Among other deep thoughts, it occurred to me that many advocates of the outdoors are viewed as environmental villains. For example, hunters have paid for permits which have kept many of our national parks in operation, and their numerical decline has caused many a penny-pinching politician some duress.
Likewise, trail-riding motorists enjoy nature, though there are those that irresponsibly abuse it. When I still had the XT 600, I enjoyed riding trails more than borrowing a bike and hitting the track. It was fun to explore and see nature atop a motorcycle. I joined the AMA to protect the freedom to trail ride, among other reasons.
Naturally, I became very excited when I handled the glossy dual purpose brochures from Yamaha as they passed from the receiving counter to the sales counter. New bikes galore!
The XT 225 has been upgraded to the XT 250 ($4399) - catching up to it's European counterpart. The venerable WR250, renowned for trail-only riding has been made street legal in two models: the WR250X ($5999), a super motard and the WR250R ($5899), a very dirt-capable dual purpose bike. Both the WR's sport fuel injection unlike any other in its class, allowing for higher compression and more accurate fuel delivery (read: more power for the displacement). The old standby, the TW 200 ($3799) continues in the shadow of its more exciting and updated brethren.
Will I rush out and buy one of these new toys? Probably not like I did with the FJR. Yeah, it's true that I've been looking forward to seeing the XT250 hit the streets here. It really needed updating. But, for the buck a couple of larger bikes have my attention: the just updated Kawasaki KLR 650 ($5349) and the Suzuki DR650SE ($5099). With stump-pulling torque and strong aftermarket support, these contenders still catch my eye for my dual-purpose riding. Will Yamaha ever bring over the XT 650 or will I just have to be content with one of it's competitors offerings?
We'll just have to wait and see...
Yamaha dual purpose bikes
Kawasaki dual purpose bikes
Suzuki dual purpose bikes
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