Quote:
Originally Posted by pavulon
Won't the aftermarket quickly address the (really) small fuel capacity?
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They have. Like I mentioned above, there will be an aftermarket "extended range" tank that raises the capacity to a whopping three gallons. One of the articles I read on this bike names the manufacturer (Clark, or IMS, or one of the big players), I just can't remember who it is.
Packaging is the big limitation on bikes like this. Gone are the days you can just hang a bigger tank over the top tube. Everything has to fit inside of the frame and bodywork.
There are plenty of places up here in the PNW where I ride that three gallons will simply not get you in and back out. Not even close. The area around Packwood where they rode for this article is one of those places.
To realistically represent what they were up against down there, they should have had photos of the chase truck full of gas cans. No way in hell could they have ridden that area without one. Some of those roads are far enough from any gas station that if they had filled up and ridden to the beginning of the offroad part, they would have used half their gas just getting that far.
Ultimately, that means you are still hauling your dirt bike out to the riding area in the back of a truck or on a trailer. That's a deal killer for many dual sport riders, the ones who think the beauty of a dual sport lies in dispensing with the truck or trailer.
My buddy's (with the Husaberg) philosophy is that it's still a dirt bike, and he still uses his trailer to haul it out to the offroad parks. The only reason for the plate is so he can legally connect off road sections by riding on public roads. That, and he can haul it out to the woods and ride Forest Service roads, which now require plates. In other words, he has a dirt bike that he can ride on a road, if he has to, and not get busted.
When he does try to use it as a proper "dual sport", like on our Peninsula ride, it becomes a pretty decent pain in the ass for everyone else. Purely because of its lack of range.