Advice please.. looking for a dual purpose bike

**JeremyW** · 5th September 2006, 19:46

I am currently in the market for a new bike

I got myself started on a 110 street magic and am looking to upgrade.

I have done a brief bit of trail riding and love the feel and comfort of a mx / trail bike and would really like one for the road, mainly commuting at the moment but definately some long trips over summer.

Basically just want to get some opinions on good dual purpose bikes (primarily for the road as I have an mx bike) and what qualities to look for; like how does trail km compare to road km? what is the maintenence difference between a yz250 and an xr250?

Any advice appreciated

**merv** · 5th September 2006, 20:07

Depends what you want to do. We have a WR250F, XR250L, XT250V and DR650SE in the garage and they are all different.

The WR is basically a race bike - fast but don't count on the engine doing big kms between rebuilds. The XR250L and XT250V are a bloody good allrounders - the Honda being more rugged and better suited to hard out dirt riding, the Yamaha is light and not quite so hard out. The DR650SE is more road oriented for a dirt bike so its quite fast on the road, but way too high geared to be a good hard out trail bike and too heavy and vibrates far more than the XR250L.

You mention YZ250 - whether the 2 stroke or the 4 stroke YZ250F, you are talking of a moto-x bike - not road legal unless you fit all the lighting kit, speedo etc. Basically don't bother, that's what the WR is for - a road legal version of the race bike with a wider ratio gearbox better suited to trail riding.

So what kind of riding do you want to do? You've mentioned commuting and long trips. That is not the domain of the mx bikes.

**jonbuoy** · 5th September 2006, 20:55

If your still on your learners - I had a Kawasaki KLE250 for a while, I enjoyed it. Has the same engine as the GPZ250 - parallel twin. If your a lanky bastard like me you won't look stupid on one either.

**JeremyW** · 5th September 2006, 21:16

Im looking at doing mainly road at the moment because I have a CR125R 88'.But the thing is on its way out so I will use the dual purpose for trail and road later on.

Id say id prefer to stick to four stroke for maintence and petrol but are there any good 2 stroke dual purpose bikes? I have seen this one which looks good. Yes?

**Ruralman** · 5th September 2006, 22:05

Originally Posted by JeremyW

Im looking at doing mainly road at the moment because I have a CR125R 88'.But the thing is on its way out so I will use the dual purpose for trail and road later on.

Id say id prefer to stick to four stroke for maintence and petrol but are there any good 2 stroke dual purpose bikes? I have seen this one which looks good. Yes?

I'd echo all Mervs comments above - it all comes down to the compromises you are prepared to make, the $ available, and your skill level.
The bike you're looking at here looks OK to me but I think its still overpriced and the seller sounds pretty motivated - its not that easy to sell stuff out there so go in with a fairly low offer to start with, even $2500, and make it seem like you can't spend much more.
The 2 strokes are a lot cheaper to overhaul if you have to and are lighter and with a lower Cof G than a 4 stroke equivalent which is useful on trail riding.
They also have that zippy power delivery which once mastered is a hell of a llot of fun and also a big help getting up and over obstacles, providing it still has some low down pull (which the one you're looking at should have)
DRZ 250 & 400 are also around in road legal trim and worth a look. If you were prepared to spend a bit over $6K then a road legal Gas Gas EC300 is on Trade Me as well, and its about as good as it gets for trail riding, would be a blast for commuting but I wouldn't want to do a long road trip on one.

**merv** · 5th September 2006, 22:08

Motu has a DT230 and I'm sure he'll tell you its the bike to buy. Fast and not as maintenance needy as the modern 4 strokes like the WR250F or the CRF250X.

**Motu** · 5th September 2006, 23:10

Originally Posted by JeremyW

I have seen this one which looks good. Yes?

Oh yes indeedy,one hell of an impressive bike....only a CRM250 would kick more arse in a sub 250 road legal bike,and the DT230 is more road worthy than a CRM250.They are based on a 200cc sized bike and have 39 hp with a top speed of 165kph,they will keep up with 400cc 4 strokes off road,and I have no trouble staying with KTM640's on gravel.....but long open road rides are a drag.I guess the electric start doesn't interest a young fella,but it's a hoot.

**Ghost Lemur** · 5th September 2006, 23:15

Originally Posted by merv

Motu has a DT230 and I'm sure he'll tell you its the bike to buy. Fast and not as maintenance needy as the modern 4 strokes like the WR250F or the CRF250X.

Second only to the mighty CRM250AR. Mwahahahaha

**JeremyW** · 6th September 2006, 08:41

Thanks for your comments guys

Very helpful indeed. I think I may make a trip to Waiheke to check it out

**clint640** · 6th September 2006, 09:01

If you're off your restricted, & given that you already have the CR for MX & trail rides, I'd go for a 650 of some sort for the better road & touring ability, that depends on how big you are & available $$ too though.
If it's 250 or under for ya the DT230 is definitely a good option. The good 'ol XR250 is hard to beat also.

Cheers
Clint

**unhingedlizard** · 7th September 2006, 20:07

Ive got a tdr250 and Id recommend one of those. Crap off road though......

**JeremyW** · 8th September 2006, 08:26

I have seen this one
What do you guys reakon? To me it seems worth a good look

**Motu** · 8th September 2006, 08:48

It'd be a really good around town and back road bike,but only just capable of gravel roads - it'll be a real handful with the small front wheel,and there will be mega wheelspin...fun though.I think the price is a bit steep too.

**Ruralman** · 8th September 2006, 09:03

I agree with Motu - treat it as a road bike that can handle some gravel roads with care - don't let those tyres fool you. You wouldn't last 5 minutes on that thing on a decent trail ride