kit,tyre levers,a leatherman, a roll of wire and some liquid steel and it did it easy. He rode the thing over Glaciers, along railway lines through rivers and generally gave the thing a right flogging and it came up trumps. He did a lot of homework on the bike options before he left and when it came to bang for your buck, the KLR was streaks ahead.

But having seen you ride Corey and how much you enjoy belting around the bush, somehow I reckon you’d get bored with a dual sporter fairly quick.

[GregMember]

Thats right he did eh Mick, I love that story he planned to get a KTM640 but a funny e mail that upset the dealer stopped that (have to read the story) so he bought the KLR 650 from Atlanta set up ready to go :laugh:
Dan’s right about the ride height cause Ant kicked his over while trying throw his leg over it in front of a couple of bus loads of marines at a stop :laugh: :laugh:

Yes Ant went everywhere with no spares and didnt miss a beat, maybe I under rated the KLR in my opinion

One of the funniest storys I have read Mick

TB

[Mick DMember]

I just found the story on my computer and posted it in the Dual sport section.
Ant’s big adventure, click here

[DudeMember]

Corey8 dude
Dont ya like ya Kawasaki. :huh:
I reckon the Kawasaki could do 100km/h so do yourself a favour and say get another set of
‘Chain and sprockets’ :ohmy:
So u can go faster on gravel roads and keep up with ya mates and when you find dual sports is dangerous due to cars and what not, you can just change to orignal “chain and sprockets’ and be really cool again.
and save lots of money.

just an opinion :dry:

[PaulMember]

I dont know a lot about dual sport bikes but I have been playing with this same idea myself for a while.

The first question is: what type of riding interests you most?

If you love doing single track, stay with the 450.
If you get bored doing fire trails and road sections, stay with the 450.

If you plan on doing some off road touring, long distances etc get a DS bike.
If you want the best of both worlds, get a DS bike.
If you want to use the bike for riding around town as well as a bit of dirt, get a DS.
And, if you want the best of both worlds and you have a strong right leg, get a XR650. (Sorry, couldn’t resist)

I like the look of the BMW G650X Challenge (G650XC) but it has not been made for a while now.
That said you can still pick one up which is covered by the original 2 yr warranty, and BMW will honour that for the new owner as long as the bike has been serviced properly (they dont have the same MEGA$$$ service schedule as the 450).

Compared to the new Tenere, the BMW is light weight (dry: 144KG), a big consideration in my opinion for a DS bike – have you seen The Long Way Round? They had a lot of trouble hauling the big heavy bikes out of bogs.
The bike pictured above also looks heavy.
The fuel injection of the BMW would also provide good fuel economy, another big consideration for DS riding.
The problem with the G650XChallenge (not to be confused with the X Country) is the fuel tank is under the seat which presents weight distribution problems if you install panniers for a long Adv ride. A better chioce might be a bike with conventionally placed fuel tank for long Adv rides.

The KTM 690 weighs in at 138.5KG dry but like the BMW it has the fuel sitting under the seat and both the BMW and the KTM have rear subframes, no main frame struts supporting the heavy fuel and therefore loading them up with camping gear and food/water & extra fuel presents some unique issues.

Maybe the Kawasaki or Suzuki DR650 are the go?
Good thing about them is there are going to be more places where you could get spares when you’re on the road I guess.

[GregMember]

All very well thought out and good points Wikd. Yes a strong leg for one of those options is required :laugh:

TB

[Mick DMember]

Trailboss wrote:

Quote:

. Yes a strong leg for one of those options is required :laugh:

TB

A good technique is more important than a strong leg.

[corey heatherMember]

Thanks wkdbeemer.

There is a plan to all of this. LONG term plan at this stage.

i want to ride around OZ in 2016 over a period of 3 months and i just don’t think a dr650 or the likes of will cut it. 450 will NOT cut it at all (it might cut my ass in half)

first step is to find a bike i really enjoy riding and i did ride the KLE 650 like the pic on here but green and was the smoothest bike i have ever riden bar none.

second is to find mates to join me on this quest

thrid is to start thinking $$$$$$ for it all

[drewMember]

i thought the same of the DR not cutting it. but there is a story on TT i think, of 2 chicks that hired 2 DRs and rode from Melb to Perth, the bikes were set up with 21 L tanks and hard panniers that were double walled, sort of. they were a water bottle on the outer skin and a normal box/ storage in the inner section.

i’ll see if i can find the story and post it up.

boy that was painful :blink: i had to do the whole reset password so i could search up the thread.
2 girls with 2 DR650’s – 3 weeks – 4 time zones – Australia

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