Blog Library

Data and motorcycles. While there is so much that charts like these will miss; such as how well a bike feels on the road, whats it like to flick around a corner, how high does the weight sit and is the throttle predictable... It is still better to see actual specifications of these incredibly versatile machines than simply guess at what seems right from shilled reviews and tradition. Data is less susceptible to bias. If you haven't looked at the 6 charts and comparison group below, take a few moments to go check them out down there and meet me back down at the next paragraph.

How did I pick whats in the comparison group? Aside from the KTMs and Africa Twin which were way out of my budget, I considered each of the bikes on this list at the time I purchased my Dual Sport bike. I wanted every confirmation I was buying the "right" bike. What I learned is there is no right bike, every bike has its own merits- very few people are in the business of making a bad motorcycle.

What data did I use? I tended to go with whichever year was lightest or whichever year had the best hp/lb ratio. For example the WR450F data is a 2004 as it was its best hp/lb year, while I used the data on the XR650L and CRF250l from the most recent year because it was their best year.

Chart 1- Total HP

Now lets talk horsepower. Simplified, horsepower is the amount of torque an engine can maintain while accelerating the speed it spins. As such a low torque bike can have high HP if it has an extraordinarily high redline with even power- the Versys 300 is a good example of that. Similarly a bike with huge torque can have low horsepower if it has a low redline or lack of power in parts of its rev range(XR650L.)

Not surprisingly the $14,000 performance bike KTM 950 Super Enduro joins its equally expensive Africa Twin 1000 debutante at the top of the chart. The big surprise is the WR450F that surpasses 4 of the 650cc motorcycles for horsepower. It stands to reason then it should be an extremely speedy ride off road where the light motorcycle would rarely have a need for torque and keep you clawing through the dirt as you gain speed. The Versys 300 is a stand out as well as a 300cc bike with 33% more hp than an XR650L, this reflects the level of technology that Kawasaki has put into this motorcycle which didn't even exist in 2016 and can be found now for $4,000 new. The rest are pretty linear and about where you'd expect them based on engine size and price.

Chart 2- HP/LB

The leaders in this chart should be well suited to long, steep hill climbs with good traction. Having to shift mid hill climb is a tragedy, and running out of speed and torque could have dangerous results. As such you'd want a machine that's as light as possible with high torque over a long span of the rev range. Again the KTM hyper bike with a hyper price sits on top of the list, with the WR450F looking like the safest bet for tackling large good traction hills. 

I find it interesting that all 3 Suzuki's had the same hp/lb ratio which landed dead center of the pack. The Versys 650 shows quite a a step up form the other mid-range dual sports, an effect of its re-purposed Ninja engine. The KTMs own the top of the chart showing that the money is well spent on hp delivering tech. The XR650R is a legendary bike from a past era that you had to kick start, and yet shines well even in a hp/lb chart.

Chart 3- Total Torque

Torque is how much twisting force an engine applies at a given moment. If a motorcycle has high torque when at low RPMs, it's known as tractor-factor. All else being equal, the more torque a motorcycle has, the better it should do in terrain uneven enough to force slow speed. Think an inclined path with basketball size rocks to navigate over. Monstrous torque will let even heavier bikes walk over uneven terrain without having to even twist the gas.

In a familiar trend, our 2 nearly 1000cc super dual sports top the chart again. Punching way above its weight is the XR650R out pacing all but the most modern KTM690E(which seemed to put the extra cc's just to outdo the old XR,) compared with the middle weight bikes and the mighty 650R nearly doubles the total torque of the 400cc bikes. The DR650 finally starts to show why its so popular with its low price/low tech combo that out paces all but the most advanced bikes in terms of total torque. As with all these categories, the weight should always be considered as a lighter setup might be able to leap across larger obstacles which makes it easier to clear the obstacle by avoiding the situation of needing high torque at low speed.

Chart 4- Torque/LB

What if the uneven incline your trying to climb has slippy traction? What if its sand or ultra muddy? Suddenly what you need is the lightest bike possible with ability to keep the tire turning at slow speed. Low weight helps in so many ways that cannot be quantified: Will it break if it falls over? Can you stop it from falling if starts to? Can you lift it out of a dug in hole? How deep will it sink in the soft stuff?

And so again if we ignore the 2 most expensive bikes we see what made the XR650R truly special. It outpaces even the most modern bikes in torque per lb, some how even surpassing the KTM 690e while spotting it 40 lbs. Still, Honda no longer makes the 650R, so the 690E or 500EXC foreign bikes are worthy successors. Another stand-out of the group is the Yamaha WR450F, which comes in with similar torque/lb to the much pricier and bigger KTM 500EXC. I'd be willing to bet however that the Super Sherpa 250 will get you through anything any other bike on this list could as it is hyper light with respectable power to weight ratios.

Chart 5- Top Speed

If dual sport means that a bike is sporty both on and off road, then top speed has to considered and is certainly worth knowing in a practical sense. Unsurprisingly, the liter displacement of the Africa Twin and big KTM Super put them ahead of the rest of the group. If you wanna go fast, going big is a safe bet.

The bright spot here is the Versys 650 that manages to only give up 1mph to the super bike while spotting it 300cc. What makes this possible? An ultra performance engine refined and refined again borrowed from pure bred track racing bikes. This engine's trick is happily handling its 13k redline while still providing rocket like power all the way down to 2k rpms. As discussed earlier, torque over a large range provide tons of useable horsepower, which allows the Versys 650 to have very tall gears as you climb into the final 3 gears of its ascending 6 speed transmission with good power everywhere and can reach 110mph before leaving third gear. The result is a bike that can accelerate through every inch of an absurdly long corner and make your buddy on a super sport bike feel bad on a track day. It is no coincidence that its little brother (the Versys 300) stands out as well, out pacing bikes with more than twice its engine capacity using the same principle of strong power across a long rev range.

Chart 6- Dry Weight

If the terrain is soft, nothing will help you more than being low weight. A big bike will sink where a little bike won't and its that simple. There's a thousand more ways being low weight helps you out: less resistance on a climb, less stress on the bike from hard landings, and simply being able manhandle a bike when the situation gets rough.

Here our 2 liter bikes switch from the good side of the graph to the bad side. For a normal human, anything over 300lbs is a bit much to handle in soft terrain. Cornering at speed is limited heavily by the weight of your bike both on road and extremely so off road. Here the KTM 500EXC reminds us what it was built for: cutting edge power to weight ratios and only 6 lbs heavier than the lightest bike on the list(Super Sherpa,) make it the most popular trials dirt bike among pros. If you're guaranteed ugly, uneven and/or soft terrain you're gonna want low weight and power at low speeds and the half-liter ktm is currently the king of that hill.

If you consider on road, it is actually quite shocking that a KTM950 Super Enduro weighs less than a KLR650 and only 8 lbs more than a Versys 650 and a nearly 100 lbs less than a Honda Africa Twin. The 2 small Yamahas as well show why they are such a popular choice among the more off-road oriented dual sport rider.

Some Opinion Awards:

Best Value - Versys 300-X

Found brand new at $4,000, this bike is a true steal. 106mph top speed, built in rack, supreme on road comfort, 6 speed abs, off road capable clearance and suspension- its truly amazing how much they were able to cram into this bike at such a cost.

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY - KTM 950 Super Enduro

This bike is legendary even among the hyper performance offroad bikes of KTM. They've made bigger from 990 to 1290 and they've never quite got it as right as this 407lb Unicorn of a machine. Cost and soft terrain aside, this bike would clearly stand out as the best on the list, closely followed by the Africa Twin.

Best Terrain Crusher - KTM 500EXC (Hon. Mention Kawasaki Super Sherpa 250)

As mentioned in the weight discussion, this bike's specifications show exactly what it was designed to do: Maneuver through difficult terrain. Nice low end torque and absurdly low weight make this an easy call. KTMs aside, the Super Sherpa and WR450f both make a strong claim.

Best Asphault Hooligan - Kawasaki Versys 650

This is actually a relatively easy call, though the Super KTM with minor modification would be just as dynamite. With more tracks days on youtube than some sport bikes, the Versys 650 lets shine its racing soul anytime you decide to crack past halfway on tachometer just below 6k rpm. It then unleashes a sudden surge of power for the final half of the rev range that is non existent on other dual sports. It's humble 130-ish top speed is aided by the fact it can take hair pin track turns without reducing much below that as it comes in at a nimble 399lbs which makes a an Africa Twin seem lethargic.

Good Bike, Bad Charts - Honda CRF250L

This bike doesn't seem to stand up well on the charts but everyone knows these are great value, great looking, bullet proof, sufficient highway speeds at 86mph, even power, comfortable on road and very capable off road. So many intangibles that makes this bike great aren't on the charts like reliability, feel, style and wheel size. I want to make perfectly clear that the CRF250L is one of the most versatile and reliable machines ever made. The same could also be said for the KLR650.

MotoCouch - Honda Africa Twin 1000

Big Fairings, big weight, comfy seat and engine that is never gonna feel like its under load make the Africa Twin the runaway winner for comfort- followed by the Suzuki V-Strom 650. In my humble opinion, the big Twin is also the best looking bike of the comparison group.

Dream 4 Dual Sport Bike Garage:

KTM 950 Super Enduro, Honda Africa Twin 1000, KTM 500 EXC, Kawsaki Versys 650. These 4 bikes are especially good in ways different from each other and would make the perfect motorcycle garage.

Conclusion

After all the research, price and fun considerations I ended up buying a used Versys 650 for a very fair $3,000 with less than 8000 miles on it. I took a great deal when it was available and knew what I was getting which is the point of all this research. Still though, it is a bit like ice cream flavors: Rocky Road is great but sometimes your in the mood for Cookie Dough. One day you feel like a Ninja ZX14, others you want a motorcross 2 stroke. There is no best bike, I've since purchased a CRF250L and Triumph 675 Street Triple. You just need to figure out what you want your bike to do and shop for the one in your budget. All motorcycles are great and dual sports doubly so.

A New comparison group is already being put together(BMW's, More 250's, Husqvarnas!,) and these charts will be updated and additional models added in the "Moto Specs" section. Thanks for the support and thanks for reading!

~BumpyMoto