Dual Sport motorcycles aren’t new to Canada, and in fact have been around for a long time. Given the diverse landscapes and size of Canada, it could be challenging to find a dual sport right for you.

 

     It helps when you realize what each manufacturers motorcycle is geared towards as well as your riding area and style. An example would be that it would not be wise to purchase a Yamaha XT250 if you are going to ride off road 90% of the time and the other 10% on the local motocross track, it just wouldn’t be practical. Although this is an extreme example, it puts the point across.

 

If you are riding in Central Ontario’s landscape, have a casual riding style, live in a suburban area, and only use your bike on the street for in town errands and off road you find yourself sightseeing then a few that would be appropriate are bikes like the Honda CRF230L, Suzuki DR200SE, Kawasaki KLX250S, and the Yamaha XT250. Even with the above stated list of bikes, each one of them have strengths and weaknesses in different areas, although the all meet roughly the same criteria.

 

     Another factor that’s important is riding style. Using the above example and dual sport suggestions based on an aggressive, taller and more experienced rider would leave one wanting more if they were to own one of the above listed. Instead a KTM 450EXC would be a much better suit. If your style is casual with some random spikes of adrenaline, short bursts on the highway, random hill climbs, and weekend rides with the guys, a very popular bike that is not only reliable and low maintenance but powerful and well featured is the Suzuki DR-Z 400S or SM if you like a more street oriented ride. It’s up to you to be able to identify your style, geography, size, and abilities. Once those are established it’s a match up game.

 

    Check out the Bikes section on some specification comparisons and natural habitats for some of the more popular dual sport bikes.