Just thinkin'...

...'bout what it would be like to have these two black beauties parked in my garage!

Check out the tires

The Honda XR650L is skewed more toward the dirt side of the dual-sport equation than Suzuki's DR650SE. More ground clearance and suspension travel, but this results in a greater seat height. Lighter weight, but at the cost of fuel capacity and range. More low-end power and agressive tires, but less comfortable at higher speeds on the road.

Yeah, I'm back with the DR today...

Just thought this looked cool...

Maybe this...

Maybe this is what I shoud get. Air-cooled and simple, electric start with a six-speed transmission. Low seat height and a 2.3 gal. fuel capactity (it probably gets more than 70 mpg). $1000 less than the DR650 and $600 less than the KLX250S. It would also be the perfect bike to teach my wife and son how to ride--if they're ever so inclined.

Dual-purpose or strictly street?

Let's face it, most people who own dual-sports ride 80-90% of the time on the pavement. There is a big difference in power output between a 650 single and a 650 twin. So it comes down to a choice between versatility (a multi-surface mount) and performance (more than adequate speed and handling). The SV650 is less than $1000 more than the DR650 and is more comfortable for long highway stints. Would I want to give up on exploring dirt roads? Decisions, decisions...

BMW G650 X

BMW is updating their F650 motorcycles with the G650 line. The XChallenge (top) is the more dirt oriented model, while the XCountry (bottom) is described as a "scrambler" (i.e., dual-sport). I do like the round headlight on the XCountry, but it needs a larger fuel tank and a higher front fender.

Warm days, cool nights

It's a perfect, early fall day and my favorite riding weather. Just the right temperature for wearing a helmet and jacket. I used to love riding in the fall. I remember riding my old 550 Yamaha to school for a night class, just enough of the cool air brushing my knees and shoulders from around a Plexifairing®. Cool weather riding was the best!

Hayabusa

Isn't this a bad-ass looking bike? It reminds me of something out of a Japanese anime. This is the kind of motorcycle Ben Rothlisberger almost killed himself on. I'm pretty sure I'd much rather look at it than ride it. Can't think of a reason I'd need to go 200+ MPH on two wheels...