[JayDub]

2 bikes, the perfect combo, yes, for me.
Good job we’re not all the same.

The Duc is a BIG TALL thing for sure.
Suits me that way, fits me & the special lady 2 up better than the Ninja for touring trips, plenty roomy.
Not that we’re big people.
Allows for some exploring ( within reason )
off road.
What’s not to like about 160hp, heaps of torque, the V twin hammers & their sound / character.
Tuneable on the move long travel suspension is an awesome thing.

The Kwaka, also has character with its straight thru system, the added popping & crackling on overrun.
Lower C.of G.
Gotta love the Sargent & THE GREEN.
A bit less good 2 up tho.
Much cheaper to run, service.

I wonder on the same stretch of mountain twisties with the same rider which is quicker ?
There’d b little in it, but I feel the extra torque & ground clearance of the Duc would edge it out.

Win & then another Win really.
Spoilt or what ?

Just need that V4 Streetfighter Ducati.
208hp in a naked bike can’t be wrong !

 

[OCL]

I do agree a powerful bike with long travel suspension and upright ergos with wind protection is very nice to have.

How much off roading do you do with that "Enduro"? C'mon be honest. LOL!

 

[Zaph]

I'm not the biggest fan of the Enduro or any Multistrada based bike to be honest. Too much power for that chassis. Hang out at the Ducati forum long enough and you see that the biggest problem that bike has is that it's unstable at high speed unless you severely stiffen up the suspension, and as soon as you do that it's a horrible off road bike. Combine that with the fact that it's a $22K bike with ridiculous maintenance costs. Not to **** all over your beautiful ride, but... well sorry I'll clean that up. But if it makes you happy that's all that matters really.

Um the V4 Streetfighter Ducati... well I'm not going to get rolling on that one. I just emptied my bowels and I have nothing left.

 

[OCL]

If we're talking ADV & Dual Sport bikes then you have my undivided attention.

I used to look at this genre with skepticism. Until I rode one, or two. Now I fully understand. They are comfortable and are easy to ride fast. I get why there are many who like the power of the big ADV style bikes. They are heavy though and that's because owners of the big bikes just want to have EVERYTHING including the kitchen sink, bring their wives along, and still go very fast. They're willing to pay for it too. When you have a whole cadre of owners complaining about not having cruise control on their bikes, you know exactly what's going on here.

Personally, I prefer my ADV bikes to be much simpler, lighter, and less expensive because I don't want to worry too much about breaking something expensive if I drop in on a gravel road or rocky trail. I dropped my Suzuki DR650 already and it mostly survived unscathed because, well, it doesn't have too many accoutrements except the very basics. At the same time though I'm always wishing for more power and better wind protection, and a smoother engine. Oh well. I guess I should just get a Yamaha Tenere 700 or a Honda CBR500x (maybe even a KTM 790 Adventure if they ever produce a reliable KTM).

 

[rcannon409]

I dont thing theres a problem when we **** on each others bikes. We all think differently and often times shittig on them bring up really interesting subjects.

I think that the "dual sport" bikes that are over 325lbs have become the normal, go to motorcycle much more than the thought that they have real offroad abilities. Offroad riding starts to get really fun as the bike approaches 200lbs. Power is fine, but light weight and something that's not a cosmetic worry changes offroad riding for the better, like OC is saying.

In modern times, they do a pretty amazing job at trying to combine both dirt and street. Even with that, there are really not too many accessories, or even designs that are good on the street and an the dirt. Street tires are ****, offroad.

I think the new Yamaha did a pretty good job, but a full on offroad frame would have finished it off, nicely. Then again, if we dont mind paying 15,000 they can do a lot.

 

[Zaph]

Well the issue the both the Multistrada and the V4 streetfighter have is that they are bikes with identity problems. The Multistrada tries to be two bikes that it can't be at once. The V4 Streetfighter, well think about how realistic it is to have 200+ hp in an unfaired bike - I have 2 words for you: human parachute.

These bikes are beautiful, sexy and basically insane. I can see the draw there. But not real usable for all the uses they are marketed towards if you get right down to it.

 

[OCL]

RC you hit the nail right in the head. Most everything great off road diverges from what is great on the street. There are very few overlaps. Having said that, the manufacturers have managed to bridge the gap amazingly well. KTM has to be the master at this. Honda's Africa Twin has come into its own.

Yet, ask anyone who's taken a big adventure bike off road. It's A LOT of work to hustle big beasts like these off the beaten path. And if you drop them, by the time you pick them up a 2nd time, your energy is sapped. It takes A LOT of energy to pick them up. OTOH, drop a 275 lbs. Enduro bike and it's relatively easy.

Would I like to have one? Hell yeah! Would I want to take it off road? Dirt roads only and only when it's hard packed. Probably would avoid lose, rocky terrain and steep climbs too. God help me if I had to turn a 500+ pounder around! Been there done that it's not fun when I feel like I'm riding a stair stepper at a high cadence and breathing like a beaten race horse! If I'm going REAL off road, I'd be on a 450cc Enduro or even a 350! Now that is fun. But those bikes would SUCK big time on pavement and especially on highway. Dual Sports SUCK at speeds above 55 mph.

 

[JayDub]

We all have different needs & wants & at different times of our lives.
Ive got zero desire to do track days any more.
Or 1/4 mile stuff
Laugh at idiots on Highways in T shirts with there extended swing arms doing 180 MPH

I dropped the $$,s on my Ducati 18 months ago primarily to use as a 2 up comfortable tourer, not a dirt bike.
It fills that role perfectly
30,000 klm later I’m very happy
A great solo ride too
Some hate taking a pillion, I’m lucky, my lady is petite, loves the outdoors in general & is always keen for a day / weekend / extended trip.
Love her dearly, never the ball & chain.
I’ll take it places I wouldn’t take the N1K that’s for sure, there’s a lot to explore in Oz, & a tire changer at home helps
Considerably more suspension travel has got to b good on the roads around here a lot of the time, it eats it up
It’s never going to b a serious dirt bike
It’s much more comfortable 2 up than the Ninja
More enjoyable character wise than the boxer BMW,s there just bland & boring
We had a ZX14R but the Ducati has replaced it.
Still love the N1K & no thoughts on selling it
Horses for courses
Theres room for a big V twin & an in line 4 in my life
Settled in my choices, for now - - -
The V4 Streetfighter would b awesome for the occasional day ride, no good as your only bike
Dreaming doesn’t hurt any.

 

[rcannon409]

I think its funny that they did all of this development before. Scramblers were garbage and you needed a street bike, or a dirt bike. Combining the two never worked well. In the late 70's and very early 80's, they released these powerful naked bikes. Cb750 and kz900 types. Even those got bigger and more powerful. For a minute there, 6 cylinder nakeds were the thing. Kawasakis 1300 and the Honda cbx.

I didnt take much time before people realized those bikes were damn near useless without wind protection. Craig Vetter came up with the Windjammer fairing and its no exaggeration to say he sold at least 750,000 thousand of them. He sold so many, aftermarket companies started to copy him. He had saddlebags, too, although they were never as popular as his fairings.

In colder areas, like Utah, the availability of wind protection drove new bike sales.

 

[OCL]

Taking my DR650 on adventure rides far from home, I've come to the realization the importance of wind protection on a naked bike. It makes a BIG difference at any speed above 45 mph for longer than a few minutes.

But a big fairing weighs a lot and they're one of the first to break in an off road fall. So then owners put those fairing protectors made of steel so they can drop the bike and not damage anything. That adds a lot of weight. After you add that, plus beefier skidplates, hard bags made of aluminum, auxiliary lights, etc., etc., it's not uncommon for the ADV guys to add 30+40 lbs. on their already heavy bikes.

 

[rcannon409]

I learned a few important things from riding offroad. Weight was more than what the scale said. There was nothing heavier than a dead 220lb ktm. At that point, the old, reliable suzuki dr350/650, the honda xr series...maybe even a klr, was lighter. Those bikes would always run. Under no circumstance should you own anything from Spain or Italy . Also avoid riding with anyone who owned bikes from Spain or Italy. They were going to ruin the day by needing to be towed.

 

[Zaph]

I learned a few important things from riding offroad. Weight was more than what the scale said.

I learned kick start dirt bikes always die at the bottom of the hill rather than the top.

The next dirt bike I buy is going to have electric start I don't give a **** how much it adds to the weight!

 

[rcannon409]

Once you get up into the 250cc range, kicking can be a pain. Zaph, do you remember when the old two stroke bikes would kick back?

We had a 360 yamaha that would do that. It sounds so stupid now, and would be easy to fix, but at 12yrs old, it was brain surgery.

The timing was off. Unless you gave it a massive kick, it would kick back and try to drive your foot up your spine. It would also start, but be running backwards. That was fun...

 

[kenors]

I never had a 2 stroke > 250cc but a BSA 441 Victor tried to break my leg/dislocate my ankle-knee or launch me wholesale over the bars. I didn't have it very long and sold it for about what I'd paid for it. After I sold it the previous owner and I shared stories and bruises of that ******* bike. It was a torque monster of an engine but you had to really kick it into submission to tame it.

 

[rcannon409]

Kenors, a friends father had an old BSA 441 Victor. We always wanted him to start it, but I dont believe he ever did. He said the last time he tried he broke his ankle. Wasn't there something strange about kicking g that bike? It kicked forward, maybe, or you had to fold up the footpeg? He had several bikes of the late 60s era so I might be mistaken. He also had a modern (?..?) Cz, a Puch and an old Greeves.

I know the Greeves had the crazy forks that were basically shocks. I remember thinking how strange that was because he had a brand new Harley 250mx bike and that had forks on the back instead of shocks. The shop gave him the Harley to race. I cannot even imagine it's current value.

 

[kenors]

Nothing really different as I remember other than with the Japanese 2 strokes I sat on the seat and kicked with my leg only. With the 441 it was find the compression stroke, jump up in the air and bear my entire 125# (long time ago) down on my leg, kick like hell and hope it didn't fire BTC or you'd find yourself back up in the air (if your leg was straight) or nursing a sprained ankle or knee.

The flip side was to put it in 3rd gear going slow and then crank on the throttle. Then go back and look at the divots kicked up with every power stroke of that (then) mighty 4 stroke engine. Given the minuscule torque generated by 2 strokes at the time it felt like an uber powerful machine.

 

[jjscsix]

First of all, it is one of the advantages to being in a position to own multiple bikes. We get to have bikes that don’t always make sense as an only bike. When I bought my Panigale I was 60 years old and even I thought I was nuts. I was pretty sure I would never use anywhere near all it’s potential. Well “anywhere near” is all relative. I’ve seen 172 on the speedo...over 160 a lot, and over 130 damn near every time I ride it. The chicken strips are always gone the first day I put new tires on it. The bike is now seven years old and is closing in on 30,000 miles despite being the “third bike” in my garage. I love the bike and cannot see the day I will get rid of it. I have owned it more than twice as long as any other bike I have ever owned.

I swore I would never own an Adventure bike. But a year ago I was within twelve hours taking deliver of a BMW GS. Really, only the money scared me at the last minute as I was days away from retiring. I liked the modern features and the fact I could using it as a long distance touring bike that is over 100 lbs lighter than what I did end up buying (FJR).

About six years ago I took my Panigale in for service. The owner of the dealer is a friend of mine and he loaned me his personal Multistrada which was loaded, including the electronic suspension. I put 140 miles on the bike and declared it to have the best suspension I’ve ever ridden. It was both very comfortable, and handled great. But still didn’t want one.

I respect the OP for buying what he likes, and sharing his thoughts on the bike.

 

[OCL]

I too swore I would NEVER own an adventure bike.

In 2017 I decided to test the waters and bought an inexpensive Dual Sport (Suzuki DR650) just to see if I'd like it. The bike has adequate street performance. But off road it can take me places I wouldn't dare take any street bike. I loved the upright, tall, riding position. I loved it's low maintenance and low cost running this bike. Most of all, it has opened up a whole new world to me. I've been to and seen places I normally would not see. Now I fully understand the draw that Adventure bikes bring to owners and why they have such passion for it. After 3 years I'm jonesing to upgrade to a true Adventure style bike. Although I don't want a huge beast because I want to maintain the light weight, low maintenance nature of the DR650 but with better wind protection, longer range (a must for adventure bikes), and better power for the highway. So I'm currently in the market for a 400-700cc sized adventure bike. There's lots to choose from.

 

[rcannon409]

It's too bad that Aprilias 450/550 was such an unreliable piece of ****. That bike should have been the best dual sport ever built. Mostly a dirt bike, but its v twin engine could have made an ok streetbike at the same time. In reality, it was even less reliable than an Aprilia street bike.

https://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2011models/2011-Aprilia-RXV450-RXV550

 

[OCL]

RC, Honda makes the CBR500x, which for 2019 moved towards more Adventure styling and capabilities. It's not an Enduro nor dual sport, although it is approaching the latter. Nevertheless, it's meant for 80/20 paved/unpaved. It's a way better street bike than any Dual Sport in the market. Powerful enough for the highway with great wind protection plus long range (220+ miles).

This is in the same vein as the Versys 650/Suzuki VStrom 650. Realistically speaking, most Adventure Rides are going to be 90% pavement anyway.

The only other alternative is to take an existing dual sport bike and turn it into an ADV bike, with all the advantages/disadvantages that comes with it. Like you said before, offroad/onroad capabilities are highly divergent.