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I am looking to change things up. Currently, my trusty two wheeler is a 96 sportster that is heavily modded to be pseudo dirt track style with lots of grunt. I am craving modern technology, and I have a bit of a desire to get back on the dirt.
My last three plated dirt machines were a DRZ-400s with an SM wheelset, a Yamaha YZ-400, and a Yamaha WR-400. All had their upsides and their down sides. I believe I did the Cal Poly Penguin ride on each of them and they all performed well. I mention the Penguin ride because that is the type of ride I am setting the dirt standard on. I won't be hitting the super cross track, and likely won't be doing any super tight or gnarly dirt trails. In fact I probably will avoid the hard lines at the next dual sport ride. But I digress...
My riding consists of 90% street riding within a 50 mile radius of home. While this is important context, I recognize that for the majority of the riding I do, ANY bike would suffice. It is the 10% that I am concerned about, and they split up in to two moderately opposing directions: dirt fun and the 3-4 hour ride to attend events up north. In reality, we are talking about 2 dirt events per year and 2 long distance (not really that long) rides per year.
I have done SLO to SC (the long and fun way) on the DRZ and I have done SF and back (in one day) on the Sportster, and to be perfectly honest, I don't think one offered anything better than the other when it comes to highway cruising speeds. I felt the DRZ was being stressed, but I was scared the Sportster wasn't even going to make it back (it was bleeding oil pretty bad). I don't think I would have wanted to do either of these rides on the YZ or WR, though the WR was probably geared better for it than the DRZ.
So what am I thinking? I am looking at options like the Husqvarna 610/630 (both TE and SM versions are on my short list), LC4 based KTMs...and that's where I am falling a little short. What else is out there? I know there are Honda 650 and Suzuki 650 options, but they don't reach out and grab me.
I must have e-start. I want suspension that can handle dirt roads, single track, light trail type riding. It needs to be light enough for me to not feel overwhelmed. The 300 lb +/- weight of the DRZ wasn't horrible. I would sacrifice some weight for some highway manners. It needs to have a key and speedo. And I would really like there to be an adventure based aftermarket so I can add a wind screen for longer rides or racks/bags for camping trips.
What input do you all have? What have you seen?
My last three plated dirt machines were a DRZ-400s with an SM wheelset, a Yamaha YZ-400, and a Yamaha WR-400. All had their upsides and their down sides. I believe I did the Cal Poly Penguin ride on each of them and they all performed well. I mention the Penguin ride because that is the type of ride I am setting the dirt standard on. I won't be hitting the super cross track, and likely won't be doing any super tight or gnarly dirt trails. In fact I probably will avoid the hard lines at the next dual sport ride. But I digress...
My riding consists of 90% street riding within a 50 mile radius of home. While this is important context, I recognize that for the majority of the riding I do, ANY bike would suffice. It is the 10% that I am concerned about, and they split up in to two moderately opposing directions: dirt fun and the 3-4 hour ride to attend events up north. In reality, we are talking about 2 dirt events per year and 2 long distance (not really that long) rides per year.
I have done SLO to SC (the long and fun way) on the DRZ and I have done SF and back (in one day) on the Sportster, and to be perfectly honest, I don't think one offered anything better than the other when it comes to highway cruising speeds. I felt the DRZ was being stressed, but I was scared the Sportster wasn't even going to make it back (it was bleeding oil pretty bad). I don't think I would have wanted to do either of these rides on the YZ or WR, though the WR was probably geared better for it than the DRZ.
So what am I thinking? I am looking at options like the Husqvarna 610/630 (both TE and SM versions are on my short list), LC4 based KTMs...and that's where I am falling a little short. What else is out there? I know there are Honda 650 and Suzuki 650 options, but they don't reach out and grab me.
I must have e-start. I want suspension that can handle dirt roads, single track, light trail type riding. It needs to be light enough for me to not feel overwhelmed. The 300 lb +/- weight of the DRZ wasn't horrible. I would sacrifice some weight for some highway manners. It needs to have a key and speedo. And I would really like there to be an adventure based aftermarket so I can add a wind screen for longer rides or racks/bags for camping trips.
What input do you all have? What have you seen?
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