off topic - enduro's
 

Well I've decided that I need to quit racking up the miles on my 2002 Ford Superduty Crew Cab Powerstroke 4x4....so I was thinking of getting a dual-purpose bike to ride to work and occasionally hit the trails....

Now remember, I said occasionally hit the trails. I had a KTM 620RXC, but that thing was a monster dirt bike with lights to make it street legal. So I'm looking for something that will ride smooth on the road.

So what are my choices, well here they are:

Kawasaki KLR650, sorry can't link the Kaw directly....

Honda XR650L XR650L

Suzuki DR650SE DR6050SE

or possibly this machine, i love it, but its pretty much purely road....motorad time:

Suzuki DR-Z400SM DR-Z400SM

so, the prices for the Kawasaki KLR650 is $5099, the Honda XR650L is $5799, the Suzuki DR650SE is $4999 and the DR-Z400SM is $6099....these are all retail prices of course.

anyways, the big advantage to the KLR is that is has a 6.1 gallon gas tank, thats why I'm leaning towards it. The others are 3.x. I think the DR-Z400SM would be a blast driving around town.

So let me know your thoughts and if you've owned any of these or what you might think you would go with an why?

thanks,
dave

off topic - enduro's
 

elkbow, I was raised on Kaw. so am biased toward them. I did ride with, and try out the other brands, but liked the feel and sound of the Kaw.

Best, Lukester

off topic - enduro's
 

thanks for the inputs....the Suzuki DR-Z400SM is an interesting machine, I'm going to go down to the dealer and see if they have one....would be fun to drive, but its $1000 more than the Kawasaki or Suzuki...

off topic - enduro's
 

I will Speak From Experience here. There is absolutely No dual sport bike out there that does EVERYTHING well. Some are more dirt Oriented, others more street oriented. The Ktm 640, ADventurer was and is a perfect blend between the two, It simply doesnt get any better. The Standard 640 LC4 is also a great bike, but a tad more dirt oriented thatn the jap bikes, and the seat foam a little thin for long rides. Out of the others mentioned, the XR 650 is screaming at highway speeds, but cruises great for around town jaunts and short trips. The Dr is a little low slung and the clutch doesn't handle abuse very well, but on the highway its wonderful. In the dirt, its a bit of a lumbring pig. The z-400 is a really good choice, again, as long as no long trips are planned. , you can Swap out the carb and exhaust from the drz (dirt only ) and gain a few horses. VERY reliable, and are seen very frequently on organized dual sport runs.
The Last, the KLR 650 is the diamond in the rough, With a little tweaking this machine is phenominal. VERY comfy riding down the interstate, Or city streets. Has great gearing, so its not buzzing at highway speeds and 100 mph is possible. In the dirt, the fact that the Gas tank is so low slung helps keep it planted, The suspension is a bit soft, but we cant have evrything now can we? For the price, the KLR is the winner in this category, and there is a HUGE aftermarket out there for it, everything from hard Luggage, to luggage racks, motor and suspension hop ups, etc..

off topic - enduro's
 

thanks for the inputs KTMGUY....I pretty much agree, the KLR sits high though, even though I have seen some lowering kits for them....like I said, my main riding will be on the street, but I live in New Mexico, so if I want to take a ride from the street to the trail or mountains, I want the gas to get me there, and thats the biggest advantage to the Kawasaki....

I went down to the dealer today that carry's Suzuki and Kawasaki, they have the DR650SE and the KLR650 sitting side-by-side....the DR is a nice size, but the 3.4 gallon gas tank is almost half that of the KLR. I think the Suzuki will handle alittle better on the street, but not that big of a deal, i'm not going to lean it over like I would a sportbike....

The KTM's are nice, the LC4 was the follow-on to the RXC that I used to have....it was definitely a dirt bike that was street legal....

off topic - enduro's
 

It all boils down to what kind of trails are you talking about. The Suzuki is the only one close to being any fun on single track. They are all OK on easy dirt roads. One of the very best dual sport bikes of all time is a Honda XR400R with 4 gal tank and Baja Designs street legal kit. This is far better than the Suzi in the dirt. Currently I ride a XR650R with Baja Designs kit and 7 gal tank. This is not as good as the XR400R in dirt but better than the Suzi and at the same weight as a street legal 400 Suzi. So first decide what type of dirt and then make selection.

off topic - enduro's
 

Thumpertalk is a great sorce of info on dual-sport bikes.

off topic - enduro's
 

thanks for the inputs, but i've ridden both the 400R and 650R, they are dirt bikes that it is possible to make street legal....Most of my riding will be on the street, to work and back and some occasional rides on the weekends and hit some dirt along the way....even 4 gals doesn't cut it here in New Mexico, I can ride area's that 100's of miles long with no civilization, I need the gas to get me there....I won't be doing jumping, etc., just riding on some old two track roads and such, I'll keep it to the limit of the machine....

when I had my KTM, I rode too hard for riding by myself....I was constantly pulling wheelies off of every little hump at 60 mph, etc....there are alot of rocks out here, all two wheeled vehicles don't do well against a 6" rock in the middle of the trail, so I needed to keep the speed down, but didn't seem to do that when i rode....

off topic - enduro's
 

I saw or read in a line up of those bikes not toolong ago the Kaw was the winner.

off topic - enduro's
 

i did read an article online that said the same thing....when it comes around to overall, commuting and doing some off-road riding, the Kaw wins,,,,has a ton of accessories...

the ride height is high, but can be lowered by modifying the front fork spring and fluid level (i'm guessing thats how they do it) and putting a lowering strut/bar on the rear shock, gets about 1.5" lower....

I'm still trying to decide....for the price of a new one, I can pick up a used Honda CBR929RR or something similar...of course insurance would be more on the crotch rocket...

also looked at the CBR1000RR and Kaw ZX-10R at the dealer, nice machines, but expensive for new....

then again maybe i'll just buy a travel trailer....ha