Dual sport KTM

[Turts]

Hey folks, I'm thinking about getting a more dirt orientated dual sport bike.
I have a KLR 650 and it's great if there are some highway miles to put on.
I'm more dirt trails now so thinking about an EXC type bike.
Any advice? 450, 500, 530 or?

 

[the_real_wild1]

I had a 530 exc and it was awesome off road. On the highway there are better choices. If you are more on road then get a 690. If you are mostly offroad get the 530. If you can afford it get the 500 as it is fuel injected and has a better tail light. It may not sound important but in traffic and off road if some one is behind you that brake light is important.

 

[Bnorth]

The EXC's are not much of a road bike so it depends if you're looking for a street legal bike you can ride on dirt or vice versa. IMO the EXC is only good at going from home to the trail without having to load in the truck, no street cruising. They are an offroad bike and can handle whatever you throw at them. The 690 is a fun bike if you want to cruise some roads too or logging roads and ride a bit of trail. I would be fairly confident trail riding a 690 but not in the really tight single track stuff which IMO is the best part of dirtbiking. Pick your poison.

 

[Big Jon]

The Husky 501 could be an option, depending on your size or riding habits the suspension can be soft out of the box.

 

[LID]

I had an 08 530 and now ride a 16 500exc. Both were great. The newer ones have fuel injection which is great and while being almost the same weight, the 16 rides much lighter and quicker in the trees than the 530. For all of the exc's you will have a much better running bike with some changes to emissions crap and gearing but they are relatively easy, cheap, and have lots of informative videos on the Internet.
Depending on your size, a 350exc may work as well.

 

[Big A]

The EXC line is a great option as well as the husky FE-S ( new ktm&husky are now virtually identical ) but I would suggest looking at the Betta RR-s, I've had them all and the beta handles on road MUCH better than the others, the 480 beta also has a bit more oomph than the other 500 class bikes. If your not familiar with Beta check out Twisted Shifter in Eckville, just west of RedDeer, good guys. Happy shopping.