Dual Sport Dirtbike

[Stacking Bones]

I been hunting mainly Wyoming and Montana deer and antelope for 13 years now and next year I decided to direct my attention towards Colorado elk and mule deer. I was considering on getting a dual sport dirt to help get around in some of the areas that have motorized trails and roads instead of destroying my truck. looking for some input from some experienced guys that have been hunting the OTC Units.
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[elkduds]

Welcome to HT. To me cycles are like guns, buy the tool then find reasons to use it. E bikes are lighter and quieter than MCs. If you want to enjoy the motorcycle experience on Colorado public lands you can legally do so on all the Forest Service roads and trails that allow motorized travel. You can find MVUM open road/trail map layers here by game unit #. https://ndismaps.nrel.colostate.edu/index.html
Some areas even have motorized singletrack trails, not open to 4 wheelers. Any place that is open to 4 wheelers will have shit tons of them during hunting seasons.Depending on many variables, September should be mostly tolerable riding weather at elevations below timberline. More than a couple inches of snow is no bueno for MC riding IME. September can bring monsoon rains as well. Carrying weapons and cargo on MC is also an issue.
AI Overview

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) requires that bows and crossbows carried on Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs/ATVs) must be fully enclosed in a hard or soft case. Scabbards or cases with open ends or sides are prohibited, and your bow must be unstrung or uncocked if not fully enclosed. [1, 2, 3, 4]


In Colorado, any firearm—except a legally possessed handgun—carried on or in an Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) or ATV must be completely unloaded (both chamber and magazine) and fully enclosed in a hard or soft case. Open-ended scabbards are prohibited. Handguns have different exemptions, but vehicle storage laws still apply.

If your bike is not licensed for street use in your home state, you have to buy an OHV sticker from CPW in order to ride on Forest Service and BLM trails, and Colorado parks. Costs about $25/year, can be purchased online from CPW. PM if you have a specific unit or area in mind, I might be familiar with those roads and trails. Which bike models are on your wish list?

 

[Stacking Bones]

Welcome to HT. To me cycles are like guns, buy the tool then find reasons to use it. E bikes are lighter and quieter than MCs. If you want to enjoy the motorcycle experience on Colorado public lands you can legally do so on all the Forest Service roads and trails that allow motorized travel. You can find MVUM open road/trail map layers here by game unit #. https://ndismaps.nrel.colostate.edu/index.html
Some areas even have motorized singletrack trails, not open to 4 wheelers. Any place that is open to 4 wheelers will have shit tons of them during hunting seasons.Depending on many variables, September should be mostly tolerable riding weather at elevations below timberline. More than a couple inches of snow is no bueno for MC riding IME. September can bring monsoon rains as well. Carrying weapons and cargo on MC is also an issue.
AI Overview

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) requires that bows and crossbows carried on Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs/ATVs) must be fully enclosed in a hard or soft case. Scabbards or cases with open ends or sides are prohibited, and your bow must be unstrung or uncocked if not fully enclosed. [1, 2, 3, 4]


In Colorado, any firearm—except a legally possessed handgun—carried on or in an Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) or ATV must be completely unloaded (both chamber and magazine) and fully enclosed in a hard or soft case. Open-ended scabbards are prohibited. Handguns have different exemptions, but vehicle storage laws still apply.

If your bike is not licensed for street use in your home state, you have to buy an OHV sticker from CPW in order to ride on Forest Service and BLM trails, and Colorado parks. Costs about $25/year, can be purchased online from CPW. PM if you have a specific unit or area in mind, I might be familiar with those roads and trails. Which bike models are on your wish list?

thanks for all the info. the first unit i started to research was #15. the bike i was kinda checking out was the yamaha tw200.

 

[TheTone]

thanks for all the info. the first unit i started to research was #15. the bike i was kinda checking out was the yamaha tw200.

Lots of people like them but I personally really dislike them. Heavy, total lack of power, and the combination of super soft suspension and bouncy tires can be problematic in rough stuff.

What is your level of riding skill and experience?

 

[Wildabeest]

Pretty much any public land where you can legally take a dirt bike, you can take a 4 wheeler or SxS. Hauling a heavy pack on a bike (dirt bike or e-bike) puts a whole new dimension to riding on any single tracks where it might be legal but impractical for a 4 wheeler. I considered it at one point on a mountain bike for non-motorized trails, but after doing some test episodes with a pack, I decided the risks of a bad tumble outweighed the benefits. It’s not just about getting into areas to hunt - it’s equally about getting anything you kill back out.

 

[Stacking Bones]

Lots of people like them but I personally really dislike them. Heavy, total lack of power, and the combination of super soft suspension and bouncy tires can be problematic in rough stuff.

What is your level of riding skill and experience?

I've had several dirt bikes and quads throughout my life. so riding isn't an issue. thought with the lower seat and bigger tire and all the bolt on accessories it would make a good machine to get around on .

 

[Moserkr]

I have an old xr400 thats rebuilt for hunting. Weight on your back is not fun so i put a rack on mine. Cold weather is not fun. Watching a sxs with an enclosed cab go by while its sleeting is not fun, or going over rocks. Or the atv doing a hill climb that you cant (probably rider error too). Ive had an even amount of good and bad experiences.

Going around gates legally is a huge bonus. Fast, nimble, cheap to operate, no recharging. Still just one tool though. Id like an ebike and sxs too. According to usfs an ebike is a motorized vehicle so its the same as a dirt bike.

The ultimate moto for hunting? Rokon.

 

[Wildabeest]

I've had several dirt bikes and quads throughout my life. so riding isn't an issue. thought with the lower seat and bigger tire and all the bolt on accessories it would make a good machine to get around on .

Put 60-80 lbs in a pack at mid-back and higher and it’s a whole different kind of “ride”.

 

[Stacking Bones]

I have an old xr400 thats rebuilt for hunting. Weight on your back is not fun so i put a rack on mine. Cold weather is not fun. Watching a sxs with an enclosed cab go by while its sleeting is not fun, or going over rocks. Or the atv doing a hill climb that you cant (probably rider error too). Ive had an even amount of good and bad experiences.

Going around gates legally is a huge bonus. Fast, nimble, cheap to operate, no recharging. Still just one tool though. Id like an ebike and sxs too. According to usfs an ebike is a motorized vehicle so its the same as a dirt bike.

The ultimate moto for hunting? Rokon.

Absolutely. just an extra tool. All my buddies don't hunt the west anymore. I been solo for the last 5-6 years. Hunting Deer and Pronghorn in Wyoming and Montana hasn't been an issue on my feet, but I thought if I was jumping into the Elk game I should add a bike to the arsenal.

 

[Stacking Bones]

Put 60-80 lbs in a pack at mid-back and higher and it’s a whole different kind of “ride”.

oh I'm sure.

 

[300stw]

ive had 30 or 40 bikes last 45 years, spent more miles then i can count on bw and tw yamahas and different trials bikes


packed a lot of animals and camps for multuliday trips,
current bike is a kawasaki 300sm, knobbies, regeared, rack, 300 fuel injectiin, 6 speed, hands down best allaround, tuff singletrack, hunting meat packing bike i have ever had
if just offroad, offtrail, a regeared, better rear tire bw200 will go places that will scare a guy,,,
a tw200, no matter how much money and mods ive thrown at them, cant compete with the kawasaki,,,,

 

[Elkmagnet]

Imo if you know how to ride a ktm exc f 350 is the way to go for hunting/dualsport. Street legal, 250# nimble with full size tires and lots of low end power.
Search "ktm exc f hard enduro" on YouTube.
I've had fat tire bikes and they are heavy and exhausting to ride. My last bike was the tw200 below with every mod you can think of.

 

[npaden]

I’ve gone from a Suzuki DR650 to a Yamaha WR250R and now have a Husqvarna FE510. Dropped weight of the bike with each upgrade and about doubled the power on the last one.

Each upgrade I feel has allowed me to do better on the tricky stuff. Added a Rekluse clutch to the Husky and that was a game changer for a poor to average rider like me.

Never packed anything out on one, mainly just for scouting.

 

[noharleyyet]

ive had 30 or 40 bikes last 45 years, spent more miles then i can count on bw and tw yamahas and different trials bikes


packed a lot of animals and camps for multuliday trips,
current bike is a kawasaki 300sm, knobbies, regeared, rack, 300 fuel injectiin, 6 speed, hands down best allaround, tuff singletrack, hunting meat packing bike i have ever had
if just offroad, offtrail, a regeared, better rear tire bw200 will go places that will scare a guy,,,
a tw200, no matter how much money and mods ive thrown at them, cant compete with the kawasaki,,,, View attachment 409718View attachment 409717View attachment 409716

What year was that badazz red chevy truck pic taken?

 

[Elkmagnet]

I wanted to add that for a novice rider who is under 200lbs. The best bike on the market is the klx 140f with full size wheels. Its around 215lbs, the lightest full size trail bike. Its 75- 100 lighter than most other full sized trail bikes and sooooo easy to ride.

 

[TheTone]

If I was buying new and just for hunting related riding I would probably go with the Honda crf300f. Decent amount of aftermarket racks that can be added if needed. About the only thing it’s really missing would be a headlight for early and late rides

 

[300stw]

What year was that badazz red chevy truck pic taken?

2000 or so. still in family

 

[Stacking Bones]

ive had 30 or 40 bikes last 45 years, spent more miles then i can count on bw and tw yamahas and different trials bikes


packed a lot of animals and camps for multuliday trips,
current bike is a kawasaki 300sm, knobbies, regeared, rack, 300 fuel injectiin, 6 speed, hands down best allaround, tuff singletrack, hunting meat packing bike i have ever had
if just offroad, offtrail, a regeared, better rear tire bw200 will go places that will scare a guy,,,
a tw200, no matter how much money and mods ive thrown at them, cant compete with the kawasaki,,,, View attachment 409718View attachment 409717View attachment 409716

nice pics. thanks for the input. are those wider than normal tires on the klx?

 

[300stw]

yes there a 510 17. the supermotos have wide wheels, lots of teaction and suspension, 2 yrs ago i tried a crf300ls. sold it, kawi is much better, i dont notice the weight, handles better then any tw, even with the bradley shocks, springs, and atv tire

 

[300stw]

the kawi is a 2024, had 10 miles on it, brand new, 3995 out the door price, ive been all over chasing bears and elk sheds, been on some tuff as trails that my tw would only climb in 1st gear, this thing chugs in 2nd gear easy, im pretty impressed, and i ride to work 15 miles ea way