Posted on 09/03/2023 2:24:23 PM PDT by Tacrolimus1mg
I've been looking for a bike for a while, and seeking a dual-sport to mostly ride around town and on a family friend's forested property. Cars I speak pretty well, but motorcycles are a foreign language to me. I'm seeking advice.
Used or new doesn't really matter, but the budget is $5k, and I previously had a 2023 KTM Duke recommended to me. I liked it, and it was small enough for me, which I think is the biggest issue next to some chronic pain in my left arm that might make a clutch and engine vibration painful.
I'm 5'2", and of an overall small frame. I want to make sure that I can handle whatever it is and that my feet reach the ground when at a standstill. I'm expecting it to be torquey given its purpose, but the lesser end of that is ideal.
Any and all help is very much appreciated - thanks!
I was being facetious. Trust me.
Every day there are about 100+ people who die in fatal car collisions every day and about 8,000 are injured ever day.
And that’s just the U.S.
Given you budget, requirements, and limitations, I think you should look at at a Royal Enfield 350. They are low to the ground and light, their single long-stroke piston develops huge torque to get you over anything, they handle beautifully, and it would match you budget. Yes, they have limitations, but so does any motorcycle because they are all compromises.
> 20 years and 250,000 mi,
Very good job and great example!
I planned on buying the bike I was going to learn on (have a friend ride or tow it home for me), so I’m familiarizing myself with what I’ll be riding, the same way I did with my first car. I don’t want to get used to a bike and then wind up on something that feels totally different.
Think thrice before getting into any kind of serious traffic on a bike that will work for you in the woods. For one thing, a bike heavy enough to feel good in traffic might be pretty hard to bring back up on its feet after you dump it in thick undergrowth.
You can get a street legal trail bike. I suggest something of about 250 cc to top out at around 60 mph (but don’t go that fast). You can start cheap on Chinese bikes on Amazon (which actually get very good reviews) or do something a lot more expensive. That decision depends on how sure you are that you will want to keep doing this for very long.
So while you can get a street legal trail bike, I don’t think it’s going to feel good in four lane traffic or any traffic above about 40 mph.
The bike is going to be too lightweight to feel very safe at higher speeds, and tires that will do well in dirt are not going to be the safest for street use. But dual-use bikes exist and you’ll get a lot of thumbs up and appreciate remarks out around town because people don’t see many of these out on the street in most towns.
I am not an expert so y’all others lay off and only correct me where I’ve given downright dangerous advice.
Wow - thanks for all of the advice! I do have friends who ride, but they’re almost all Harley riders, and try to push me in that direction. Not what I’m looking for.
I’ll bookmark this thread and do some further research with what’s listed, and check out ItchyBoots’ channel. Being in Chicagoland means a lot of available bikes, and I’m bound to find something that suits me.
I really do appreciate the help. Thank you!
Get the Honda CRF300 Rally. You won’t regret it.
Always thought that was a pretty worthy bike, judging by the looks.
The Royal Enfield Scram 411 would be a good bike to learn on.
The Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 is also a pretty cool bike and more modern than the RE.
From what I’ve read, the Royal Enfields require more frequent maintenance, but that’s probably not a deal killer unless you’re a long-distance type rider.
Yup…I am six foot. The KLR was fine. My BMW Adventure was too tall and I changed out the seat.
Honestly, the best thing to do is spend a day or two going to shops and sitting on them. THAT it’s the only way you are going to really find a good fit.
Being of small stature, you can “get away” with a much smaller bike (250-350cc) for tooling around towns. But at those sizes, driving on a highway is going to be a stretch. My KLR really topped out at 60 mph when it was loaded. My BMW 1200 was a joy to ride on long stretches (once I got a new seat.)
If you aren’t going to do dirt riding, you might want to look at some of the other street bikes that are not crotch rockets.
I miss riding…
I had a bultaco in the 80’s. And an OSSA.
The beauty of those things is you could tear it apart, fix anything, and never need a “computer.”
I had a 2015 BMW. I changed the oil. Never dared do anything else because it was all computers.
BMW has some 750 and 850s that are easy to handle and look “big.” I think KTM and Suzuki have some of those too.
As emission requirements have become more strict, motorcycles have become, bigger, heavier & computerized. A shade tree mechanic can’t really work on them anymore. It almost seems like you’d be better off in the long run to find a cheap old bike and have it restored to like new condition. Some of the older enduro bikes are not too difficult to convert to street legal if you plan to do most of your riding off-road.
” A shade tree mechanic can’t really work on them anymore. “
Once you replace the prince of darkness stuff, the BSA 441 Victor fits the bill.
That would be great if it had better brakes, better lighting & a cushy seat for my old butt.
Owned a 68 Bonneville…
You mean anything and everything with the name Lucas on it!
I’m #1...................
Harley 1200 XL Sportster.
The Royal Enfield Scram would be a good choice for the OP. I have a Bullet 500 I bought in 2019. I tell people that in 1933 when the 500 was first sold, it was the fastest motorcycle in production, but now it is certainly the slowest. I have not had any unusual maintenance issues: I’ve replaced the battery once and the aftermarket canvas paniers twice because they faded in the sun.
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