Re: [St] I can't decide...Another Bike To Consider

["Joel Ashman" <ashmite@xxxxxxxxx>]

As someone who considers himself a better dirt rider than a street rider (in
reality I could be crap at both!), I would agree also.

As for the 3 big thumpers out there, I rate them like this:

Dirt worthy:
1. XR650L
2. DR650
3. KLR650

Street:
1. KLR
2. DR
3. XR

Height: ( an issue for this short guy)
1. DR (Shortest)
2. KLR
3. XR
Road Accessories:
1. KLR
2. DR
3. XR

Dirt Accessories:
1. XR
2. DR
3. KLR

Power:
1. XR
2/3 DR KLR tie, though both have good potential with engine tuning


For me, the DR wins primarily because it falls in the middle in most of my
categorie and has the lowest seat height.  I have a dedicated dirt bike, and
a dedicated street.  I primarilly enjoy the dirt, but the XR is *WAY* too
tall for me.

PS The madman in me is getting my CRF230 street legal because it opens up
some off-road riding areas.  I know that sounds strange, but some places
require plates  (like state game lands) and it makes it easy to move from
trail to trail if some pavement is in between.  I've beefed up my CRF with
aftermarket suspension and reworked the engine, so now its a really nice
little dirt bike.  I can touch the ground on it, and still kep up with
XR'400s and CRF250X's and such.  @ 70MPG (US), it'd make a great little city
bike over a scooter, especially in a place that you could lane split.

--Joel

On Tue, Dec 16, 2008 at 6:47 PM, <brettwilson21@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> I have to agree with you there Matt.
>
> A few years back I did a trip to The Tip of The Cape York Peninsula, in Far
> North Queensland on our little island of Australia. ( A ride I highly
> recommend to anyone that may be thinking about it)
>
> I had a good chat with the tour operator before hand and he suggested with
> my limited off road riding experience I would be better off on a TTR 250,
> rather than one of his KLX 400's (the one thats the same as the DR 400
> anyway). It turned out to be a very wise decision and very good advice from
> an "A" grade rider.
>
> Despite the fact that the little TTR was light and very easy to ride, I
> struggled to keep the damn thing upright whenever we hit soft sand. After
> loosing count of the amount of times I had to pick it up, I was glad it
> wasn't a 400.
>
> The upshot is that it all came down to riding skills, or lack there of in
> my case.
>
> Brett.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Matt Knowles <matt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 4:23 am
> Subject: Re: [St] I can't decide...Another Bike To Consider
>
>  As a KLR rider, and just as a motorcyclist I have a few comments.
>
> 1. Skills are always more important than the bike. Take the money
> you'd spend on the BMW and spend a small portion of that on taking a
> dirt riding class. Spend the rest of it on a vacation.
>
> 2. Would you rather drop a $5k bike, or a $10k bike?
>
> 3. The BMW is a heavier bike, meaning you're more likely to drop it,
> especially in the soft stuff where you're already having trouble.
>
> 4. The KLR is an almost bullet proof bike. From what I've been
> reading lately, BMW's quality reputation has been slipping on several
> fronts.
>
>
> On Dec 15, 2008, at 10:15 PM, marc Ve wrote:
>
> Hi all, been lurking a while.
>>
>> I still ride a KLR 650 as a dirt/ gravel/ trailie alternative to my
>> Daytona
>> 955. It handles commuting and gravel/ fire roads very well. The
>> suspension
>> is a bit soggy for it to like soft stuff, sand is my nemisis.
>>
>>
> Matt Knowles - Ferndale, CA - http://www.knowlesville.com/matt/
> motorcycles
>  '99 Sprint ST - for going fast and far (2CZUSA)
>  '01 KLR650 (A15) - for exploring the North Coast backroads
>  '97 KLX300 & '01 Lakota - for playing in the dirt
>  '79 KZ400 - just because it was the first vehicle I ever owned
>
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