Changing from street/sport to Dual sport motorcycle riding?

[greg vess]

I was doing some reading and the only major complaint I could gather was just the lack of grunt. A 650 should have a little kick. Not Ninja power but enough to get out of own way. So that being said if I shop around I should be able to find a big CC dirt bike and make the conversion. 2 strokes just have that surge of power you just don't get in the same size or CC 4 stroke bikes. Top end isn't important to me that just pull your arms out the socket pull like you get from a all out dirt bike. Not to mention suspension and ground clearance.

 

[Weagle]

The Yamaha TW200 weighs the same as my old 1979 Yamaha DT250 did--- about 275 lbs.
That's a good weight for riding on dirt trails where you can have it slide into a ditch or mud pit and you have to manhandle it back onto the trail or a firmer spot of ground. When I was in my 20's, I could drag that dirtbike back to the trail from the crash site a few yards away, often downhill. Sometimes I'd use a rope. But on these much larger and more powerful dual sport / adventure bikes that weigh 450 lbs, I don't think I could do that most of the time, solo. I'd need another strong guy to help, and maybe a come-along and extra pulley, too.

Weight was a big factor for me choosing the TW. Before I bought my second TW, which I use for mostly riding around the back roads / side streets near Roswell, I looked hard at the Royal Enfield Himalayan, another bare bones retro style dual sport. The Himalayan would have been a little better on the roads with the 411 cc engine, but at over 400lbs it was pushing the limit for my hitch hauler and would have been much more difficult to load. I'll be 62 in a few months and I have no trouble loading the TW and can pick it up or pull it out of ditch without without killing myself.

 

[basstracker89]

Weight was a big factor for me choosing the TW. Before I bought my second TW, which I use for mostly riding around the back roads / side streets near Roswell, I looked hard at the Royal Enfield Himalayan, another bare bones retro style dual sport. The Himalayan would have been a little better on the roads with the 411 cc engine, but at over 400lbs it was pushing the limit for my hitch hauler and would have been much more difficult to load. I'll be 62 in a few months and I have no trouble loading the TW and can pick it up or pull it out of ditch without without killing myself.

Yes, as we get older we have to think about these things