Dual Sport Motorcyclists ASSEMBLE!!!

[GhostStrykre]

Alright dual sporters, so I been rolling around with a Yamaha XT250 I bought for my wife. She didn’t ride it so I did because I didn’t wanna leave the poor thing in the garage gathering dust.

My wife finally threw in the towel and told me to sell it and get something for myself. I already have a midsize ADV, so I like the idea of having a trail/BDR bike.

The Honda CRF300Ls and Kawasaki KLX300s are all the rage right now, but I’m 6 feet tall and 215 pounds. I feel like I’m ever so slightly too large for these bikes. There IS the DRZ400, but man that bike is way behind the technological advancements made in the aforementioned 300s. Just frame design and how the weight is carried is vastly improved on modern bikes.

What advice might you Ranger sages have? I figure coming here I’ll get the best mix of advice possible rather than going to Kawi/Honda/Suzuki forums.

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[GhostStrykre]

hmm, new 300s are VERY similar. just like 1 or 2 horsepower down, but up on the torque a bit. same weight and seat height.
i really was interested in the DRZ400, but for trail riding that 37 inch seat height is killer. it wears its weight up high so it wants to tip easily. fine if you're well over 6 feet tall, but i'm right at 6. if i was more skilled i'd do it, but i just ain't.
thanks for the feedback. i'm more and more confident that i'd fit a CRF300L.

 

[MountainGoat]

hmm, new 300s are VERY similar. just like 1 or 2 horsepower down, but up on the torque a bit. same weight and seat height.
i really was interested in the DRZ400, but for trail riding that 37 inch seat height is killer. it wears its weight up high so it wants to tip easily. fine if you're well over 6 feet tall, but i'm right at 6. if i was more skilled i'd do it, but i just ain't.
thanks for the feedback. i'm more and more confident that i'd fit a CRF300L.

Yeah I heard the DRZ was top heavy. Maybe I will look into those 300s too.

 

[GhostStrykre]

Yep it’s a tough call. The DRZ has power and speed, but only a 5 speed transmission. So you gear it for the trail or the highway. Not both. The 300s are not fast, but they’re geared so well with their 6 speed transmission. The main alternatives are Husqvarna and KTM that cost twice as much.
I will say that the Honda CRF300L has wonderful aftermarket support while the KLX300 has oddly been left out in the cold. If that matters. I think it does and it’s pushing me further towards Honda.

 

[MountainGoat]

Yep it’s a tough call. The DRZ has power and speed, but only a 5 speed transmission. So you gear it for the trail or the highway. Not both. The 300s are not fast, but they’re geared so well with their 6 speed transmission. The main alternatives are Husqvarna and KTM that cost twice as much.
I will say that the Honda CRF300L has wonderful aftermarket support while the KLX300 has oddly been left out in the cold. If that matters. I think it does and it’s pushing me further towards Honda.

The KLX was around when I had my WR250X and it was pretty much shunned by the sumo crowd. Like it didn't have the power the WR had. I think it was a 250 then.

I had a Husky SM450R. Awesome bike but it was a track bike. I mean it was street legal somehow but I tracked it mostly, eventually took the lights off and got the WR so I could ride more on the street. And yeah I wouldn't mind getting a KTM690 but they were always hard to find and expensive as hell if you did (The sumo one...wasn't interesting in that Duke version). They actually were too much for tight sumo courses as the few that showed up ran slower times than the 450s. No doubt perfect for the street though.

 

[MountainGoat]

The CRF300L apparently has a slipper clutch too. That alone puts it leaps above the KLX. My Husky didn't even have one and I paid something like $1200 to add it. Slipper clutch is funtime for ripping on pavement.

 

[GhostStrykre]

It’s kind of an odd thing because the CRF300L having a weak clutch it’s one of its perceived cons. Or so says the media and thus many of the forum analysts lol.

Itchy Boots rode from the southern tip of South America to Alaska, and then got well into her trip through Africa before that clutch finally burned out. I’d say that’s well beyond my standard of reliability for a clutch.

I’ve decided to hang on to my XT250 for a bit while I pursue dual sporting. Gonna find out if I like trails or BDRs more, then get the bike I want for the job. The XT250 is a fun bike to ride around anyway!

 

[Trigganometry]

Good friend of mine has a KTM 350 EXC-F. I love that bike. It’s really tunable for the rider and what you want to do with it. I think he picked up his for like 8K

 

[GhostStrykre]

Oooh yeah that’s a spicy momma of a bike. If I really get into trails and dual sporting, that’s one I’d strongly consider. $8k is a lovely price for it too. I think they’re like $12k new. I think the maintenance intervals on it are kinda poopy tho.
If I end up liking more BDR work, I’m gonna consider the Husqvarna 701 Enduro.

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