Off Road Bikes

[karlp]

I need some advice of what bike to consider.

I want to do some off road - fun - no competitions etc on maybe Salisbury Plain etc.

I have a 1200 GSA and a HP2 Megamoto.

I am be interested in the new 450 - but what else is there?
Obviously must be able to ride on the road to get there.

Any ideas please on what to consider?

thanks

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

I need some advice of what bike to consider.

I want to do some off road - fun - no competitions etc on maybe Salisbury Plain etc.

I have a 1200 GSA and a HP2 Megamoto.

I am be interested in the new 450 - but what else is there?
Obviously must be able to ride on the road to get there.

Any ideas please on what to consider?

thanks

XChallenge

One on Ebay now

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=280248583280&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=018

7 months old with only 127 miles and only Buy it Now of £3995

Balance of BMW warranty ti Dec 2009

Ends today

 

[Gaz]

The 450 will hurt you bigtime if you try and learn off-roading on it. It's a full on race bike.
The XChallenge is a great dual-sport compromise. But if you are a beginner (I'm assuming so because you asked the question) you need to get as light and as cheap a bike as possible because you will end up dropping it a lot. The XCh crashes well (much personal experience) so it may suit you.

 

[Possu]

DRZ400S - cheap, reliable, easy to work on & plenty of aftermarket support.

 

[Flipfly]

DRZ400S - cheap, reliable, easy to work on & plenty of aftermarket support.

to the above.

Any of the smaller Dr's, honda CRM or Yamaha TT/TTR.

For off roading you need no more than a 250 really, but the bigger engine is a bit less frantic on the roads between lanes.

I've seen very few riders who can ride a 250 off road to their full potential, but I've seen plenty of muppets hurt themselves trying to extract 10% of the potential from a 520KTM or similar.

 

[Paul G (BHT)]

I used to have a TTR250 until I saw the light

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

I used to have a TTR250 until I saw the light

I was out with 2 Serow riders last night, on the Trails

They were always last to the end of each Trail and only one fell off big style!

Well it was ..................Fritz and Bev

Serows are great bikes, but very slow on the road

For a dualsport the XChallenge is a good tool, albeit heavy on some of the more technical single track, gnarly trails that a lighter KTM will manage with ease and I fell off last night too

 

[DollyRocket]

I have a tired / knackered old drz400S - for exactly the same reasons you want an off-road bike for. More than enough power for the mud and relatively agile and parts are cheap if you come off and clobber the plastics.

Mike

 

[fritz]

They were always last to the end of each Trail and only one fell off big style!

Well it was ..................Fritz and Bev

Serows are great bikes, but very slow on the road

Bllx Just because:-
a) I had to walk up and down trail a few times to assist my beloved wife
B) I didn't want to scratch mine...so I didn't drop my bike

PS on back lanes the Serow will keep up with most anything, faster roads, true, you're limited.

Serows ARE wonderful bikes, a little under-powered, but the trade off in reduced weight and size may be worth it - maintenance is very easy too Worthy of consideration, though some may need more power....especially if of larger build

 

[oblertone]

Cheap & cheerful ...

... try a Harley Davidson Ok, it's actually an Armstrong but it does annoy the Dentist Chapter

I've got a very old one that I can learn on and not worry if it gets thrown up the road, which it will Lots around, cheap bits and no bling to worry about; try here for more info

 

[KMD]

I'd agree with Flip. It's very easy to 'over bike' yourself off road, we have to bear in mind there'll be plenty of opportunities for falling off, which means picking back up afterwards. Also you need to be able to handle the power that's available. It can be tiring trying to tame a beast off road.

I ride a Yamaha wr250f and find it has more than enough.

 

[louisdut]

I need some advice of what bike to consider.

I want to do some off road - fun - no competitions etc on maybe Salisbury Plain etc.

I have a 1200 GSA and a HP2 Megamoto.

I am be interested in the new 450 - but what else is there?
Obviously must be able to ride on the road to get there.

Any ideas please on what to consider?

thanks

TKC's on your 1200 gsa

 

[Deadskin]

KTM
The lighter the better
Just sold my Xchallenge and now looking at a 400 or a 530 exc which are about 26kg
lighter which makes a lot of difference if your not an off road god

 

[Losttheplot]

XChallenge

While an XChallenge would be fine on dry hard packed trails, when things start to get a little greasy it can become a complete handful if you don't have decent tyres or lack experience.

The problem comes from the motor, which is really torquey. Great if you just want to trundle along and not change gear (or ride like your @rse is on fire) , but when it's slippery and you need to feel for grip on a tricky climb, or pick your line through a lot of ruts, then it just ads another point to think about. It can spin the back end up no problem at all, which is no good if you need grip.

Try the drz, serow ect, lighter and much easier to ride. no point making things hard work.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

While an XChallenge would be fine on dry hard packed trails, when things start to get a little greasy it can become a complete handful if you don't have decent tyres or lack experience.

The problem comes from the motor, which is really torquey. Great if you just want to trundle along and not change gear (or ride like your @rse is on fire) , but when it's slippery and you need to feel for grip on a tricky climb, or pick your line through a lot of ruts, then it just ads another point to think about. It can spin the back end up no problem at all, which is no good if you need grip.

Try the drz, serow ect, lighter and much easier to ride. no point making things hard work.

Just light up the rear and hoik up the front wheel on the XChallenge


Seriously...........I find the XChallenge very well balanced and it will sit at standstill (perfectly still) for an age

As our merkin cousins say, it is a complete handfull on knarly, rocky single track

The only times I've dropped it (twice - Stanage Edge and Slipstone Crag) was on these type of trails where 4' boulder slabs and drop offs don't mix with this bike

Why - it's too tall (to get a foot down and the bike goes over) and the low slung 650 motor catches every god damn rock on the boulder field

But wide open trails like the Plain and others, the bike is superb

It's a dualsport, not a pure Enduro bike

 

[karlp]

thanks all

I am at present on the BMW off road course riding a 1200GS - just to see what it is like off road.

It is a hell of a beast and I think a lighter bike will be more fun so I am going to have a look at the DRZ400 but i will also try a X challenge just to see what that is like.

I think a 250cc is also worth looking at considering my lack of experience.