Hi all, My name is Shawn and I am new to advrider. I have little/no experience off-road but have been riding my road bike quite a bit since I have had it (its an 07 Yamaha Stratoliner, I have put 28k miles on it since I bought it in Feb 08). I would really like to start getting my ducks in a row to try to "ride the world" (as the ADV banner so eloquently puts it). Nothing too soon; I will probably be getting out of the Navy 4 years down the line, and hopefully could have the time off necessary for such an adventure. I would like to have the experience/equipment/motorcycle together by then. I have been lurking here at ADV for the last few weeks, but haven't seem to come a across a section for newbies (I guess the nature of the sport is such that people don't just step into it all that often). I trying to get some advice on where I should go from here to make sure I would be ready for such an adventure down the line. I am thinking of trying to get my hands on a used dirt bike to learn how to do some off road riding. Nothing long distance, but just to try and figure out the off road thing on something lightweight and that I wouldn't feel bad about beating up. I am curious if experience/skills on a dirt bike would help when it comes to riding a bigger off-roader (like a BMW RSA). My impression right now is that off-road (dirt bike) riders are better suited for this style of riding than a road biker. True, false? Another route I have been thinking of is just to skip the dirt bike step and get an older bike that could actually handle some off-road touring (not really sure what kind of bike would be good here, suggestions?). Not something that I would necessarily feel comfortable taking for a longer, overseas adventure; but something that would work for longer weekends here state-side (where reliability wouldn't have to be as high of a priority). Either way, I would like to try the TAT before doing anything too adventurous (out of the US, that is). I realize this thread is pretty open ended, so any advice you guys have would be great. My primary goal is make sure I don't rush into anything (I am only 22, so I feel like I am in that target demographic to have a horrific accident or something. Haven't laid it down yet though...knock on wood). I recently read Clayton Schwartz's story and was greatly moved by it; it sort of inspired me to make sure I do this right. So any hindsight you have would be appreciated. Thanks. -Shawn Mod: please feel free to move this thread to wherever it is most suited (in case I missed the noob section)
Riding off road, at any level, will make you a better rider at every level, including (maybe especially) on the street rider. You will understand more about what the machine can and can't do in a given situation, and you will acquire the skills to make it do (most of) what you want. If you've put some miles on a Stratoliner, then you're used to handling some weight. The bike you go with will depend on how much power you want, and how capable you are of handling the weight off road. Bigger bikes can eat up lots of off-road miles, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall. I'm 6'5" /275, so I bought a Honda XR 650L. Great on the logging roads, etc., but when I topple over on the single track, I take some hard knocks. Moreso with even larger bikes. Figure out what kind of riding you want to do, borrow or beg some rides, and see how deep in your wallet you feel the call.
Hi Shawn, As the architect once said, less is more. Pacific's advice is good. Ride a bike well suited to the versatility you seem to be after. IMO adventure riding needn't be about a big high HP bikes. Build up to big trips, take practice trips to see what works and what doesn't, what you need and what you don't.
Sometimes new members post intros in the regional forums in order to meet local riders and get ideas on where to go. I have a Suzuki Vstrom (650) for road and long distance travel, and I recently picked up a Suzuki DR350 for local dirt riding. I think learning and practicing on a smaller dual sport is the best way to learn dirt riding. You should be able to get a late model used 400 or 650 cc dual sport for less than 3 grand, or less then 2 grand for something like a DR350. I like having a nice bike that is more optimized for the road and an inexpensive dirt capable bike to beat up on the trail.
Thanks for the input so far. I think I might be leaning toward the smaller 350cc size for now, then when I am ready to make the purchase for something a bit more long-distance worthy, I will have a better idea of what I want/need. @Pacific: This sounds like a stupid question even as I type it, but how comfortable are freeway speeds on a 650? I am about your size, but don't have enough experience on dirt bikes to figure how well cc's translate to speed (for dirt bikes). I guess the whole idea is to not have to do freeway speeds, but I am just curious if I whether or not 650 would feel underpowered if I were stuck on an interstate somewhere. @dwdorr1: I am a JO, so re-enlisting isn't exactly on the table. I am going to get stationed on a sub in another 6 months or so and I am not exactly expecting to have the time of my life... Thanks again
I've got a DR650, and I can ride comfortably at 85mph. My only complaint is keeping my knees in against the bike when the windflow around me wants to pull them away.
I just found out about this site when I went on vacation back to California. I recently started really wanting to do some heavy touring and would love to have a bike that could handle whatever road I put it on. However, I'm actually new to riding (Started September '08, licensed this last April) and I'm currently upside down on my 2009 Vulcan 500 LTD. Not that it's a bad bike, but there isn't a lot of off the road stuff I could do, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of gear out for it. Granted, I'd like to really make the most I can out of my bike until I can afford something better (Like maybe a Ducati Elefant). You guys have any advice for me?
I ride and love my 08 KLR 650 (Kawasaki). It's a big (tall) bike, but for bigger people it fits nice, I'm 6' 5". There is decent aftermarket support, and it's pretty easy to work on if you know a little about mechanics to start with. I made all my own packs out of DeWalt boxes I had. I rode it every day 53 mi one way work commute, 10,000 mi in 08, even in freezing temps, rain ect, and I was comfortable even at 80+. I would suggest you try to find some different dealerships, sit on as many models as you can find that are the genre that you are looking for, ride them if you can. It's the only way you will find what you want. Not every body needs a BMW 1200 GS, and the DRs aren't enough for some. Only you can decide for yourself. I find that my 650 thumper is enough for me.
First off, I totally agree w/ Pacific's comments. IMHO to be a good Adventure rider you'll need to be good both on road and off. I see two ways of going. 1) Start small, ie a mellow 250, that you can really chuck around. Or, 2) Get a 650 single. You'll learn quicker on the smaller bike but a 650 single makes a good comprise bike and you just might find that it suits your needs for a long time. You can ride a 650 single on the highway but it sucks. What ever you do buy something used, preferable well set up for your needs. I see more similarities than differences between the various 650s. If it were me I'd have a 650 sitting in the garage that I can jump on and go when I was on leave.
I did a LOT of research before buying my dual sport bikes (one for me and one for my long term female street riding partner). The best piece of advice I can tell you is, no one bike is perfect and "does it all". Generally the trend is: The smaller the bike the easier to ride on the dirt, but they are unsuited for highway riding any real distance at speed (and you will ride on the highway at sometime during adventure/long distance riding - guaranteed, if just to "get there"). The larger the bike, the worse it is (harder to control) in the dirt, but better suited and more comfortable for highway travel at speed. If you ride solo, in the dirt, and you can't pick it up....well, you get the idea. You'll also find out that many riders will have their favorite; be it brand loyal or type of bike; and will find fault in everything else but thier favorite (noobies be prepared ). What you ultimately decide on depends on meeting your specific criteria for your specific planned type of travels. For example: more dirt oriented or more street oriented, short jaunts or long distance travel, reliability, aftermarket support, ease of obtaining parts where you plan to ride, roadside repairability, comfort, price to buy and cost to own, etc, etc. What one person thinks is critical the next can do without. OK, so what did I end up with? I'm not saying! Ok - A pair of (2004) KLR-650s. Were they the 'perfect' bikes? He!! no, I moded the crap out of them, but they are a good compromise for the type of riding we plan to do. We've been down to Batopilas, Mex and up to Prudhoe Bay, AK on them. Sometimes I wish they were lighter and sometimes I wish they had more power, and sometimes..... Ideally, I'd like even smaller bikes to play in the dirt with and even bigger bikes (than my VTX 1800 and her V-Star 1100) for our annual x-country travels, than we have now, but I already own 4 and my garage ain't gonna hold any more, so I'm happy with what I've got. If you check around and do your reserch, when you are ready to make your decision, you'll know its the right bike for you, at least............ at the moment:huh. Have fun. Todd
Hi Shawn..welcome to ADV rider. I would suggest posting in the regional forum...you will find many people in your area that would be more than happy to answer your questions as well as probably meet up for some riding!. You should also check out the Empire State Tag O Rama, or any of the other area TOR games.
Welcome Stigmatic (finally,we have our own Stig on ADV). I'll give you some advice on gear. It sounds like you really intend to travel with the bike, and probably do some camping along the way. Even if you don't camp much, this advice will serve you well for other gear. Weather you camp a little or a lot, buy quality gear. Same applies to safety gear, and stuff for your bike. Quality doesn't always mean expensive, and cheap doesn't always mean junk. Take the time to research the gear and accessories you buy, buy stuff that works well, and keeps working for a long time. Nothing sucks worse than having your tent fail in a storm, or you tire inflating device not work when you have a flat 20 miles from help. If you are really planning for extended trips consider weight when you are shopping for gear. A difference of $50 in the price of two tents can get you a tent that weighs a pound or two less. That might not sound like much, but then think about your total gear package on your bike. Spending $200 dollars more on all your gear might mean you saved 20 pounds. Speaking of wieght, read this thread, Drop the pounds ... Time to go on a diet ... I'm going through that with my G/F right now, she wanted to pack 4 changes of clothes, plus what she was wearing, plus her riding gear, for a Friday night to Sunday night trip... LESS IS MORE!!!
Hi Shawn, How long are your legs? Lots of folks go around saying that 650 dual sports are for tall guys only. I beg to differ. Short guys can handle them pretty well if they have excellent balance. One of my best motorcycle memories ever was riding up to Road American behind a couple of asian guys on R1s. These were stereotypical Japanese guys. Taller torsos, and short legs. R1 seats are pretty high. These guys had the best balance ever. Every time they had to stop, they'd swivel their hips just so they could get the tip of one toe down to the ground. I'm 5'8" tall, with a 30" inseam. I bought an '09 KLR650, and I love it. I too, came from a big road bike. (mine was a Yamaha FJR) The KLR was pretty tall at first, but the seat settled a bit, the suspension settled a bit, and my balance got even better. Now, when I come to a full stop, I just put down one tip-toe and I'm good. Or I just do a bit of a Hollywood stop and not put my feet down at all. I think if you can handle the stratoliner, you can handle a KLR. They're a lot lighter, but since they have a higher center of gravity, it will even out as far as ease of handling at low speeds. If you really think you want to tip-toe into this with a smaller bike, MAKE SURE YOU BUY USED. Otherwise, the stealership will spank you but good. You'll lose money when if you change your mind. A Yamaha XT225 would be good. They'll get to around 70, and are pretty happy to go 50. If you decide adventure riding is not for you, it will be an excellent 85 mpg commuter, around town bike, or trainer bike for your wife. The guys saying that they can comfortably cruise at 85+ on their 650 dual sports are stretching the truth. (unless they're twins, like DL650 and Versys, and those aren't real dual sports) For one thing, the speedos are all 10% optimistic, so to even be going 85, one would have to be going an indicated 93 mph. 650 singles are REALLY breathing hard to go that fast. For another thing, wind blast on a dual sport with little/no wind protection really wears one out when riding at high speed for a long time. One of the beauties of riding these bikes is that one doesn't feel the NEED to go that fast. The bike is happy at 65, and I'm happy at 65. It isn't about 500+ mile days any more. It is about having fun everywhere you go. Street riding is fun because that plush suspension sucks up potholes and cracks in the road so easily. They handle well and change diretions easily because of the steering geometry and wide handlebars. They're usually easy and cheap to work on. (at least the non-BMW singles are) The list goes on and on. Save the highway duties for your Strataliner and fill in the other stuff with a dual sport. I bought a Kawasaki KLR instead of the Suzuki DR or Honda XR because it has a nice (effective) little fairing, a much better seat, and a liquid-cooled engine. Better for the highway riding I need to do, to get to the fun places at the cost of some additional weight and off-road prowess. The reviews said the KLR will go anywhere the others will go, just not as fast, and with a bit more effort required. I don't mind that. I do spend most of my time on the road, after all. I won't trash talk the other two. Those brands are both probably a bit higher quality overall than Kawasaki. But unless you spend most of your time off road and you don't have to ride very far to get there, the KLR is the better all-around bike.
Long time pavement lover here just discovered dirt. I got an xt225 for ~2000 miles and mucho falls. Sold it for what I paid for and now am doing mucho falls on a dr650. Just did a portion of the TAT and am eyeing real dirt bikes now. I have a 28" inseam so tripoding is the only method I use.
Adventure is where you find it - even in your own back yard. Don't feel that you need to do a RTW trip to have fun or find adventure. As I am sure others will say, find a used (but in good condition) *LIGHTWEIGHT* small displacement (200 to 450) dirt oriented bike if you want to learn off-road riding, get some dirt purpose riding gear (totally different), then go riding. Lots of those bikes out there right now because of the economy. Weight is the Great Satan when riding off-road, so the lighter the better. Something less than 300 pounds, preferably less than 250 pounds. Something close to 200 pounds will make your learning much easier and faster. I suggest warming up on dirt roads and increasingly trying more difficult single track as you build up skill and stamina. Riding off-road, especially technical single track is a lot harder than riding on the road, even dirt roads are easy by comparison to technical trails. Personally, I think skipping a step and going right to the 650 class bikes would mean you would have a harder and longer time learning good off-road skills. You can always sell/trade the smaller bike if/when you get to the point where you want something larger - or you might just keep it *and* get something larger that is more of a compromise bike, like the DR650.
