well that definitely narrows things down a bit. Sounds like DR650, XR650L - dead reliable, ok light highway, big enough, much nimbler than the KLR Ive got buddies that used to ride them better than many ktm riders I've witnessed. Used prices do seem to be inflating along with new as expected.
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Dual Sport for SHNF?
- Thread starter Pinhead
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Can't go wrong with a DR650 with suspension from Cogent Dynamics and a TM40 pumper carb kit from Procycle.us is a transformed bike. I loved mine. Add in some ergo mods, especially a seat, and it'll treat you very well. Better yet you get the ultimate support group over on advrider in the big DR thread.
A few questions. Have you (OP) ridden the SHNF trails before or anything similar? And is the aim to get a bike that is good on the highway, and can run the forest service roads well, and borderline a liability on the trails? Or a bike that is manageable on the highway, and great on the trails? There is no best bike for the combination described, but imo the forest trails can be challenging on a heavy bike. Depending on the rider experience, fitness level, and specific trail at smnf, the whoops and sand can prove to be a task on a bigger bike. I've had a blast on a DRZ back there, but for me it got old (admittedly because i was keeping up with people on legit dirtbikes). Fatigue can be a limiting factor thats worth discussing. If I lived 30 min away, I would definitely be in pursuit of a sub 300lb bike. That Beta mentioned sounds like a gem (although expensive), WR great, maybe even the klx300r? I wouldn't go bigger than the DRZ if you wanted to ride those trails aggressively. If you're going for forest service road cruising, go for comfort, 650 etc who cares. But if you want to get on those trails, if it was me, I would get the closest thing I could to a legit dirtbike. If you haven't actually taken a 350-450lb bike on those trails, I'd implore you to somehow try it on one before buying one for it.
I headed off down a trail a time or two on my 950 KTM , within seconds I remembered why that was a very bad idea then I would have to push on a lot further than I wanted to find a place I could get turned around and get out of there . But that same bike has been everyplace it’s legal to ride in Big Bend np , all over the Terlingua ranch across several mountain passes in Colorado and a thousand miles of trails in Montana and ridden there and back effortlessly . Riding from Houston to Big Bend in 8 hours was a fun way to spend a weekend too . Setting it at 110 mph for miles at a time made getting there much more fun .
Yes I have ridden them on a KTM890R and it was a total **** show. That's why I sold it, bought a big Adv bike for Travel, Touring and everything else and now looking for a smaller, lighter, cheaper option for the SHNF.
My goal is to become a better rider. I want to enjoy the ride on the trail and progress towards faster and more aggressive riding style.
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If that’s your goal there is no compromise , only the best will do , bikes made for the masses will not bring out the best your capable of , they will get you down the trail and will sometimes be fun but you’ll always be looking for more . I’ve been on some knarly mountain side climbs that put a smile on my face when I made the top with my Beta , stuff I wouldn’t even consider trying with a lesser bike . A friend has a new klx 300 that we put several miles on climbing mountains last summer and he is a very good rider , I waited on him quite a bit and I’m 20 years older . The advantage is my ride . I have gone very fast through the woods a few times in the 50 years since I started riding Sam Houston national forest , first time was a 86 250 XC Husky , next time was after I tuned a friends 430 auto Husky , and the last time was the 07 450 EXC KTM I bought several years back , when the Beta came home that KTM never got ridden again by me . The Beta has never been there with me on it , I’ve got better places to ride . When everything comes together and you blast through a trail you’ll know that feeling . It happens quite a bit now just in lot shorter sprints . With lots of rest breaks in between .
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Basically you’re not really a fan of the dual sport idea. I may need to re-evaluate.
Maybe I should look at the Stark a bit closer.
you can register and plate whatever you want, it just has to meet the requirements, correct me if I'm wrong fellow twtr's: head light- high and low beam, brake and tail light and some kind of horn, unless my memory fails me.
I think you can use hand signals for turns, and the paper work says tires have to be DOT for inspection purposes, but most inspection places won't notice if they aren't or you can rub the off road use only letters off with a buffer/ rasp. it's a little bit of a hassle but not too bad.
I think you can use hand signals for turns, and the paper work says tires have to be DOT for inspection purposes, but most inspection places won't notice if they aren't or you can rub the off road use only letters off with a buffer/ rasp. it's a little bit of a hassle but not too bad.
After putting over 50,000 miles on the 950 KTM with maybe half them being off pavement I finally woke up and got proper tools for the job at hand . It’s still ok on maintained roads but no more two track . That’s what 250 pound real dirt bikes are for .
jwaller
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I have a plated CRF250RX and a CRF450L. I think something like the 450L is really good for what the OP described. Yeah, brand new it is pretty expensive, and it certainly is a lot better with an aftermarket ECU. But if you can find one for the right price, used, already set up, it's a great bike. I ride one at Zars Ranch and have fun with it there. That being said, it's a lot harder to ride in tight single track than the CRF250RX I usually ride at Zars. SHNF is not as tight as the trails at Zars, mostly double track, and sandy with tons of whoops (if I remember correctly). I think a CRF450L would be great out there. It's awesome for the perimeter around Zars where it gets sandy like SHNF in a few places and good in the sand pit. It's a sand whoop eating monster.
I've recently had the opportunity to ride a few Betas, namely the XTrainer, 200 RR Race Edition, and 300 RR Race Edition. Now I want a Beta. They are easier to ride off road than anything I've ever tried, absolutely perfect for the single track at Zars. If you get one in San Marcos, they will get it plated for you; at least that's what I've heard from those who have purchased there. I don't know how a plated 2-stroke would be for a 40-minute ride to get to the trail, though. I know my plated 250RX is ONLY good on pavement to connect trail, with short connections only, not more than just a few miles. I've not ridden a Beta 4-stroke, but if the 350 or 390 handle anything at all like their 2-strokes, I think one of those would be about as close to perfect as you can currently get for that sort of thing; lighter and easier in tight stuff than a 450+, but with the legs for road-going better than a 250 four-stroke or any two-stroke. I'm considering getting a 390 RR-S to replace both my CRF250RX and my CRF450L. But that's a tall order. I like my CRF450L so much, I'll probably keep it no matter what. It's just too good and too versatile. I'd gladly trade my 250RX for any of the Beta two-strokes I've tried.
I've recently had the opportunity to ride a few Betas, namely the XTrainer, 200 RR Race Edition, and 300 RR Race Edition. Now I want a Beta. They are easier to ride off road than anything I've ever tried, absolutely perfect for the single track at Zars. If you get one in San Marcos, they will get it plated for you; at least that's what I've heard from those who have purchased there. I don't know how a plated 2-stroke would be for a 40-minute ride to get to the trail, though. I know my plated 250RX is ONLY good on pavement to connect trail, with short connections only, not more than just a few miles. I've not ridden a Beta 4-stroke, but if the 350 or 390 handle anything at all like their 2-strokes, I think one of those would be about as close to perfect as you can currently get for that sort of thing; lighter and easier in tight stuff than a 450+, but with the legs for road-going better than a 250 four-stroke or any two-stroke. I'm considering getting a 390 RR-S to replace both my CRF250RX and my CRF450L. But that's a tall order. I like my CRF450L so much, I'll probably keep it no matter what. It's just too good and too versatile. I'd gladly trade my 250RX for any of the Beta two-strokes I've tried.
I stumbled across a guy in a different forum who plated the CRF450X and I think that’s maybe the best option for me as well. It’s a bit lighter, not too corked up and shares plenty parts with the L for customization.
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Good luck with your search.
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Both are plated.
Still both are a compromise in certain situations.
In the desert to cover longer distances the XR. Loose long uphills. Although I may be faster on it in tight single track.
Slow Rocky, technical terrain the 300.
them both because they started from the drawing board as trail bikes. Good torque, neither needed $ to run right. No stalls or flame outs.
Low maintenance...
High revving adapted motocross engined bikes are too much for my skill level.
The great thing about it is there's lots of great options out there, something to fit everyone's style and needs.
I bought too many bikes based on other riders reviews that weren't right for me.
Hopefully more demo days will come back to actually test ride a variety of bikes.
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Did you ever do the SHNF on the XR?
X1Glider
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I plated my 450X years ago. It was a bit of a hassle at my tax office to make it happen and took 4 trips to get it done. They were clueless. So, the 450X with a plate is doable.
The only issue I had with a plated 450X was that it was terrible on the street if I didn't firm up the damping front and rear. If I didn't, it would wallow around and pogo and was generally just unstable at any speed above 45 because my suspension was set up for the woods to use up all the travel. It was a lot of clicks and I had to keep track of it. So I went back and forth for a bit adjusting for the street, then adjusting again for the woods and adjusting one more time to get home. Not only was it a lousy street bike, all that road riding just wore down the knobs that I needed in the woods.
The carb is a total non issue but the weight is. An XRL is honestly a lifetime bike if maintained even semi well but the height and top heavy weight is a real thing in offroad situations. If you drop the bike it can really be a strain. Just too much for this fella getting weaker by the day. Best to choose the terrain and conditions carefully.
Riding the trails out at SHNF should be left to two strokes and 500 and under Enduros if you want to have fun without hating life. Sure, it can be done on a GSA 1250, I've seen others do it, but that's not what that place is intended for. Get a 250/300 smoker or a 350/450/500 thumper if you want to ride single track often and wide open like one should. Get a proper dual sport if you want to slab it to single track and take your time, riding those trails from time to time.
I have ridden my CRF 450L out there, it wasn't bad but I had a lot more fun on my KTM 200 and 300's and those are proper woods bikes IMHO. I have a KTM 500 now that I have setup for dual sport and BDR's, more of a ultra light weight ADV bike and I honestly have no intentions of riding it out there.
If I were your height I'd look for a CRF 650L or consider a 690/701 if you want a dual sport rig. I know a guy in the area with a very nicely modded 650L that could possibly be talked out of it too, if you're interested shoot me a PM.
I have ridden my CRF 450L out there, it wasn't bad but I had a lot more fun on my KTM 200 and 300's and those are proper woods bikes IMHO. I have a KTM 500 now that I have setup for dual sport and BDR's, more of a ultra light weight ADV bike and I honestly have no intentions of riding it out there.
If I were your height I'd look for a CRF 650L or consider a 690/701 if you want a dual sport rig. I know a guy in the area with a very nicely modded 650L that could possibly be talked out of it too, if you're interested shoot me a PM.
What is a crf650l ? You mean the XR?
I am almost settled to the 300L - it's way lighter and can be modded easy. The 450L is still an option for me, especially since so many are for sale used with all the emission deletes etc. As far as the 690/700/701 goes, I would consider them but is it really worth the money just for 80 miles of SHNF trails? (same goes for all other 2/4stroke dirt bikes) I mean I need a trailer, 12k for the bike etc...
Yes, XR haha. I have a habit of calling the non-R model a CRF, but it's still a XR, just an L model.
As a former 450L owner I can sing it's praises but also complain a bit too. I liked that bike a lot but I'd take a 500/501 over one any day. That said, you won't find many 500's for the price of a lightly used 450L. The 300L is lighter than a 650/690/701 but with far less power and suspension and not nearly as comfortable at highway speeds. If you are only going 15-20 miles down the road and staying off of the interstate then the 300 will be fine.
When I build the 300l incl suspension, power mods, decat, handlebars, pegs and what not I will end at about 10k incl. shipping and taxes. That's where the other bikes start. And I am impressed how that bike can handle when it is fully tuned. However, the same goes for the XR except the weight and as far as I can tell, there are more and more after market parts disappearing due to age and low demand. There is still the DRZ400 though, but I am just not a Suzuki fan.
It's your money but putting another $4K into a $5400 bike that still won't touch the $10-12K bike seems a little silly to me. The other bikes will still run circles around that 300 in the power and suspension department and if you compare to the 450/500's they will still be much lighter. The 300L in stock form when used as a dual sport or light weight ADV bike is an excellent bike, especially for the money. There's a lot to consider here and you really need to think about how you want to use the bike when not riding it at and to/from SHNF.
I can for sure say it will park in the garage - except there will be a special event somewhere else and I find time and means to participate.
The EXC-F is 14k out the door, that's still about 5k more than a fully tuned 300l ever can be. And no fun in the shop doing all the customization. I also don't think I can use the power or take advantage of the suspension. Pretty much anyone can ride circles around me, even when I have the 500 and they the 300l. But yes, you are right, there is a lot to consider.
The EXC-F is 14k out the door, that's still about 5k more than a fully tuned 300l ever can be. And no fun in the shop doing all the customization. I also don't think I can use the power or take advantage of the suspension. Pretty much anyone can ride circles around me, even when I have the 500 and they the 300l. But yes, you are right, there is a lot to consider.
Offer $7600 and have it shipped or make a road trip. I went to Jupiter, FL and back in under 36 hours for a boat last year lol. This bike will run circles around the 300 and has all of the doo-dads and a warranty for another 1.5 years.
www.advrider.com
For sale - 2019 Honda CRF450L Adventure Ready!
2019 Honda CRF450L 3400 miles Adventure and dirt road exploring ready, 2019 L, transferable warranty until 3/15/2025! Just got it from another...
www.advrider.com