What's a dual-sport bike? Enduro? Huh? - St. Petersburg Motorcycles Questions which get bounced around within the motorcycle neophyte groups almost universally includes dual-sport or dual-purpose motorcycles. What the heck are they? "Looks as being a dirt-bike!" Off-highway use, what's that? Fact remains, to a lot Timberland Bottes Pas Cher of people this term dual-sport remains confusing. In reality, however, it really is pretty simple. Dual-sport or dual-purpose motorcycles means, off and on-road. Pretty easy there to have that part. But, can't nearly every motorcycle physically move upon its power which has a duly anointed operator on and off road as well? Sure, physics speak related, assuming the traction co-efficient is there for some semi-bald street tire, any bike can traverse both environments. But exactly what the dual-sport moniker really speaks of is, street-legal versus off-highway use dirt bikes. Street legal being the true secret part here. Any bike, really, even as covered shortly before may be ridden both off and on road, if you're silly enough to consider an Ultra Classic through Florida's sandy trails. At least for a couple of feet, it'll actually move, right? But dirt bikes, that are designed to do just what street bikes aren't, can be street-legal or otherwise. Motocross machines aren't street-legal. They're not manufactured to be, they are not titled or certified to get and thus, they cannot sport a licence tag legally. There are some caveats to the generally, where certain states allow a fairly easy re-classification of your previously sanctioned OHV (off highway vehicle) to HV or highway vehicle use. Highway, meaning generally, legally ordained roadways according to the definition of probably many DOT and state laws regulating such malarkey. Manufacturers took the base concept of the dirt-bike or MX bike and manufactured DOT compliant machines which are indeed street legal. Hence, dual-sport or dual-purpose. They may be operated on or off road. Enduro's are another style that back inside day, used to mean dual-sport. In the 1970's when a lot of us were enjoying the explosion of motorcycle technological development during the day, increased displacement engines and also some turbo bikes for your street, an enduro meant a bike that could be ridden legally on or off road. Since then, the enduro niche' has fallen more defined into sort of an hybrid in the Timberland Bottes Pas Cher OHV and dual-sport. Enduro machines, generally, aren't street legal from your factory. They do often sport head and tail lights, but that's because enduro events and races are kept in darkness. Enduro events are completely unlike motocross a single primary way: x-country riding. Motocross is scheduled on a fixed track length, engineered jumps, pits, etc. Enduro is hard-core, x-country rocky hill climbing via a marked course and usually is a timed event. It can also come about over several days or more. The enduro "races" are exclusively off-road (off-pavement) so street-legal machines aren't required. Enduro bikes contain the technology in the MX machine, aggressive tires and larger displacement frequently than their MX siblings, however are very close. Enduro machines have power and ergo's that favor tactile control at sometimes slow speeds over crazy terrain whereas, MX bikes are more suspension and handling oriented. Dual-sport machines aren't enduro's and aren't MX bikes. They're dual-purpose, period. Favoring a much more street capable behavior than their enduro/MX cousins, dual-sport bikes have a very headlight, Nike Pas Cher tail, brake light and turn signals, along with other DOT required items such as reflectors and not to become forgotten, the EPA gracing the engine with it's good housekeeping seal of approval for emissions. They are generally tamer as opposed to other bikes mentioned here and gives decent ergo's longer periods inside the saddle. Depending upon the company, suspensions differ hugely, with higher-priced (more off-road engineered) bikes like KTM's dual-sport line creating a huge following among hard-core dual-sport folks. At the bottom will be the entry-level 125cc, 175cc or even 250cc bikes from brands like Suzuki and Yamaha. Certain brands make more MX or Enduro than dual-sport and others will be more heavily dual-sport oriented. A good example is Suzuki's DR series bikes. Originally a DR200, they currently spit out 250's, 350's and 650's. Suzuki even offers the DRZ400 dual-sport which many riders put head-to-head from the likes of KTM for hard-core dual-sport riding. Kawasaki just has the KLX250 as well as the KLR650. Other marques are similarly lean inside dual-sport market. Which dual-sport bike to have is a whole 'nuther convo so we'll save that for another time. Just understand the difference when you're out looking and do your research. Buying a used "enduro" coming from a guy that knows a friend of the friend's cousin and finding out it's not street legal, well that basically sucks.