Ok, I have an 06 Honda CBR100RR for commute/distance (not to mention power) and I have an 02 Yamaha Banshee for my dune hopping pleasure and I use to have a 92 Honda CR250 that I used for trails and hard packed desert... My question is, b/c I am new to the whole dual sport thing, what are some dual-sport bikes I should be looking at (new/used) that will fit my needs?
I am 5'10" and weight roughly 280-290lbs. I am 25 and have been on a dirt bike since I was 9 and on a street bike since I was 17 (with a Class M permit). I live in in the high deserts of CA and would like a dual-sport bike to ride around town, hit some trails, dirt roads, some wooded areas or maybe even hit the dry lake if I just so happen to be in that area.
I'm not going to go all motoX and jump too much. Maybe hit a jump from time to time if it's on the direction I'm traveling, but nothing to crazy as far as jumping. their are alot of trails up here and they have berms, hills, woops, and is sometimes rutted but I have to travel by paved roads to get to alot of them and I use my truck to off-road up here on the trails b/c they are connected by paved roads.
So, I am asking what would be the best bike for my situation?
I am a skilled rider, but new to the whole dual-sport genre of bike. I just want to be able to hit the trails after work or cruise the back roads to the lake after work without having to pull my banshee out and deal with the loading and unloading for a couple hours of fun after work and trying to avoid getting into too much trouble with my sport bike and the wide open 2 lane hwy I live around the corner from.
Any info on bikes will be taken into account. I have been doing research and it seams alot of people are riding the Honda XR650L or converted XR650, the Suzuki DRZ400S or converted DRZ400E, or they are going for the much more expensive KTM 650. No one really mentions anything about what bikes are better for heavier riders (I still have stock suspension on all my bikes so me being 280ish hasn't really affected me).
Any other bikes I should look into? I basically want a street legal dirt bike that I don't have to put to much money into in order to have a few hours of fun after work or explore the trails on the weekend straight out of my garage. I will later be adding mods to the bike as needed and one will be the suspension if I need to.
I am 5'10" and weight roughly 280-290lbs. I am 25 and have been on a dirt bike since I was 9 and on a street bike since I was 17 (with a Class M permit). I live in in the high deserts of CA and would like a dual-sport bike to ride around town, hit some trails, dirt roads, some wooded areas or maybe even hit the dry lake if I just so happen to be in that area.
I'm not going to go all motoX and jump too much. Maybe hit a jump from time to time if it's on the direction I'm traveling, but nothing to crazy as far as jumping. their are alot of trails up here and they have berms, hills, woops, and is sometimes rutted but I have to travel by paved roads to get to alot of them and I use my truck to off-road up here on the trails b/c they are connected by paved roads.
So, I am asking what would be the best bike for my situation?
I am a skilled rider, but new to the whole dual-sport genre of bike. I just want to be able to hit the trails after work or cruise the back roads to the lake after work without having to pull my banshee out and deal with the loading and unloading for a couple hours of fun after work and trying to avoid getting into too much trouble with my sport bike and the wide open 2 lane hwy I live around the corner from.
Any info on bikes will be taken into account. I have been doing research and it seams alot of people are riding the Honda XR650L or converted XR650, the Suzuki DRZ400S or converted DRZ400E, or they are going for the much more expensive KTM 650. No one really mentions anything about what bikes are better for heavier riders (I still have stock suspension on all my bikes so me being 280ish hasn't really affected me).
Any other bikes I should look into? I basically want a street legal dirt bike that I don't have to put to much money into in order to have a few hours of fun after work or explore the trails on the weekend straight out of my garage. I will later be adding mods to the bike as needed and one will be the suspension if I need to.