Advice for First Dual Sport?
Published: April 2nd, 2006
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Hi all. I'm a newbie (some off-road experience fifteen years ago & a more recent MSF grad) who is considering a dual sport as a first bike. I can't decide what displacement makes the most sense. There seem to be two schools of thought:
1. Start small, get comfortable, work up to bigger bikes.
2. Buy something "over your head" and grow into it.
The drawback to each theory seems to be:
1. You'll be bored of it in two/three months, have to upgrade--i.e. buy more than one bike--and take the financial hit(s) that might be involved with that.
2. You'll scare the crap out of yourself/wind up in the hospital.
I'm a little guy (5'7''/160/31''-32'' inseam) and would like a bike for commuting during the week and adventuring/camping on weekends/vacations. Probably 80/20 street to dirt, if I'm honest with myself.
I was really gung-ho on the KLR, but I talked with Elden Karl (http://multisurfacemotorcycling.com) on the phone and he said that since the switch to Thai production, they have been dealt a terrible blow in quality.
The DR650 sounds great but pretty powerful, and I am not interested in grabbing too much throttle and having accidental wheelies all over creation. I also wonder if these bikes are just too big for me? I can tiptoe the KLR and haven't sat on the DR (although I read it can be lowered).
I'm also not sure that the smaller bikes (200s, 350s, 400s) can do the laden-weekend-explorer thing. Maybe there is no bike that fits me that can do everything I want it to?
Any thoughts?
Get Motorcycle.com in your Inbox1. Start small, get comfortable, work up to bigger bikes.
2. Buy something "over your head" and grow into it.
The drawback to each theory seems to be:
1. You'll be bored of it in two/three months, have to upgrade--i.e. buy more than one bike--and take the financial hit(s) that might be involved with that.
2. You'll scare the crap out of yourself/wind up in the hospital.
I'm a little guy (5'7''/160/31''-32'' inseam) and would like a bike for commuting during the week and adventuring/camping on weekends/vacations. Probably 80/20 street to dirt, if I'm honest with myself.
I was really gung-ho on the KLR, but I talked with Elden Karl (http://multisurfacemotorcycling.com) on the phone and he said that since the switch to Thai production, they have been dealt a terrible blow in quality.
The DR650 sounds great but pretty powerful, and I am not interested in grabbing too much throttle and having accidental wheelies all over creation. I also wonder if these bikes are just too big for me? I can tiptoe the KLR and haven't sat on the DR (although I read it can be lowered).
I'm also not sure that the smaller bikes (200s, 350s, 400s) can do the laden-weekend-explorer thing. Maybe there is no bike that fits me that can do everything I want it to?
Any thoughts?
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