[Jeff Higgins]

I'm starting to entertain the idea of a dual sport thumper in the 500 to 650-ish range. There seem to be no shortage of bikes in this field, which is a good thing. They range from the more street-oriented BMW to the enduro race bike with lights Hussaberg, and everything in between.

I am most certainly not looking towards the race bike with lights end of the spectrum. I want a bike I can ride comfortably on the road for several hours (if need be), like accross the state, or even as far as Idaho and Montana. I want to be able to ride logging / fire roads, some cross country in more open terrain, but not so much technical single track or anything.

I also want to be able to carry some stuff, like a tent, sleeping bag, enough food for a day or two, and that kind of thing. I spend a lot of time riding and camping off of one of my street bikes (Road King), and while I understand I'll never match that carrying capacity in an enduro style bike, I do want some. Without wearing a back pack.

I also value simplicity. As such, the only air-cooled bike in the pack kind of appeals to me - the Honda 650 (I forget all the letter designations, but they only make one). It also has a carburettor, which I like as well.

Other contenders are the big KTM (670? 690? something like that), the ubiquitous Kawasaki KLR 650 (although it's well down my list, being by far the heaviest of the bunch), the BMW with the funny name (650 single update of their old "Dakar", now named after some Brazilian desert), and maybe the big Husqvarna.

Any thoughts?