GraveYard Shift BS

See, even though I am in a similar position with my motorcycle, this time of year is gets difficult to ride with the weather and all. So my attention turns to my truck...and my credit card!

 

I love jabbering about bikes.

First my bikes!
KTM 525 XC-W


KTM 950 Adventure (what I call the dual sport)



The first thing is dual sports have recently enjoyed a large growth in the biking world (it's by far the largest category of bikes now) and as such many bikes now carry the "dual sport" name. However there's no strict definition of a dual sport so it can get a bit confusing.

There are a few key characteristics that define a dual sport. First is the general idea of a bike that can ride on pavement as well as on dirt. How well the bike does on dirt and how comfortable it is on pavement is where the variations in what is considered a dual sport bike comes into play.

Dual sports have an upright/standard seating position. They usually have longer suspension travel then street bikes. They have a general body style with a long one-piece seat and typically a longer wheel base. They weigh less than cruisers, but more than sport bikes. Typically the front wheels is narrower and 19" or 21" in diameter and the rear tires are 17", or 18" in diameter. This is a compromise in handling as narrower tires are usually better in the dirt but may not handle as well on the street. They also usually have a rear rack and rear side racks for holding luggage be it soft bags or metal panniers. Dual sports also typically have a LOT of aftermarket support.

Engines on dual sports are one, two, or three cylinders with big bores and shorter strokes and most manufactures aim for a balance of torque and horsepower compared to say street bikes the favor HP over torque, and cruisers that favor torque over hp.

Beyond that we have the actual bikes. Some dual sports are more biased towards the dirt. Examples: KTM 690 Enduro, Suzuki DR 650, Honda XL 650, Honda XR600

Some are more mixed: KLR 650, BMW 650 Sertao/Dakar,

Some are more street oriented: Suzuki V-Strom 650, V-Strom 1000

Big Dual Sports: BMW 800GS, Triumph 800XC, KTM 950/990/1190/1290 Adventures, BMW 1100/1150/1200 GS, Ducati Multistrada.

The main things to look at are: bike weight, suspension travel/quality, and engine size/bike size.

In order to pick a good dual sport bike you need to consider what type of things you want to do as every dual sport is a compromise in some way.

How much dirt do you want to ride? Dirt roads, double track/4x4 roads or ATV trails or single track trails? What physical condition are you in? How aggressive do you ride off-road? Do you like jumping the bike?

How much street? Touring capabilities? Commuter? High speed? Carry a passenger comfortably? "Adventure" touring (aka camping off the motorcycle on long trips)?

How important is fuel economy? What kind of power do you want?

 

My bike is also considered a dual-sport. It is both a land-missile, and a wingless rocket-ship.

 

Sold my Busa a few years ago....too big & heavy to enjoy.

 

I'm leaning towards the Honda XL 650 but the small gas tank is crap. The KTM 500 EXC is sweet also but pricey!

 

If you want something for trails then that'd be awesome. For any sort of distance on the street the 500 will be a bit rough.

 

The KLR seems pretty good for commuting & the occasional dirt road. I was looking for something more off road capable & just bear with the on road part. SO budget wise the Honda 650 seems best.

 

Not working but up

 

Same. Should have been in bed hrs ago.

 

Old school CBR1100XX here...
Jet

 

Well the bike's back together but the fork spring swap will most likely have to wait, it takes a 22mm wrench that's thin and I don't have a grinder. Oh well, at least the shock spring was ridiculously easy to swap out for my heavy ass.

Now I just need to write a 4 page paper by 13:00. After class at 15:00 go get some beer growlers for the weekend. Get home ~16:30 if the traffic deities are kind. Then, sleep™, pack, pack some more, load the truck, and then go to work tomorrow night and then I roll right after work for southern New Mexico.

 

That package needs to grow some wings. Looks like it just departed from louisville, ky earlier this morn.

Last 2 pt sessions this week. Re scheduled both last week as I wanted to get some good stretches in closer to my return to work date.
Today and friday. Then after pt on friday I have my post op dr visit.
Sat I think a kid is comin down from asheville and were going to install a lift here at the house. I offered up my garage as he has no place to do it. Loving this fall weather, leaves are starting to turn.

 

It'll disappear for a day or so now ... then magically appear in Anchorage. About two days after that it'll be here. Done this before.

Do you like Salmon?

Helping out the kid

So happy for you getting your life back to normal ... long road, you've weathered it well.

 

Salmon is good.
How far are you from that airport I spot on google earth?

 

If you're talking about Palmer, about 3-4 miles.

 

5 more hours and 5 days off....

 

Well I screwed up and broke the float on my dirt bike's carb after I took it apart to fix a slow fuel leak I noticed after working on it yesterday. No one to blame but myself.

Hopefully I can find a shop that has one in the morning. If not then no New Mexico trip. Bah.

What's everyone else up to tonight?

 

Doh!