I think I need to stick with a smaller bike as I have no experience. Something I can pickup WHEN (not if) i drop it. A lot of good recommendations here though. It all depends on what is available locally.
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Alternate off-road bike suggestions.
- Thread starter willis
- Start date
I’ve been watching this thread and thinking about it. It’s hard to decide on the one best , do it all bike. If you are going to ride in rough terrain, really scrambling up loose rock hills and through gulleys and such, then absolutely, the lighter the better. But if I were looking for a bike to ride on gravel roads and relatively mild cow trails, and especially if I had any notion of riding to my destination, then I’d want a bigger bike. I’ve always been fond of the Suzuki DR650, I like its simple air cooled , reliable design. There are a million of used ones out there ( a lot of them are already set up with desirable accessories).
ADVrider did a little thumbnail comparison of the three Japanese 650 enduros here,
https://www.advrider.com/suzuki-dr650-vs-kawasaki-klr650-vs-honda-xr650l-in-2023/
“The XR is light (349 lb wet weight) compared to the DR650 (366 lb wet weight) and KLR (456 lb wet weight)”
“If you’re looking for a stripped-down thumper for blasting around the woods or dunes near your house, it’s hard to argue with the Honda. If you’re looking for a 50/50 mix of street and trail, the Suzuki is your bike, and you can easily customize it in either direction should you decide to do so. It is the most versatile motorcycle on the market today.
If you want to do long miles on a 650, from Boston to Prudhoe Bay or something like that? Get the KLR. It’s smoother than the other two machines, gets excellent fuel economy, has a much larger fuel tank, a more comfortable seat, better lights”
ADVrider did a little thumbnail comparison of the three Japanese 650 enduros here,
https://www.advrider.com/suzuki-dr650-vs-kawasaki-klr650-vs-honda-xr650l-in-2023/
“The XR is light (349 lb wet weight) compared to the DR650 (366 lb wet weight) and KLR (456 lb wet weight)”
“If you’re looking for a stripped-down thumper for blasting around the woods or dunes near your house, it’s hard to argue with the Honda. If you’re looking for a 50/50 mix of street and trail, the Suzuki is your bike, and you can easily customize it in either direction should you decide to do so. It is the most versatile motorcycle on the market today.
If you want to do long miles on a 650, from Boston to Prudhoe Bay or something like that? Get the KLR. It’s smoother than the other two machines, gets excellent fuel economy, has a much larger fuel tank, a more comfortable seat, better lights”
We don't have a lot of terrain here in norther IN, so it would likely be blasting around in woods and pastures. The group is on the hunt for some good riding grounds apparently. I can see it being a mix of riding and trailering to the locations depending on how far away the riding will be. I watched that video on the TW last night and enjoyed it. Looks like one of the guys in the group rides a TT500 and a few others have more modern bikes. Ultimately it will likely come down to price and what is available in my market. There is a pretty nice '87 XR 250r not too far away for 1600 that seems pretty appealing to me. Looks to be well taken care of.
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I know I just advocated for the 650’s, but I really see the potential for that Yamaha TW200. Light weight and those fat tires really help crossing rough terrain. When I was young and riding dirt bikes in the desert, we used to fit the fattest front tire we could to help float over sand and cushion against rocky terrain.
Justget a GasGas. US legal 2 stroke enduro.
https://www.gasgas.com/en-us/models/enduro/2-stroke/ec-250-2025.html
https://www.gasgas.com/en-us/models/enduro/2-stroke/ec-250-2025.html
Show up on this and they may not take you serious BUT this thing will go ANYWHERE off road. Like a freakin mountain goat in low gear.
And it’s beyond light weight too.
Just throwing it out there.
There used to be a guy here on the forum, kind of a free spirit, he lived up in the mountains in Utah and he had one of those. Man he used to ride that thing up in the mountains and through snow covered passes, where nobody in their right mind would go. I can’t remember his name but he used to post a lot of rides on that bike.
I started trail riding in the mountains of the front range west of Boulder, CO. on a '57 125 Allstate (2-smoke). Moved to a '59 Tiger Cub, then a '65 Triumph 500 (with lots of guys on Bonneville's and Matchless'). Finally got sensible(?) lol when I got out of the service and moved 'down' to a '69 Suzuki TS250. I even rode a '79 TT 500 for 2000 miles in Baja to Cabo and back up using lots of trail marked for the Baja 1000. I'm 5'7". Take you time on something small to get you 'sea legs' and enjoy it.
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Sparkyduc
XS650 Addict
I have a Honda CRF250F and it’s the perfect bike for my 69 year old body. Low seat height, electric start, plenty of power to get me where I’m going but won’t get me in trouble or in over my head
If you don’t have time or money to spend on another bike, I think the XS is fine. Small suspension modifications may be appropriate. You want the forks and shocks to move faster than stock. I ride gravel on my stock Special. I’ll never win any race, but it goes OK.
The real trick is convincing my wife that another bike is needed. I’m excited about making new friends with my shared passion for bikes, but with 4 bikes in the current stable I’m fearing that one would need to go before another could come home with me. That would be a hard decision for me.
My xs is set up with factory ‘77 35mm forks and a set of Koni 13” 7610 dial-a-ride shocks. I have not ridden it yet but the shocks are on the soft side for my size. I’m 5’10 and 250 lbs. Also running a set of Duro HF307 block tread which should help with some traction. I really just need to finish it up and get it running before making a decision on another bike. I’m a bit of a dreamer and a hoarder with bikes. It really is a sickness.
My xs is set up with factory ‘77 35mm forks and a set of Koni 13” 7610 dial-a-ride shocks. I have not ridden it yet but the shocks are on the soft side for my size. I’m 5’10 and 250 lbs. Also running a set of Duro HF307 block tread which should help with some traction. I really just need to finish it up and get it running before making a decision on another bike. I’m a bit of a dreamer and a hoarder with bikes. It really is a sickness.
I think that’s what this group is about.
Ditto.
@gggGary
https://www.xs650.com/threads/moabikers-tall-tales.52941/
Yeah, that’s the guy!
If you’ve never seen this guys posts, you should take a look through this old thread, so many great photos of beautiful country. And he rides a bunch of different bikes through some pretty formidable terrain. I tried to send him a PM, but he must’ve closed his account because there is no option to contact him anymore.
Here’ just a very small sampling of his photos,
https://www.xs650.com/threads/moabikers-tall-tales.52941/
Yeah, that’s the guy!
If you’ve never seen this guys posts, you should take a look through this old thread, so many great photos of beautiful country. And he rides a bunch of different bikes through some pretty formidable terrain. I tried to send him a PM, but he must’ve closed his account because there is no option to contact him anymore.Here’ just a very small sampling of his photos,
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toomuchstuff
XS650 Enthusiast
For off-road 2 track I would recommend the XT-250 if light-ish is important. The wife and I just completed a 7500 mile trip down the Appalachians on the Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route and then crossing the country on the Trans-America trail. Alot of forest service roads, dirt roads and paved backroads. Her XT-250 was flawless for the entire trip. My choice of a Royal Enfield Himalayan was just as capable, however much less fun to pick up. It is over 100 pounds heavier than the XT. The XT had no problems keeping up on the roads, We had a self imposed speed limit of about 55 mph for the trip because "What's the rush?"
@gggGary
https://www.xs650.com/threads/moabikers-tall-tales.52941/
Yeah, that’s the guy!
Here’ just a very small sampling of his photos,
View attachment 331101View attachment 331102View attachment 331103View attachment 331104View attachment 331105View attachment 331106View attachment 331107View attachment 331108View attachment 331109View attachment 331110View attachment 331111
Epic!
An 80s, 90s, 2000s 125/150, 200, 250 (anything) Enduro should be good. Maybe this group has one available to buy. They are not widely desired and should be reasonably priced.
Thanks for posting the link...what an epic thread!@gggGary
https://www.xs650.com/threads/moabikers-tall-tales.52941/
Yeah, that’s the guy!
Here’ just a very small sampling of his photos,
