Thinking of getting in to Adventure Riding... - North of Dallas

First time poster here...

I've been riding and racing dirt bikes my whole life basically. I'm not great but a solid B rider depending on physical fitness levels.

I have never once ridden a street bike or even a motorcycle on the street (with maybe the exception of the Caney Creek Enduro which had some long sections on the road). I've always been a little bit interested in it but I'm scared of cars and drivers. So that's kept me away thus far. I have two little kids so safety is definitely important to me.

All that being said, I've gotten the bug for an adventure bike. I'm an enduro guy at heart so I'm oriented towards something that would work on trails too but I feel like I would dig dual sport riding. I could definitely see making some trips to Terlingua, Arkansas, Colorado, etc for dual sport rides. Something is really appealing to me about that idea. I would also love to do something bigger too - a family friend did the Great Divide mountain bike ride last year and all I could think about was how much fun that would be on a dual sport bike... I mean mountain bikes are fun and all but motorcycles are way cooler IMO.

With that bit of background, the heart of my question and reason for my post is this: is there enough to ride near me to justify the cost of getting in to an adventure bike? I'm in the process of moving to Celina, so I'll be pretty far north of town and basically in the country already. I don't see myself being able to take longer trips more than 2 or maybe 3 times a year... and it seems hard to justify a $10k toy that sits in the garage most of the time. Is there enough out north of me that I could go out and stay off of the main highways (like 75) for a 2-3 hour afternoon ride on the weekend occasionally? Or is that a crazy thought?

Open to any thoughts!

You should have gone ahead and asked if you should use regular or synthetic oil in your bike

You will get all kinds of opinions here. The number one consideration should be how YOU plan to use the bike. Bear in mind that there is no single "do it all" bike. The "adventure" riding spectrum ranges from almost extreme enduro to loafing down interstates. So any bike you get will only really be good in one part of the spectrum while suffering in other parts.

Some folks have full on dirt bikes that are plated just so they can ride street between two sections of trail. Right now, the KTM 500 EXC and 690 Enduro are popular toward the more dirt end of the spectrum while still be able to do street reasonably well. Bikes like the 800 GS, KLR 650, Vstrom 650, Tiger 800, and other similar bikes sit mostly in the middle. They can do some dirt okay and are pretty good on pavement. Of course, there are the BIG adventure bikes like the BMW 1200 GSs, KTM 1190/1290, Honda Africa Twin, Yamaha Tenere 1200, etc,... They lean hard toward the more street biased part of the spectrum. Rider skill is a BIG issue with how dirt worthy ANY of these bikes can be. So be wary of the guy with the 1200 GSA that claims to ride single track trails on the bike

If you plan to do extended trips, then you need a bike that can carry luggage, especially if you plan to camp. That will tend to put you more toward the middle and street end of the spectrum. I camp off my 530 EXC sometimes. Packing space is a REAL premium on that bike compared to my 1200 GS. I will run pavement on the 530, but I would not set out for Alaska on it. That would be for the GS. I would not even ride the 530 to New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, or Arkansas. I'd trailer it there, then ride around while there, even if on the pavement. So, like I mentioned, what YOU plan to do with the bike is the single most important factor to consider.

Oh, welcome to the site!

I'm in Mesquite and we ride in the country all the time BUT we do it in 5 or 6 hours, not 2 or 3. That gives us time to load a trailer and spend an hour getting to a parking spot and 4 hours to ride the area.

I ride an Sl350 (old dual sport) or a CT90 depending on the ride plan. My buddy rick rides a DRZ400.

Most important is that we do it during the week and never get caught in traffic. We have parked at LBJ Grasslands to the west, Anna to the north, Suphur Springs to the east and Corsicana to the south. All have great small dirt and gravel roads.

Lots of great asphalt out of Celina. FM455 goes right through your front door. 697 up near Sherman is a hoot. You could SuMo a KTM or DRZ and hit the asphalt one weekend, then switch back to knobbies and go to RedRiver Motorcycle Trails the next. That's sorta what I do. Certainly more asphalt than dirt in North Texas, and more asphalt being laid every minute. Eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas are not that far away. Lots more dual sporting up there.

Howdy, neighbor(ish)! Adventure riding is whatever you want it to be. I've been beating the living daylights out of TW200 for years, going faster than he ought to and farther, too. I'm also a one-butt-one-bike type so I prefer a Swiss Army knife motorcycle than having multiple critters that need insurance and maintenance and love and care. (I'm lazy)

Maybe it's better to start finding your adventures and then deciding what bike you want to do them. You can get anywhere on a Tdub. Just not as fast as folks on GSAs. That's never bothered me

Whatever you decide, have fun! Maybe we'll ride some day. You're in a great community here with really fine folks. Except for that one guy...

I'm in the same boat here in DFW. I settled on a DRZ for me. I figure, it's not a little bike, can still get around, but isn't a big huge ADV bike either. I don't want to not go somewhere because the bike isn't suited for it. The DRZ kind of checked all those boxes. I also will load up the DRZ into the truck if heading across Texas to better riding areas. I've been across Texas a few times on bikes and cars and it's a been there done that kind of thing.

The best part of picking the DRZ though was resale. If it sits in the garage and doesn't get ridden they are easy to sell and if you pick one up for cheap you can easily sell it for cheap. This all also applies if you figure out what you want and it's not the DRZ, you can get out easily and into what you want. Wanna go full KTM 500? 690? BMW GS? The DRZ is easy to get out from under it and get what you want. Not so easy starting on other platforms.

Plus they are pretty reliable and lots of goodies out there for them. So, all that is why I chose that, but we'll see what I'm riding in a few years after I get more experience.

I really recommend buying used. No point eating that depreciation on bikes you might not want to keep after you've had them a while and end up thinking you want something different. The DRZ400 is a good choice. So is a KLR 650. They are not full on dirt bikes like you might be used to riding. They will be heavier. But, you can find used ones already decked out with accessories for great prices. As GixxerJasen mentions, you can often sell them for close to what you paid for them so long as you don't tear them up. Given your dirt background, you would probably like a 690 Enduro, but they aren't cheap if you get them new. There have been a few really nice ones listed in the for sale section here lately at great prices. You might also consider whether or not you think you will ever be riding two up. If so, then you will want to be looking for bikes on the more street oriented end of the spectrum, like a V-Strom 650 or any of the 800 range bikes.

I think all these posts nailed it, just from different perspectives. Tourmeister is exactly right; adventure riding is a spectrum and to get the perfect bike, you'll have to understand your place on the spectrum. That will probably take some trial and error. For me, it's 800 miles of riding to Colorado, followed by a lot of paved twisties, and with a few miles of camp roads and forest roads thrown in. For some, it's flipped pretty much the other way.

I totally agree with buying used; in fact, I've never bought a new bike. But if you're moving into a new discipline, that's particularly important. No sense getting saddled with a payment only to decide that a GS1200 is too heavy, a VStrom 650 is too pavement oriented, or a DR400 is underpowered for long stretches of pavement.

Given your background, I'd think it makes sense to buy a bike that leans more toward the dirt end of the spectrum. Any D/S bike will get you down a stretch of pavement connecting two goat paths, if goat paths will be your preference. If you find you want to spend more time touring with the dirt road being the side trip at your destination, you'll end up wanting something more road oriented. Like Jason mentioned, it should be easy to sell or trade what you have.

Appears as if "One Post Loonatic" lit the discussion fuse....and ran

tricepilot said:

Appears as if "One Post Loonatic" lit the discussion fuse....and ran

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That's OK because I'm wrestling with the same question only from the street touring side. After riding my Goldwing to Utah in September and Big Bend, I kept looking at the guys on the DS bikes riding the gravel roads that my big girl can't run and wonder what are those guys seeing? Love the wing but at my age(67) I'm getting kinda tired of fighting that heavy bike around gravel parking lots. But then I roll out on the asphalt and all that goes away. Decisions, decisions

Since you're accustomed to light dirt bikes I'd start with a lighter D/S bike. Picking them up when you drop them isn't nearly as difficult and as expensive as the big bikes. You can also easily throw them on a bumper hitch or back of a truck to get them to the fun areas.


I'll echo the others thoughts on buying used and cheap to start with. You perspective of what you think you'll like today and what you really like in a year could change dramatically. By then you'll have a much better idea of what suits you and what doesn't. I know I went through a lot of bikes in a relatively short time to settle on where I am today. Thank goodness I bought and sold right and didn't take a bath doing it.

xcaliber said:

That's OK because I'm wrestling with the same question only from the street touring side. After riding my Goldwing to Utah in September and Big Bend, I kept looking at the guys on the DS bikes riding the gravel roads that my big girl can't run and wonder what are those guys seeing? Love the wing but at my age(67) I'm getting kinda tired of fighting that heavy bike around gravel parking lots. But then I roll out on the asphalt and all that goes away. Decisions, decisions

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I’m a few years younger than you, but had an 1800 goldwing for the last 10 years. Just sold it and bought a Yamaha 1200 Super Tenere and am loving it, not as smooth as the wing, but so much lighter, it allows me to ride on gravel with a lot more ease and having 6 gears is so nice for highway touring!! Not missing the wing at all, but it’s only been 6 weeks so time will tell, but so far I am loving the new ride and the extra confidence it gives me when the road surface gets a bit loose.. with a Sena intercom, and GPS I have music and most of the gadgets that the wing has, just missing a CB, which I never used anyway..

Best of luck, whatever you decide to do.

Gary

xcaliber said:

That's OK because I'm wrestling with the same question only from the street touring side. After riding my Goldwing to Utah in September and Big Bend, I kept looking at the guys on the DS bikes riding the gravel roads that my big girl can't run and wonder what are those guys seeing? Love the wing but at my age(67) I'm getting kinda tired of fighting that heavy bike around gravel parking lots. But then I roll out on the asphalt and all that goes away. Decisions, decisions

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IIWMIYS: (That's fancy Millennial Internet Talk for If I Were In Your Shoes)

I'd probably go for an around 2008 KLR 650 at the $3K price point or less that's been modded out for off road, and start there.

But even before that I'd probably go for a WR250 with some mods

I don't know much about your desires/wants/needs but I'll tell you in advance what little I do know about them boils your search down to three factors:

(1) Weight

(2) Weight

(3) Weight

Just gonna drop this for you right here:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spAq8JuXVUY"]SUZUKI DR650 - THE WORLD'S BEST BIKE - YouTube[/ame]

tricepilot said:

I don't know much about your desires/wants/needs but I'll tell you in advance what little I do know about them boils your search down to three factors:

(1) Weight

(2) Weight

(3) Weight

Click to expand...

Totally true!

I started my DS riding coming off of bikes like the VFR 800 after almost 100K miles of riding them. I went straight to a BMW R1150GS. It was an awesome street bike, but in my inexperienced hands, it was not so great as a dual sport. Don't get me wrong, I had a LOT of fun on it, but I was REALLY wearing myself out fighting its weight when the going got even remotely rough. The fatigue from this often caused me to get sloppy and to make mistakes, hurting me and the bike.

After 40K miles, I sold the BMW and got an 02 KLR 650. It seemed like a 10 speed pedal bike in comparison weight wise. It was a so so street bike compared to the BMW. Still, I put about 17K miles on it and had a blast doing more adventurous adventure riding. But again, I was trying to do riding where the weight was a BIG factor and it was wearing me out, causing me to get sloppy, make mistakes, and fall down.

I wasn't really looking... but a riding buddy mentioned a friend of his had a KTM for sale. My last big trip to Colorado on the KLR was with a group that had a lot of KTMs in the mix. They were making stuff look real easy while I was killing myself trying to ride the same stuff. So I kind of already had KTM on the brain when my buddy mentioned his friend... He thought it was a 450 EXC, but it turned out it was a 530 EXC. After some research I decided to go for it.

The weight difference between the KTM and even the KLR was crazy. The whole time I was riding it on my first trip, I could not stop thinking how much easier the bike was to ride than the KLR or the BMW. The suspension was light years better than that of the KLR. The same is true for the brakes and motor. But that light weight comes with a price. The BMW and KLR could be packed like mules. The KTM doesn't really have the rear subframe to handle lots of luggage.

On some trips, we trailer to our destination, stay in one place for a week, and do day loops out and back. We often take our small bikes and our big bikes. I still have the 530, but I also now have a 1200 GS. This lets us explore the great twisty pavement in an area on the bigger street bikes while still getting to play on the dirty stuff. We generally alternate days, doing three dirty days and three easier days (although these still usually involve dirt, but just not as technical).

Where the weight is located on the bike is also critical. Tail bags that are stuffed and sitting high on the bike, as well as stuffed tank bags, really have a negative impact on the handling of a bike once you get off the pavement. It's not that they aren't noticeable on the pavement as well, but it is less of an issue. Keeping the weight low, like in side saddle bags, makes a huge difference. Weight in a backpack is still high, but it does not affect the bike as much as a tail or tank bag since your body can move independent of the bike.

Weight up high on the 1150 GS, DS tires instead of knobbies, and mud... not a good combination


I had to get my right leg out from under the bike here... That thing was HEAVY!!


But, it was capable of getting me to some incredible places!




How NOT to pack your KLR 650... All that weight up high made for miserable riding in the rough stuff...


Rough stuff... deep pea gravel and huge embedded rocks


Getting rid of the top bag and adding these side bags made a HUGE difference!


But it is still an issue when riding stuff like this




My 530 loaded out for technical day riding at Big Bend Ranch & State Park




The tank bag is very lightly loaded: camera, wallet, other misc small stuff. The side bags have tools, spare tubes, and a sweat shirt. Capacity was pretty much maxed out for this setup. However, it handled fantastic!!

Here's the setup for a week of camping off the bike in the mountains of Montana




and in Arizona (same place as those rough pics for the KLR)


The top bag looks heavy, but it has a sleeping bag, small tent, and some shoes in it. Bulky but not heavy. The side bags are 15 liters each and have tools, spare tubes, chair, stove, and food. The tank back is light with misc stuff in it again. I was also wearing a 20 liter backpack with 3 liters of water, more food, and a few extra bits of clothing.

Some of what we were riding in Montana, not fun on big bikes!








The three man tent, chair, and misc gear hauled on that trip


and in Arizona,












And a bit from the Moab, Utah area.










The bike did well with that amount of weight, even with a full 6.6 gallon tank. However, losing that top bag, even with just "lightweight" stuff in it, makes a big difference! Each of those trips had a few sections of longish pavement. The 530 handles them fine, but it is definitely not as comfy as my 1200 GS would be. But there is NO way I would try to get my GS through much of that rough stuff!

My 05 BMW R1200 GS setup for day rides, not a lot of weight in that case, mostly gloves and tools.








This was DEEP silt that ran for maybe 10 miles... It was a white knuckle affair and I was REALLY wishing I had TKC 80s on the bike at the time instead of the K60s!


My 07 BMW R1200 GS in Utah, riding two up with my daughter and doing a LOT of dirt roads in the mountains as well as superb twisty paved roads - We did NOT camp.




All three bags were loaded to the max. Rear shock preload was maxed out. Damping was cranked up pretty good on front and rear. Most of the stuff we rode was forest roads on which you could drive most any truck. Some of the roads were pretty technical and rough, so I just had to go slow and be careful about picking my lines. We did get into some mud on one day, and that is where the weight of the bike REALLY started to be an issue!! We did a good bit of sand and some pretty deep gravel. That was a challenge, but we managed without any problems.

That is pretty much the full spectrum except for the extreme edge of the dirt end. The KTM CAN do miles of highway, but it isn't a lot of fun. Extended running at 75mph causes it to use a bit of oil. However, in the rough stuff it is FAR more capable than the KLR or the big GSs. I would say something like the KTM 690 Enduro sits in the middle and covers more of each end than does the KLR. But, that comes at a serious price increase over a KLR. Like the KLR though, the 690 can be packed much heavier than the 530. The big bikes ARE capable of going to some pretty incredible places, but it will take more effort. The tires you run on the big bikes will make a massive difference in how they handle off the pavement, especially in sand, deep gravel, and mud.

Depends on where youre going to be riding but nearly all of Texas and most of Oklahoma are doable on even big fat "ADV" bikes like my Strom. Most dual sporting in Texas consists of gravel county roads. Off road parks being the exception here. The advantage of having the big ADV bikes here in Texas is that youc an run the gravel backroads all day and then run 80 MPH no problem on the pavement too.

Downs said:

Depends on where youre going to be riding but nearly all of Texas and most of Oklahoma are doable on even big fat "ADV" bikes like my Strom. Most dual sporting in Texas consists of gravel county roads. Off road parks being the exception here. The advantage of having the big ADV bikes here in Texas is that youc an run the gravel backroads all day and then run 80 MPH no problem on the pavement too.

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That is mostly true. Here in East Texas, we have some sand that can be a serious challenge on the big bikes! Then there is the wet clay mud... But yeah, the bulk of the roads are maintained county roads on which people drive their cars and trucks. Unless they are wet from a recent rain, they are usually no problem.

nooo, not looking at doing that serious dirt that you cats do, too old for that.Just kinda tired of wrestling that 950lbs.of GW. Spirits willing but the flesh is weak, LOL. Just some gravel roads and maybe some fire roads. Friend put combo tires on his Thruxton and rides Big Bend twice a year. You guys are hard core.

confused? air cooled,300-600cc range, used dual sport.(there is a difference between dual sport and adventure)

I had the same decision to make, and went with a used XT225.

I know they are very popular with the minimalist touring crowd, and figured it would be a good starting point to get my feet wet with adventure riding. I've only been riding for 3 months, so it also made sense as a good beginner bike.

https://youtu.be/NpsqlbTuqAc

I giggle in the face of fear.

tricepilot said:

Appears as if "One Post Loonatic" lit the discussion fuse....and ran

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Dang pot stirrer!

tricepilot said:

...I don't know much about your desires/wants/needs but I'll tell you in advance what little I do know about them boils your search down to three factors:

(1) Weight

(2) Weight

(3) Weight

Click to expand...

More specific:

(1) Bike Weight

(2) Rider Weight

(3) Luggage Weight

I've seen plenty spend an extra $5,000+++ on a 50 lb lighter bike only to negate that savings with a 25 lb beer belly and 25 lbs of useless luggage. All weight counts.

_

charrito said:

https://youtu.be/NpsqlbTuqAc

I giggle in the face of fear.

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My mind says" I can do that" Then my body says" No you can't" then my mind says" Listen to the other guy."

Wow. A ton of great responses here. Sorry for the delay in getting back. I've been under the weather and buried at work this week, which is a sucky combination, so I never got a chance to come back to this thread. Sorry to lite the discussion fuse and bail! That was a funny comment but totally not my intention!

I already have a 14 KTM 250 XCW that I ride trails and race the occasional enduro on. So I was thinking something more pavement oriented. I don't see myself trying to get on any gnarly trails on a d/s bike. If I want to go ride hard trails I already have a bike for that.

That bike is not suited for leisurely travel though and the only reason I would ever consider plating it is if I was headed somewhere that required a plate to get from Trail A to trail B.

I was thinking something in the (used) KTM 990/1090 range. From my (admittedly little) research so far it seems like those are well oriented on pavement/gravel roads but can still handle some trail duty when asked to.

I didn't have any intentions of buying a new motorcycle either. I've had motorcycles all my life and I've never owned a new one. I am just a bit too cheap to justify paying more money for a new one. I just bought the 14 250 last year for $4200 and it already had all the good stuff on it which beats the heck out of paying $9-10k for a new one and still having to spend the better part of $1000 on aftermarket parts.

Better off just getting a side x side. I hear motorcycle riding is dangerous