A single motorcycle that allows you to enjoy the open road, commute to work, or explore the paths less traveled. Such is the life of a dual sport, joining off road riding and street riding. I’ve owned a couple of Dual sports over the past 15 years and while I love riding them, there are some questions that arise. For example, what about highway riding?
A street legal dual sport motorcycle can be ridden on Freeways and Interstate highways if it meets the minimum requirement of 50cc engine size (125cc or 150cc in some states). Some states may have minor variations in regulation so be sure to check your local laws if in doubt.
Aside from the legalities of riding on the highway there are other considerations as well. Just because you’re ALLOWED to do something, doesn’t always mean you SHOULD. So let’s look at some of the details of riding dual sport motorcycles on the highways.
The Legalities of Riding a Dual Sport on the Highway
For the purposes of this article we’re going to define the term “highway” as Interstate highways, freeways, turnpikes, and other high capacity roads that typically have speed limits at or above 55mph.
Despite what the name may suggest, Interstate Highways are not governed federally. They are owned and operated by the state and as such each state makes and enforces its laws. This is why it’s important to double check your local laws when in doubt. However there are some restrictions that seem to be universal.
In most states non-motorized travel is prohibited on the interstate and in many cases other expressways as well. In addition mopeds and small displacement motorcycles and scooters are also prohibited. The exact cut off depends on the state and expressway in question, however it appears that if your dual sport is over 150cc you should be legal pretty much anywhere.
One additional requirement seen on many highways is a minimum speed. The minimum speed limit is posted to ensure safe flow of traffic. Be sure your dual sport is able to reach and maintain any posted minimum speeds before entering the highway.
Should you ride a Dual Sport on the Highway?
You’re considering taking your dual sport bike on the highway. Can you? Sure in most cases….but should you? Maybe, maybe not. There are some considerations before you hop on the highway with Semi Trucks doing 70mph for long stretches of road.
Bike Size & Weight
This is your first area of consideration. A smaller lighter bike is going to be more dangerous on a large capacity road. With large vehicles traveling at a higher speed, the wind will be testing your skills and your nerves.
Larger dual sports, especially those with bigger fairings will do much better on these types of roads. Think bikes like the KLR650, XR650, and similar sized bikes. I personally would not take my Hawk 250 on a major highway and I probably wouldn’t even have taken my DRZ400 (and I never did).
Gearing & Speed
Whatever decision you’ve reached for the previous section about size and weight, now you need to consider your gearing and the bike’s top speed. Both my Hawk and my DRZ were geared more for off road riding with top speeds not quite reaching 70mph so riding at a higher speed for sustained periods would have been a struggle and really strained those bikes.
You could always re-gear your dual sport if you want to do more highway riding. The idea is to be able to cruise along at highway speeds without revving the piss out of your engine or struggling to maintain speed.
Tires
Ok so you’re comfortable with your bike size, you’re geared well enough to travel the highway, what else? Let’s talk about rubber.
Your tires are the only thing between you and the ground. Aside from making sure they’re in good functional order, you want to have the right TYPE of tire for highway travel.
Full DOT Knobbies are great for the dirt and it’s what I run because I want better dirt performance than street performance. But I would not even consider taking a bike with full knobby tires on the highway for extended periods. They just aren’t built for that and they don’t handle that well at speed on the asphalt.
If I was going to be riding highways regularly I’d want something more like a 60/40 or 50/50 tire. Meaning it’s designed for 60% off road, 40% on road (or 50% and 50%). You could go further towards street as well but that’s getting away from knobbies all together
Comfort
This category is largely open for interpretation because what’s uncomfortable for one person might be totally tolerable for another. That being said, dual sport motorcycles are rather “naked” even more so than the aptly named “naked bikes”.
These bikes are not designed for any sort of wind buffeting and most of them have no real fairings to speak of. That means all that wind is hitting you right in the face and chest. Couple that with the fact they are typically taller and skinnier than other types of motorcycles and cross winds can become rather unnerving.
Aside from the wind it’s not much different than riding any other paved road in terms of comfort. Although the single cylinder thumpers that tend to be at the heart of most dual sport motorcycles can be quite buzzy at highway speeds, but some of that will depend on your gearing as mentioned above. BRAAAAP!
Recap and Skyd’s Opinion (even though you didn’t ask for it)
Ok so just to recap the topic. Can you ride dual sport motorcycles on the highway? Yes, in most cases you can if they are street legal. The question of if you should or not is also worth considering and will be answered on a case by case basis and is largely opinion based.
I personally would not ride my dual sport bikes on the highway for any extended period of time. Again, I’m referring to expressways, freeways, turnpikes, interstates, and other high capacity high speed roads. I might hop on from one exit to the next but that’s about it. This is largely because I run lighter bikes with aggressive knobbies and really have no need or interest in putting them on the highway. With proper tires, gearing, and bike setup you could comfortably navigate these types of roads for a period of time. I’m not that much of a masochist though. Keep the rubber side down and Braaaap on!
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