I just moved up to the mountains and from what I hear there are some great places to ride. There are also some cool areas right near my id like to explore but the miles of mountain climbs are killing my on my mountain bike.
I have already been thinking about getting a motorcycle (if I dont get the Jeep I was posting about a while back) and wondered what options there where that could be used both on the road and off.

I remember the video posted on here a few days ago with the two guys who took the triumphs through the jungle/desert/mountains and something like that would be sick.
What should I look for and how much would something good cost? I have a pretty decent bit of disposable income currently, unless I go get a Jeep soon.

supermoto bike

Like a dirt bike?

Anything with 250ccs in a 2 stroke is fun as hell offroad.
But street legal too? 400cc 4 stroke be boss., and most reliable.

If ur not extreme dirt biking here takin mass jumps doin flips n shit, or wanting to go 100+ mph ull be fine and love above 2 options.

This post was edited by IB0T on Aug 14 2013 09:52pm

Kawasaki klr, suzuki drz, honda xr.

do you have any real off road dirt bike experience? Dual sports are tricky. The tire is a compromise on and off road. Couple that with the enormous size and weight (compared to pure off road bikes) and it makes it worse. It is fun to ride down the highway and peel off on a dirt road or power line.

based on your experience level and how much on road riding you intend to do you can pick a size. The klr and xr come in a 250 and a 650. The 250 will be much more nimble and easier to ride in the woods. The 650 will shine on the road. You need decent skill and pretty good strength/stamina to enjoy the 650's in tighter woods trails. All of them will need to be geared for your style of riding. Note that these aren't hot rods from the factory. The klr 650 only makes like 25whp. Lots of power down low though. I think the xr 650 is closer to 45whp. For reference a 450cc motocross bike makes mid 50's and weighs 100lbs less. The displacement is there so basic mods show good gains. Tire choice is critical. I've had a Klr 650 and an xr. I liked the xr more but the kawi is more comfortable on road.


The drz 400 is a middle ground in a lot of ways. You can find them cheap on Craigslist. They are usually abused though.

Ive never ridden a dirt bike before.
Not that its really comparable, but I mountain bike a good bit as well as stand up jet ski so throwing around the weight of a bike might be comparable.

Ive ridden my friends ninja 550? and it was pretty easy to pick up.

I think im looking for mostly trail riding with some small jumps/drops.
Ideally something that can cruise at 60mph on the road too.

ok well i think you rode a ninja 650? thats a bike that is similar to a dirtbike. Um with having little to no experience i wouldnt do a drz 400, i would do a big bore thumper like the 650's. I love honda motorcycles so i say 650. My father currently has a xr 350 and it goes maybe 60-70 TOP speed... its good riding through trails but a 650 would require more to muscle it around. I personally love supermoto bikes but they have no traction, they use street tires if i am correct. My ideal bike is a cr450f with the supermoto plastics.

Even the 250's will cruise at 60. Stay off the interstate with all of them though. I've ridden for years in the mountains you live in. The first time you get that 650 down in a gulley with no way out but dragging it in 95° heat you will hate it. Taking a 650 on actual mountainous dirt bike trails is not a feat for a noob. Riding fire roads is a completely different story. They shine there.

If you buy the jeep get a moto-tote and buy something like a yamaha TTR 225 to get your feet wet. It will haul a grown man around fine while crossing any obstacles you meet. Intermediate (meaning full size but non-race) bikes like that are dirt cheap and tough. Once you get the hang of it if you want to get a dual sport still you can sell it to recoup basically all of your money. Anything more than 7-8 years old has bottomed out price wise.

Spend money on a good pair of boots and a comfortable helmet.




The last thing I would suggest to a brand new rider is a 415+lb 650cc bike not running a knobby tire. It will murder him and he will hate it. Good on the road, hell on tight trails. Riding a porky bike like the 650's in the woods relies as much on good instinctive technique as it does physical fitness. Unfortunately those skills don't come overnight. I'm 5'10" 175 in good shape with going on 22 years of dirt experience and I wouldn't enjoy hossing a 650 around in the slick Appalachian trails unless they were cut for an atv. My 450 is already big enough at 225lbs.

The drz 400 is listed at 297lbs dry weight so right at 100lbs lighter. All of these adventure bikes have cult like followings of loyal owners as well.

my first bike was a xr250r plated and that's the thing i learned on. Thing tops out around 65 but they're fun as hell, especially when you run motocross tires which me and all my friends did. 1 of my friends has a xr250 plated also, and another has a klx 250 bored to 300, and can easily do 90mph. I got my xr250r for like $900, and it was durable as hell. All 3 bikes are street legal with the baja kits also. Well 2 bikes, i sold mine after i broke my ankle to buy wheels for my car :(.

This post was edited by Krnboi12345 on Aug 15 2013 01:28am

Im still not sure if Ill end up buying the new 4 door wrangler or wait for something cheaper. I can easily afford it, I just dont know if I want the car payment, especially since I just started a new job 3 weeks ago.
I know there is a lot of single track and double track trails around here, im not sure how many allow dirtbikes in my local area though.

Ill look into the bikes mentioned. Im missing not having lake access to go jetski so a dirtbike might be the way to go.

I have more fun in the woods than I ever had on a motocross track. How far are you from union point GA now? 1.5 hrs? Durhamtown plantation is one of the best riding areas in the southeast. They have 100mi of atv/bike trails and 40mi of single track. The single track is gnarly but the rest of it is mild and well marked. It would be an easier place to get your feet wet than the mountains. They rent bikes and gear too.