Dual sport

 

A dual sport bike is a type of road legal motorcycle that is designed for use both on and off road.  Examples of dual sport models include the BMW GS series, KTM Adventure series, Kawaskai KLR, Suzuki DR-Z400 and V-Storm, Honda XL, Yamaha XT etc.

The dual sport motorcycle first started in 1900, at this time most roads were still unpaved when motorcycles first appeared therefore motorcycles were intended to be used on dirt as well as road.

From advertisements from the 1920’s motorcycles were depicted on dirt roads with clouds of dust.

By the 1940’s most roads were then tarmaced and so motorcycles became heavier and more suited to this surface.

 

In the 1950’s and 60’s British manufacturers such as Triumph offered versions of their relatively light, road motorcycles with high exhaust pipes and called them scramblers.

 

In 1968 Yamaha introduced the DT-1 (2-stroke 250cc engine) this beame very popular, which pushed other manufacturers into producing light weight bikes which were good on trails and road.

 

Today there are many different types of dual sport bikes used for different riding.  For example lighter single cylinder bikes that are great on tight twisty off road tracks but do not have much power for road use, and heavy dual sport bikes with 2 cylinder engines have plenty of power for long road trips but are not so suitable for racing on the track.

 

There are now 4 ways of creating a dual sports bike.  The first takes a MX bike and adds road legal equipment, with a few mechanical modifications.  Manufacturers such as KTM and Husqvana use this approach, this design produces a light and powerful bike with shorter service intervals and higher maintenance.  They have high fenders and ground clearance with long travel suspension.  They will also have noticeable dirt tyres (knobblies).  These lightweight bikes are closest to pure dirt bikes and thrive on rough track conditions.

 

Other bikes are specifically designed for a combination of dirt and road.  These bikes are usually heavier and more durable than the previous example.  BMW, Honda, and Yamaha are examples of this type of manufactured design.  These middleweight bikes will have less suspension travel and ground clearance with tyres more suited to trail and road.

 

Other manufacturers have designed road bikes to make them run off road.  These are heavy weight dual sports bikes designed for riders who want to travel long distances with occasional moment on dirt tracks.  They will have smoother tyres.

 

Lastly, owners add road legal equipment to MX off road bikes.

 

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Text originated from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-sport