Any motorcycle riders?

[riverfever]

I'm now working about a half mile from home and the majority of fishing I do is about 20 minutes away. We have excellent Forest Roads and a nice network of trails by the house. With gas prices the way they are, I thought it would be cool to get an enduro type bike. I know nothing about bikes. I like the look of the KTM EXC (probably looking at a bike in the 400cc range). I know the Suzuki DRZ is another option as well as the Honda XR. For some reason, I just don't like the looks of these 2 against the KTM. The KTM looks like it borrows a lot from the SX models. Can anyone offer advice? Also, how hard is it to get a CO license for these? I did consider converting a Honda CRF or YZ with a street kit but I'm not sure if that's the way to go. This will be my first bike but I just don't dig a lot of the dual sports like the Kawa KLX. Thanks.

-Chris

 

[Muddy_XJ]

I raced a KTM for two years, they are great bikes.

 

[dyna]

Ive been riding for 30+ years. Think of a dual sport as the worst of both worlds. Not a good street bike and not a full dirt bike. what your gonna do with it will dictate what youll need. Personally it sounds like a xR 400 or DZ 400 would fit the bill. If its your first I would stay away from the 650`s. KTM`s are great bikes but from what Ive seen these days parts are real pricy and slow to get. Look at the new adventure 950`s, seems they cant give em away. The oil change procedure is a real PITA. Either XR or DR are eaisly avaliable and parts are abundant to mod to your needs. Personally I dont like the KLR`s one bit, however youll find some that swear by em.

 

[xjcrawlr]

I'm on the verge of buying a 1998 Triumph Tiger. Basicly its a speed triple with long legs.

Think of a dual sport as the worst of both worlds.

How so? The BMW 1150GS is considered one of the best bikes made. The Tiger is based on a proven engine taken from the Speed Triple/Daytona bikes, then given a touring style chassis with slightly longer travel. Yes, of course, its not as fast as a street bike, nor is it as good offroad as a dirt bike. They (the BMW, Tiger, KTM 950) are all upright, touring style bikes that can also be taken offroad.

To put it in Jeep terms, think of it like this.....you can build it to go fast (jeepspeed), or you can build it to slow (rock crawling). You can NOT build it to do both WELL. Its all about compromise.

 

[woody]

Last winter I looked into a KTM RFS (racing four stroke) and one bummer is that they have a 60 hour valve adjustment interval... not bad for a race bike or hardcore trail-rider, but a bit of PIA for my use (mostly street-use commuter bike)

Generally speaking, KTMs are first class machines, built with top-shelf components... unlike their japanese counterparts that usually require upgrades to be competitive.

 

[dyna]

I meant no disrespect calling them the "worst of both worlds" your right on the money with your jeep build analysis. I myself have a 97 Triumph tiger that I opted for in place of the Elefant. My riding partner has a 04 BMW GS adventurer. Both are great bikes. If I was to buy new I would most likely go with the BMW myself. Triumph parts and support are not as strong here, and honestly the having a "bastard child" bike is getting old. I love my Tiger, its a little buzzy at 70, a better offroad ride than the BMW, no complaints on the road, pulls like a tractor when I need it to. The BMW is a little pricy and wide specially with the guards on. Ever try to push one thru a rocky section? I still have bruises on my shins from slamming the heads on a trip thru Gohler wash/Barker ranch in DV.(yeah I know, push it?) Like stated it all depends on what your gonna use it for.

 

[RTicUL8]

I once hit a bump and had the Jeep on two wheels for a couple of seconds - does that count?:thumbup:

 

[riverfever]

I once hit a bump and had the Jeep on two wheels for a couple of seconds - does that count?:thumbup:

you sir are out of control:wierd:

Anyone heard of a VOR? Found one on cycletrader that looks sweet.

 

[snacob14]

vor are not super well known and again are going to be high on parts and slow and hard to find local. drz is a great bike. definitely a more high performance fourstroke than the xr400. the xr is definitely a tractor when it comes to 4 stroke technology and the drz is getting closer to great performance. i would go with the zuk and i'm a honda guy if that tells you anything. i raced harescrambles for 5 years and ran a two stroke but many guys were edoing great on those drz's. definitely a good offroad bike and could be made streetable with little effert.

heck just go buy a honda 450f and put some street tires on it, that should supply some real fun then you could race supermoto.

 

[ILLXJ]

Anyone heard of a VOR? Found one on cycletrader that looks sweet.

My brother has one. Been trying to get rid of it for over a year. Nothing but problems. JIM.

 

[2offroad]

The Honda or Suzuki will run for ever, I just sold my '92 XR650L this summer it was buzzy on the road and heavy it the woods, but no trailer. I think the Suzuki "DL400" would be a good choice or DL400SM, dirt bike with street tires. Only I would go to jail if I had one of them.

 

[riverfever]

There is a nice 2004 CRF 450 for sale in town here but I wasn't sure if I could make it street legal.

 

[riverfever]

I just spoke with the kid that owns the 450CRF. He wants 3900 for it but said he will come down. Apparently it's not all that hard to get something street legal here. He said I'd have to put on a headlight and tail light. He also mentioned possibly having to re-gear if I wanted to take it on longer sections of road to get to the river spots that I fish the most. Any thoughts on this? I think the gas tank is about 2.5 gallons.

 

[dyna]

Do some serious investigating on the dual sport conversions. Here in calif they all but banned it. I dont even know whats legal now. Street legal XR650`s are like gold now. There are several kits avalabile to do a conversion. Baja designs is one, do a search on it. the kits are about $400 or so. Check your state regs first.

 

[riverfever]

Yeah...now I'm thinking that maybe I should just be patient and wait to find a KTM that's got the kit on it already. I'll research the Baja kit though...thanks.

 

[caxj]

I have the DRZ400 dirtbike and love it. Hasn't let me down yet. The KTM's are great bikes also but will require more maintenance. I ride with a guy that has the KTM and it seems like something is always breaking or falling off. On the plus side the parts for the KTM seem to cost less than the for the DRZ. For the type of riding it looks like you are doing, you can buy a nicely built DRZ for quite a bit less than the KTM and spend some of the savings on ugrades. You would not regret it.

Also used to have the XR400 which is a reliable bike and would be a good choice for a dual sport conversion, but as has been said, is pretty old technolgy.

 

[Moto]

Get a DRZ, it is what I ride. Get the DRZ-S and it is already street legal , or look around and find a cheap used KLX400SR which is just a Green drz. They are already legal to ride on the road, and with some tires and suspension tuning they make a pretty good dirtbike that you can still take down the road. Parts and bikes are CHEAP especially when compared to KTM. The only downside to the DRZ is that it isn't really at home going down the highway, but it can do it but it is very buzzy at 70mph. If you want more of an adventure bike for smooth fire roads and highway trips then something like an adventure bike such as the Triumph, BMW GS, Aprillia Capo are much better suited for that tast. The XR650 is a decent bike but it outdated, it is still air cooled and if I remember right, the cam rides on aluminum in the head with no bearing or bushing of anykind which has been known to cause some problems especially if the oil is not maintained very well. Same deal with the CRF Lots of stories of valve issues with them and the KTM's they need constant adjustment but are really nice machines, but they require more stringent maintenece, just something to think about. Buty in my opinion if you want a low maintn bike for cheap $ that can be flogged on and off the trail you can't go wrong with a DRZ400

VOR is pretty much non existant anymore, the company is in very serious financial trouble and the last I heard they were taking a break from doing anything if they hadn't already gone comepletely out of bussiness. So parts for those exotics are only going to get more scarce and more expensive.

 

[riverfever]

Well, I found a 2001 XR 250 in Colorado Springs this weekend. It looked to be in really nice shape. It's a bit smaller than what I was looking for originally but after riding it, I thought it would be a good bike for me to learn on. The guy was super nice and offered to drive it to my house after he learned I didn't have a way to get it home. He even knocked 100 bones off the price cuz I'm a teacher and he said he knew I didn't make any money. I think I did OK. Here's a few pics in the driveway b/c I don't have a helmet yet.

One of the motor:

And one of a very happy me:

Thanks for helping me sort through some of my questions. I can't wait to explore some of trails around here.

-Chris

 

[Muddy_XJ]

Make sure you get some good boots along with that helmet. Couldn't tell you how many times those have saved my ankles and shins...