dual sport capabilities?

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Gadjet
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#21 Unread post by Gadjet »

NorthernPete wrote:the only time you should need full coverage for insurance would be if you were leasing. financing they shouldnt care....
I financed my ride through my dealership, and it wound up going through Laurentian Bank. I'm required to have full coverage on the bike until it's paid off.

I financed my car through GMAC, and I'm required to have full coverage until it's paid off.

If I'd gotten a personal bank loan and purchased either of them outright that way, I'd be able to have whatever insurance coverage I chose, as I would own the vehicle and not the bank/finance company.

With financing (at least here in Alberta), until you have whatever it is you are financing paid off, you don't really own the vehicle outright. You can still do whatever you want with it, but the finance company has a lien on the title
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Ninja Geoff
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#22 Unread post by Ninja Geoff »

MotoF150 wrote:If you do own a Suzuki DRZ400 you will be respected by the serious off road dirt bike riders, its the only true dirt bike thats street legal you can buy. Chop the back fender and install street legal knobbies and it looks like a motocrosser. Another bike is the new Kawasaki 250 thats street legal, I seen one in action and I was impressed, except for the rattling rear fender that hangs down low.
wait, what? respected by "real" off-road riders? FYI a MX bike is < an enduro on the trails. I know "real" off-road riders who think Zool dirtbikes are gutless pieces of "poo poo", but still respect people who ride them.
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#23 Unread post by MotoF150 »

noooo what I mean is anybody that owns and rides a true motocross bike will respect the street legal DRZ400 and will tell you if they would buy a street legal bike the DRZ400 would be the one they would buy, but at the same time these same guys laugh and make fun of the Suzuki and Kawasaki 650. Did ay of you guys ever look at the off road only and the street legal DRZ400? They are almost exactly the same! The only difference is the tires and the off road bike has a different carb. You can also purchace the off road DRZ400 and for around $600 extra it can be converted to street legal, Name another street legal dirt bike you can buy stock and ride it on a motocross track and jump it 30 feet???? huh? I waiting???? can't think of one?
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#24 Unread post by Ninja Geoff »

MotoF150 wrote:noooo what I mean is anybody that owns and rides a true motocross bike will respect the street legal DRZ400 and will tell you if they would buy a street legal bike the DRZ400 would be the one they would buy, but at the same time these same guys laugh and make fun of the Suzuki and Kawasaki 650. Did ay of you guys ever look at the off road only and the street legal DRZ400? They are almost exactly the same! The only difference is the tires and the off road bike has a different carb. You can also purchace the off road DRZ400 and for around $600 extra it can be converted to street legal, Name another street legal dirt bike you can buy stock and ride it on a motocross track and jump it 30 feet???? huh? I waiting???? can't think of one?
The KX250 is a true motorcrosser, yeah? My stepdad owns one. He also said the XR650L was a great machine (suggested it to me as a first road bike too) to have. And last i checked, the XR650R's are the premier Baja styled trail dirtbikes. In fact, i think one did the Baja 1000 solo and finished. Most of the trucks don't finish it, so the fact that a dirtbike did is an acomplishment in it's own. The XR650L is just the previous generation 650R but with a street kit on it with DOT tires slapped on.
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#25 Unread post by Gadjet »

personally, I would never buy a dual sport bike if I wanted to rip around MX tracks and do huge jumps - I'd get a dedicated MX bike for that. However, if I wanted a bike that could take me around the world and through questionable terrain, I would buy a dual sport.

The KLR650 has been used quite successfully as an Around the World bike, most notably by Dr. Gregory Frazier, who has circumnavigated the world at least 4 times solo on a bike, at least twice riding a KLR650.

Also, if I was out for a rip through the back woods on atv trails and enduro style trails, I would definitely opt for a KLR over any of the other dual sport bikes out there, for one simple reason - so I can laugh at the XR and DR guys sitting on the side of the trail out of gas while I happily motor away.

The KLR will easily out range any of the other dual sports out there due to its larger fuel capacity. That was one of the reasons I passed on buying an XR or DR when I was bike shopping this time last year - the KLR had the greatest range of all the dual sport bikes out there.
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#26 Unread post by Ninja Geoff »

Gadjet wrote:Also, if I was out for a rip through the back woods on atv trails and enduro style trails, I would definitely opt for a KLR over any of the other dual sport bikes out there, for one simple reason - so I can laugh at the XR and DR guys sitting on the side of the trail out of gas while I happily motor away.
:laughing: yeah the XR's tank is rather feeble. You can upgrade to a 4 gal tank. What's stock on the KLR? isn't it over 5?
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#27 Unread post by Gadjet »

GeoffEX650R wrote:
Gadjet wrote:Also, if I was out for a rip through the back woods on atv trails and enduro style trails, I would definitely opt for a KLR over any of the other dual sport bikes out there, for one simple reason - so I can laugh at the XR and DR guys sitting on the side of the trail out of gas while I happily motor away.
:laughing: yeah the XR's tank is rather feeble. You can upgrade to a 4 gal tank. What's stock on the KLR? isn't it over 5?
Stock tank on the KLR is 6 US Gallons.

IMS makes a plastic tank that will hold 6.8 US Gallons for the KLR
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#28 Unread post by Ninja Geoff »

Gadjet wrote:
GeoffEX650R wrote:
Gadjet wrote:Also, if I was out for a rip through the back woods on atv trails and enduro style trails, I would definitely opt for a KLR over any of the other dual sport bikes out there, for one simple reason - so I can laugh at the XR and DR guys sitting on the side of the trail out of gas while I happily motor away.
:laughing: yeah the XR's tank is rather feeble. You can upgrade to a 4 gal tank. What's stock on the KLR? isn't it over 5?
Stock tank on the KLR is 6 US Gallons.

IMS makes a plastic tank that will hold 6.8 US Gallons for the KLR
damn. That meesly gas tank on the XR is one of the reasons i didn't order one for myself. And i just couldn't make myself to like the feel of the KLR. Not saying it's a bad bike, just didn't feel "right" to me.
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#29 Unread post by MotoF150 »

The Honda 650 is a great off road bike that can go anywhere any dirt bike can go but its too heavy! Ur not going to pick it up by yourself when you dump it, the DRZ400 is light enough that you can. The Kawasaki KLR 650 has a big gas tank but that makes it too top heavy when the tank is full. I used to own a DRZ400S and I ran it as hard as my former RM250 and it did everything, now I own a Honda CRF450 and thats a different story. To ride any bike off road it has to be lightweight. I was really looking at the new Kawasaki KX250 thats street legal and was thinking about trading in my CRF450 for it. I love going off road but its much easiser to get there riding on the roads legally.
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#30 Unread post by Duffy »

Hi guys. I am also in the market for a dual bike. I have looked into the Kawasaki's and couldn't fit on anything cept the 200, and I didn't like the bare bones look of it. I mostly plan on riding on the street to work and back and weekend on hard dirt trail riding. I don't see myself taking jumps or anything that extreme. I want something that looks good, rides good on both, low seating, reliable, and for a beginner without being wimpy. I started looking at the BMW650GS. None of you mentioned that. Does anyone own one or know of someone who does? What's your take on those for a dual. And do other riders really 'make fun' of other riders on the trails if they aren't riding a 'real' dirtbike :( I am 5'3", female, and once owned a kawasaki (125 or 75, forget) for a few months before it got stolen, and I couldn't touch the ground on it, had a friend start her up, tilt it while holding throttle so I could get on. I fell plenty on that bike. I don't want to fall as many times anymore :oops: Thanks.

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