post ride report, wrx adventure bike.

This was a posting on the wrforum, after the Utah ride in 10/09..


I'm back from the ride, & have to say, i think the x makes a great adventure bike. Here's why:

1. big knobbies on the front made the sand & mud riding easier.

2. twisties were much more fun.. i left my riding buddies way back.. even the bigger 650 hondas couldn't keep with me in the twisties.. & that with knobbies!

3. No problem with boulders, ruts, or any kind of gnarly terrain. I was planning to change out the wheels if they were a problem, but they weren't! If you're track racing on soft dirt, with lots of jumps, whoops, etc, maybe the 21" front would make a difference. But for multi terrain, dual sport adventure riding, the 17's were fine.

4. handling wasn't a problem.. twisties, deep sand, boulders.. i tweaked my suspension before i left, & am very happy with the result. I'm very soft on both compressions, & a few clicks softer than stock on the rebounds.

5. we got in to some fierce crosswinds in Utah.. they were puffing us all over the road between boulder & escalante. I stayed tucked down & the lower profile made the wind much easier. Wind is never fun, but the wrx handled it fine.

Compared to my faithful drz adventure bike:

1. wrx is lower & corners much better. I think i would have dropped the drz a time or 2 while stopped in the sand & getting going again.

2. marginally better fuel economy. I got between 50 & 60 mpgs with the drz, & have been right at 60 with the wrx.

3. long hill climbs on pavement.. drz could accelerate, wrx bogs down. But i realized i just need to shift more. The drz only had 5 speeds, & was already winding out at 60-70. downshift to 5th on the wr, bring up some rpms, & i could climb at speed. But the power definitely goes to the modded drz.

4. the wr feels much lighter & nimble. ..probably because the weight is lower, but it makes all the other handling characteristics seem lighter & more flickable.

5. Most of the other factors in my riding are a wash with both bikes.. luggage capacity, estart, reliability, etc.

6. general suspension. I was never really that happy with the drz's suspension.. i didn't spend any money on it, so i got what i paid for. But after a few minor tweaks on the wrx, the suspension is great.. especially after adding a few more pounds for gear & luggage. It soaked up the washboarding, flew through the sandy roads, & was surprisingly stable on the paved twisties. the drz always beat me up a bit on rough roads.

I'm not dissing the drz.. i think it is still a great bike, & a near perfect dual sport. But for me, the change has been positive. I don't miss the extra power, the height, or the weight. The stock suspension fits my size & weight, & i can carry everything i need.

So would i make a special point of buying an x over the r to make it an adventure bike? Probably not. But the pros & cons are really a wash, so whichever one you get will do the job. I got a good deal on my x, & thought i could swap out the wheels if it didn't perform. But with good knobbies, it performs admirably. The wrx makes a great adventure bike.