Which dual sport?

I am bikeless at the moment and I have convinced myself that instead of a road bike I need a bike that can explore dirt roads, trails, pole lines, and doddle along with my kids on their 50cc quads for some general trail riding. Strong enough motor to take the highway - light enough to drag back up if I fall in the woods alone. I know next to nothing about dual sports except that I took my motorcycle test on borrowed 250cc Kawi back in 1984. It was too slow so I guess I need more motor than that. Everything since then has been of the road and race track only variety.

What bike am I looking for?

Cheap, tough, reliable, easy to work on...

KLR650? XR650L? Those were the first two google hits.

I vote KLR650. If your trails are just dirt roads and you'll be doing a lot of regular road riding, I vote V-strom 650 or 1000.

You could buy a DRz 400 like mine. Or, you could buy mine.

I love my KLR but it's too much bike for most real off-roading. It's just too heavy at 400lbs. A more pure dual sport is going to be a lot lighter. The WR250r is expensive but has as much power as the KLR out of a 250. And it weighs about 300lbs. The DR400 is also a good suggestion - weighs about the same as the WR.

In reply to Woody:

Hrmmm... I have never been a big Suzuki fan based on experience pushing 80s vintage road bikes home but that does look like it fits the bill - what are the issues, details and so on? Price?

I do have to visit Hartford the 2nd or 3rd week of Sept...

I'd also look at the second generation Suzuki DR650, they're pretty good bikes with huge aftermarket support.

Forget the first generation (I had one of those, they run up to 94/95 IIRC), there is pretty much zero aftermarket support for these and they're pretty well worn these days.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: In reply to Woody: Hrmmm... I have never been a big Suzuki fan based on experience pushing 80s vintage road bikes home but that does look like it fits the bill - what are the issues, details and so on? Price? I do have to visit Hartford the 2nd or 3rd week of Sept...

The only issue is that I never get a chance to ride it.

bought it specifically to ride at one place, which is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. The place took a beating in last October's storms and still hasn't opened for the season.

The bike is a completely stock 2007 with about 1800 miles on it. It has about 11.5 inches of travel front and rear.

The eternal argument over which dual sport is better is usually between the KLR650 and the DR650. The KLR is more plentiful, likely less expensive, and is easier (though not by much) to find 'farkles' for. I chose the KLR.

It's heavy for a dirt bike, but then it's not really much of a dirt bike. Think of it as a road bike with dirt bike suspension travel. Big fuel tank = long range. Water cooling vs the DR's air cooling (decide for yourself if that is a plus or not). Can't speak to the DR's performance, but the KLR will do a fairly cheerful 70 mph on the highway. It will go faster, but the wind and lack of a fork brace makes it a pretty tiring experience. If you develop good dirt skills, it's actually pretty decent off road but a bit of a pig for anything tighter than dual track. I really like mine, but am looking at something a little more road oriented (Suzuki Wee Strom, Triumph Tiger) for taking longer trips.

Keep on looking and reading about other bikes as well. There were and are many other dual sport or enduro type bikes made than just the KLR and DR.

At least two of us on this forum have Honda XL500's for example. Far more dirt bikish than the KLR, a whole lot easier to get through creeks and up goat trails; but a whole lot less bike on the asphalt and interstate.