While we still have massive tracts of public land here in the Southwest where we can still ride, with the advent of Obamunism we are going to see the environmentalists run wild and unchecked. When it is all over, we will be lucy to have anywhere left to ride.....

So, any money I spend on off-roading in the near futire is going to have to go toward dual-sport motorcycles! With public land getting closed, the only place left to ride will be street legal dirt roads....at least until they decide that all our "carbon footprints" are to big, and they shut that down too!

While the state of dual-sport bikes has been pathetic for many years, with "real" performance dual-sports from folks like KTM and Husky, it isn't as bad as it was in the past.

While I will always prefer to ride the quads anywhere that is green sticker legal, the future doesn't look very bright!

 

I loved riding my Honda on/off XL 600 and XL 350,although I found the 350 weak on the freeways and the 600 heavy off road. I was thinking about getting back into it. Nowadays I see these slick looking 400 or 450s that look like a motocross bike with signal lights, I bet they are fun off road yet can criuse at 70mhp on the free ways easily ,a true do it all bike.

No loading them off and on trucks and they do not sit in a garage for a week after the weekend's done ,but can take you to work or run to a store also.

 

I have owned a variety of street bikes, dirt bikes and ATV's. To date, the most enjoyable and useful one I ever had was a Yamaha DT 250. During the week, I rode it to college and on weekends I rode it in the woods and did not even have to put it on a trailer to get there. I got rid of it and bought a "true dirt bike" when I graduated which I did enjoy, but to me there is nothing better than a good dual purpose dirt bike. I can't ride them anymore, but people who haven't tried them don't know what they are missing.

 

Xr250 or xr400 two of the great dual purpose bikes.The 250 is a little weak for highway use.Bot as commuters they are superb!I have been considering a dual sport bike also.But more along the lines of gas prices,and i'm sure it's alot in socal where your sig says you are.

 

reconranger,
As for dualsport motorcycles, I agree that they are great. I had owned dirt only motorcycles for the last 35 years, and just got into dualsport motorcycles in the last year. My first was a KTM 530 EXC R, and that bike felt as good off road as any dirt only motorcycle I've owned before. The big single is kind of buzzy on road though, and gives you a serious case of monkey butt on those 200+ mile rides. My second dualsport is a KTM 950 R Super Enduro. The 950 is great on road, and feels like a very tall and long legged street bike in that regard. It is too big for single track use, so isn't the best for off road use. But both of these dualsport motorcycles have been used far more than any other dirt only motorcycles I have ever owned. I rode the 950 to work and back every single day for the last eight months, and had a great time while I was at it. On weekends I would take it for 100 to 200 mile rides in the desert, and enjoyed that as well.

Why is there no "dualsport" ATV that is both street legal and able to be ridden offroad? That makes no sense at all. You would think a 4 wheeled vehicle would lend itself more naturally to this purpose than a two wheeled vehicle does, ... especially with the on road part. Why not build a Can Am Spyder that is four wheel drive, capable of 4x4 terrain, and ALSO street legal.

Utah passed a law this year making it legal for ATVs with turn signals and a horn to operate on two lane paved roads. I wonder if that means ATVs are also legal on forest service dirt roads now? I have always assumed they were legal on dirt roads, in this state anyway. Why couldn't California ATV groups work out similar legislation? A lot of work, I know, but perhaps not impossible.

DV

 

There was an article in one of the mags years ago, about some guys who dual-sprorted their 450R's in Arizona. They had them lowered and very wide....looked kind of like TT quads. Just like with the bikes, the problem was DOT legal tires, that weren't very off-road worthy!

 

Several years ago someone replaced the swing-arm on their quad with a custom made one with one wheel. They were able to license it as a motorcycle after that since it only had 3 wheels instead of 4. I think they were trying to start a business but failed.

 

That guy that you are speaking of did it on an 01 Raptor 660. He wasn't trying to start a business, he did it just to make his quad street legal in California. I believe he sold a few of the plans but that's it.