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skincer

Failure to Launch

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I joined this site at the beginning of 2007, bought a Suzuki DR 200, but for some reason never managed to get going with this hobby. After a little over a year of owning my bike and having ridden it about 3 times, I sold it.

I can’t believe I’m considering another attempt at getting into dual sport riding. There are a couple things that make me want to though: whenever I look at photos of the rides here, I’m dying to be out there. Also, I still remember how helpful and welcoming all the folks in this group were when I tried the first time.

I haven’t purchased another bike (yet) and I’m a little afraid if I do, it will be the same thing all over again. Whenever I rode my DR200 on the roads around my neighborhood, I didn’t feel very confident/safe, so I was too paranoid to head out on any of the posted rides (mostly because of the street ride to get there). The bike seemed to “vibrate” a fair amount and just seemed a little squirrelly in general on pavement. I’m wondering if this was due to it being a very light bike and the knobby tires. I’m wondering if I should consider tires that are designed 80% for street and 20% trail on a next bike – I’m not interested in any extreme dirt riding. I also wonder if a heavier bike, would be a good idea. What do you guys think?

I’m fairly short (5’8”) and the DR200 fit me pretty well in terms of seat height. Without any extensive modifications, are there other bikes you would recommend for me?

Thanks.

Steve from Jamul

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Close to you in RSD. I have a DRZ-250 and a DR650. Yes, the light bikes can move a bit on the road. I run Shinko 244's on the DR as it's a good 60/40 tire.

Anyway, shoot me a PM and come over. We can do some close back roads and you can see what works for you. Plenty of selections to fit your mission.

Ya beat me here......but welcome back!

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Well, for what it's worth, I've been riding for 30 years and I still get sketched out of the street. I don't care for it at all but it is an means to an end for me, so I accept it. And I have found that a bigger, heavier bike, does make a difference on the road, especially the highway...the draw back of course that you give up performance off-road. If I was you, I would consider something like a DR 400 and maybe lower it a bit to fit you better. I think you will have a little more confidence riding a slight bigger bike, with more displacement, on the road.

Member Vanjoosten has a very nice dr400 that he will be posting for sale shortly so if you are interested, hit him up.

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Hey Steve welcome back!

Definitely take Trophy Hunter's offer to try his DRZ250 for a backcountry ride. The 250 has a nice shaved seat that is a lower/more comfortable height. He is a good guy and won't steer you wrong. Very nice of him to offer you a chance to ride, thumbs up!!

I personally ride a DRZ400 with a low seat and it helps heaps (heck I'm shorter than you)! Lower seats are available for most bikes. Also, any reputable suspension shop (Suspension 101 - George Spinali aka "Suspenders" on SDAR) can internally lower the forks and shock for you.

Some say people will learn to ride a taller bike as they get more comfortable but there is also the train of thought that you should start small and/or set up a bike to best fit you and your preferences. An comfortable & enjoyable bike is a fun bike!

As for the twitchy-ness. It could have easily been a setup issue on the bike. There are a lot of variables: tires, psi, steering head bearings, suspension springs, rake, fork alignment, etc etc. In my own experiences, I've had a few bikes that didn't "feel right" for my tastes/riding preferences - I promptly sold them for a different bike. The new owners love them and I'm happy to see them on the trail but they just weren't jiving with me at the time. If you aint jiving, you aint riding!

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If you're looking for a smaller bike Yamaha's XT225 is an upgrade from the DR200.

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