. Suzuki DR200 ................... |
. Dualsport |
| Given the way I crash, this might be your last chance to see my teeth in totality... |
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Referred to as a "dualsport" or "enduro," the DR200 is basically a street-legal dirtbike. Visually speaking, dirtbikes don't have headlights, turn indicators, mirrors, or a license plate. Mechanically and legally speaking, there are a host of differences that I won't get into. I bought the DR200 so I can commute on it in the rain. When it rains, traffic is at a standstill because Californians have no idea what to do when it's anything but sunny. To save my Ducati from the sloppy wetness, I've opted to have the DR200 take the brunt of bad weather riding. After having owned this dirtbike for a while now, would I buy it again? Yes. As I ride more in the dirt, I do realize that a 200cc is a bit underpowered. Where larger engines can slowly roll over steep stuff without stalling, I've had problems with the engine dying at inopportune moments. Why not get a bike with a larger engine? Quite simply, the problem is the added height and weight of a larger bike. With the ability to touch the ground, I've saved myself from many get-offs. And when I do drop it, I at least have the strength to pick it back up (and I'm on the borderline of blowing out a disc every time I do it...). I've sat on Chris's DR350. I don't weigh enough to bring the suspension down at all so I just sit there with my feet swinging through the air. And I can guarantee you if I drop it, my only way of uprighting it is through some untapped demonic power of levitation. Another benefit of my DR200 is that I have less weight coming down on me. I have been badly bruised by the bike landing on me; I can only wonder what a heavier bike would do to my calcium-challenged bones. I want to enjoy my bike, not be afraid of it. I don't mind crashing on my DR200. I've been pinned under it, but I've always been able to wiggle my way out. The stock street/dirt tires aren't at all problematic on the road. I've taken the bike up to freeway speeds — it tracks surprisingly straight and is a comfortable ride even at high speeds. However, once you change to barely-legal knobbies, the wobbling gets wicked. During the one and only time I took my bike out on the freeway with the monster knobbies, I thought I was about to have a tank slapper. I immediately dropped the speed and climbed up onto the tank to weight the front end. I took the next exit and have kept the bike off the freeway since. I don't see many women out on dirtbikes. I'm not sure why, given the popularity of mountain bikes. Coming from a mountain biking background, I find the two sports to be a lot alike. Actually, I find dirtbiking to be a bit safer since I'm dressed to crash. On a mountain bike it's nothing but my skin and the earth — all my scars are from mountain bike crashes (except for one bad tango with a sting ray). Call the shrink because I'm sure I have a dysfunctional relationship with my enduro: It abuses me greatly but I love it so. |
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I'm getting kind of old to have to end my day like this, but you know what they say: die trying. |
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