Motorcylists... dual sport vs adventure bike ?

[Bailer]

I have a GS. It’s great on the highway, good in the twisties, and handles forest roads and two track reasonably well. Single track and rocky 4x4 roads would be more than I would mess with on it.

A buddy has a Ktm 690 that is very good in the dirt, and doesn’t give up much to mine in the twisties. I wouldn’t want to ride it 400 miles to get to the fun stuff though.

It’s all compromises, unless you fill the garage with bikes.

 

[AKG]

I had a crf230l for a handful of years. I used it as a daily summer commuter 25 miles each way (county roads for most with a few city near work) and for riding around forest service. It worked pretty good for that use, as I don't get very rowdy. I did a few longer trips which included some state and even interstate miles and that's where it was weak- seat was very uncomfortable for longer miles, lacked top end speed, and power at highway speeds to maneuver out of the way when other traffic started getting to close for comfort, right lane only on the interstate hunched over the handlebars to cut down on wind resistance I could keep it above 70mph on level ground. Recently picked up a lightly used crf300l rally with aftermarket exhaust, so far it seems like it's about as close as I can get to the best compromise bike as I can get for my use. Little more fuel capacity, still small enough I should be able to pick it up if I tip, windscreen for comfort, will run state highways fine in WI, still not great for interstate but I
have to take a longer drive to reach one anyway. No single tracks around here.

 

[pacoalcracker]

Just go to a Beta dealer and try a few dual-sports out. You will be sold. Most dealers have or can get you a used bike if you want that. They also have the very best trials bikes too if that interests you. I have 2 Betas, my fav is the 2017 RRS-430, however a 390 or even the 500 would be just fine. Fairly light, street legal(barely), gobs of power and very rideable, which is what Beta is known for. Being 6 geared they are great on and off road. Very high quality and the dealer support is the best there is. Beta has a very wide variety of bikes to suit anyone. I've had bikes of all sorts my entire life and Beta is by far well above them all. I call my Betas Italian Queens. They are just a beautiful bike. Next in line would be a Husky, even though they are owned by KTM.

 

[mt terry d]

It’s all compromises, unless you fill the garage with bikes.

Exactly.
Never compromise!

 

[doc holiday13]

I have a GS. It’s great on the highway, good in the twisties, and handles forest roads and two track reasonably well. Single track and rocky 4x4 roads would be more than I would mess with on it.

A buddy has a Ktm 690 that is very good in the dirt, and doesn’t give up much to mine in the twisties. I wouldn’t want to ride it 400 miles to get to the fun stuff though.

It’s all compromises, unless you fill the garage with bikes.

HA I think i know where that bridge is in your first pic there.

 

[Bluefish]

Here is my take, adv bikes are street bikes that can handle gravel and two track. Maybe single track if you are an expert rider. To illustrate, wife and I were mountain biking capt jacks (single track in cos) one night and ran across a friend (Neduro) on his 990 Ktm. Turns out he saw our van at the trail head and decided to ride up to meet us. He had no problem, but he is a A/AA rider who has finished the Dakar.

Dual sports can range from poor dirt bikes (Klr 650)to dirt bikes (500 exc) with lights. Really depends what you plan on riding. I would not want to do 500 miles of highway on a 500 exc, but it would easily handle any singletrack I ride and I know several people where it’s their primary dirt bike.

As I already have a plated dirt bike, I would get something a little more street oriented as a dual sport. Probably a 690 or something else in that size range so I can cover road miles more comfortably. I know it wouldn’t be a good choice for trails, but that’s not its purpose. What I really want is a xr650r, but they have been out of production along time.

 

[lhbackcountry]

Straight up MX bike is the way to go. I have a KTM 150SX and Yamaha YZ250F. Either stay all in ON ROAD or all in OFF ROAD.

Yup. I am headed in that direction. I did happen to test ride the new street bobber by HD and sheesh the twin 117 is humming.

 

[CoffeeGoat]

It's been mentioned a few times, but my riding crew has been trending towards DR650s. It, like all of these bikes, is a compromise, but it feels like the least worst. 350ish lbs, close to 50 hpish with minor mods, suspension is tolerable, parts are cheap and plentiful, and it's simple enough that you can actually work on it. It's the middle of the old school trinity of dual sports - XR650 => DR650 => KLR650. You can get lighter more dirt focused, you can get more powerful road bikes, but those three are a nice middle ground. I commute on it daily, it will go interstate speeds (it's not pleasant), it will easily do gravel and dirt, two track is doable, and light single track is feasible (though not as easy. )

 

[mtnbound]

glad i asked! Yall got me leaning towards keeping the ninja for street and snagging an older dual sport

Good plan. Get a 250-300 class bike they are plenty big to have fun on and won’t leave you exhausted like a big bike will.


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[TradArcher]

Used KLR650 that has had the upgrades yet hardly been off road yet...just add the milk crate and you are good to go.

 

[Matt5266]

There is no one bike that is going to do everything well. It's all trade offs. I ended up keeping 2 bikes though I've had many over the years. Currently have a 1999 Harley Davidson FXR3 for the street and a 2015 KTM 250 XWC for play. I love them both

 

[Trogon]

Honda CRF300 is a pretty good all-rounder if you must do it all with one bike. Not that fast, but easy to live with.

For more a technical focus on single track or more rugged exploration I would drop down in weight/size to a 500 exc.

 

[Steve300xcw]

never woulda thought that crf300 would be that heavy