Official Dual Sport BS Thread

Hi,

MT43 are DOT approved so at a more normal inflation pressure they would be OK with higher speeds and long days. At my pressures probably not so much. I've ridden in a lot of sand (lose SOUTH PADRE ISLAND Tx beach, northern WI forests) with them, mud, slimy crap and they work great as long as you don't spin them up. Tried Michelin X-Lite and they are very fragile ( and not DOT approved) so not good for dual sporting.

Big Bend National Park is desert two track, rocks and sand, stand up and motor, you're Cyril DePres. Nothing too technical as it all is negotiable by high clearance 4x4. It is BIG country. Old Ore trail is 37 miles long and that doesn't include spurs off to points of interest. About 40 miles of wide open road from Rio Grande Village camp area on the east to Panther Junction Interpretive center another forty or so to the town of Study Butte on the west side of the park.

Haven't been to Sam Houston NF.

 

Sam Houston is two 40 mile loops. Mostly sandy singletrack. One of the reasons for the DOT tires is that I ride a organized dual sport in Indiana. I'ts the buffalo 500 put on by Stoney Lonesome MC. The road portions are twisty and hilly. The offroad parts are on private property most of which is only ridden once a year and a lot of it is steep, tight and technical. Last year we rented this place for the weekend. The adventure ride that runs the same day as the dualsport went right by the cabin.

 

Hey guys. Drz 400-s and a Sherco 290 here. Did the Hammer Run over in Port Elizabeth last year on my mostly stock Drz. It was such a blast. I could hardly walk for the next week as my legs were worked the f over from miles of sandy whoops on shity stock suspension. I had a shit eatin grin all 150 miles. Was my first "adventure/dual sport" event but definately not my last. It was totally different from the trials riding I normally do. I'm sure I wouldn't have finished if not for my trials backround. Love me some throttle therapy!

 

For sure the x-lite is a soft tire. Doesn't take long to wear one down riding trials so asphalt would destroy one almost immediately. Im a D803 rider myself. Michelins were my favorite until they went up so much in price.

 

Hi PA....,

I never got a chance to see how the X-Lite would wear. All I had was puncture after puncture. The last one was a rip between the radial plys. I was at the Big Woods 200 dual sport ride when it went flat towards the end of Saturday's route. I found air at a canoe rental on the Prestigo (sp?) River. It held air for about a mile. I limped back to the motel about 17 miles away in Wabeno, WI (thanks Tubliss!). Pumped the tire up and it held air all night. Sunday morning I rode about 2 miles and it was flat. I said to heck with it and rode the first hero section with it flat and then rode back to the motel. Stationary the tire would seal tight enough for the Slime to work but as soon as it was rotating the carcass flex would open up the slit and let some air escape. On of the guys at the ride suggested the Pirelli's.

 

I got a chance to ride trials bikes a few times. Just keep waiting for a good deal to pop up and I'll buy one. Think it would be great for a change of pace. There's a section at chadwick in Missouri that's designated for trials riding. We rode some of it on our enduro bikes but it would have been a blast on trials bikes. Gonna go to Red Bird Crest in Kentucky in the next few weeks and see if I can make the whole loop without getting lost. Then it's time to go back up into Michigan for some sweet singletrack.

 

I'm gonna say you had too much air initially. I've seen the x-lite take a beating and not get punctures. And don't use slime in a puncture. Plug it. My practice tire that's on my Sherco now has 6 or 7 plugs in it. Doesn't leak off at all. I don't have any experience with the Pirelli but if it works for ya stick with it

 

What do you consider a "good deal" LJ? Trials bikes are pretty easy to come by around my area. The club I'm in has about 50 active trials riders. There is always someone selling a bike

 

I won't be looking again until after the end of the riding season. It will have to be stupid cheap cause I only get out a few times a year anymore. I have a good friend who is in a trials club. He's always trying to get me into the sport. I've entered enduros and hare scrambles over the years but not really into racing. The dualsport ride I mentioned in Indiana is fun cause I don't try to follow the course I just cherry pick the good properties. The other rides are mostly dispersed camping with friends exploring old two track and riding some singletrack loops. If it's a summer ride we'll bring canoes/kayaks for some paddling and fishing.

 

Ok. Gotcha now. Friend of mine just picked up a 2007 Sherco 290 for $500. Has less than that in parts to get it into damn good shape. Time comes that you're looking to buy look me up.

 

Alright guys im looking into getting involved with dual sport bike. Does anyone have any experience or input at a Husqvarna TE630? its a 2011. Need some input, pros, cons and all. Thanks

 

Do you actually NEED a 630? As a first bike ill say thats a bad choice unleas youre 6'4" and 300lbs. Thats a lot of machine. Id look in the 450 range for a first bike.

 

Im 6'4 230lbs. And I want it for offroad use but also I want the power for onroad use. I like the 450 ktm but for one the 630 has a lot nicer bigger seat for road travel. the 450 is stright dirt bike seat lol. I want it to still be a little comfy. But im mainly talking about that bike in general, brand and all

 

anybody have any input in here? Loosing hope

 

I don't think I've ever seen anyone riding a 630. They're not real popular.

 

I hear the big huskys vibrate a lot in the bars.

 

Here's my perspective. I'm 6'1" and 220lbs so around your size. Is this a first bike or your first offroad bike? A 630 will be a handfull in tight singletrack and technical sections. Will be great on the road though. You can get all kinds of aftermarket seats for almost any bike. The stock KTM seat is like sitting on a piece of wood but with an aftermarket tall soft seat it's comfy for all day rides. Some guys ride dualsport on big adventure bikes with great success. Others are on 250s and loving it. Don't get hung up on the horsepower it's more about the trade offs. I had a 250 two stroke enduro bike that was magic in the woods but wasn't much fun on long road sections. The 450 I have now is a bit heavy feeling when it gets really tight and slow but is enough motor for extended road sections so that's the trade off with it. I know a lot of guys with drz 400s who are happy with them but I've ridden those bikes and for me they just don't have that race bike kinda feeling like the KTM but have better road manners. I've been looking at the KTM 350 freeride bikes cause they are advertised to be the best of all worlds. Light enough for tight woods and technical riding, big enough motor for long road sections and kind of a trials crossover. Sounds great but in my experience when a bike is built to do everything it doesn't do anything really great , like it's all trade offs. My point here is you need to decide what aspects of riding are the most important to you then try to find a bike that delivers those qualities or can be modified to be close to what you want. I've been trying to find/make that bike for over 40 years and the 450 I currently own is the closest I've gotten...but I'm still lookin.

 

A $1000 to have a reasonably modern trials bike is definately a good deal. I don't mind doing a little work to get a bike back in shape. Like most dirtbikers I'm a cheap bastard. When buying used I know I'm going to sell it sooner than later so I have to be able to get most my money back. I'll definetly hit you up when I get the itch. Thanks.

 

Thank you for that input i appreciate it. I am going to do a bit more road riding and open trail riding and small amounts of actual wood riding. Thats what I based it off of by looking at the 630.

 

I owned a 500 2 stroke husky cross country in the 90s. That bike was stupid fast and the only 100 mph dirt bike I've ever owned. Also had a 250 cross country and a 430 automatic husky enduro bike. All of them were very stable at high speeds which gave them good road manners. I've never ridden a modern husky so can't comment on their ride qualities. To be honest I'm not a big fan of road riding in general so really big bore bikes are not something I've had much interest in.