This question is more for the motorbike inclined and knowledgeable on this forum.Looking at getting a bike for both on and off road. Something I can preferably ride on the road/highway to the track. I'm currently set on the DRZ 400E. The needs are:
Cheers for the help guys, as it stands I think the DRZ has got all that I want but just making sure there's no obviously better option.
New or used doesn't matter as long as it's fine and within budget.
Good suggestion will look at something like that, will mostly be fire trail sort of stuff with the occasional narrow track, nothing extreme tho
If it's mostly fire trail stuff you might be better off going with the KLR650/DR650, the improvement in road use would likely be preferred especially if you're talking about decent highway distance.
The DRZ400 5 speed gearbox I hear is a pain in the back side for road riding stints. While a good bike, I hear it really only shines in the off-road setting and is pretty crappy on road. Even with a gearing sprocket change you end up with slightly better on road and then crappy off-road.
Have you considered the WR250R
Soon to be released CRF300L or L Rally
Discontinued CRF250L
Discontinued Kawasaki KLX250
Soon to be released KLX300
DR650 - very reliable
KTM 690 - very unreliable
I myself have settled on the CRF300 rally but I won’t buy until I know I can test ride it. My reasoning is that I will be doing 70 road and 30 off-road. Plus I plan to do long distance camping trips and being in Australia highway driving is unavoidable.
Thanks for all that mate, so you think the WR250R and CRF300 would be better suited for highways? I'm on the fence now between the WR250R and DR650
In all honesty I have been in the market to buy for about a year, I have been saving my pennies and with a family and mortgage I can only save really slowly. So I have been doing a bucket load of research over the last 6-9 months and I have watched reviews galore. I have desktop researched the hell out of all of these options.
It depends on what you will be using the bike for.
I will be using it to ride down the highway to riding destinations that are 4-8 hours from home - for example Sydney to the Snowy Mountains etc. At the destination I’ll be doing days and days of dirt riding, fire trails, single track etc. then riding home.
Hence I wanted a lightweight bike that is easy to manage and pickup if I fall over in the dirt but also has nice highway manners. So my preference would be the WR250 over the DR650 as the DR is too heavy.
But it depends on what you are riding as the DR by all accounts has a cult following and is VERY popular.
steer clear of 250s if your talking highway klms ….
Great question;
I've always wanted to get a dual sport too, but always seem to end up with a road bike (because tbh, that would always be 99% of my riding). If you genuinely think you'll use it enough for both and are happy with potentially terrible tyre trade offs, then:
Kawasaki klr 650. Known for being the poor man's Bmw dual sport - cheap, around the world travelling. Fairly bullet proof, been in production longer than neighbours, and a little more off road orientated. A touch heavy for technical off road riding, but enough torque for good road riding.
Suzuki dl650/v-strom. These genuinely last forever… read the forums and you'll find 250,000kms+ examples that just get basic servicing. Perfect for the road, and comfortable enough to ride all day. Too heavy to take down an off road bush track, but excellent on gravel and dirt road touring.
Fwiw, small capacity dual sports are better off road, but my personal preference is to have enough power to safely overtake on the road - which IMO they do not.
Just for an alternative set of bikes other than what has already been mentioned that might be worth a look…
CFMoto 650MT (Will get a brand new one for $7k-ish)
Benelli Leoncino Trail (Used will be around $5-$7k)
Benelli TRK 502 or 502X (Used around $5-$8k)
I’ve ridden all of these and they are pretty good for the money you pay for them.
If you want high end grunt, you need something bigger than a 400. I would be looking at 650 or larger, especially for cruising on the highway.
And when you say “track” do you mean to race it on the day? Like motorcross track? Or do you mean to somewhere you can take it for a ride through some trails?
How did you find them reliability wise? Sorry I should have clarified track as in trails haha
Never owned one long enough to be able to give a definitive conclusion, but I have friends that own them (the ones I have ridden) and they seem quite happy with them.
I am pretty impressed with the CFMoto and the give me that whole Hyundai quality vibe. They are good value for money from what I have seen. They get pretty good reviews and are cheap to buy parts for…
I only threw them out there because you can get a brand new one for about the price of a 10yo used DR650.
New or used?
Go test ride the DRZ/KLX400. They dont have a huge top end, but not much in that class will.
If you intend to do more onroad, maybe look at something like the DR650. Much better for road, and not bad offroad, but - define offroad too. fire trails? or?
everything is a compromise