dual purpose bike wanted

[bowtieguy]

ok all....it has been a long time since i have had a dirt bike and i miss it but i would like to play a little but mainly it would be a daily driver back and forth to work.what is a good choice for a little dirt riding and best for street manners? i am looking for used big bore prefer about a 600 or so...at one time i know the Honda XL was a good choice for a more aggressive dirt ride than street, and kawasaki had the best for street manners.

[RoostRider]

What do you wiegh?
How tall are you?
How far do you intend to travel on the road with it?
How much and what kind of dirt riding do you intend to do?

Much of the things that make a good dirt bike are in direct contrast to what makes a good street bike. Therefore you will need to make some compromises if you want a bike to fill both roles.

I would suggest going with a relatively light (therefore smaller motor) dual sport bike if you intend to ride any difficult trails at all. The lower weight makes a big difference when manhandling a bike in the woods, but doesn't hurt you on the road (aside from some high speed tracking issues... but I assume you won't be Ricky Racer on the street) You will certainly be looking for a 4-stroke, for registration as well as road worthiness. 4 Strokes are heavy to begin with so going with a big one, unless you are a very big guy, is a bad idea.

A decent choice for a guy who is only traveling a short ways on local streets would be something along the lines of a Suzuki DRZ400s (get the 's' version and adapt it for dirt rather than the 'e' version and buying a bunch of street extras) or Kawasaki KLX400 (they are the same bike). I have freinds who use these for trail mostly and occasional city riding (with different tires!!). They seem to like them fine, but I don't think they would do very well on a long haul on the pavement. The Honda XR's are decent for trail, even the bigger ones, but I am not certain they are legal.

Whatever you do, don't push a dual sport bike like you would a dedicated dirt bike (through big jumps, whoops, etc..), nor a dedicated street bike (long highspeed runs)... that will either kill the bike or you, depending.

I am not very familiar with the XL's.... but if they are along the lines of a DRZ, you may want to find one that is a bit smaller than 600, unless your pretty big yourself.

Good luck!