Motorcycle for access?

[Aperventure]

So I’m not a huge fan of taking my pickup onto remote forest service BLM roads with high chance of getting stuck, and been thinking about using motorcycles. I figure it’d save me 1-2hrs each way vs walking in and out most places I don’t want to take my pickup. Which is a lot. Mostly archery and early-mid Oct rifle so I think moto is preferable over bigger ATV since snow not a huge concern. Anything Im missing in this thought process?

The idea of a trials bike (beta Montes’s gasgas, etc) set up with thick seat and bigger 2gallon tank seems like a good idea, mostly due to the weight difference from TW200, does anyone here use that?

In digging the trials bike idea, been digging and the Beta X-Trainer popped up. Anyone here have any experience with these?


Excepts from review:
light 218lb dry
Modest 35.8” seat height
electric start with back-up kick starter option
more compact than a typical bike
oil injection. No mixing gas and oil here

turn it loose on slow, tight trails, the Xtrainer is in a much happier place. The power and throttle response are excellent at rpm so low, it has trials-like power delivery. That means it’s all bottom-end torque, which makes the bike a natural for the very tightest trails and most technical riding. You can spend an entire afternoon in the smallest canyon and be perfectly happy climbing over the same rock pile from different angles.

BETA XTRAINER 300 TWO-STROKE: FULL TEST

There’s nothing like the Beta Xtrainer. It’s a weird, crazy bike that no one really understands until they ride one. All attempts at verbal description

dirtbikemagazine.com

 

[pabearhunter]

I would make sure your life insurance is paid up !!!

 

[buckbull]

Im sure you will make lots of new friends at the trail head unloading that thing.

 

[TX Trophy Hunter]

Are you going to be wearing your pack with the bow attached? My biggest concern would be not damaging the bow. Another lightweight option would be a little 125 4 stroke. It would be a little small but you could easily plant both feet and crawl through the rough stuff with less chance of dumping the bike.

 

[brymoore]

My son went down the wormhole of dirt bikes. He started with a Honda Trail 110 but upgraded to a TW 200. It’s for motorcycle access trails. 110 didn’t have enough engine for bad trails. He’d have to ditch the bike early on trails. TW 200 he uses it only to access areas with motorcycle trails. He still drives his truck to the access points. He’s been able to carry camps and animals on the bikes. Parks and hunts once in the area.

 

[keakakea]

Unless you’re doing enduro type riding in tight single track, I don’t quite understand the trials bike over the TW200. Even then, I’ve taken my TW to Moab and did every trail just like the dirt bikes, albeit a little slower. If it’s just a rough road, the TW is perfect, tons of racks and skid plates out there, low seat height so you can easily put your feet down and get over rough stuff. As a practical in the woods bike, the TW is hard to beat. 80 mpg and options for large tanks. It’s not as cool as the xtrainer is pretty much the only con between the two in my opinion, and sometimes that’s the most important.

I throw a scabbard on mine and go looking for bears and firewood.

 

[Hammsolo]

You can race the four wheelers and utvs where I was this year.

 

[npaden]

My Husqvarna FE 510 can sure go over bumps and things WAY faster and easier than any ATV or UTV can. Steep uphill or downhill on loose material the ATV or UTV is a lot easier.

Doing it with a backpack and a weapon would add a lot of effort to the mix. Hauling out loads of meat you would want to take more trips with less weight I think.

I've thought about taking the dirt bike on some single track trails to get back in there further but never done it for hunting.

 

[Aperventure]

I would make sure your life insurance is paid up !!!

Just did that!

 

[Aperventure]

Im sure you will make lots of new friends at the trail head unloading that thing.

Are you saying lots of guys would be interested in riding butt to nut?

 

[Aperventure]

Are you going to be wearing your pack with the bow attached? My biggest concern would be not damaging the bow. Another lightweight option would be a little 125 4 stroke. It would be a little small but you could easily plant both feet and crawl through the rough stuff with less chance of dumping the bike.

Likely wearing pack with bow attached. Unless I can make a mount for the handlebars?

I’ll check out the specs on 125cc 4 strokes, thanks.

EDIT: next comment suggested real world experience that 110cc not enough engine but TW200cc is enough; so I’m not sure 125 would do it then.

 

[Aperventure]

My son went down the wormhole of dirt bikes. He started with a Honda Trail 110 but upgraded to a TW 200. It’s for motorcycle access trails. 110 didn’t have enough engine for bad trails. He’d have to ditch the bike early on trails. TW 200 he uses it only to access areas with motorcycle trails. He still drives his truck to the access points. He’s been able to carry camps and animals on the bikes. Parks and hunts once in the area.

Glad to hear this has been done successfully, I had thought that might be the case but was curious to learn. Glad to hear the 200cc worked but the 110cc didn’t, thanks

 

[Aperventure]

Unless you’re doing enduro type riding in tight single track, I don’t quite understand the trials bike over the TW200. Even then, I’ve taken my TW to Moab and did every trail just like the dirt bikes, albeit a little slower. If it’s just a rough road, the TW is perfect, tons of racks and skid plates out there, low seat height so you can easily put your feet down and get over rough stuff. As a practical in the woods bike, the TW is hard to beat. 80 mpg and options for large tanks. It’s not as cool as the xtrainer is pretty much the only con between the two in my opinion, and sometimes that’s the most important.

I throw a scabbard on mine and go looking for bears and firewood.

Main difference is weight.
Trials bike weighs about 200lbs. Low seat height, made for tight technical terrain. Small gas tank but can get range extenders to make 2 gal. modern technology liquid cooled engine with sufficient power. Maybe suspension is too soft though as they are designed to be bouncy as guys often bunny hope them over obstacles.

TW200 is about 300 lbs. low seat height. Big tires, I’ve read that they need to be geared down and even better if get wide wheel Kits so now you’re talking $5-6k into a air cooled 1980s technology engine lacks power when loaded down with guy + gear, let alone hauling out 50-80lbs of meat. TWs seem to go for $4-5k used

X-trainer seems to be the best of both worlds; used avails for $5k. the areas it’s lacking can be modified for $500 not $1.5k like TW AND you get modern bike with resale value.

weighs 220 lbs dry, moderate seat height (not as low as tw or trials tho) but can be lowered. sufficient power from modern technology engine. plastic subframe but beta sells an aluminum subframe. Downsides are tire width which aren’t easy to change but I can live with that. I also have experience of riding dirt bikes for many years so am comfortable on taller bike.

 

[Aperventure]

You can race the four wheelers and utvs where I was this year.

Braaaaaap! I’m not 22 anymore tho

 

[Big Sky Guy]

Main difference is weight.
Trials bike weighs about 200lbs. Low seat height, made for tight technical terrain. Small gas tank but can get range extenders to make 2 gal. modern technology liquid cooled engine with sufficient power. Maybe suspension is too soft though as they are designed to be bouncy as guys often bunny hope them over obstacles.

TW200 is about 300 lbs. low seat height. Big tires, I’ve read that they need to be geared down and even better if get wide wheel Kits so now you’re talking $5k into a air cooled 1980s technology engine lacks power when loaded down with guy + gear, let alone hauling out 50-80lbs of meat.

X-trainer seems to be the best of both worlds; the areas it’s lacking can be modified for $500 not $1.5k like TW AND you get modern bike with resale value.

weighs 220 lbs dry, moderate seat height (not as low as tw or trials tho) but can be lowered. sufficient power from modern technology engine. plastic subframe but beta sells an aluminum subframe. Downsides are tire width which aren’t easy to change but I can live with that. I also have experience of riding dirt bikes for many years so am comfortable on taller bike.

What about Surron or Biktrix type electric dirt bikes? Those weigh like 120ish lbs I think, maybe sans battery.

 

[Aperventure]

My Husqvarna FE 510 can sure go over bumps and things WAY faster and easier than any ATV or UTV can. Steep uphill or downhill on loose material the ATV or UTV is a lot easier.

Doing it with a backpack and a weapon would add a lot of effort to the mix. Hauling out loads of meat you would want to take more trips with less weight I think.

I've thought about taking the dirt bike on some single track trails to get back in there further but never done it for hunting.

What’s stopped you from taking your husky out for hunting then?

 

[Aperventure]

What about Surron or Biktrix type electric dirt bikes? Those weigh like 120ish lbs I think, maybe sans battery.

Yeah I looked at those, you get maybe 2-4 hrs battery life real world use which doesn’t seem like enough? Maybe I’m wrong, I’d like that to be the case.

Also would run into tire widths on most e bikes; would want 4-5” wide not most 2-3” e bikes I think?

E dirt bikes would be ultimate stealth and weight tho. KTM and beta made e-dirt bikes too but same battery restriction. I think they’re designed for closed course riding mostly

 

[TX Trophy Hunter]

Are you planning on attaching meat to the bike or having it in a pack when you pack out?

 

[TheTone]

I’d look strongly at the Honda crf300f.

I’ve never been a tw fan. Seen way too many instances where the super soft suspension and big tires didn’t like bumps and basically rebounded someone into a crash. Plus they’re severely overweight

 

[Big Sky Guy]

Yeah I looked at those, you get maybe 2-4 hrs battery life real world use which doesn’t seem like enough? Maybe I’m wrong, I’d like that to be the case.

Also would run into tire widths on most e bikes; would want 4-5” wide not most 2-3” e bikes I think?

E dirt bikes would be ultimate stealth and weight tho. KTM and beta made e-dirt bikes too but same battery restriction. I think they’re designed for closed course riding mostly

Never heard the time rating, always was put in distance and I think around 30-40 mile range? 1-2 hours hiking puts you doing 8 miles one way tops, would think it would be enough but if you're camping in one spot for a week and doing that everyday then I see the issue. If they were under $2k I'd prly get one to try out, seem like fun and more practical than an e-Bike and not as cumbersome as a gas dirt bike. One of those things I look at every 6 months or year and think about and never get so I want someone else on here to get one and tell me what I am or am not missing lol.