Chosing between a dual sport and street bike ?

Question

I'd really like to have a dual sport but then i live far from offroad areas and at the same time i dont want a pure street bike.. altho if i bought a dual sport id be using it mostly on the street and maybe once a month or two off road... and not to mention i got no one to go offroading with !

what should i do ? i cant buy 2 bikes nor have space in my apt complex for a trailer.

Answer 1

In my opinion, you don't have to choose; that's exactly what a dualsport is built for--on-road and offroad. But I would limit my choices to the larger displacement dualies, which would also limit how technical your offroad forays will get (unless you just happen to get really good at swinging around 400lbs of bike in the rough stuff). BMW is coming out with the G 650 X and the motard version of it, the G650XMoto, which might be just what you're looking for, which might open up some options for you. But the KTM 650 Adv is also a real solid performer. And of course, if you want to go cheap and reliable (minust the doohickey), there's the KLR. Personally, I love how versatile they are. I wouldn't outfit mine as a motard if I really wanted to be ready for offroad. It's just a pain in the butt to keep switching to knobbies every time you want to head out. And normal street tires are only good for fire-roads and light offroad duty. If you're serious about getting offroad, I'd stay away from the larger dualies (KTM 950Adv, R1200GS). Those are just huge for offroad work.

Answer 2

I like your choices of bikes that fit well in the different classes. It really comes down to what you want the most to do with a bike. The DR-Z400S is more than enough bike to handle dirt riding like trails and faster dirt sections, also deep loose sand or mud but as a road bike the stock tires are a bit harsh with vibrations for any highway cruising types of riding but up to 20 miles at a time is fine and it won't affect your eyesight with loose eyeballs (joking; sort of). But it really needs a lot of thought about which type of riding you will actually HAVE to do rather than just like to do. Of course you could buy a spare set of wheels and fit really good highway tires and with good ground clearance they make a great bike for touring all day, especially on winding country roads. Yes, insurance is a pain and costs you money but sooner or later we all had to go down that path but remember you will can get no claim price reductions each year so maybe it is the right time to insure....it will pay back big time later on when you want to insure an expensive car with a 50% no claim bonus....

Answer 3

Yes, BMW has some good bikes and so is KTM/KLR. Also look at the new Buell Ulysses. Kawasaki has been make their 650 for a long time. Just remember to figure in for the maintenance issues and parts availability too.

Answer 4

Do yourself a favor and get a VStrom 650 from Suzuki. They are BY FAR the most competent on/off road bikes around. You could go with something smaller, but the VStrom has tons of horsepower to get you where you want to go, as fast as you want to get there.

Good luck, and be safe.

Answer 5

Go for one of the many naked style bike out there.

Kawasaki:- Z750 & Z1000
Honda:- CB900 (919)
Yamaha:- FZ1
Suzuki:- SV650, SV1000, Bandit 1200
Triumph:- Speed Triple
Ducati:- Monster

They are all fast, handle well, not bad prices, look really cool, have almost the same performance as the pure sports bikes but with better normal rinding ergonomics. (I think the Z1000 or the Speed Triple)

Answer 6

i agree with gix the ktm and the suzuki has some bad *** motards they look really kool and handle great, the bikes the other guys are recomending look like old mens bikes,,, and as we all know suzuki is a jap bike which means it will run forever,,,

Answer 7

Check out some of BMW's enduros. Some them are more street then enduro.

Answer 8

you should go dual sport.either ktm or suzuki