Latest blog post on Spirit Strike. Check it out! http://www.spiritstrike.com/blog/2013/12/12/dual-sport-the-unexpected-passion
I went the other direction. Started on dirt in 3rd grade, then got a honda 200 reflex street legal trials bike at 16. Kept riding almost exclusively dirt until more recently. Never owned an actual street bike, figured the only way to have fun on tarmac involved a lot of tickets and a good chance of getting killed. Psycho
Ha! That's the truth. I have managed to keep the number of "performance awards" low on the street, but the potential is HUGE! :) Ironically, I have been hurt more offroad than on.
Same here. I had 7 street bikes before I got a Klr. The first time I got off road with the Klr I couldn't stop laughing. I haven't looked back. Tarmac is nice for cars, but for motorcycling, roads are just the things I have to take to get to trails.
Oddly enough, I have been hurt more times offroad than on road. Albeit, offroad speeds are not typically lethal speeds. The cool thing is you don't have to give up street riding on a dual sport. You get to do both! Our dual sport street riding is still pretty "spirited" even with knobs.
Great article. I really want to get into dual sporting but need to sell my '12 Wee so I can get a small beater dual sport bike. There is an awesome looking DR350se near me in the flea market but I can't do anything until my Wee sells. At 5'6" 160lb I need a much smaller bike to get on the gravel and dirt. I don't see how people trail ride the big Adventure bikes like I see pictures of. Thinking back to riding dirt bikes as a kid I never once thought "this thing is too big and heavy to be in the woods like this." We just rode the crap out of the bikes and crashed here and there and it wasn't a big deal. I want that experience again.
You guys need to try a dedicated road course and a properly sorted track/racebike. That said, i have a ton fun with my XR as well and my GS tractor. I think all have their places they shine.
Great article. I started on street as well, on a SV650, and was all into the fast knee dragging stuff on the mountain twisty roads for a while. I sold that bike, and got out of street riding all together, mainly because my other passion (auto restoration) was taking up a lot of discretionary cash. Later on, I went completely the other direction and bought an RMZ 250 to trail ride on with my wife and friends. The magic combination of street and trail riding on one bike really tugged at me for a long time, though, so I gave in and bought the KLX. I can honestly say this is the best kind of riding I have ever done. I'm glad to read about others that have basically the exact same thoughts.
Started out in the 70s on a Honda 360 twin street bike and over the years moved up to a 550k, 600 and then 5 Goldwings. I started to feel the weight of the big touring bike last year and switched out to a 650 Strom. Moved to Vancouver Island a few years ago and noticed all the Dual Sports. Decided to try this dirt thing starting with a TW200. I was hooked in short order riding around the mountains. I now have a CRF250L and am loving it. Trying to get the wife into it now. If she takes it up this spring, I will probably sell the Strom and get another CRF250L or a WR250. The older I get, the more I am preferring the slower riding on the FSRs and trails and not having to worry about the semi on my rear. This dirt riding stuff sure gives an old guy a work out as well. Hope to try some bike camping this coming summer. Loving it.
I have been thinking about adding a much smaller light weight dual sport bike to the stable. How do you like that KLX on the trails? Does it do well on the street too?
Funny you mention moto-camping. I never had the desire to do that until the KLR Owners group started up a rally to ride the COBDR and now I really want to try it out. The more I think about it, the more appealing it seems to be.
you wouldn't be disappointed in the DR350SEX, in any way my '99 has provided me w/ MANY hours/days of GRINNNNNNS! the world of DS was written around those anvil simple/durable machines i have had some of most every style/type and the DR aint going away i am, now, playing w/ a 2wd Ural on back roads and scenic 2-lanes it pushes the DR in the FUN category and she doesn't slip/fall down in slimy water crossings minimalistic camping off the DR is quite doable you can haul the kitchen sink in the hack keeping my options OPEN, butt... DS will remain in my vocabulary for a long tyme may you, all, have many days full of grinnnnns sw
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