I found using my legs as an suspension add on, when I get up on pegs
and don't have a problem with pot holes as well

On the other hand such long suspension travel must be awful while cornering on pavement, right?

The problem of a road suspension is that fully loaded there is not much compression travel left, my road bike was advertised at 5 but only measured 4 available from the dust cover to the lower clamp at static sag,did not measure it 2up with bags and gear.

Riding off road or hitting Topes or Pot Holes, standing up on pegs is normal
riding method. Goes without saying, yea? You just look a bit silly doing it on a street bike!

Thing is, with Topes and pot holes many street bikes will BOTTOM OUT and wham down on Topes, possibly doing damage to undercarriage. On a good dual sport bike you have plenty of ground clearance and enough suspension travel to hit things and not bottom out onto frame or engine case.

Most dual sport bikes are fantastic on paved roads. Great fun. Especially rough, beat up, wet, muddy or bumpy paved roads. The long travel smooths out these sorts of roads, easy to control, better than most street bikes.

Remember, 650 class dual sport bikes are not sport bikes and only top out at maybe 100 mph. If the bike went 160 MPH like my former Ninjas, then the soft dual sport suspension would be an issue if riding on the race track or fast, smooth roads.

The dual sport bike has a BIG advantage on wet roads or when mud is present. Sports or Street bikes running 17" wide tires can wash out ... where a 50/50 dual sport tire has traction, even in heavy rain.

If you're riding smooth, fast roads with many fast sweeper turns then a street or sport bike is the better bike. I'm talking about riding speeds between 70 and 120mph, which I did for years on my sport bikes.

On a dual sport, especially traveling, you're going half those speeds or less. So all very manageable.

You must mean awfully good fun !

A trail, dirt or dual-sport bike is a complete giggle on twisty tarmac.

The most fun. Full-stop, period, end of sentence.




Edit...........Riding (and braking) hard on tarmac does tend to kill your tyres. This is my front MT21 after 2,500 miles of twisty minor roads loaded with gear, a week of trails then roads home.

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