Which Dual Sport to purchase

[crixster]

Originally Posted by red2003

What is the remaining 10%? Back roads? If yes, why are you going the dual sport route at all? A small street bike, even like a Rebel 250, would be leaps and bounds better to run around town on.

Of course, if the remaining 10% is deep mud, then you gotta stay with the dual sport option.

The end location for the bike will be in the Bahamas. So the 10% will be sandy areas or limestone roads. Street bikes wont do, some of the paved streets sometimes suffer from potholes where in my experience dual sports are that much better.

I appreciate all the input guys. Still leaning toward either the Hawk X due the large support base of resources or base templar. Still undecided guys!

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by crixster

The end location for the bike will be in the Bahamas. So the 10% will be sandy areas or limestone roads. Street bikes wont do, some of the paved streets sometimes suffer from potholes where in my experience dual sports are that much better.

I appreciate all the input guys. Still leaning toward either the Hawk X due the large support base of resources or base templar. Still undecided guys!

The sandy roads take priority because sand is the worst conditions and you don't want to be washing out (front tire going sideways) or spinning out on corners with the wrong tire just because it wasn't the best road tire!!

The best for sand are desert oriented knobbies or aggrssive dual sport tires. If you get ANY knobby tire on the bike originally, at least you won't have to switch tire to survive on sand.

A dual purpose (lower seat height) with knobbies is probably a couple of criteria to start with. Hawk is one of them.

If you don't mind working on lowering the bike, the Templar M and X are great bikes. No one has found the right lowering link for the Templar, so the only way to lower it until we have a link is to drill a new hole in the lower shock mount position of the rear shock mount.

https://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=31860

Here is the info on the link. Anyone??? I am thinking this has same dimensions as ~2000-2008 CRF250. I haven't had time to look into it.

https://www.chinariders.net/showpost...9&postcount=57
https://www.chinariders.net/showpost...0&postcount=58

I lowered mine using the new lower mount position (5/8" gave me 2", and no need to cut the kickstand), so finding a compatible lowering link is on the back burner for me.