Small Way Round: adventures on a DR200

[edgear]

2 weeks ago I purchased a 2007 Suzuki DR200 as my very first motorcycle, and have been learning & growing my skills on both the pavement & dirt. Yesterday I was given an assignment for work that required me to pre-run some trails, scout out some campsites, and verify the location of a Native American ruins site. I had about 2 hours to prepare for the journey, so I threw some Ortleib soft panniers on the bike & hit the road. It was late in the day so I knew it would have to be an over-nighter.

A few good water crossings for this little motorcycle:

Rather intact walls at these ruins, with lots of pottery shards too:

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Great pics Jeremy! So how are you liking the bike?

 

[Hltoppr]

Sweet!

:bike_rider:

-H-

 

[DavidG]

Great title and cool little bike! I've been contemplating a small dual sport for some time now. It would be a first bike for me as well. Any regrets picking a bike this size? Family and priorities have kept me from pulling the trigger, but one day...

Keep the posts coming

 

[goodtimes]

d00d! Your job must really suck!!!

:bike_rider:












(you picked up on the sarcasm, right?)

 

[SOAZ]

live to ride, ride to live. :costumed-smiley-007

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

You guys are getting me thinking about taking a motorcycle training course or something! I don't know how much longer I can resist!!

 

[corbin8or]

I'd like to get a quad... get it? a para with a quad.... ha ha :victory:

 

[edgear]

Great pics Jeremy! So how are you liking the bike?

Absolutely loving it!

Any regrets picking a bike this size?

None. I know I will outgrow it someday, but to learn on I would want nothing else. For longer trips involving more highways & interstate one would definitely need a bigger bike, but this size is perfect for running around town & hitting the dirt trails.

You guys are getting me thinking about taking a motorcycle training course or something! I don't know how much longer I can resist!!

Ride Northern Arizona. Their shop is right across from our new shop. Great class! Mr. Brady, BajaTaco & myself all took it together. Had fun, and learned a lot too.

 

[Willman]

Right on Jeremy!

Looks like a blast....I want one now!


(If only my money tree would grow faster!)

:drool:

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Right on Jeremy!

Looks like a blast....I want one now!


(If only my money tree would grow faster!)

:drool:

Ohh Nic...we could have Team Sierra dual sports!! :coffeedrink:

 

[edgear]

Lois on the Loose... with a sharpie!

A week ago at the Overland Expo, I had the pleasure to attend a few motorcycle training classes with Tom Collins and Lois Pryce. Hearing both of them give talks about their travels and receiving practical advice on riding all over the world was quite inspirational. For a few of the classes, Lois borrowed my bike. She was signing quite a few of her books for people at the Expo. I asked her if she had ever signed a motorcyle, to which she replied, "no." So I now have the "Lois Edition" DR200!! :sombrero:

(photos courtesy of Bruce Douglas)

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Very cool! I have a Yamaha WR250r that I want to slap some bags onto and do some overnighting. You might want to check out bigdogadventures.com for some additional info. There are a bunch of riders out there who are "stepping down" from the big bores to smaller bikes for ease of handling as we age gracefully. Have fun!:bike_rider:

 

[BogusBlake]

Here's a couple shots from where we rode at Alto. For some reason, most of my helmet cam footage from that day and the next was lost. The last one that worked was right before I crashed while blowing past that junction!

:roost:

Edit: Holy huge pictures! If I wasn't so lazy, I'd resize 'em...

 

[edgear]

It's been a while since I have updated this adventures thread. The DR200 is still rockin', and now sits at 3300 miles on the odo! Under my belt since the last update are: a trip to Tucson & back (total of 600 miles & 14 painful hours), a few trips to Flagstaff, an overnighter to Wickenburg on all dirt roads, and several other shorter trips around the Prescott area. I've also had the opportunity to ride some bigger bikes (Honda XR250R, Suzuki DR650, KTM 950 Adventure, and BMW GS1150). In just my first three months of riding motorcycles I've been working hard to hone my skills as a proficient rider, but still have much work to do! Thank goodness for a small & underpowered bike, as I am prone to injuring myself. Currently I am researching racks & hard panniers for some more "epic" adventures on the doctor.
:sombrero: