What Dual purpose bike would be good for me?

M

michael h

New member
I was considering purchasing a dr650 but I have a rather short inseam. When I was at the kawasaki shop I sat on a Ninja 250 which has a 30.5 inch seat height. I wasn't quiet able to flat foot it. I'm not picky really. I want a bike that is reliable will maintain 55 mph safely (preferably 70 mph), I would like for it to handle small jumps, maybe five feet or so, max. I think the dr650 would be great, height aside. I weigh in at about 200 lbs. Can I have the bike lowered enough to ride while still having enough travel in the suspension to handle newbie jumps? if not, does anyone have any alternatives?
 
Any bike that can handle any kind of jump is going to be compromised if you shorten the suspension. Of the japanese brands the honda xl650 is the most dirt worthy, the kawasaki klr 650 is the shortest but better for the street and the dr650 is in the middle. KTM makes some interesting bikes from 450 to 690. KLRs have gone around the world and there's a reason it's the US military's choice for a tough dual sport. They have a bit more plastic body work than the rest. Everything has a trade-off. No one bike is going to everything well so you have to decide what you want, a street bike that can get dirty or a dirt bike that occasionally sees the city. I'd stay with the 450 or bigger bikes though.
 
The DR650 has a lowering option from the dealer I think. Its not the ideal off-roader, but most people do not need the 12 inches of suspension that they think they do. Its just that you are asking to compromise the suspension even more by lowering it.

An ordinary 250 or 200 dual purpose will be lower, but may be uncomfortable or topped out at 70. And a better off roader (250 Kawi or Suzuki 400) will be even taller than the DR650. You could try a Yamaha XT350 on for size, but these were kick start only. A much older dual purpose will have less suspension, brakes, be kick-only etc.

I'd go with the 650, lowered, given your highway needs, and just consider your tires and suspension when you decide on what trails to tackle.
 
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