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Thread: What's the best bike for gravel?

  1. #16
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    19th August 2003 - 15:32
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    The best bike for the gravel is the one yer on.
    I've ridden everything on gravel from a Rocket III to a Vespa.
    My favourite on gravel was my KTM 625SXC...fantastic..

  2. #17
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    Oscars right (unfortunately), most of it is actually about riding skill so if you're starting off get a KLR 650 or DR650, once you've learnt how to slide around on gravel just about anything works. Any street bike with an uprightish riding position is capable of travelling on gravel roads, what doesn't work so well is fat 17" front tyres, clip ons and lots of expensive fairings.

  3. #18
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    Best bike I had on gravel was a T250 Suzuki - but that may have been because I was young and brash and didn't know you were meant to fall off....
    “- He felt that his whole life was some kind of dream and he sometimes wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it.”

  4. #19
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    For me, a KTM Freeride 350. Hard to say why. Who buys bikes for sensible reasons anyway?

    OP you didn't actually say whether this was all gravel, some gravel, not much gravel, or like the mums who pick up the kids from school in 4WD tanks, no gravel.
    There is a grey blur, and a green blur. I try to stay on the grey one. - Joey Dunlop

  5. #20
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    Xr .
    'Good things come to those who wait'
    Bollocks, get of your arse and go get it

  6. #21
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    24th July 2006 - 11:53
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    Pick of the current crop is a KTM 525 EXC.

    Oscar's probably right, but, y'know, a 525 is what I've got to hand, and it don't owe me much.
    Go soothingly on the grease mud, as there lurks the skid demon

  7. #22
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    19th August 2003 - 15:32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ocean1 View Post
    Pick of the current crop is a KTM 525 EXC.

    Oscar's probably right, but, y'know, a 525 is what I've got to hand, and it don't owe me much.
    I also have fond memories of a 950 Super Enduro...but on one of those yer only one bad decision away from inserting it into a tree.

  8. #23
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    Just to keep the KB tradition alive of being pedantic about language... There is NO good bike for riding on gravel, proper gravel that is.

    However if your talking about adventure touring on unsealed roads or even just hacking about on forest roads or river banks its a real how long is a piece of string question.
    There's so much variety depending on what you want to do and how fast you want to be going when gets too loose!
    I've taken plenty of my road bikes down gravel roads and to be honest on the DR650 I'm not really going a hell of a lot faster.
    It takes a lot of confidence and skill to start ridng a dirt bike anywhere near the point that one is better than another.
    Govt gives you nothing because it creates nothing - Javier Milei

  9. #24
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    Cant tell you what the best bike is for riding gravel but the KTM990 adventure crashes pretty well on it
    ....wherezz that track go

  10. #25
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    24th July 2006 - 11:53
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oscar View Post
    I also have fond memories of a 950 Super Enduro...but on one of those yer only one bad decision away from inserting it into a tree.
    Mate I make enough bad decisions to insert anything into a tree, only the velocity varies.
    Go soothingly on the grease mud, as there lurks the skid demon

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ocean1 View Post
    Mate I make enough bad decisions to insert anything into a tree, only the velocity varies.
    To be fair, the last bike I tried to insert into a Pinus radiata was an XR400.
    I woke up 10 minutes later...

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oscar View Post
    To be fair, the last bike I tried to insert into a Pinus radiata was an XR400.
    I woke up 10 minutes later...
    Ah, we're getting species - specific eh?

    Leme see, my last pine tree was on an XL350, (410cc). And to be honest it would have been relatively painless except I managed to arrive at the tree before the bike did. Briefly.

    Nowadays I try to stick to gorse.
    Go soothingly on the grease mud, as there lurks the skid demon

  13. #28
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    I always thought my KLR650 was a real good gravel bike. Bit odd up front, but got used to the front doing its own thing. Have recently purchased a BMW R100GSPD and the stability and relaxedness on gravel is bloody amazing, so no help to you at all really.

    Tyres make a big difference too.
    I mentioned vegetables once, but I think I got away with it...........

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oscar View Post
    The best bike for the gravel is the one yer on.
    I've ridden everything on gravel from a Rocket III to a Vespa.
    My favourite on gravel was my KTM 625SXC...fantastic..
    Too true Oscar! I remember one of the most fun bikes I did a bunch of gravel road riding on was a '95 Triumph Trident 750, it was a real hoot! (Also helped that I didn't own it....)
    By the same token a certain magazine publisher that we both know swears by Kawasaki W650's fitted with knobblies.....

    To the OP, I guess it depends a certain amount on how seriously off-road you want to get as well as how much tar seal riding you plan on doing to get there, along with other considerations like pillions, luggage, height/inside leg measurement, riding skill etc., etc.

    Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that, who cares? ...He's a mile away and you've got his shoes

  15. #30
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    Anything with knobblies is going to work well. It's then down to price and weight.

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