Official Dual Sport BS Thread

Arent those the brp clamps? What handguards are you using? i put on HDB guards on the 300. not sure if i like them a lot or not. bulky as hell but stout

Not really dualsport but i have a new goldentyre gt216aa fatty on the front and mousses installed front/rear now.

 

yeah, what he said

 

brp mounts, with msr contour hand guards. I had to roll the bars forward and tweak the guards a bit but fit right up. The last few crashes i had rolled the hand guards mounts on the bars which kind didn't sit very well with me. Plus when i take the bars off for maintenance, i'm always checking to see if both are even (ocd), so these clamps gave me my piece of mind back and don't interfere with anything (gauge or cables).

 

I've been wanting to try these out for a while, finally just pulled the trigger and glad i did

 

new seat cover

 

My cousin and aunt have been trying to convince me to get a bike so I can ride with them. I hadn't been on a dirt bike in over 25yrs but I got to try and ride my aunt's XT250 the other weekend while out camping and it was a blast. Well now I got the bug and want to get a bike. I just picked up a Scorpion EXO helmet so I don't need to borrow theirs cause I can't buy a bike yet. These damn furlough days from work sucked up all my extra coin. Got my fingers crossed that I can get one in the spring.
Any advice for the noob?

 

It’s a very forgiving bike! Can’t really mess it up! If you want to upgrade to bigger foot pegs or a better air filter or tires etc have at it. But for the most part they’re just dependable little tractors. Keep on going and going. 2013 and up have fuel injection if you don’t want to deal with carbs. Just ride and enjoy!

 

It was definitely an easy ride, even after so many years. I kind of want to try my cousin's WR250R but I don't think my he's ready to give up seat time yet, lol. My aunt was already planning on a BMW(before the XT) for multi-state trips so maybe she'll sell me hers.

 

I always have my eyes out for a couple. Great bike to take anyone out on!

 

I've been searching around to get an idea as to what's out there and the prices. Am I missing anything about pricing? Seems like used bikes aren't that much cheaper than a new one.

 

Depends on the area and condition. I’ve seen them anywhere from 1500-2500-3500+
The older XT225 is a little uglier and has no fuel injection but it is even lighter by quite a bit and had 6 gears instead of 5. I had a 2006 that was fun!

 

New seat cover and removed the giant mirrors

 

Yeah, I think one of the dealers at the FoCo motorplex had a 2017 XT250. Waiting to hear back on that price, it has 3800 miles.
The lighter bike would be nice for hauling reasons and the 6th gear would be a plus. I liked the look of the CRF250 Rally but I haven't been able to sit on one yet and saw that they're quite a bit heavier. Saw a used 2017 Rally with extras but it was $4500.

 

Anyone running the Dunlop D605? I’m running D606 now and looking for something a little easier and less grabby on gravel for the front. It will be going on my DRZ

 

Less grabby? Could you explain that a little more? There aren't any tires that are actually good in gravel (because it's the devil's road surface ) but I prefer a Pirelli MT21 front to a D606 front in gravel. I don't feel like the 606 front tracks as well and it's less predictable. The MT21 is slightly better. Dropping your air pressure down a bit helps too. If you're currently running street pressures, things will get way better around 18psi. That's what I run and I find it's a good compromise between grip and no pinch flat worries on my loaded 701. I would love to hear about better dual sport front tires too.

 

I like that ‘the devil’s road surface’ but yeah they just seem to track terrible. If I air them way down they do better but it’s still not great and I worry about running too low pressure. We have a lot hard packed and ruttted gravel roads here from all the farm equipment.
That MT21 is a good looking tire

 

The 606 rear is a great tire, I use that all the time. But the profile of the front is too...pointy? And the tread pattern doesn't help. The MT21 has a more round profile and, I think, a slightly softer carcass and a more reasonable tread pattern. I haven't experimented beyond those two tires much because I've found a combo that works well for me.

 

The wr is so much taller it’s a different animal compared the the xt. but the suspension and fuel injection along with a slightly larger rear sprocket makes the wr a great bike for co.

 

Just a note, the XT is FI from 2013 and up.

But the WR is obviously the superior machine. I just prefer the casual low down thump of power and easy going nature of the XT over the higher revving WR. I don’t have enough cartilage left to go fast anymore haha.

 

It's definitely a different ride. I recently picked up a Honda 250L Rally and took it on dirt for the first time. Besides the soft street suspension it WILL need some dirt tires. Felt like I was on straight sand.