Rexx Riot

Hey guys, I'm new to dual sports having purchased my DRZ400 from a member here at the end of the summer. The intent at the start of 2018 was 1) move to Idyllwild at least part time, 2) get a dual sport to add to the stable, 3) get a dual sport for wife's first and only bike (she is not interested in street riding, just linking trails), 4) get a good ol busted up 4x4 to keep on the mountain first two objectives met, last 2 in the works. There are deals to be had on great used machines all over the place, but her heart is into older bikes (lost boys is her fav flick and naturally an 80s enduro is her perfect vision of what a bike should be). Namely enduros from the 70s and 80s. To that end, I've got eyes on a couple different Honda XL250's from the mid 80s that seem in good shape with fair write ups. I have viewings pending with both machines. I do have some concerns with part availability and the nature of a dual carb bike in general as I'm still pretty new to 'analog fueling' a la carbs (my main bike is EFI for 7 years and the carb on the DRZ is a new beast to me, but so far so good! Got it flowing nicely after shaking the winter off it). Anyone have opinions on the XL250 of yesteryear? I know they preceded the NX then XR series and seem to be very well loved over at TT and other outlets but wanted to ask here as 1) i trust this community more in general and 2) these are native coastal so cal bikes and might have different maintenance concerns compared to a barn-bike out in the midwest etc. Any model specific details to cover during a walkaround/test ride that you guys know of? Any size concerns for a 5'4" 120lb tough chick with 0 motorcycle experience (she's been on the back of the dizzer but never at the helm)? She can tip-toe the DRZ but I'd want for her to be able to flatfoot her first bike on pavement so she can get a bit more leverage and control when dealing with uneven terrain etc. On paper the XL seems like it'd be a great fit for her but paper > realworld isn't always a simple translation. Any OTHER models you have experience with that a 30 something like me who is pretty new to motorbikes might not know of from the late 70s early 80s that she might fall in love with? I imagine a dr350 or xt225/250 would be good for her but she still prefers something older and simpler. Kick start is fine, road legal a must as we'll be accessing stuff from our home in Idyllwild sans a truck and trailer. Any and all input, feedback and convo is welcome.

Yeah I just got some looks from around the office floor myself

Yeah she can get both paws down together and she felt pretty good. Much more slight than the DRZ she's had some practice on so she felt pretty good about it. I'm not sure on figures, but the bike felt quite light. I wouldn't think any more than 300 lbs but i don't have much frame of reference on 'light bikes'....I'm used to my SV650 and my DRZ. Kick start only is something she is happy about on THIS side of a long hard day full of crashes, but we'll see how it pans out! Thanks again for the well wishes and leads guys!

Hey team just wanted to update. Maxi Overdrive got her first bike last night and brought it home. She is the proud owner of a 1986 yamaha tt225 that needs some TLC and work but she is excited to get dirt under her nails with me and her brother (who is a solid mechanic and will be leading the wrenching efforts on the project). It'll be a super fun project for us and the payoff will be great! Got it super duper cheap too so that is always great!

Not so sure...can't generate the embed link from youtube unless you're the uploader maybe? or maybe this forum just doesn't support it cuz yeah, i'm sure there are more costs for hosting etc etc. i'm not too up on forum tech though! either way, ty for the link dude!

I'll keep it in mind and I'll be sure to bother you when the time comes if it's still around! Thanks again!

We're meeting with a few guys this week to take a look at a couple XL250s and a Dr350. I'll keep you guys posted, thanks as always! PS: during our hunt for her enduro I got a lead on a gorgeous ol Honda VF700 i might be grabbing this week too haha. Who knew?! Very exciting week for the Riot family!

OMG thank you guys for the leads! We've been all over offerup and cycletrader but tend to disregard CL as it is usually a needle/haystack experience for me. We both hugely appreciate the leads I'm diving in!

Good inputs everyone thank you. Still pending some responses on the pair of XL250s we are spying online. Did a little homework and there are plenty of cheap options for new dual carbs and carb rebuild kits etc. Suspension components available still too and plenty of part bikes laying around it seems so I'm not so hesitant about the idea of the XL250. Spotted a pair of great looking Dr350s in the meantime which I think would be perfection for her, one of 'em electric start. She's in love with the idea of a kick but having never experienced a kick starter myself I simply have nightmares thinking about kicking something to life after dropping the bike a jillion times in the heat etc...."maybe the button ain't that bad on a first bike dear". she shrugged with a "yeah okay i think you have a point". either way, we're just eager to find a good fit in good shape. Seemingly lots of things to see in the 1500-3000 range which is fun! I'll keep everyone posted on the quest for her first bike. After our hikes this weekend and the trail discoveries she is more amp'd than ever to get on 2 wheels. She is a confident driver (3 pedals and everything) and very assertive with her right foot....but she has a healthy fear of 2 wheels on this side of things having never been at the controls, especially after my first big crash a few weeks back. We'll ease her in nicely and she'll be leaving me in her wake in no time I'm sure. I'll put the options @dirt dame and @Wierdrider on the review list and get to some more homework! Thanks guys.

Nah, nowhere near enough orange... I've trolled the forums long enough to know that!

Good notes, and wonderful offer thanks @Uncle Champ! I'll be in touch re: CRF demo for sure. The XL250 is just south of 300lbs wet and ready as i understand but I'm not sure how it wears the weight or if my wife would be able to take it by the scruff of the neck. We'll have to see if the chance to find out comes to fruition soon! We hope it does

Nearing 40k miles, many sets of new rubber, several years of riding, and I've crossed over from the one type of rider to the OTHER type after my first off on pavement 2 weeks ago. Lessons were learned: 1) After pulling the sport bike out of the garage after 6+ months one should be gentle! Rider position and the bike are very different. Give yourself a few hundred miles to get back to form. 2) ATGAT: I was lucky that I was wearing my stuff. I debated leaving off leather as I didn't intend to 'ride hard' but discretion proved the better part of valour and I'll never ride without a full compliment of protection again. This is the most important lesson of the batch and this experience really drove home the importance of a sound compliment of gear. I extend this to protection for the bike as well: sliders, bash plates, bar ends, whatever suits your ride and riding. My bike is beat up but 100% functional which is great! I can replace plastics and leather jackets etc but not body parts or frames etc 3) Pay more attention to road surface, even on well travelled roads! Just a bit of silt/sand (even if not readily visible) on cold tires can become a problem 4) Don't skip leg day! Standing up a gas covered bike while injured can be difficult if you can't properly position yourself. I was able to manage getting under the bike with the help of a passerby who aided me in sliding the bike away from the wheel-side obstructions and thus allowed me to position on the saddle to stand it up, but overall fitness is important for sound riding (and speedy recovery) imo. Never know when you're gonna need to be a hulk. It was a 'violent' lowside. Left to Right S turn and went down hard when the bike KEPT leaning right, all the way over down to the pavement. In reality I was pushing brand new and still cold tires too hard (read: barely gettin' on it, but still should've given 'em more time and miles to warm and scrub up a bit. c'mon dummy, you know better!) and didn't think of the effect of nearby construction on the road surface. Still had my hands on the clipons as it happened so fast and unexpectedly and my right flank took a hard blast after getting body slammed. I bounced over onto my left hip and tumbled twice (I think) during which I had a heavy head impact and cracked my polycarb shell before gently sliding many feet off the road and out of harms way away from a single other vehicle. All in: bruised ribs, dislocated pinky finger, concussion, minor abrasions here and there but nothing severe. I consider this a positive experience. I am not happy to have been down, but I am very grateful that things didn't end up any worse. I feel exceptionally lucky and the experience has helped reinforce the reality of what it is we do. I've always been a cognizant and thoughtful rider with a great respect for the machine and the vulnerability we expose ourselves to, but this experience has helped me learn a lot more and strive to be more careful and proactive about my safety and my riding. I really just wanted to share the experience and highlight the importance of wearing gear and being mentally committed to the ride. That's now my biggest talking point for riding...in this case i could have done things differently yes and I am the one who crashed the bike. I wasn't doing anything that I hadn't done before on new and cold tires, but I still goofed it and i couldve done things differently. If i hadn't had my helmet, gloves, boots, pants, and jacket this would have been a much different 2 weeks. Long story short friends: if you don't protect yourself out here, who will? Even Rossi break bones, sometimes you HAVE to go down. Best to be prepared if you get a choice and like it or not, we ALL get a choice. Stay safe out there fam! See you guys out there!

Thanks for the well wishes and support guys! I'm recovering well enough, should have a new road lid arriving by this weekend and I'm hoping to get back up and running next week. See you guys on or off road soon

Lovely... ty for a good grammar joke too! Your secret spot looks gorgeous. Bottle of wine and a snack with my wife and we'd just stay there all day

Me and my DRZ live just up the mountain to your west in Idyllwild. Drop me a line sometime and help this noob earn more dirt stripes! Welcome

Thanks for the excellent inputs gentlemen, much appreciated. I'm relieved that these minor symptoms don't seem to indicate anything to worry about. A good bit of TLC will likely go the distance. Nothing will teach me about the carb like picking it to bits. The CV carb actually feels 'sticky' if that translates...almost like it is unwilling to close or open throttle sometimes without a bit of a fuss. I'll start with a good sniff and clean and take it from there. Happy holidays guys! Anyone coming up the hill is welcome to ping me, we have a couple extra beds upstairs...

Hey guys, I recently relocated my DRZ to our home in Idyllwild. Since getting it up the hill I've found it smellin' a bit gassy and it has become apt to stumble and stall particularly on a downshift OR when under moderate to heavy throttle going uphill....it'll kick and sputter then conk out forcing me to dump the clutch and get it back to life. I assumed this is due in part to altitude and needing to fiddle with the mixture a bit....but I'm new to carb'd bikes and wonder if I might be best served by a carb clean and tune/re-jet? Idears? Tips for a carb rookie?

I don't eat meat but maybe next run is up to Alaska for crab or the bay area for a chowduh bowl? I'll roll, just need to line up all the veggie burgers between here and there haha. Great adventure. This is exactly why I wanted a dual sport. Inspiring, thanks!

Soldier Field is always a good stop, as is Navy Pier but you been to Santa Monica pier you know what to expect so... Lou Malnati's for real Chi-town deep dish, and if you're jonesing for a hot beef sandwich you'll want to hit up a Portillo's! In terms of ACTUAL sites etc I got nothin'. I mean....I hear there's a bigass lake there but that's about it

Great info @JMBray, thanks for the response. Eager to get more reps in on the DRZ, moreso after reading reports like this

Hey @JMBray I have some bike and gear questions for you. I'm a new dual sport rider and got a lovely DRZ just a couple weeks ago. Very interested in many facets of your ride but I wanted to ask firstly about fuel range. I see the big safari tank on the black bike (yours i think?) but Deuce's seems to have a stock tank? How do you manage fuel on a ride like this? Do you each pack extra bottles/cans? Is it frustrating to ride with somebody with much shorter range than you have with that big ol cell? Secondly: those rally screens are kickass. How and where?! What tires did you each choose for an adventure like this one and what were the reasons/strategies for making the choices you did? Being in Utah heat like that, what can you recommend to the rest of us in terms of staying cool and calm etc? Water is great but is there any kit or any techniques that you feel helped you guys cope with the conditions? I rode to the office today and barely tolerated having a jacket on this morning I couldn't bear to think what another 30 degrees of beating sun would do...

Hey team! Being a dirt noob I have many questions (tired of me yet?). As of now I've had a single outing off the pavement east on highway 76 where I encountered some hardpack with a generous sprinkling of loose dirt/dust that made for slippery riding with the knobbies that are on the DRZ at speed (I went too fast for my first time on dirt for sure but wanted to push hard and see how much I could scare myself...stupid? Yeah, probably). I then climbed palomar mtn again in some hardpack with rocky sections and some very loose dirt sections. I found the knobbies that are on the bike now (Motoz Mountain Xtreme on the back as I recall) absolutely devoured the loose soft stuff as long as there was nothing hard lurking beneath the surface. Anyway I have not enough experience nor enough trail knowledge to know with any accuracy what kind of conditions I'll be in most often... So I'm here to ask for inputs and advice about what to expect in Southern California in general. Are there any rules about road surface and tread design? Is there a dominant preference for tread patterns when riding in Southern California? Is there enough variety in surfaces lurking out that there can't really be any hard and fast rules? Lots of mountain and desert riding are in my future living primarily in Idyllwild and I'm interested in eventually acquiring a second set of wheels (or getting good at swapping tires at home) eventually so I can have the right tools for the job on hand whether I spend a day exploring the mountain on road with my wife strapped to the back or hitting Palm Springs, sticking to trails at altitude, dropping into Cahuilla valley or indio for lots of open space riding, camping through mojave, or whatever else strikes me. I figure a decent 'take all comers' 50/50 tire would be the bread and butter (shinko 244s are cheap!) and having something more aggressive to swap to for dedicated hard riding would be best but I am unsure what to really do. Long story short: what are your inputs on tire selection for various surfaces and locations around the area? Anything I should avoid or, conversely, be sure to shoe on the DRZ at least once to try out? Is the new kid overthinking stuff again?! Any info is appreciated, and I particularly love reading the dialogue that develops and hearing more and more opinions so anything is valid and valuable to a total noob like me.

I'm eager to head back to the same spots and have another go at the same 15psi I was at on the day of, then lower to that 12 you recommend and feel the immediate difference. Good inputs thus far, thanks.

Hope progress is going well today guys. Sending good vibes out!

Hey guys, New dirt convert. I have enjoyed my Shark road helmet for some time but with the addition of a DS bike I want to get a new lid more appropriate to off road and adventure riding. However, I'm at a bit of a loss honestly. I've never ridden off road before and I don't know quite what to expect. I had some general questions... The typical "Adv" helmet or "Dual Sport" helmet seems like a no-brainer. Visor, peak, well vented (compared to straight street lid) and some accommodate goggles yes? Prolonged touring at highway speed I have plain concerns about the peak in the breeze (seems several have an option to easily remove the peak) but otherwise, these seem to be the 'best choice' for just about any kind of riding. But then I wonder about a pure dirt helmet with goggles. If I intend to ride my street bike wearing a street helmet and my Dual Sport with a dirt only helmet how am I limiting myself? In the event I look for a prolonged adventure am I going to miss a visor on my helmet (probably)? Is it just me or does a Dual Sport style helmet seem like a better option in dirt anyway as I figured so much dirt and dust are gonna be getting into my mouth/lungs etc with only goggles to keep my eyes working right? Only thing you give up on a DS helmet is some breathing/venting? But then....you can just open the visor and voila? Is Rexx Riot overthinking stuff again?! Just unsure of which direction to go...the Shark lid is old and a decent Dual Sport helmet can work great on both bikes in theory but with no real experience in the dirt I'm not sure if I'm missing some big piece of the puzzle? Any inputs on *cheap* dual sport helmets (ie - "stay away from...." or "check out...."? I stuck my melon into some offerings from LS2, Bell, Scorpion, Oneal and found 'em all seemingly perfectly adequate....didn't bother trying the Shoei or Arai cuz I like real food, not top ramen haha).