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I have been really enjoying riding my wife's KLX 140L in the woods and went and ran some trails in Granville last Monday with a coworker that lives out there. I've been mulling picking up a dual-sport for awhile now. I was long considering getting one of the Euro race-bike dual-sports. I love that they are so light and powerful, but don't love the prices or the high maintenance they require. So I kept coming back to the Yamaha. I don't like the weight, anemic engine, or the basic instrumentation, but the price seemed right and it seemed like those were the only real knocks against it. I also didn't want a straight dirt bike because I absolutely hate dealing with a trailer.
I went and rode at left-over 2016 today. My first thought was, "Damn, I'm glad I have long legs!". Despite being Anemic(I rode my Hypermotard to the dealer), I really like the way it rides. So I traded in my Hypermotard and rode it home. I've got around 50 miles on it. I took it to my favorite very low traffic road and got used to the brakes, tried some wheelies, practiced some U-turns, got used to the controls. Then I went home and rode around my yard a bit to get a feel for it off pavement. Finally, I took it for a few laps around my backyard woods single-track.
Here are my initial impressions: The brakes are pretty good. At first I felt like the rear brake was a bit weak, but once I got used to it, it is pretty easy to lock up on the road if I so desire. The front brake is great for a bike like this. Really easy to do a stoppie. Wheelies feel a bit awkward compared to my other bikes and may take some practice. The rear brake pedal is entirely too small. Maneuverability is great, almost as nimble as my Z125 and the KLX. The gearing on this thing is way too tall. It struggled and stalled a couple of times in 1st up some dirt hills. I didn't check the pressure which I assume is way too high for dirt, but the stock tires seemed pretty bad off-road. I'll have to drop the pressure a bit and give them a try. While it didn't have the grip of the KLX, it definitely made up for it in ground clearance and suspension.
The fit and finish is very nice for a bike in this price range. While the dash is chintzy, the controls are nice and in good positions. I hated the controls on my Hypermotard(especially the turn signal switch), but love them on my Z125. This is more towards the Kawasaki. The seat, for what it is, isn't bad at all. I like the cheesy mirrors and am happy to trade a little power for a quiet exhaust at this point.
I learned to ride on a KLR650 years ago and spent a lot of time riding it on the road, but it was too heavy and not set up for riding anything more than a dirt road. This is much more what I have been looking for in a DS.
I'll likely end up changing the gearing, do some of the free performance mods, tires, skid plate, hand guards, and maybe some luggage. I think I will also end up getting a bigger fuel tank as well.
I've scouted out a bunch of trails in my area and look forward to checking them out. If anyone in my area wants to go for a ride let me know. I work a weird schedule, but love doing pretty much anything on two wheels.