What is your opinion on the Yamaha 1200 Dual-Sport?

[mkitchen]

I have been thinking about a larger dualsport and the yamaha seems interesting and not too expensive. I have no experience with dual sports though and would like to hear from those who are more knowledgable.
Mikey

 

[805gregg]

If it weighs over 475-500 lbs not much of a dual sport more of a want to be highway dualsport like a GS1200, you could do smooth dirt roads, but you could do that with a street bike

 

[CodyY]

I demo'd one for 20 miles. Smooth and comfy, like a budget-ish GS.

I like it, more highway friendly than my 950KTM, I bet. But just doesn't have the "snap" and soul.

 

[Heloflyboy]

They are nice bikes with some nice features, but like everyone said more of a fire road/road bike. Think about what kind of bike you are looking for. I bought a triumph tiger 12 years ago to do the Alaskan highway and am on my third one. I use it for commuting, back roads and fire roads, It works great for what I want and is very comfortable. It is way to heavy to be a good offroad bike though. The Yamaha is along the same lines.

Good Luck

 

[Scott Brady]

We had one for quite a while, and really enjoyed the bike. It is more capable on the dirt than you would imagine. I pushed its limits a bit on a few of our test tracks and sound the balance, torque and traction control all quite good. Better than the Explorer on the dirt, but not as good as the KTM Adventure. Touratech now has all the farkle for it too

 

[mkitchen]

Thank You

My experience with dual sport bikes is nill and I am not sure how aggressive I would get on it. I have been mountain biking since the early 80's but have moved to road biking due to injuries. I am currently riding a Victory Cross Country Tour and really enjoy it but pine for the opportunity to travel dirt two tracks and trails. I might just be too old for such adventures though (or at least that is what my kids tell me). As the old song says, "I am older but no wiser."
But again, thank you all for your input. I am thinking of getting something used at this point to see if I am able to get out and enjoy the back country on two wheels. Possibly a KLR or some other thumper to see how I do and then look into a 1200 Yamaha or BMW as a longer term choice if I enjoy riding.
Mikey

 

[Vapor_Trails]

Starting with a used KLR or DR650 is a good call. Head over to www.advrider.com for EVERYTHING dual-sport.

 

[CDMartin]

I love mine, comfy on the highway and very easy to ride offroad, fire roads and jeep trails.

 

[kojackJKU]

for the light bike solution KTM has a new 350 out and its awesome. go have a look. but, im not a fan of the tenere, there are much better choices out there. get a big ktm, or even the gs12. both are much better in most conditions. the ktm only needs a seat swap to make it super comfy on long tours, and that sweet v twin motor is just awesome sounding at full bark.

 

[motochain]

You can pick up a nice used V-Strom 650 also. They're comparable as far as abilities on/off road, but a FRACTION of the price ($3k-$5k). Gets you on the road, then you can decide what exactly you're looking for. May end up being just what you need!

 

[abruzzi]

Every bike is going to be a compromise.

That's why I own two.

That's why I own three... ;-)

BMW R1150GSA: mostly street, occasional graded dirt, long range, comfy for long trips.
KTM950A: very good at dirt, surprisingly good at street, hooligan fun, ok at long trips.
KTM640A: awesome at dirt, manages street-even did a 2000 mile 7 day trip.

Eventually, I may end up with a 450 EXC for 30 mile dirt desert racing. I haven't tested a Super Terere yet, but given its specs, I'd suspect it would be in between my GS and 950.

Geof

 

[T.Low]

My buddy bought a used low mileage cream puff of an '08 Klr650, all farkled for $3500 back in 2010. He's ridden the heck out of it and could still get close to that if he sold.

As far as soul goes, big adv bikes certainly have their place, but none of them have soul. (But then my 2010 GG 450 was one of only 5 in the country :bike_rider:

 

[haven]

All too often, "Dual sport" in USA means riding 500 miles on freeways to get to 50 miles of trails. That's what makes the big displacement bikes a good choice for many. And when your bike weighs 600 lb and has 120 hp, you can strap 50 lb of camping gear on the back without affecting performance that much.

Personally, I prefer a smaller bike, one that doesn't take two people to pick up when the side stand sinks into the sand.

 

[abruzzi]

Unless of course that is what your trip requires. I'd hate to ride a 450 from here (southern NM) to Moab, then explore canyonlands for a few days, then back. My 640 excels at that. However, if I was riding to Canada and Alaska, even if I was doing 1000 miles on the Dempster, 200 on north Canol, 150 on Cantung, a couple hundred on the Joseph Campbell (all dirt roads), even the 640 would be ill adapted, and I'd probably take my GS. Of course none of those are ideal for local desert riding, where a 450 would kick ***.

I could ride mostly dirt from here to Moab, but sometimes that just not in the cards due to time or other considerations.

 

[mkitchen]

Bigger doesn't always mean better, is the conclusion that I am getting.

I bought a KLR for me and a DR 650 for Mo and we are enjoying the heck out of them. We are looking forward to doing a tour around the San Francisco Peaks (around Flagstaff AZ) next month. I think that these bikes will work fine for us but if I do decide to do some much longer tours on pavement and dirt, then I may bump up to the Tenere, Guzzi Stelvio, or BMW 1200 GSA. But if I continue to have as much fun on the two that we have, then I am going to stay with them. They really are a romp to ride.
Mikey