BMW? Yamaha? Kawasaki? Suzuki?

[RHINO]

acorn for what its worth i like to commute once in a while but i dont need to spend much time on the open highway. i like to bomb around the city and off road i ride everything from open desert to jeep roads and rocky arsed tight trails,,,,, a big thumper is the only bike i choose.

you will only really notice the extra weight of the DR in rougher terrain, for me its a total non issue, but that size and weight makes a big positive difference on the street.

 

[T.Low]

I think you are missing the opportunity to own the perfect bike: KTM LC4 640E or Adventure. They are selling in the $3k range now and are better bikes than the DRZ and have the load carrying capacity. My LC4 weighs a smidge over 300#.

bb

Ohhhhh, they are cool. A little big for ths stuff I like to ride but...a local guy is selling a limited edition "Six Days" and it's a beautiful green color with only 1700 miles on it.

http://pnwdualsport.forumotion.net/...ays-1771-miles-perfect-bellingham-wa-t954.htm

 

[Acorn]

a guy on the BC DualSport forums mentioned the Husqvarna TE 610

looking at this bike it looks great, the tank is even smaller than the DR, which worries me a little, but again, for bombing around town and the bush, it looks pretty fun

 

[RHINO]

TE610 is a great bike, but can be fussy like all the euro bikes. one thing to remember about euro bikes in general, they are built for performance, most of the time its more bike than the average rider will ever need, and you will spend a bit more time loving them, but they are fun and fast.

i had a KTM 640 adventure, really liked it. the suspension made up for its heavy weight wich didnt bother me much and i rode it all over the place. but over time i just grew tired of all the extra stuff, fairing, racks, ect. and wanted a bare bones bike that was just legal enough to get registered.

billy i ride a 99 ATK 605. i love this bike, its everything all the other bikes ive owned were missing. i would recommend one, but they are a niche thing.

 

[dirtysouth]

I'm kinda lost between the DRZ400 and the DR650, the weight difference is about 60 lbs, 10 hp, and 4 mpg

is that difference really worth it? will I be saving much if I buy a DRZ? they're a little harder to find in a street legal version around my area

Having owned both the DRZ and DR, I doubt there is a 60lb weight difference, and certainly not a 10hp difference. The DRZ is taller and when you're going slow up a goat trail, it will feel heavier because it is taller. I dropped the DRZ a lot more times than the DR with my 30" inseam. As far as power, both are single cylinder dualsport bikes with 40hp or less at the rear wheel, you're not going anywhere fast. Both will exceed any speed limit in the CONUS, but the DR will be happier at hwy speeds. The DRZ is a higher revving engine, which is how they get similar HP to the bigger bore DR. The downside to a higher revving engine, is more vibrations. The DR doesn't rev as high, but it is a torquier engine for when the going gets slow.

Don't worry about the size of the fuel tanks on any dualsport you're looking at because you can get a aftermarket one for most any of them. The tank on the DRZ is just as small or smaller than the DR. Owners of both bikes usually change the tanks out as one of the first mods.

 

[Acorn]

Rhino, you mentioned an "atk 605" what is this bike? I can't find anything on it

 

[RHINO]

well, its an american company that built bikes of they're own design and handmade chassis with off the shelf top performance parts from around the world. rotax engine and top of the line parts were used from companies like OHLINS, Talon, Domino ect.. a bare bones dirt bike that was also offered in DS trim to specifically race open desert baja style and knock honda off the winning streak. unfortunately they never really got off the ground and were paycheck to paycheck building bikes. they are still in buisiness today but no longer produce the 605 DS or anything like it, its unfortunate because i would buy a new version if they were making one.
they are a niche bike though, no dealers or much support at all outside of a handfull of shops to get parts. parts are readily available and never a problem to get but w/o a dealer nearby its all through the mail. luckily these bikes are rock solid and dont need much outside of routine maint. but as such you'll need to understand that you are the mechanic and parts counterman.
for you the downfall is range, and it has a very specific one sided frame with no aftermarket fuel tank available.
you can google ATK 605 and stuff will pop up, this is my bike.

 

[CoastalDefender]

well, its an american company that built bikes of they're own design and handmade chassis with off the shelf top performance parts from around the world. rotax engine and top of the line parts were used from companies like OHLINS, Talon, Domino ect.. a bare bones dirt bike that was also offered in DS trim to specifically race open desert baja style and knock honda off the winning streak. unfortunately they never really got off the ground and were paycheck to paycheck building bikes. they are still in buisiness today but no longer produce the 605 DS or anything like it, its unfortunate because i would buy a new version if they were making one.
they are a niche bike though, no dealers or much support at all outside of a handfull of shops to get parts. parts are readily available and never a problem to get but w/o a dealer nearby its all through the mail. luckily these bikes are rock solid and dont need much outside of routine maint. but as such you'll need to understand that you are the mechanic and parts counterman.
for you the downfall is range, and it has a very specific one sided frame with no aftermarket fuel tank available.
you can google ATK 605 and stuff will pop up, this is my bike.

My wife doesn't like you anymore because you make me want to spend more money on 2-wheeled transportation. :elkgrin:

 

[Acorn]

see, that's exactly what I love to see. Someone like Rhino passionate about the bike he owns, even if its got some shortfalls.

I've seen that with several different bikes and their owner's, and I have a feeling I'll go through a couple models before I find "mine"

On another note, I personally have never been to a desert, we don't have desert up here, and I'm probably not going to a desert

that said, a "baja" bike or "desert qualified bike" means didly to me. What makes a "baja" vehicle/bike/whatever tires? suspension? engine?

up here we have tight winding trails, open dirt roads and a LOT of trees, if you can imagine northern BC, its basically just all trees with some breaks for towns ever few hundred km's... if that. I love where I live, by the way :victory:

 

[RHINO]

what makes a good desert bike? i could get into things like frame geometry, weight distribution ect. but generally a desert bike doesnt need to be so light on its feet in the area of quick handling and nimbleness for throwing around tight woodsy trails. for recreational riding pretty much anything can be ridden in the desert. but if you want to go fast for long periods a little weight and power for deep sand is your friend.
i would be recommending you get a smaller lighter bike up in your area, but since your main goal right now is commuting and light off road use i'd go for a bigger thumper.
you are correct that you will most likely go through a few bikes before you find the one you really want, your just gonna have to start riding to figure that out.

 

[billy bee]

billy i ride a 99 ATK 605. i love this bike, its everything all the other bikes ive owned were missing. i would recommend one, but they are a niche thing.

Here's a picture of my former ATK:

Thew guy I sold it to is now trying to sell it for $2500. If I had a spare $2500, I'd buy it back.

bb

 

[Acorn]

what makes a good desert bike? i could get into things like frame geometry, weight distribution ect. but generally a desert bike doesnt need to be so light on its feet in the area of quick handling and nimbleness for throwing around tight woodsy trails. for recreational riding pretty much anything can be ridden in the desert. but if you want to go fast for long periods a little weight and power for deep sand is your friend.
i would be recommending you get a smaller lighter bike up in your area, but since your main goal right now is commuting and light off road use i'd go for a bigger thumper.
you are correct that you will most likely go through a few bikes before you find the one you really want, your just gonna have to start riding to figure that out.

OR sounds like I need to do an Arizona trip mostly because I really want an AT-Flippac... or possibly a nice little overland trailer. But that;s another day!

I seriously think a trip across North american (north to south) would be a lot of fun! because BC to Arizona is almost all the way xD.

I do know that from where I live to Hollywood is approx 40 hours of driving. except I did that trip when I was like, 6.

anyway. I'll be posting again when I finally manage to snag myself a bike, it might be next season sadly, as I technically haven't had a job for a year due to medical reasons :box: but now I'm a computer tech and should be workin away in a couple months! Yes, contrary to some beliefs, Canada really does have computers xD

But, after all this, I still feel that Suzuki is a good starter point, maybe a honda if I can find one

 

[RHINO]

cool acorn, feel free to hit me up if you ever have Q's or do plan a trip out this way.

BTW, another bike to look at for a decent price and would fit your starting out requirements pretty good is a XR650L. pretty much bomb proof.

billy, would be cool if you could get it back.

defender, sorry bout that, but if you want to have your wife contact me i can steer her in the right direction with the merits of a fast all terrain vehicle to use for scouting safe passage and food collection duties during a zombie apocalypse.

 

[leaffreux]

From my experince Sahara, OZ and lots of the western US, don't get anything you can't pick up by yourself.

 

[leaffreux]

From my experince Sahara, OZ and lots of the western US, don't get anything you can't pick up by yourself.