Enduro Riding

[ride_gnu]

So I am beginning to plan my journey of riding an enduro dirtbike form B.C. down to Mexico. I will probably have questions as I progress through my preperation, however my first question is well quite obvious, What bike do I buy? I am thinking Yamaha or Honda because it will be the easiest to find parts for in Mexico compared to a BMW or KTM.

Also I recall a while ago I stumbled upon an excellent site all about this and I believe I came upon it on this site. Does anyone know any sites regarding enduro riding?

Also anyone who has done any thing similiar I would love to learn everything from you that you are willing and able to share that will help me with my journey.

Cheers, Adam.

[crashdive123]

I've ridden cross country five times on a motorcycle. I rode street bikes, not enduros. Do not plan on long distances on any one day, as you will suffer from a great deal of butt fatigue on an enduro.

[ride_gnu]

I've ridden cross country five times on a motorcycle. I rode street bikes, not enduros. Do not plan on long distances on any one day, as you will suffer from a great deal of butt fatigue on an enduro.

Thats awesome to hear their are other riders on here. I have raced motocross for 4 years, and done alot of trail racing and local riding, and after riding a Gas Gas for the last 3 years, I am quite educated on the butt fatigue.

[canid]

i much prefer the 'when i feel like riding because i feel like riding' approach. i ride a 750 cruiser though, and would not want to do any great distance on anything less comfortable. i'm even thinking about putting together a removable rider backrest to keep my posture better, i have lower back problems as it is.

[Beans]

The last Harley I sold was a 1993 FXR with over 180,000 miles on it. I had to replace the stock engine ( it was wore out) with a S&S 96 CI with a hot cam. Old age, Diabetes and my hands going to sleep force me to let go.

I have been riding Harleys since 1960 until 2006 and in 2000 We rode from Las Vegas to Denver Co, slept over night then into Stugis by 3 PM the next day. We averaged 78 MPH on this trip. We ate/drink when we got gas, stopped every 100 miles for a potty break then back on the highway for some high speed crusing.

My wife also had a 1988 FXR and was riding with me. We also rode over 130 miles every weekend just crusing in the southern Nevada area.

Our butts were used to being in the saddle. That said I don't think I would have tried it on a Endro bike. I had raced the Yamaha DT's when they first came out in the early 60's and rode a Yamaha TT 500 off rode that was set up for desert racing in the late 1970's

For the last 20 years I used a La Pera Monterey seat. It sets deep and with forward controls, it's like riding a comfortable saddle on a soft gaited horse. It also gave good back support.
http://www.lepera.com/

[ride_gnu]

Woh, im surprised, didnt think I would even get one response here. I've been looking around sites, and seem to be leaning towards Honda's. Simply becuase they currently rule the Mexican market. Giving me a much better chance to find parts down there. It also turns out a good friend of mine just returned from doing the same thing I want to do, but I geuss he realized the man who leaves alone can leave today, while the man who travels with a partner must wait until he is ready.

[crashdive123]

The longest ride I did was 15,000 miles in 59 days. Left Seattle on a 1974 KZ750, down the coast into Mexico, headed east and then up the east coast. A quick detour to Nova Scotia and then meandered back to Seattle. Camped most of the way, and I sure was glad to have that thick sheepskin seat cover.

[Mike00006]

If your thinking about going by the dirt the whole way, you cannot beat a Yamaha IT200, they stopped making them in 86, but man are they great bikes. You can add blinkers to make them street legal, too. But they are 2 strokes, and tend to eat gas faster than 4 strokes, but they WILL NOT break down on you period. Ive had 2 of them already and couldnt get enough of them, too bad they had to be sold because of stupid mistakes I made with them.

A good yamaha enduro 4 stroke would probably be a TT... I know the TT600s are a bit of a problem child, but you could probably find a reliable bike in the 200-350 range. Yamahas are all over the place so parts would not be hard to find.

But then again I have never worked on a 4 stroke or even owned one, besides a utility quad... so take my advice on that subject with a grain of salt.

KTM makes very solid enduros, I have seen a few of them around here... I would not rule those out just yet.

[ride_gnu]

I have done much consideration about KTM's I have owned a few myself and I know they are good bikes, however the KTM Adventure is way out of my prices range, and so is any other import bike. The IT's are wicked bikes, and I have been considering a two stroke purely because they are mch simpler to repair than a 4 stroke, but I am weighing that against the amount of extra gas I would have to take.

At the moment I have started leaning towads a Honda XR650. Good baja bikes, and once they are "uncorked" the power is phenominal. They offer much larger aftermarket gas tanks, and I have access to a free luggage rack with the bike. But please, keep the comments coming.

[canid]

i love my honda. i wouldn't ask for a nicer bike unless i was going to invest a lot of money, and i'm a little brand-loyal. i don't understand all the rice-bike snobbery i've come across.

[RunsWithDeer]

I used to do a lot of enduro runs, still have a KTM 950 super enduro. I ride mostly trails in northern Michigan now. I live in Southwest Michigan, no trails near me. My two sons race motocross, we live 12 miles from Red Bud in Buchanan Michigan. They race almost every weekend in the summer. My older son is in the A class, my younger still in B class. Their motocross bikes are both Honda 250 R's. I would suggest staying with Honda for parts availablility on a cross country trip. For me even the nearest KTM dealer is 2 hours away. Can't say enough good things about the reliability of the Honda's, and lots of aftermarket parts available for them. Resale is good on them too.

Even doing enduro's, I used to carry in my pack a few spare parts and tools. Tire kit (w/CO2), plugs, chain, lighting if night race, etc.. I also kept a hydration pack and snacks with me. For cross country like you are planning, you will need to expand on what you carry, never know where you could breakdown and need to spend the night, maybe your BOB will suffice.

[Arsey]

What about an XT 600. Squillions of them made. Paris-Dakar heritage. Reliable. Big tanks and touring extras still available.
I'm not a fan of the XR range myself, I find them too heavy but folk have been doing crazy long distance stuff on both these bikes for decades now. Either would probably be a fair choice.
I used to ride across to France and tour around the French/Italian/Swiss Alps on a Yamaha TDM 850. Brilliant fun. Just a BOB and a tent. Travel light, it is the best way. You can pick up extras as you go if you need to, much better than carting a whole load of stuff around that you'll never even look at.
In '93 I sold everything I had, in Scotland, and flew to Detroit. Went North to Theinsville to a bike shop there and bought an FXR. Rode that for 14 months non stop twice around the USA. Went to Harleys 90th and Sturgis. Man what a blast.
Worst weather you guys had had for years. Wherever I went it pissed down. Still had a great trip though.
Good Luck with yours.

[FVR]

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You can not go wrong with a Honda XL or XR. I would go with their biggest enduro with the extra size tanks. Baja package. My last bike pic. was an early 80's, just awsome. Def. get the oil cooler option, it is great for mountain rides. I made my own from a CB 900 oil cooler.

Yeh, yeh, I am a Honda guy. I've owned 3 CB 900's, a CB 450, and a few XL's, XR's and an a 125 Elsinore.


"You meet the nicest people on a Honda"


I'm aging myself.