Dual sport Motorcycles

[JamesRich]

Anyone riding one? What brand? I like the fact that I could use one like my pathfinder, ride it to my hunting camp and go straight in the woods with it. Cant do that with my boulevard 109.

James

[SkiBumBrian]

I ride a highly modified Kawasaki KLR. Here she is in all her glory..... 688 big bore, ported head, oversize SS valves, hot cams, Lectron 44mm carb, Ricor suspension, Vapor computer, etc. The works!

 

[Precise1]

I rode a buddys XL500 for a little while and owned a 1993 XR650L (K&N filter, jet kit, ported, polished into a Supertrap.) that hauled arse. I sold it because it was too heavy in the dirt and kept getting exhibition of speed tickets...

I'm eyeballing an old neighbors Husky 430 that has street plates on it (modified dirt bike), but plan to get something that I can sling on the back of the pathy (yet still ride on the street) regardless. I'll probably go with 250-400cc, around 250lbs if possible. Honda XR is always a solid option...

 

B

[Trogdor636]

Depends on your size. If I was a little fella is get a 250-450. My bike of choice right now would be a XR650L.

 

Precise, be careful about plated dirt bikes. I've read that DMV handed out plates like candy at one point, but they are starting to figure it out and revoke them.

[AzZo]

I owned several yamahas a tt 500 with a light kit and the xt on road off road.I always liked the kawasaki 500's cause they came with an electric start.The honda 500 had a nice exhaust and shifting was way smoother.I found the yamaha 600xt to be a little to heavy in the dirt.I would myself go with a yam 400 monoshock.I rode a friends and it flew.Light and fast.But Ive been on 250's that could do ninety miles an hour.Now that could be strapped right on the back of a pathy.

[AzZo]

I ride a highly modified Kawasaki KLR. Here she is in all her glory..... 688 big bore, ported head, oversize SS valves, hot cams, Lectron 44mm carb, Ricor suspension, Vapor computer, etc. The works!

 

Sweet, one nice set up.You sir know what you are talking about.

[gv280z]

Wow SkiBumBrian that thing is a beast, it seems like you turned it back to it's roots as a KLX, I like it. I don't have anything now but I did ride a 2000 model Yammie XT350 for a couple of years, I bought brand new and made most of the payments on it until the bank came and took it back!

 

I enjoyed it but ofcourse I got bored with it. I'd always kinda looked at the Kawasaki and the Suzuki's, too short to ride the big XR650, I'm only 5'8" and those things are tall! I miss riding but Houston is a terrible place to be owning and riding a motorcycle. If I ever got another bike it would be a little dirt bike or a Can Am Spyder.

[SkiBumBrian]

The KLR is heavy. I have shaved almost 40lbs off the stock weight and for most it is still heavy in the tight stuff. I am 6'1" and a trim 235 so I don't have many issues with the size. Stock they are underpowered and under sprung but after suspension mods and over a 30% increase in HP it is now capable off road but still comfy on the asphalt. I ride with the guys on orange ans a couple of buddies ride XRLs. The Hondas and I are a close match off road but none of them can keep up on the tarmac. If I had to buy a bike off the showroom floor and leave it stock it would be an XRL, even with the overheating issue they have.

[SkiBumBrian]

I should have said a TE610 would be on the list too but now that BMW owns Husky parts will be getting scarce. The orange bikes are just too much maintenance, race bikes with plates unless you go to the Adventures then you are heavy again with a huge price tag...

[JamesRich]

I was kind of looking at the honda XR650L. I want air cooled and a carburetor to keep it simple. I'm 6' and stay between 190 and 200. This will probably be more of a road bike with an off road option and I don't want to be short on power but I'm not looking for a race bike. If I wanted fast I'd just keep my boulevard 109, around here the only thing that can pass me is a sport bike. I'm mostly looking for good power so I don't get run over if I get on the interstate, good fuel mileage, and most important dependability! I don't want something I have to work on, that would take away from all the work I have to do on the pathfinder. I first thought honda because the little 250 recon 4 wheeler I have never has problem, I just wash it and ride it. Suzuki is out because the dealer here is a crook, I won't even buy an oil filter from him for my current bike.

I read about the running hot problem with the honda and the claim is that honda runs them lean to meet emissions and if you richen them up a little they run much cooler. Any of y'all buds with hondas have experience with this?

James

[JamesRich]

A few more question,

How long to the offroad tires last on the road?

What kind of maintenance does the chains need? My boulevard is shaft drive.

How stable is a offroad bike on the highway?

James

[Precise1]

I was kind of looking at the honda XR650L. I want air cooled and a carburetor to keep it simple. I'm 6' and stay between 190 and 200. This will probably be more of a road bike with an off road option and I don't want to be short on power but I'm not looking for a race bike. If I wanted fast I'd just keep my boulevard 109, around here the only thing that can pass me is a sport bike. I'm mostly looking for good power so I don't get run over if I get on the interstate, good fuel mileage, and most important dependability! I don't want something I have to work on, that would take away from all the work I have to do on the pathfinder. I first thought honda because the little 250 recon 4 wheeler I have never has problem, I just wash it and ride it. Suzuki is out because the dealer here is a crook, I won't even buy an oil filter from him for my current bike.

I read about the running hot problem with the honda and the claim is that honda runs them lean to meet emissions and if you richen them up a little they run much cooler. Any of y'all buds with hondas have experience with this?

James

Mine, with a stock motor but everything else tweaked and tuned had plenty of power, I used to race street bikes out on the twisty coast roads. I put a 15 tooth (IIRC) front sprocket on it (largest that will fit) and it would go well over 100mph.

 

A few more question,

How long to the offroad tires last on the road?

What kind of maintenance does the chains need? My boulevard is shaft drive.

How stable is a offroad bike on the highway?

James

Not very long at all, especially when you start using the throttle and tearing knobbies off. The front wear out quickly as well from airplane touchdowns (lifting up the front end @ 5mph, setting it down @ 45).

 

A lot. Invest in a true chain brush and proper cleaners/lubes. Honda made a good foamy one that provides dry film protection, I have used it on the CBR as well. I found my chain was in a constant state of stretch, it was really more a matter if it had stretched enough to need adjustment, rather than if it had or not.

 

They still suck to ride on the freeway though with the upright stance, no wind protection, wide bars and a front fender that is like para-sailing. It takes some holding on at 70mph. My rule of thumb was always less than 20 miles...

My current bikes are CBR1100XX and BMW K75, so yeah, I'm used to smoother rides at highway speeds.

 

 

Regardless of all that, I loved that bike and only sold it for 2 reasons:

1) It was too heavy in the dirt at 328lbs dry IIRC. It did fine on fire roads and places where the power was an asset (hill climbs, mud, etc), but on tight single tracks it was a handful, if not a downright liability.

2) I got the most frequent and exotic tickets on it. Reckless driving, exhibition of speed, riding on the sidewalk, failure to obey gravity, and general asshattery.

 

The maintenance was high (parts wear out quick) and aren't as cheap as you would think/hope, but it was a typical Honda motorcycle that never had any type of malfunction, failure or breakdown of any type for the 3 years that I owned it. Mine didn't run hot, but it was rejettted which you will want to do anyway. My buddy had a stock one and it wasn't nearly as powerful as mine. My one largest complaint was the lack of kick start, every enduro should have one and compression starting that thing was like pushing a Grizzly up hill against its will.

 

Great bike, but I wanted more on the street and less in the dirt. An Xr400 with plates would be perfect for me now.

 

B

[Precise1]

Depends on your size. If I was a little fella is get a 250-450. My bike of choice right now would be a XR650L.

 

Precise, be careful about plated dirt bikes. I've read that DMV handed out plates like candy at one point, but they are starting to figure it out and revoke them.

I'm 6"1', 200 lbs and the 650 was too heavy in the dirt to me. Try picking one up a few times...

 

I didn't hear about that, so thanks for the tip. How the hell can they say it was legal and then change their minds when you have already had it approved and paid for it? Not that I don't believe you, just seems like BS.

 

B

[SkiBumBrian]

I think if you are grandfathered in with a plate you are OK, they just aren't allowing any bikes that don't have a plateable VIN # anymore, no matter what you do. Tires? That is like asking about oil, a thousand different opinions. If you are going to ride it mostly as a commuter Mefo Explorers are nice but pricy. Shinko 700 series is a good tire and about 100 a pair. For more dirt and my tire of choice right now is the Michelin T63. As good as a Dunlop 606 in the dirt and not scary squirrely like the 606 on pavement, you know, the pucker factor.

B, shattered my left foot wheelie-ing down the road last year and hit some gravel... SLAM! My foot will never be the same. My rule now is no wheelies in tennis shoes.... I had the KLR rejetted for a long time but after the engine work I just felt something was missing. That 44mm PowerJet woke things up drastically. The government chokes these bikes down so bad to get them to pass emissions that without drastic changes to intake and exhaust they never perform like they should. I don't know anybody that leaves them stock unless they just don't ride that well...

[Trogdor636]

I think if you are grandfathered in with a plate you are OK, they just aren't allowing any bikes that don't have a plateable VIN # anymore, no matter what you do.

From what I was reading, they actually went through their system and found bikes that should of been red sticker only that had been plated, and sent out notices saying you had to surrender your plates. I know some of it has to do with the 8th digit of the VIN. If its a C or 3 it is a non plate able bike.

 

On topic, I see a bunch of people swapping in a carb from the CRF bikes, seems to be a pretty common upgrade.

[SkiBumBrian]

Id be pissed if they took away a plate they issued, especially if I bought it that way. Most of the carbs from the MX and smaller displacement dual sport bikes are only 36-38mm venturis. They would work well with the smaller displacement bikes (they usually do that to have a "pumper" carb) but they just don't pass enough air for the big bikes at RPM. They work fine for low RPM torque but choke out when the bike needs big air....But you are right, that swap is getting very popular, the Mikuni and Keihin pumpers are the most used. Some are converting to FI, which I think is ludicrous.

[gv280z]

Riding motorcycles are a lot of fun, however riding dual sport bikes on the freeway is not fun, as Precise 1 mentioned above, no wind protection or fairing or anything. Getting blown out of your lane when you get passed by a semi truck or other large vehicle, that part aint fun either. Sitting in traffic, especially on a hot day, riding any kind of bike is a chore, as is the long haul. Long trips down the freeway on anything other than a cruiser or concours bike like an FJ1100 or something like that, (which is heavy and poderous at low speed) is the only way to spend time in the saddle. I know when you get past by some guy flying down the road, you think wow that looks cool and awesome, well in my mind, most of the time it's not. Unless you're really cooking and breaking the law, then it's exhilerating..but just the normal 60 - 80 mph freeway drone...on a bike tends to start to suck...and get boring after you've done it for a while.

 

I once went to Rome Italy for 4 days and rented a Honda Hornet 600 and tried to find my way to a B&B...that was an unmitigated disaster, what a horrible experience. Lost and confused and broken, I gave up and got a room, took the bike back the next day and then just went around the city.

[Trogdor636]

Id be pissed if they took away a plate they issued, especially if I bought it that way. Most of the carbs from the MX and smaller displacement dual sport bikes are only 36-38mm venturis. They would work well with the smaller displacement bikes (they usually do that to have a "pumper" carb) but they just don't pass enough air for the big bikes at RPM. They work fine for low RPM torque but choke out when the bike needs big air....But you are right, that swap is getting very popular, the Mikuni and Keihin pumpers are the most used. Some are converting to FI, which I think is ludicrous.

The ones I was reading about were 40 or 41MM. CRF 250 and 450's, but obviously double check.

[SkiBumBrian]

I have a 40mm Keihin pumper sitting on my shelf. I ran it for a while, not really any better performance than the constant velocity Keihin my bike came stock with when jetted properly. The carb I run now has no jets for idle to intermediate and only one for WOT. The metering rod in this carb does all the work. The manufacturer claims better atomization than FI without FI computers, failures, and leaving you stranded in BFE. FI is great until it fails, then there is no fixing it trailside...

The flatslide carbs by Mikuni are popular, no doubt, but that is probably because there is so many out there to play with. I don't consider them an upgrade, still ancient carb theory.

Edited August 14, 2013 by SkiBumBrian

[Precise1]

From what I was reading, they actually went through their system and found bikes that should of been red sticker only that had been plated, and sent out notices saying you had to surrender your plates. I know some of it has to do with the 8th digit of the VIN. If its a C or 3 it is a non plate able bike.

 

 

 

Thank you for that. I'm not sure if it helps/applies to the OP, but it might help me.

 

B

[JamesRich]

Thanks for all the comments guys, gives me a lot to think about. I love riding my cruiser and I never put a windshield on it. I never found one that looked good on a 109. Catching all the wind isn't a problem but it being squirrely would be. It's 70 miles to my hunting camp and I wouldn't want to be too tired to ride once I'd get there. I could fall asleep on my boulevard and probably get 3 or 4 miles before I'd crash. It almost drives itself.

As for picking up a 350 pound bike that would be no problem, I dropped this 750 pound bike once and I had it back up before the motor quit!

The tires on my cruiser get 6K if I'm lucky, the offroad tires would be a lot less than that? A set of tires for this bike cost $300 for the front and back, $100 a set would be awesome!

James

[SkiBumBrian]

I usually get 3-5K out of a rear tire(knobby) and twice that out of a front, it all depends on the tread design and compound. There are many things that cause the buffeting on the freeway and most of them can be dealt with but big trucks are just big trucks. My bike is comfortable for hundreds of highway miles a day but it is one of the bigger DS bikes kinda designed for touring if left stock. I suggest just go ride a few. Decide on your budget and check out the ones that fit. Ride your bike to the dealerships that way they are much more inclined to give you the keys....

[SkiBumBrian]

Here is what I found while doing some searching. I does nail down the cut off date and bikes converted AFTER that date can and probably will have their plate revoked. It seems clear though that this targets owners that knowingly lighted their dirt bikes and slid through the system that SHOULD have caught it.

http://motocrossactionmag.com/Main/News/DMV-TO-AUDIT-CALIFORNIA-DIRT-BIKES-WITH-LICENSE-PL-1761.aspx

Edited August 15, 2013 by SkiBumBrian

[ezlife]

When the mso is turned into the DMV, it is easy to over look the words, off road use only. As far as the enduro goes I think you would be better off picking up a 4 stroke dirt bike. You can carry it with a hauler that slides into your reese hitch and carries the bike against the back of the truck. A water cooled 250 or 450 four stroke would do fine in the woods. If you still would rather have an enduro check out a drz 450. They are light, dependable and can be bought for around $2500. Put mid-knobby tires, a good o-ring chain and keep the oil changed. It will last for years. As far as your 109, if it's an m series you should check into the Dunlop Elite 3 250/40 18. This will get you more miles mainly by slowing down the problem of one sided tire wear. If not bridgestone offers a very high mileage tire for the c109.

[nismothunder]

I'm watching.