Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Dual S ort deconstruction his ride was more about the ad venture of the ride and the camaraderie that accompanies it than finding the best bike. But after spending a good amount of time on each of theses bikes for two days, we couldn't help but draw some conclusions as to where each of these bikes fits into the dual sport scheme. So here they are. The Kawasaki KLX650 and Suzuki DR650SET are very similar in design and function. They both have fairly strong motors with the Suzuki getting the nod in the engine department due to its smooth and sweet power delivery. Both bikes have decent suspension at slow speeds, but begin to feel scary soft as the speeds, increase due to their hefty weight. . The Kawasaki probably has the better suspension of the two, but the shock is still a letdown due to its lack of a nitrogen/oil reservoir. Both bikes have comfortable seats and low 34.8-inch seat heights that make them suitable to riders who are vertically challenged. These two bikes are probably 70-percent dirt and 30-percent street oriented, making them wellrounded dual sporters and excellent short-to-medium-distance commuters, as well. The Honda XR650L fits into a lonely category in between the mellow Suzuki and Kawasaki and the extremely dirt-oriented ATK and KTM. The XR650L comes with basically the same suspension thafcomes on Honda's XR600. The suspension components are good, top-quality components, but the bike's hefty 330-pound weight still makes it feel a little soft as the speeds increase. The Honda's big Single is fairly strong, but feels choked up; the Suzuki and Kawasaki motors feel better in stock trim. The XR is about 8O-percent dirt and 20-percent street oriented and still makes a good commuter, but the tall 37-inch (claimed, it's probably more like 38) seat height makes it a handful for shorter riders on or off the trail. The ATK 60505 and the KTM 620 LC4 RXC are at the opposite end of the dual sport spectrum from the Suzuki and Kawasaki. They don't make anything but average short-distance commuters on the street, but absolutely shine when the going gets rous:h in the dirt. Both bikes have very hard seats when compared to the other bikes, but that's what you want in the dirt (and don't want on the street). Both bikes have potent motors and good suspension components that are sprung and valved for off-road riding. Basically, both of these bikes are fu1l-on dirt bikes with tum signals and license plates. Ii you take them out of the dirt, you're taking them out of their true element. These bikes are great for hard-core dual sport rides that use only short sections of highway to connect the trails.· T Are there going to be fire roads? Where were we stopping for lunch? What about gas? Those charged with organizing the ride knew only that the bikes were procured and fitted with the proper tires, and that we all had a place to sleep Tuesday evening. The rest was a mystery. An adventure in the making, if you will. In hindsight, it's a good thing we brought Mr. Jones along, who, in addition to knowing the area reasonably well, also brought some excellent maps. Ours were, shall we say, missing ink in some very important places. To keep things as authentic as possible, we would be dual sporting and dual sporting alone: no support trucks, tire machines or roll-away tool boxes to fall back on. We are not, however, stupid, so each rider was suited up in full gear, including jackets, and carried a back pack with a change of clothes for our dinner and lodging on Tuesday night. Water was also carried in large quantities. Most of us carried fanny packs, as well, with tools, tire irons, air sources, inner tubes, epoxy, tape, zip ties and cellular phones to deal with most any problem we might encounter on the trail. Only one clutch lever and perch were brought along, but we couldn't fit hancllebars inpur packs. The Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki are big motorcycles, weighing 'nearly 330 pounds, and, second only to mirrors, handlebars and perches are usually the first to go in crashes. We'd have to keep our fingers crossed for two days. Realizing that this breakfast could (and would) be our only meal until dinner in Borrego Springs, we all ate a good-size meal (some bigger than others, thank you) and drank enough coffee to have us constantly pulling over for the first couple hours of the ride. The first half of Tuesday was spent riding the tight trails and occasional fire. roads in the hills and mountains above Vail Lake, just north of Highway 79. The tight, technical and rocky trails were just what we all needed to get a good sweat going after the chilly ride over the Ortega Highway. Mark threw the Honda away at the top of a fairly long uphill and Jeff was the first to break' a mirror when he dropped the Suzuki on a long, rocky, California-style, seat-sucking downhill that led down to the base of the Vail Lake Dam. Jeff had the Kawasaki next on his list, breaking one of its mirrors when he dropped the bike at (Right) Just one of many stops along the way. (Below) CN associate editor Cameron Coatney tries not to get his feet wet on the ATK, while (bottom right) Hain keeps the rubber side down (for once) on the DR, DR650SEV AMERICAN POET JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL ONCE STATED THAT COMPROMISE makes a good umbrella but a poor roof. We1l, Mr. Lowell hasn't ridden a dual sport motorcycle lately. Although it is still holds true that dual sport bikes are a1l about compromise and the endless search for a motorcycle that works well on both pavement and dirt, today's crop of dual sporters is getting very close to pulling off what was once thought to beimpossible. Case in point - the 1997 Suzuki 1997 Suzuki DR650SET DR650. Of the five different motorcycles we List Price. . . . . . . $3.299 took to the highways, single-track trails Displacement 644cc and fire roads of the Southern California Engine type air cooled, mountains and desert lately, it was the single·cylinder four·stroke Suzuki that impressed me the most Bore x stroke .100 x 82 mm when it came to a true, two-sport motorCompression ratio ..•......... 9.5:1 cycle. It may not have been the best offCarburetion AOmm Mikuni road bike in the group and it may not Ignition. : Electronic have been the best on-road bike either, Transmission speeds 5 but when it came to discovering the best Starting system Electric overall package, it was hard to find anyFuel capacity 304 gal. thing better than the DR650. Wh lbase 58.7 in The Suzuki, you see, is very adept at Rake/trail 28.5'/111 mm handling everything you throw at it. Seat height. . . 34.8 in. A strong and smooth power delivery Fronttlre 90/90-21 gives the DR worthy power for both Rear tire 120/90·17 applications and it'll pull virtually any Front wheel travel 10.2 in. gear at any time, although we found the Rear wheel travel 10.2 in. five-speed transmission to be a little Front brake . _ , .Disc notchy with longish throws. Rear brake .Disc Although a dual-sport motorcycle Final drive Chain will never come wi th the claim of being Claimed dry weight 324 Ibs. light, the DR matches up well with the rest in the weight department at 324 pounds (dry). It's light enough to make tossing it around on the dirt fairly easy, and its weight was never an issue on the pavement. On the road, the Suzuki was easily one of the very best. This is due, in part, to a relatively low overalJ height of 47.4 inches which allows the bike to tum well at speed while remaining stable. Despite its lower stature, the Suzuki doesn't give away much in the suspension department, and that helped keep it near the top when it came to off-roading. The big Suzuki has 10.2 inches of travel, front and rear. Sure, it'll bottom out on occasion if the trail gets extremely rough, but that's one area of compromise you have to give up if you don't want an overly harsh ride Once you get back on the highway. One thing we found rather annoying on the Suzuki is its 17-inch rear wheel. The size of the tire (in comparison to the some of the others and their 18-inch rears) makes it more difficult to change a flat; and flat tires seem to be a fairly common occurrence when these types of motorcycles are ridden hard off-road, especially with the pounding they take on rocky trails. Fortunately, during our trip, the Suzuki wasn't one of the bikes which ended up with a flat, though we did experience the difficulty of changing the rear to a new DOT-approved knobby prior to our departure. As far as compromises go, the Suzuki DR650 is far more than just a good umbrella. - Paul Carruthers

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