All around Motorcycle for the DR. what would You pick?

oceanspear

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Nov 23, 2012
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Just started this thread for in your opinion an all around Motorcycle for the Dr.

qualifications would be: Reasonably affordable. availability of parts and being reliable. being able to go on the road and handle some trails. 2 stroke or four stroke? how big on the engine, how many ccs is good enough?
Importing from the US or better to buy em locally?
lets get started with the thread. The price would be around $150k pesos for a good used one in decent condition.
thanks, oceanspear.
 

oceanspear

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too much maintenance. it will be for main transportation and the once a month trip to la capital....mostly will be used in the north coast and to do trips a la Frank around the country...
 

frank12

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Sep 6, 2011
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The trip can be done on anything, but if i were working with a budget of say, US $4000-5000, i would go with a good, used Honda 250 or a Yamaha WR250. With the Honda or Yamaha, the parts are readily available, and most importantly, there are dealerships here for both manufacturers. But getting a good bike that has not been abused and well taken care of--serviced regularly--is not easy. Dominicans are not good at changing and cleaning air-filters regularly, changing oil filters, and servicing the brakes & brake fluids, etc.

Many people here are "reactive" with car & bike maintenance--they wait until it breaks down before they fix it. and then they only fix the symptom--they don't investigate the "cause" of the problem.

Here, people are not "Proactive"--and therefore, they do little to no pre-maintenance on their vehicles and bikes to prevent them breaking down. Everyone here is trying to save as much money as possible, and don't want to invest the money necessary into their vehicle when they see nothing is wrong yet.

I have lots of stories regarding this but, i will save it for another thread.

As far as importing. It's not worth the hassle and headache for a small enduro bike. But, if you have the money, and have investigated all of the costs--and believe me there are plenty--then at least you can bring in exactly what you want, and with the piece of mind that its been well taken care of and serviced before hand.

There are lots of pros and cons, but at the end of the day, just be patient, do your homework, and keep asking questions.

as for touring the island, i would definitely go with a four stroke. More dependable in my opinion, and you don't have to constantly carry around oil and mix the oil in with the gas. That can be a hassle.

Frank
 

ElAlien

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Don't forget to also get a coffin...gringo on two wheels...uh...you most likely will need one.
 

zoomzx11

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you do not have to buy the coffin. Just make sure your "final arrangements" have been made and left in the hands of a loved one or if you do not have one then in the hands of someone who likes you and if you do not have that then just leave the papers and cash with Frank at the bar so he can throw a genuine biker funeral.
 

Luperon

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Jun 28, 2004
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Saw this moto in the usa, thought.. perfect bike for the DR.
2008-Yamaha-TW200a-small.jpg



What do the experts here think? Plus I am thinking, with that seat, it can hold six dominicans.
 

oceanspear

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Nov 23, 2012
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Yes Frank is right. Most dominicans prefer to fix a broken item than prevent it from happening. I was already thinking along the way of a four stroke. I used to love my DT125 back in the days before I went to the states but as a young teen all we used to do was ride around guibia to surf and chase and harass the working girls en la feria...DTS were fairly fast back then and the cops couldnt catch up with us... but now I guess a four stroke makes a lot more sense. I was looking at the cruisers but I know I'm too rough for those things, they weight a ton and cant hit the trails and lomas with them...
 

oceanspear

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I heard the TW200's top end is like 80kph is that true?... what about the honda's XR"s ...my buddy has a 650 that I could probably snatch from him cheap its like a freaking goat with plenty of torque, I rode it saturday and loved it, I havent seen any here in DR...but then the freaking aduanas and all the hassle that comes with it.....
what about the kawasaki's KLR"s frank? whats your take on those?
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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too much maintenance. it will be for main transportation and the once a month trip to la capital....mostly will be used in the north coast and to do trips a la Frank around the country...

Caribe Tours . Your afterlife, if you happen to believe in one style of it or another, will thank me if you only want to to go Santo Domingo on occasion or even if you want to go their regularly. I have never considered taking a two wheeled vehicle to Santo Domingo, but then I avoid that place like the plague.
 

frank12

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I heard the TW200's top end is like 80kph is that true?... what about the honda's XR"s ...my buddy has a 650 that I could probably snatch from him cheap its like a freaking goat with plenty of torque, I rode it saturday and loved it, I havent seen any here in DR...but then the freaking aduanas and all the hassle that comes with it.....
what about the kawasaki's KLR"s frank? whats your take on those?

My cousin has a KLR 650 Kawasaki. He lives in Santo Domingo and might want to sell it. I rode it and it was comfortable as hell--rode just like a Cadillac. but it's a little too heavy for the racing i like to do with friends. For my kind of riding, i would go with a Honda CRF 450. But you can't fault the Kawasaki 650--they're built tough!

In response to a previous post of mine, i meant to say TW200, not TX200. Sorry.

Frank