I know it's a strange time of year for a Motorcycle thread but....

[hurley842002]

Good post. All the 650+ dual sports frankly suck off road.... when comparing to a dirt bike. So if you are looking at a interstate qualified DS because you don't want to load/offload to ride offroad, it is a very bad fit. Not suggesting that is the mission, but a mistake many DS riders make when selecting their bikes.

Mine right now.. with everything I have done, weighs close to 550 lbs. Compared to dirt bikes under 200 - you have shit capability off road. Plenty of power, but it's hard to keep upright when doing overly technical desents/ascents with that much weight to sling around.

While most of my miles are street/interstate, I've done a tremendous amount off road in mine (Keeping D606 rear, TKC80 front) including technical hill climbs, rock descents, etc. Yeah... have dropped it more than a few times and had some close calls. The challenge in some ways is satisfying for me (keeping up with people and their fun toys) but on the other hand it REALLY wears on both you and the bike. Anymore I am down to only trail riding and I hate riding with ATV's. F'ers I know always going up into pure rock washes and stuff. Yeah, true rock crawling isn't in the DS capabilities. They also like to full-brake stop suddenly in gravel roads .

This pretty much sums up my experience. I Picked up a 2012 KLR 650 a couple years ago, but sold it after a season of riding. I think it's fair to say I bought it thinking it was something that it wasn't, as in, when I hit the trails with the KLR, it didn't hold a candle to the bikes I grew up with (no shit Sherlock). Looking back, I wish I would have kept it, as I rode it much more on road than I did off, and except for a couple times, the trails I took the bike on it did fine. I do want to take a few rides to the west coast eventually, so I'm looking real close at the V-Strom, a cruiser has also crossed my mind, but the few times I want to look at the fall colors or similar trips, I'll wish I had a DS.

[.40isthenew.45]

Hey guys, great info thanks. I realize that about the extent of my "off road" is really going to be forest service road and maybe the occasional jeep trail with 75-80% of the miles I will put on it being paved.

I do have a couple of follow up questions.
1) Part of my goals was to minimize maintenance or at least keep it simple enough I could do it myself. Some of the chain wear comments and tire longevity have me wondering. Are those extreme examples and if not, are they at least somewhat dependent on riding style?
2) On the NC700x everything I read raves about the gas mileage and yet you didn't mention it. Do you keep track of yours? I know the difference between 50 mpg and 70 mpg is going to take a while to pay back but I tend to hold on to things for a while if i like them (did i mention the 45 year old harley that started life as my grandfathers?) Does the honda exhibit some of the same, what I would call, rapid wear as the others?

I did sit on a few bikes yesterday. I'm not sure it helped although I did it pretty quickly. There is a wide range of "amenities" as you move more toward the road focused bikes. I even sat on the 650 BMW and was a bit surprised at how nice it felt while still at least appearing to be on the more capable off-road side. I'm just concerned about service and complexity....

I feel like you guys have made me smarter, but the list hasn't really gotten shorter.

[CS1983]

In the end, only you can decide. My + may be your - and vice versa. I'll never own a KLR or similar. I have no interest in the interstate. I have no desire to try to manipulate a heavy beast off road in a weird situation -- primarily because I'm short. I don't want to deal with anything but air cooling. I like KISS as much as possible. Complex systems result in complex failures. That's why I ride a TW200 and am looking at an XT250 for more of a commuter bike once I have enough available funds to buy outright. If I could mod the XT250 to have a kick starter too, it would be a no brainer. Or a TW350 (damn you Yamaha for not making it!). I'd rather be less comfortable on road than be screwed off road. But you sound the opposite.

[ChadAmberg]

Hey guys, great info thanks. I realize that about the extent of my "off road" is really going to be forest service road and maybe the occasional jeep trail with 75-80% of the miles I will put on it being paved.

I do have a couple of follow up questions.
1) Part of my goals was to minimize maintenance or at least keep it simple enough I could do it myself. Some of the chain wear comments and tire longevity have me wondering. Are those extreme examples and if not, are they at least somewhat dependent on riding style?
2) On the NC700x everything I read raves about the gas mileage and yet you didn't mention it. Do you keep track of yours? I know the difference between 50 mpg and 70 mpg is going to take a while to pay back but I tend to hold on to things for a while if i like them (did i mention the 45 year old harley that started life as my grandfathers?) Does the honda exhibit some of the same, what I would call, rapid wear as the others?

I did sit on a few bikes yesterday. I'm not sure it helped although I did it pretty quickly. There is a wide range of "amenities" as you move more toward the road focused bikes. I even sat on the 650 BMW and was a bit surprised at how nice it felt while still at least appearing to be on the more capable off-road side. I'm just concerned about service and complexity....

I feel like you guys have made me smarter, but the list hasn't really gotten shorter.

My BMW 650 came from the shop there on North Nevada, and usually will get the maint done there. You can always get the GS-911 tool and do all the maintenance yourself. I have a copy of the BMW shop manual on DVD if you're so inclined even. Because it is a nice ride, and I'm now spoiled by the power windscreen, heated seat and grips, etc.

[ray1970]

Everything will need maintenance and repairs. Doesn’t matter if it’s a motorcycle, a car or truck, a boat, a house, or whatever. While some things are easier or cost a little less for upkeep I generally wouldn’t factor that into my decision too much.

Oh, and just to muddy the waters and perhaps ruffle a few feathers, the reason I have never owned a dual sport is simple. It’s too much of a road bike to really be good off road and it’s too much of a dirt bike to be really good on the road.

[.40isthenew.45]

I'll throw in my 2 cents here because I haven't seen anyone talk about the NC700.
SNIP
Sorry for the rambling thoughts... the TL/DR version: Define your mission and then buy appropriately.

Okay, 7 months later I reached peace with myself and bought a NC700x DCT. I hope to do a lot of forrest service roads etc, but reality says it will spend more time on pavement. I don't heal as quickly as I used to, so the DCT "should" remove temptation and keep me from trying to take on more than I or the bike can handle.

[SouthPaw]

Okay, 7 months later I reached peace with myself and bought a NC700x DCT. I hope to do a lot of forrest service roads etc, but reality says it will spend more time on pavement. I don't heal as quickly as I used to, so the DCT "should" remove temptation and keep me from trying to take on more than I or the bike can handle.

Congrats, looks like a lot of fun!