Myth of the light weight adventure bike?︱Cross Training Adventure

HUSABERG FE570 2009-2012 (possibly the FE450 if no 570s available) 115kg, 50+hp at rear wheel. If you think you'll enjoy dirt riding then these can match any 450 dirt bike in gnarly stuff, but have smooth power and heaps of grunt to cruise on the highway for hours if needed. Pity they don't make them any more. :(
BETA RR480 / RS500 112kg, 50+hp at rear wheel. My next project! The beta thumpers have been around for five years now and are proving to be bulletproof engines with great longevity and quite a few guys have been using these for dual sport or adventure riding. the RS500 version in the USA is especially proving popular as it can be road registered in those states that don't like dirt bikes.
YAMAHA WR450: 115kg, close to 50hp rear wheel. A high performance enduro bike that comes fairly close to low maintenance and longevity of the Husabergs.... five speed box is limiting though for a light weight adventure bike.
JAPANESE 250 DUAL SPORTS BIKES: surprisingly quite a few guys are adventurizing 250s, power in the high 20s weight around 125kg. very popular in the USA for some reason, a lot of guys adv ride the TTR250 and similar Jap bikes.
DRZ400 around 125kg, 34 hp rear wheel. A popular light adv bike, very cheap to buy new and heaps of aftermarket parts and nearly indestructable.
HUSQVARNA TE610 136kg, not sure on hp but getting close to 50 at the rear wheel i think. Very grunty engines, perfect if you short shift as they don't go any faster if you rev past 7000, just make more noise. Husky could have gone a long way toward the perfect light weight adventure bike with some tweaks on this one.
KTM 690R: 139 to 145kg depending on the year model, around 70hp (!!!) An interesting bike, I hated it and sold it within three months and noted that quite a few riders feel the same way about them. yet a friend of mine got his at the same time and after spending a few thousand dollars extra on it says its his near perfect light weight adventure bike.
DR650 about 147 kg dry, 34 hp at rear wheel, closer to 40 derestricted. very capable offroad compared to the KLR, still good on the highway. heaps of aftermarket gear. A favourite for me as a reasonably light weight adventure bike despite lots of niggling little issues.
HONDA XL650 we don't get this in australia, boohoo. but a great alternative to the DR650, about 7kg lighter, less known issues, only slightly more expensive.
TWO BIKE OPTION
Personally I've settled on this now myself, I found the compromise too much with one bike doing it all, although the FE570 was the closest I got to the ideal light weight adventure bike.
Good luck with the hunt! Welcome to Cross Training Adventure, we are into all things dual sport and adventure on the east coast of Australia... with occasional detours to places like Vietnam, Cambodia, Romania and Canada. This is one of our three channels, there's also a Cross Training Trials channel, and a Cross Training Enduro channel. All three are equally dodgy. We are the 27th most watched dirt channel in Uzbekistan. We have won the polished turd award five years in a row. And we have a world record 25 class action lawsuits for inaccurate information. We think the whole motorbike scene is getting too commercial. So called dual sport riding reviews are just glossy ads nowadays. Everyone is trying to sell you stuff you don't need, convince you to buy the latest model with anodized coffee cup holders for your trips to the coffee shop. Of course if you are cashed up and into bling, go for it. All we are saying is there's also the budget option for adventure riding. And it won't hold you back. Why? We reckon it's 80% the rider and 20% the bike. So the Cross Training Adventure focus is just get out there and have fun on two wheels. Instead of obsessing over the latest blinged out Beemer, which tyres to fit or spending a fortune on your suspension or billet alloy gas cap. So most of our adventure ridingvids will feature the much loved bush pig, the Suzuki DR650. And we've done a 10 part series on how to unleash the mighty beast that lurks within.

Let us know if we used your music in other vids but forgot to credit you. Many thanks to the following artists for their copyright free music in various vids:

[crosstrainingadventure]

Subscribe for weekly adventure & dual sport vids!
English not your first language? Heaps of subtitles...

Check out our other channels too...

[pjsmiddleton]

The Crf450L is my lightweight adventure bike. With a few mods you have an extremely capable reliable and comfortable package. My KTM mates love it as it’s lower, smoother, and not race oriented

[JohannesDalenMC]

Sold my T7 and bought a DRZ which I’m ‘adventurizing’. Best thing I’ve ever done. Cliché, but light is in fact… right!

[JustLegalizeIt]

About time there's been a thoughtful video on adventure bikes. It's a huge relief to get to watch something new, different from both the people who take things too seriously, and the people who have no informational sustenance in their videos. Thanks! You have a new subscriber. (:

[RKmndo]

I've toured 2up on stockish DR650s. Jeff at Procycle shaved one down to 320lb curb. A 790 kit, hot cam, sorted carb, comfort mods, a big tank, and sorted suspension can make such an affordable bike AWESOME for riding the world. Do the "fixes" and swap in a billet wide-ratio gearset if you're worried about reliability.

[jbailey]

Love my DRZ400 for both dirt and road...best thing ive ever bought

[SamboC]

I ran a Husaberg FE501 2013 model with a CPW oil cooler. No fancy cush drive hub required. Used it for everything.14, 500 hard kms and the engine was very healthy. Now using the Husky FE501 2016 model set up the same. 16.5L Safari tank. Force radiator guards. Bash plate.Ergo hand guards. Dri Rider tank bag. Pirelli Scorpion Rally tyres with 4mm UHD tubes. Wheels balanced...a must for high speeds. CPW oil cooler that carries an extra 400ML of oil. 15:50 gearing. I get over 450 kms from the 16.5L Safari tank. It is the best performing dirt bike available and also good on the bitumen. You could fit a comfy seat but I stand a lot. Roy Kunda from Cape York Adventures has had two 500 Husabergs (KTM 500 engine) and put 35, 000 kms on them. Never touched the engine apart from regular services and air cleaner service. The KTM 500 engine is a gem....could not settle for anything less.The KTM 500 EXC, or Husaberg 500, or Husky 500, have the best power to weight ratio available.If you want performance nothing else comes close.

[CycleCruza]

WR250R + air box opened up + AIS and Servo Removed + FMF Q4 exhaust + FMF Megabomb header + Big Bore Kit + PC + dyno Tune + 3 gal IMS tank + 47 tooth or bigger rear sprocket + Scorpion MT21 front tire + Dunlop D707 Rear tire + Suspension upgraded +Flat land racing Skid plate and Radiator Guard + Seat Concepts Seat = Lightweight Low Maintenance Swiss Army Knife Dual Sport Motorcycle

[mtscott]

I read a great quote in another post: “ there is no unicorn”. But I agree with your closing observation that there gap in mid size adv bikes. Big tank, big oil and strong rear subframe.

[grgwendt]

I ride an 89 Yamaha XT 600. It has a strong frame at the back for panniers, a steel tank which is great for my magnetic tank bag and eagle screens Australia has many screens available for it (although I prefer to feel the wind in my hair or lack of hair I should say). Unfortunately there aren't many of the old beasts around any more however I find it the best of both worlds. It is a little heavy however for a big bloke like me its just fine.

[armchairwingman]

After spending a month trying to find that do it all bike that does not exist, you just summed that up perfectly.

[DaleRoossien]

i've just bought a bike, used to ride in my teen and 20s. Now I'm almost 50, I bought an old used XR650, and am currently loving every bloody second of it.
Love your videos and personality, subbed, and deep diving the content.
Cheers from Canada!

[darryngourlay]

I still ride my ktm520 02 model. It cost a but load to repair n service n bring a tear to my eye every time i open my wallet. But i still smile because it still runs like the day i brought it n has enough balls to get me into trouble n back out again. Gotta love it. Keep the vids comin

[mtube]

We need a new class of bike, Tri-Purpose bike for dirt, pavement and ADV riding.  Still waiting for a ~150 kg bike.  The DRZ400S is a great platform, Suzuki need to modernize it with 6 spd and FI, use a bit more lighter material.  A sub 300 lbs 450cc DRZ400/CRF450L/WR450R would be ideal.

[marcochavanne]

Loving my CRF300L Rally. Excellent fuel range, light enough to toss around in the woods, and can top out at 90mph even with my thicc 6'3" 260lb self on the back. YSS adjustable cartridges and a 550 ECU will make it perfect. Aftermarket is coming in strong for it as well.

[perpetualmoto]

this was really well done! I ended up leaving my bmw f800gsa at home for ride from the USA to South America because when I was honest with myself it was big and too expensive to walk away from if needed...now I ride the bush pig...DR650 and you know what...its not that bad! (most of the time)

[pablokenner]

Hey, here in South America, Uruguay, we don`t have many options. Lightweight bikes it`s all we ride, in most of cases. Everybody wants to have the dream bike, but for me the whole idea is to be out there, ride a lot, and have fun. and my Honda xr150l is doing it for me. And i didn`t have to rob a bank to get it. And that`s not all, it has an autonomy of 280 kms with only 12 liters of gas. I think the 250`s are perfect, with 20 hp you are able to do everything. Thanks for this channel, it became my guide of adventure motorcycling.

[willemswart]

CCM GP 450 has a 20l tank and weighs about 128kg dry and then there is the AJP PR7 due out soon with 17l tank with 600cc SWM engine both designed for lightweight adventure market.

[TheShawline]

Couldn't agree more. Now riding CRF250L(and love the little fella with yoshimura pipe). Have had F800GS and SXC625. WAITING, for a quality 350-500 dedicated dual sport, FI, Steel valves, large oil capacity, six speed, not too high, top end suspension, wide pegs, softish seat and frame set up to take bolt on extras / racks etc. Definitely a market segment to be exploited.

[jackking]

The DRZ 400 has such potential. Add a 6th gear and continue the sales. Sure there are a few niggles such as loctite fixes needed to inner bolts but on the whole it's an incredible bike - sales must have been massive for the engine unit alone because it was used in quads and other manufacturers machines (CCM for example).
I have a CCM 404 and what a machine it is. Yes the engine is lacking but it's still good. CCM literally put every best part they could when making my bike. WP shocks for example.
Suzuki could do something awesome if they can be bothered: Hassling Suzuki team members at bike shows get's no reply!