Zimnij Volk
Observer
Hey all,
It's sure been a while since I've made a post. Back home in Oregon, and left everything else back in Wisconsin. Single again, and having been nearly trapped inside my own home for almost 2 and a half years, it's time to get out. But my options are now sorely limited. I didn't have my 3/4 ton 91 Suburban anymore, and a Thunderbird wouldn't give me much more than a light logging trail or gravel road journey. But upon a trip to my grandparents to visit my aging grandfather I noticed some of my dad's old motorcycles in the back. Since my uncle lived just down the street I stopped by to visit him as well. This is where I really got some of my gears turning. He had my dad's old CZ and Honda CB 250 stored away. When my dad passed, my mom gave it to my grandpa to ride around the farm, but since he's over 90 now, he uses the Kubota more. (Heck, the old guy has more cool toys than I do.) And now it sits in my uncles garage. So while my uncle is talking about his new Indian (which is a really nice bike. #10 in the series.) I kept thinking about the old Honda.
Now, since it's one of my Dad's old bikes, I'd rather not wreck it or alter it in any way. But I think I could start on it pretty easy. Learn the tricks, and then get a bike of my own to outfit for some trips. In the grand scheme of things, I'll be getting myself a K5 Blazer soon to outfit for some journeys as well, but I'd like to be able to mount the bike up to a hitch rack to take with me, and the bike would also take me to work and back when not on the trails and it's nice out. So I've worked out that it should be fairly light, dirt simple, and parts should be plentiful. I'm aiming for a dual sport for the added clearance, as I know that, spirit of my dad and both grandfathers, I'll be offroad quite a bit. But even though while I was growing up we had a garage full of like 6 bikes at a time, I was too young to retain any of that knowledge.
So know I come to you guys to ask, would a Suzuki DR 350 be able to fit that bill? I'm not a tall guy (5'8"), and have fairly short legs. I also weigh 230 lbs or so (For some reason the more I exercise, the more I weigh). I'm afraid it might be too taxing for the bike under both mine and my gear's weight. I don't really want a large bike, that just adds weight, and I'm not a speed demon. So I'm open for suggestions.
Thanks,
~ Volk
It's sure been a while since I've made a post. Back home in Oregon, and left everything else back in Wisconsin. Single again, and having been nearly trapped inside my own home for almost 2 and a half years, it's time to get out. But my options are now sorely limited. I didn't have my 3/4 ton 91 Suburban anymore, and a Thunderbird wouldn't give me much more than a light logging trail or gravel road journey. But upon a trip to my grandparents to visit my aging grandfather I noticed some of my dad's old motorcycles in the back. Since my uncle lived just down the street I stopped by to visit him as well. This is where I really got some of my gears turning. He had my dad's old CZ and Honda CB 250 stored away. When my dad passed, my mom gave it to my grandpa to ride around the farm, but since he's over 90 now, he uses the Kubota more. (Heck, the old guy has more cool toys than I do.) And now it sits in my uncles garage. So while my uncle is talking about his new Indian (which is a really nice bike. #10 in the series.) I kept thinking about the old Honda.
Now, since it's one of my Dad's old bikes, I'd rather not wreck it or alter it in any way. But I think I could start on it pretty easy. Learn the tricks, and then get a bike of my own to outfit for some trips. In the grand scheme of things, I'll be getting myself a K5 Blazer soon to outfit for some journeys as well, but I'd like to be able to mount the bike up to a hitch rack to take with me, and the bike would also take me to work and back when not on the trails and it's nice out. So I've worked out that it should be fairly light, dirt simple, and parts should be plentiful. I'm aiming for a dual sport for the added clearance, as I know that, spirit of my dad and both grandfathers, I'll be offroad quite a bit. But even though while I was growing up we had a garage full of like 6 bikes at a time, I was too young to retain any of that knowledge.
So know I come to you guys to ask, would a Suzuki DR 350 be able to fit that bill? I'm not a tall guy (5'8"), and have fairly short legs. I also weigh 230 lbs or so (For some reason the more I exercise, the more I weigh). I'm afraid it might be too taxing for the bike under both mine and my gear's weight. I don't really want a large bike, that just adds weight, and I'm not a speed demon. So I'm open for suggestions.
Thanks,
~ Volk
