Top 450cc-Plus Dual Sports You Can Buy Right Now

[Hugh Janus]

Dual sports can take you just about everywhere and this selection is excellent at doing so. (Husqvarna/)

If you want the Ford F-150 Raptor or Ram 1500 TRX of motorcycles, get a big adventure bike (ADVs). They are just that: big. Really big. Some ADVs weigh nearly 600 pounds, and so while they’re magnificent skimming across wide-open spaces or floating along interstates like the Star Wars X-34 landspeeder, they have limits. Like mud, sand, and rocky, narrow trails covered in skittery shale.

But if you want to unambiguously conquer all that lies before you—from mud-bog hollows to sand dunes, and from terrible alluvium to the highway leading to the Widowmaker hill climb, you need an open-class dual sport. That’s why the annual Dakar Rally, arguably the world’s longest and hardest motorcycle event, uses big singles related to the seven bikes shown below. As a simple analogy, if a Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 is like a Raptor, a KTM 500 EXC is akin to a Class 1 Baja buggy—ready to really, seriously, roost.

Mind you, all the bikes included here are completely street and highway legal, an incredible feat, really, considering how the modern dual sport era began in 1968 with the Yamaha DT-1 two-stroke, whose biggest technology feature was oil injection! Today, these big dual sports—not a two-stroke among them, BTW—can go anywhere and conquer anything. Let’s see what’s what.

Beta 500 RR-S

Meet Italian company Beta’s feathery 500 RR-S. Weighing slightly more than its shipping crate at 243 pounds dry gives it a startling advantage over other big-bore dual sport bikes; for comparison, consider that the typical 450cc production motocrosser—which features no lights or DOT street equipment whatsoever—weighs only around 10 pounds less than the Beta. That is some kind of advantage for dual sport riders.

2023 Beta 500 RR-S (Beta/)

The 500 RR-S has a 477cc liquid-cooled single powering through a six-speed gearbox, one more ratio than a typical big-bore MX bike, so it can get down the freeway with less revs and better economy. That engine is smaller than some of the other bikes listed here (which range up to 693cc), but balancing that, its $11,799 MSRP is roughly $1,000 less. Like numerous top MX bikes, it uses a slender chrome-molybdenum steel frame, but exotica include four titanium valves, on-demand traction control, separate engine and gearbox lubrication with twin oil pumps, fully tunable suspension, and integrated GPS.

GasGas ES 700

Once upon a time, a 500cc or even 600cc thumper was considered the outer limits of usable displacement for a four-stroke single. Well, meet the GasGas ES 700, a 693cc dual sport beast that, believe it or not, the company calls “playful.” This is done because the $12,699 ES 700 was designed to excel on the road as well as in dirt conditions. Producing a claimed 73.8 hp (converted from the factory’s 55kW European measurement), the engine features a compact SOHC four-valve head with twin spark plugs and fed by EFI. A slipper clutch improves rider control, a quickshifter for the six-speed transmission makes gear changes nearly effortless and includes auto rev-matching on downshifts.

2023 GasGas ES 700 (GasGas/)

The compact steel trellis frame reportedly weights just 18.5 pounds and is wrapped in bodywork designed to improve the user experience wherever rider and bike intersect. While the 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheel sizes don’t break any new ground, the ES 700′s Continental TKC 80 tires deserve mention. Looking like a cross between a knobby and a trials tire, they’re said to offer exceptional grip on both dirt and street. The rear 140/80-18 tire is most burly in size. Fun time: Ride modes include street and off-road with nuanced mapping that allows for controlled rear wheelspin and wheelies, and includes both power delivery and lean-sensitive traction control.

Honda XR650L

A staple for Honda’s value proposition since its debut in 1993, the XR650L keeps it simple, simple, simple. Its big 644cc four-valve single is air-cooled and (unusually for 2023) carbureted, and eschews such recent technological advances as traction control, GPS trail-mapping, a multifunction TFT display, or other niceties. What you get, then, is a straightforward road/dirt thumper at a highly attractive $6,999 MSRP. The stick-to-the-basics approach helps keep the weight to 346 pounds full of fuel. Now that’s still 100 pounds more than the big-bore dual sport class leaders, but still way more manageable for beginning dual sport explorers than are big ADVs.

2023 Honda XR650L (Honda/)

Few motorcycle companies are brave enough—or invest in the testing to reveal—fuel economy, but Honda states that the XR650L is good for 52 mpg (based on EPA lab testing criteria). Clinically derived or not, that number mathematically gets you 146 miles down the road on the 2.8-gallon fuel supply. The Honda’s riding experience is relaxed and plush, thanks to 11.6 inches of front and 11.0 inches of rear suspension travel. Incidentally, the fork and shock damping are adjustable, as is the rear spring preload. Worth considering for newbies, however, is that the XR650L has a 37-inch seat height—tall if you’re a smaller rider who’s just learning the art and science of off-road.

Husqvarna FE 501s

Upgraded and advanced to produce more—and easier to control—power across a broader rev range, Husqvarna’s FE 501s is an early 2024 model year release. The 511cc engine is complemented by a new steel chassis, upgraded WP suspension and electronics. And sharing much with KTM’s vaunted 500 EXC-F, the Husky defines itself with unique bodywork and graphics recalling the brand’s Swedish heritage. The MSRP is $13,049.

2024 Husqvarna FE 501s (Husqvarna/)

A full-court press was made to reduce component weight across the board, and results in a dry weight of only 259 pounds. Just a few of the techniques are high-pressure die-casting for the thin-wall engine cases, a short, lightweight aluminum silencer, optimal wall thickness for the frame tubes, a flexible rear subframe made of nylon and aluminum and weighing just 3.9 pounds, a hollow die-cast aluminum swingarm, and a lighter shock. Works-style parts include CNC-machined triple clamps and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) designed footpegs. For an even more works look, more than a dozen anodized and carbon accessories are available, including anodized blue drain plugs, brake-fluid reservoir covers, suspension adjuster wheels, and carbon brake and suspension guards.

Kawasaki KLR650

Weighing in at some 200 pounds more than some of the competition in this grouping, the Kawasaki KLR650 nonetheless remains a favorite within a certain customer base: Those who want an affordable big displacement on/off road bike, and are willing to accept less, shall we say, adroit off-road performance and technology.

2023 Kawasaki KLR650 (Kawasaki/)

Put in stark terms, this 652cc liquid-cooled Kawi costs $6,899 (add $300 for ABS) and weighs 456 pounds (461 pounds when equipped with ABS). Now compare this to $12,000 to $13,000 for its competitors in this review, which can weigh some 200 pounds less. In off-road bikes, that’s a huge deficit. But what if you want to ride some jeep tracks or logging roads, maybe do some light touring, or even commute? Your No. 1 choice for that combination wouldn’t be a high-strung racebike with lights, would it? That’s why the KLR650 has endured for 35 years. Making it even more attractive today, a KLR650 S version has a 2.2-inch-lower seat height, adding to the appeal for smaller riders.

KTM 500 EXC-F

Long considered a “secret weapon” in the red-blooded bike guy’s (or gal’s) riding arsenal, the 500 EXC-F represented much of what KTM had learned about motocross racing and enduro riding but modified just enough to be fully street legal. Now comes a near complete redesign, with KTM admitting the 2024 500 EXC-F, priced at $12,949, is 95 percent new. The 511cc engine weighs 65 pounds, is claimed to be more powerful, and is tilted back 2 degrees, lowering the countershaft sprocket, which results in improved anti-squat dynamics.

2024 KTM 500 EXC-F (KTM/)

Meanwhile, the new double-cradle frame acts in concert with the suspension (essentially, as a steel shock absorber!) to improve the rider experience. An all-new WP 48mm cartridge fork pairs with CNC clamps and rubber bar mounts to further improve the ride. Both the fork and redesigned WP shock have tool-free suspension adjustments. Further, the rider gets better gripping surfaces all around, and the typically vulnerable rear subframe is designed to flex in a crash, not break. In the electrics department, a new LED headlight is represented as 300 percent brighter, while an underseat Offroad Control Unit replaces fuses and relays to simplify diagnosing electrical problems on the spot if they should occur.

KTM 690 Enduro R

Close cousin to the GasGas ES 700 and priced just $300 higher at $12,999, the KTM 690 Enduro R is instantly recognizable. For what, you might ask? Massive big-bore performance and all-roads (and all-trails) versatility. Power comes from KTM’s familiar 693cc LC4 single, a masterwork of compactness, mass centralization—and power. Like the GasGas, it’s credited with producing 73.8 hp (as converted from KTM’s 55kW Euro claim) and has a novel cylinder head using a single camshaft to operate four valves with finger followers and rockers. Both the crankshaft and timing chain drive balance shafts, a highly usable edition to such a big single.

2023 KTM 690 Enduro R (KTM/)

More innovation is found in the hydraulically power-assisted clutch, a standard quickshifter for the six-speed gearbox, and ride-by-wire throttle control. KTM advertises the service intervals for the 690 Enduro R as 6,200 miles (converted from the factory’s 10,000-kilometer figure). Interestingly, the bike features a rear fuel tank; holding 3.6 gallons, it’s also a load-bearing chassis component. The innovative WP fork dedicates compression damping to the left side and rebound function on the right; just reach near the handlebar and click through 30 settings with easy-to-use dials, even when you’re wearing gloves.

Source

[Buckster]

Bob and Fred will be reaching for the tissues.

[boboneleg]

10 minutes ago, Buckster said:

Bob and Fred will be reaching for the tissues.

Don’t think so, they’ve missed the best dual sport bike out there

 

[Buckster]

12 minutes ago, boboneleg said:

Don’t think so, they’ve missed the best dual sport bike out there

 

Is it in the pond?

[boboneleg]

51 minutes ago, Buckster said:

Is it in the pond?

That's a canal basin you numpty

[Buckster]

6 minutes ago, boboneleg said:

That's a canal basin you numpty

Okay, is it in the canal basin you pedantic cunt? 
 

[boboneleg]

33 minutes ago, Buckster said:

Okay, is it in the canal basin you pedantic cunt? 
 

No, anyway how many of your passengers complained after you sabotaged the bus yesterday .............

 

 

[Buckster]

1 minute ago, boboneleg said:

No, anyway how many of your passengers complained after you sabotaged the bus yesterday .............

 

 

I got them onto another bus, to know me is to love me.