swingset

I can see making an adventure bike out of it, but that exhaust is extremely vulnerable, the first rocky section you hit it's gone....and the same for those cast wheels. I'm actually a fan of taking big bikes where they shouldn't go, but I don't quite understand spending money to turn a Versys into a shitty DR650, when the DR is cheaper and more suited to what you're aiming at to begin with. I like the Versys, but I'd keep it closer to its street/gravel design. But hey, different strokes.

Hate to say it, but no answer is going to beat trying one on....or sending it back if it don't fit. Hell, I've tried on two different jackets of the same make by the same damned company and got a slightly different fit. Plus, no one on the interweb would know your build, relative to theirs or the sizing charts. Maybe you've got a belly, or a nice rack, or a hump on your back or some other disfigurement that would f up the whole guessing game. Hope that helped.

And ruin my rep as a stud? I think not. I did make a very lame video of my riding today... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NO3i25avkM I took the Strom out too, but by then the roads were scraped off enough it wasn't very epic...mostly just waddling down the road to my brother's house and back, but I proved that daredevils brave the elements in laughing defiance of the jealous interwebbers. I didn't even wreck.

No studs on my tires....just skill oozing from every pore and a badass can-do attitude, with good looks that the ladies fine irresistible.

Winter riding idiot corrected your grammar. I'll put some pics up later, after I get home from my ride, on my bike not made for what I'm going to do with it.

I ride all winter. I have Tourmaster Synergy heated gear, so all it requires really is a light layer underneath, I use Champion underarmor knockoff cold base layer, then the heated liner, then my regular textile 3/4 jacket over it. I'm good down to 10-20 degrees that way. Gloves I use Warm & Safe gel gloves, heated grips and if it gets REALLY cold I'll put handlebar muffs on. Boots I have a pair of 1600gram thinsulate hunting boots I use in the winter. I have a fleece windproof balaclava for my noodle, and with all that I can be really comfy in the cold, enough to ride several hundred miles. If I'm riding the dirt bike, I use a couple layers of polartec fleece instead of the heated gear, but otherwise the same.

And, you can find food poisoning too....as my wife and I found out on a trip last year. I love some good local food, but sometimes the dice don't roll your way.

It's awesome in the sun too, you can fire pottery in your pockets, and lose weight with sauna-action....and you're the color of asphalt which is very safe.

110 miles today....not bad at all...some of the roads had a lot of cinders, but they were salt-free and traffic was non-existent. Good times.

Yup, I remember when it was unpaved...I hit a fucking buzzard on my XRL on that right before they paved it. Gross, lemme tell ya. Drop me a line when you're riding out my way...you can wait till it's not freezing. I'm sure we know some of the same roads!

Small world, I live on SR661, right by Timbuk Road. I've got some trails in my woods, but not enough! When the water is low, I'll ride the entire Dry Creek bed clear out to the Licking near 13...that's fun as hell, on a warm day.

Cat Run Road, in Licking County.

I rode several days this week... Yes, I fell down a few times...what of it?

I got out and rode today, met up with a bunch of ADV folks for pie in Newcastle. Great ride, it was nice. Fuck winter, I won't put it away!

If you adventure ride, it's hard to make the case for NOT owning one. If you're mostly on travelled roads or whatnot, I can see the cost being a prohibitive factor. I often ride where I'm many miles FROM the road. If I fall and really hurt myself, it might be a life or death device. I haven't done a lot of solo exploring but the wife is getting me one this year (I think) so that will change how I ride (for the better, hopefully).

I'll root for whichever team has the most program money and largest TV audience! That's how they pick the BCS title game anyway....it saves me from disappointment in the broken bowl system.

Fuck winter, I'm riding.

Bike looks good, glad to hear you're recovering! Be safe.

Sounded to me like he wanted more DS than SM. Like everything with 2-wheels, it's a compromise. The more you ask of your bike, the more it will suffer in some areas, that's just the nature of it. DS bikes are not great at anything, but good enough for everything. If he's not going to REALLY do the motard thing but wants the functionality of one for pavement, then a DS with SM wheels is very definitely the cheaper & easier way to go. A DRZSM or WRR/X will do everything from street to single track, and you can find either used fairly reasonably. The DRZSM and the WRR are very close in performance & weight....the WRR has a 6-speed gear box and FI, but the DRZSM is a reliable, capable dual sport/SM. You can opt for a race-bred bike with a DS kit, but with it comes the downsides of race bikes. If you don't want to change oil after every ride or do your valves alot, opt for a WRR or something like it and enjoy. It'll do everything you want, perhaps not as fast as a KTM but with a lot less fuss. I've owned a couple SM's that would stand up straight without clutch, but they were miserable on tight single track. Likewise, my TTR250 is an unstoppable tractor offroad, but isn't much for high speed pavement. If I wanted both in one bike, I'd buy an WRX with a set of dirt wheels, or a Husky 610, or if I could find neither a DRZ.

Most of the SM's are pretty tall, but you can work around that with a link & seat mod....I'm not much taller and have never flat-footed any of my offroad bikes.

WR250R/X, if you're wanting to do trails. Great off road bike, Husky 610 is also superb compromise bike that's good at everything and easy to SM. If you're looking used or on a budget, any year of 525EXC, DR400SM, CRF450X with a kit, etc.

Fool me three times, shame on you.

Ok, here's some more. If some guy offers $50 and a free fifth of Boone's Farm just to hang out in a motel for a couple hours, don't do it. Especially if he's got a camera. Trust me.

Just remember that every story is a lesson - there are things you can learn from everyone who's gone down that might prevent you from repeating. Sometimes it's rider error, sometimes it's conditions, sometimes it's over-riding, but don't let it all scare ya - just give you a healthier respect for the asphalt. If you stay sober, wear your gear, ride at a comfortable pace, stay out of traffic and big group rides you've just eliminated 90% of what puts most new riders on the ground.

Sad, indeed. They both seemed like class acts, genuinely good people.