papaalex 5 Posted May 1, 2007 Hi all, I think of getting a lighter bike as an addition or a replacement to my DR 650. I only rode DR in sand, it's heavy but lots of power. For a 250-300 cc bike, I would think that a luck of power would be balanced out by light weight, but I'm not sure. Any ideas? Also, if you guys could advice me on a lightweight bike brand/model with a low seat. Thanks Alex. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted May 1, 2007 Just my opinion, but it balances out to me... I had a lighter, less powerful dual sport bike before my DRZ, and it had a problem "getting on top"... yeah, the lightness helps preventing tip overs, but it dug in a lot more... they have some dirt tires that are almost like a paddle for the back, which would help any bike, I would think... If you want to ride only sand, a two stoke 250 with a paddle is what I'd do... Any of the street legal dirt bikes (KTM, Husaberg or Husqvarna) I think would be a good compromise... If you have the disposable income, and the service knowledge... This is based on common lore, not really knowing what those intervals are. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ride-Orange 2 Posted May 1, 2007 I know a lot of guys your size who really tear it up in the sand washes and dunes on a 250. If your looking to replace the 650, I wouldn't go less than 400cc for the "road worthiness" of it. The KTM is one of the lightest weight, but not a lot of ability to adjust height (other than the fork) due to the hard connection at the swing arm on the plated bikes. I know guys who have lowered the forks in the clamp and modified the seat foam to get a little closer to the ground. I think the older 400SXC has the link suspension, but I'm not sure about availability of after market "lowering links". Honda's link suspension allows you to get a "lowering link" that is perfect for the vertically challenged, and readily available. Maybe you can get the same in a DRZ. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2Wheels 0 Posted May 1, 2007 Hi all, I think of getting a lighter bike as an addition or a replacement to my DR 650. I only rode DR in sand, it's heavy but lots of power. For a 250-300 cc bike, I would think that a luck of power would be balanced out by light weight, but I'm not sure. Any ideas? Also, if you guys could advice me on a lightweight bike brand/model with a low seat. Thanks Alex. I can only speak for a DR200. It doesn't have the power to get up on top of the sand. I can't get it out of 2nd gear in deep sand. I can get the engine revving pretty high in 2nd, but when I shift to 3rd, it slows down and I have to downshift. I had 20 psi in the tires when I tried it, and I weigh 165#, so maybe it would work better for someone lighter and with lower tire pressure, but at best, it's marginal in deep sand unless you weigh 120# or something like that. Even if you're a little lighter than me, and you could get the bike going fast enough, you'd probably still be operating at full throttle. To run a motor at full throttle for long periods of time is really hard on it. Yamaha makes a 225 cc dual sport that's also 12 lbs lighter than Suzuki's DR200, so I guess it'd be a little better in sand, but probably not a whole lot. Husky makes a 250 cc dual sport with a 12.9:1 compression ratio so it must pack a wallop for a 250, but it has a 38 inch seat height. I just wish we had as many options in dual sport bikes as there are in dirt bikes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
husky4me 0 Posted May 1, 2007 I saw a Husqvarna TE250 at GP one day with some adjustments to the suspension and seat, making it look like a DR200 size... I'm not sure how costly the adjustment was.. but anyone interested could talk to Paul at GP San Diego on G Street. I used to have a KTM300 EXC 2 stroke and it was the best bike for the sand... but, it was not street legal.. Husqvarna has a TE125 dual sport 2 stroke, but they don't sell it in the U.S. It seems to me that if you want a dual-sport plated bike, and want to use it on the sand, you can't go with anything less than 400 cc.. It is probably worth it to make changes to the suspension, seat and other components and make it much shorter.... I know that Husqvarna TE250 was very short, and I don't remember what they did, but they mentioned having the cut something out in the rear... :aggressive: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ride-Orange 2 Posted May 1, 2007 Husky makes a 250 cc dual sport with a 12.9:1 compression ratio so it must pack a wallop for a 250, but it has a 38 inch seat height. *Sim Salla Bim* :aggressive: I see you going on a trip... A trip to GP Cycles... Street Legal Husky TE 250! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DigDug 0 Posted May 1, 2007 Hi all, I think of getting a lighter bike as an addition or a replacement to my DR 650. I only rode DR in sand, it's heavy but lots of power. For a 250-300 cc bike, I would think that a luck of power would be balanced out by light weight, but I'm not sure. Any ideas? Also, if you guys could advice me on a lightweight bike brand/model with a low seat. Thanks Alex. Hey Alex... great riding with you this past weekend. I see that short spin on the dirtdame's bike has you thinking smaller. Have you looked at this thread: http://www.dualsport-sd.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1123 I am quite a bit heavier than you, and rode a KLX-300R until my son grew into it. It carried me everywhere. The only place it lacked power for me was climbing blow-sand-hill at Ocotillo Wells. My son is quite a bit lighter than me (pretty close to you I'd guess), and he made it up first try on the 300. I have done some cheap upgrades which made it loads of fun. The trick is to buy a used one with a plate. Unfortunately Kaliforniastan won't let you plate a dirt-bike. Another option is the KLX-250S: http://kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.aspx?id=206 . It comes from the factory street legal (2007 model was non California) and the 2008 model is supposedly going to be available in California. It's essentially the same bike as the 300, but in exchange for the extra 50cc, you get the street legal gear and an electric starter. Supposedly, you can put the 300 cylinder and piston on it and get the displacement back if you want more. I don't have the link handy, but advrider.com has a pretty good sized thread about the 250 in their thumpers category. That'd probably answer your street-ability question about the bike too. If you've got the cash (and the inseam length) though... you can't beat the Husky or the KTM. I haven't seen the Husky in person, but the specs say it's as tall, if not taller, than my KTM you saw this last weekend. Plus the cheaper bike would allow you too keep your DR for the longer/easier/more streeet rides. I realize it's starting to get hot out there, but you're welcome to try out my son's KLX one of these weekends in the desert (or somewhere with some sand) to see if something like that would work for you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
papaalex 5 Posted May 2, 2007 Thanks everybody :aggressive: I'll keep looking around...may be I'll get a chance to try some bikes on our rides. Alex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
