Let's hear from you dualers... better than a sports?

[Macstar]

Hey people

I was absolutely blown away when I went to the Battle of the Streets in Paeroa this year and saw the mad bastards on Motards ripping around the track beating 600cc sport bikes. Obviously those riders had some wicked skills (hanging it out on corners).

Anyway, I've got my tourer (Suzuki RF 900) and I want a second bike sub $8000 to have some on-road fun on. The motards look like a lot of fun through the twisties... and maybe for pulling a few wheelies etc.

*Is riding one of these bikes (KTM 660, XT660 etc) on-road way different to a sports bike i.e. require a fair amount of re-education?

*Would you guys agree that they're more fun through the corners than a sports bike?

*What kind of top end speeds are we talking?

*Do the engines need more attention than your typical 600 sports bike?

Cheers fellas, sorry for all the Q's!

[ozrobo]

theres a good xr 650 motard goin at wild west always good for a test ride to see how you like it

[tri boy]

Never owned either of the two mentioned, but in Perth I had a KLX650. 95.
That was fun.
Top speed would be approx 160kmh, very flickable/wheelieable/hoonable.
Change tyres, and it would to the same off road.
Hard seat, small gas tank. But bulk fun.

[warewolf]

The motards look like a lot of fun through the twisties... and maybe for pulling a few wheelies etc.

Just what are we talking here? A motard is not really "dual purpose" so this may not be the right place for your best answer. Motards are kinda hooligan machines, streetified trail bikes, running sportsbike rubber and suspension. Light, grunty, chuckable.

*Is riding one of these bikes (KTM 660, XT660 etc) on-road way different to a sports bike i.e. require a fair amount of re-education?

Not really. On the street you pretty much ride them like a street bike. It's riding on the gravel that requires re-education, and lots of it!!!

*Would you guys agree that they're more fun through the corners than a sports bike?

Different fun. Anything that handles half-decently is fun in the corners, just that the speed might vary. But they're definitely more fun in the gravel.

*What kind of top end speeds are we talking?

Go directly to gaol, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. But they don't get there quite as fast.

*Do the engines need more attention than your typical 600 sports bike?

Generally dual-purpose bikes are cheaper and easier to service. Rugged is a word that springs to mind. Most are only a single cylinder, no bodywork to speak of, simpler older technologies, etc. Dual-purpose bikes aren't updated every year like sportsbikes. Heck the KLR650A has been in production for 20-odd years or something without much change. Even my KTM has been around for 10+ years with only minor tweaks.

The motards you see on the track are usually based on performance dirt bikes, motocross or enduro, and those are updated more frequently like a sportsbike. They can have quite intense maintenance schedules, too.

Cheers fellas, sorry for all the Q's!

You're welcome, no apology necessary.

Strictly speaking, to answer your question about on-road fun, yeah a motard would do it for you. But if you want to get down & dirty, a dual-purpose will open up a whole new world.

[Macstar]

Cheers Colin and others. Yeah I guess riding a dual bike strictly as a road machine may seem a little criminal to those in an adventure section of KB!

As you say, heading off-road could open up a whole new world - at least you don't have to deal with cars, trucks, buses, taxis etc.

[The Stranger:Me]

Hey people

I was absolutely blown away when I went to the Battle of the Streets in Paeroa this year and saw the mad bastards on Motards ripping around the track beating 600cc sport bikes. Obviously those riders had some wicked skills (hanging it out on corners).

Anyway, I've got my tourer (Suzuki RF 900) and I want a second bike sub $8000 to have some on-road fun on. The motards look like a lot of fun through the twisties... and maybe for pulling a few wheelies etc.

*Is riding one of these bikes (KTM 660, XT660 etc) on-road way different to a sports bike i.e. require a fair amount of re-education?

*Would you guys agree that they're more fun through the corners than a sports bike?

*What kind of top end speeds are we talking?

*Do the engines need more attention than your typical 600 sports bike?

Cheers fellas, sorry for all the Q's!

I doubt you could really call an XT660 a motard.
From memory they are about 180kg dry, contrast that with the WR450 at 112 (well the 05 anyway) and you will get the picture.

Spec on the WR says service (including valve clearances) every 1500km and new piston etc every 5,000km. So yeah, maintenence could be a tad higher than you are used to.

[Speedo-cop]

I recall - with no specific dates - a 50cc engine being used for speed competitions and topping out around 180kph Oh, i recall that part with absolute clarity. It even propelled a bike and rider

It was, however, highly modified, and extremely high maintenance...

Not that this is hugely relevant

[sAsLEX]

Spent the weekend on a KTM 640 Adventure around the UK on crappy A and B roads and I could push it harder than I would my sprot bike due to the terrible surface that would of had me bucking about on the NC.


The braking heaps under diving takes some getting used, and maybe 17 inch wheels would help get some more road orientated tires , but coming off the ferry from the Isle of Wight all the bikes took with some gusto and the old KTM held off all the sprot bikes until the MW where its lack of top speed killed it.....

In short I like. I want a KTM 640SM or what ever the ones are with the cool upswept pipes for commuting on and blasts in the twisties..... the seat leaves some wanting.

[clint640]

Good comments above.

I reckon once the twistys get to a certain tightness & the surface gets a little rough a dirtbike or a motard is the tool to be on. Faster & more fun.

Sportbikes are great where the road opens up a little & the surface is good, trouble is that's usually where the cops are.

I'm just an average rider but on forays to the Coromandel I'll often catch up to bunches of sportbikes through the windys, & that's cruising on semi-knobbly tyres. I've been out on Taupo (with some road tyres on the std rims) for a bit of club racing & a few track days which is heaps of fun. On the short track the KTM can hold it's own no worries.

I've ridden the SM version of my 640 & that thing was amazing - you could brake so late, & corner so hard. The lighter & gruntier 660 SMC would be an absolute weapon.

If you want to sacrifice a bit of performance for some versatility, $8K would get you a 2nd hand DR650 with enough change to spend on some SM wheels for it, then you could swap between adv bike & motard in minutes.

Cheers
Clint

[cooneyr]

If you want to sacrifice a bit of performance for some versatility, $8K would get you a 2nd hand DR650 with enough change to spend on some SM wheels for it, then you could swap between adv bike & motard in minutes.

Cheers
Clint

From what Nordie has been saying $8k will get you a new DR650 at the moment. About $2k to convert to motard with a little it of bling (pipe and jets included from memory) and relacing the stock hubs with 17's (rear is 17 but went wider I think) according to Sep Kiwirider.

Cheers R

[NordieBoy]

Go directly to gaol, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. But they don't get there quite as fast.

And they're in top gear tapped out when they get there too.

[GaZBur]

From what Nordie has been saying $8k will get you a new DR650 at the moment. About $2k to convert to motard with a little it of bling (pipe and jets included from memory) and relacing the stock hubs with 17's (rear is 17 but went wider I think) according to Sep Kiwirider.

Cheers R

I motard my DR650 for fun and it is a great deal fun, but not a serious Motard machine. I use standard rims and good road tyres. If you want to seriously race supermotard I believe the premier class in NZ is 450 with 17in rims. Check with the MNZ rules if you are serious about it but I believe open supermotard class rim size is optional.
If you want a Motard bike to race and have offroad adventures get a DRZ450 or the same thing a Kawasaki KLX450. If you want a Adventure tourer you can have Motard fun on for a reasonable price (very reasonable now the Suzuki sale is on) buy a DR650 and have a hoot like I do, and I can ride it to work during the week too! Dont waste too much money tring to convert the DR as its never going to beat bikes that weigh 30% less and have 20% more power already. Buy one just because it it the best fun for money you can get though!!!

[terbang]

My bike, Cagiva Navigator, is described by its manufacturer (MV Agusta) as an 'all road' bike. Quite simply it can ride all roads, Seal or gravel and the odd (easy) forestry track. It isn't a traillie though its appearance and configuration tends that way They came standard with road tyres but I have had mine on dualsport as well. Its not short of 'Wick' either (TL 1000 powered) and it handles absolutely sharp and crisp on a tight road. With road being the operative word as roads have more undulations and imperfections than a track. The type of suspension that this config has, easily deals with such imperfections. I am sold on the thing. I ride Port Waikato to Raglan via the gravel, spraying stones all over the countryside, then next day do a coro loop. I can get over Coro hill quicker on this thing than I ever could on my old bandit or Hayabusa. And I have the option of riding Coroglen-Tapu if I so desire. In my view, for road riding its just the ducks nutz.

[warewolf]

And they're in top gear tapped out when they get there too.

Well my DR-Z250 certainly was - plus I was drafting an SV650S. Wouldn't quite get to license-loss speeds without help. The KTM big banger is a different story...

[bart]

I have a lot of fun on my DRZ400 (dirt model but road legal). 2 sets of wheels help. I use good knobblies for trail rides, worn knobblies for adventure, and road tyres on road wheels for road. 15/39 gearing on road wheels gets her out over 180kmh (gets a bit unstable because of light weight and shit aerodynamics).

Great fun around town, but a bit limited on the open road. 5 speed box, and only a small band of power through each gear limits things a bit.

Did I mention it's a hell of a laugh around town.