Origin of the species

KTM 1290, BMW R1200GS, Triumph Tiger 1200, Yamaha Super tenere 1200, Honda Africa Twin 1000 . . .  The current crop of adventure bikes. But before we needed 150 bhp adventure bikes there were 650 and 600s, and before them 500s and so on. And many adventure riders today still prefer the lighter and physically smaller 650 machines, and some are going back to 450s. But what came before these and what started the ‘adventure’ or ‘dual-sport’ genre? Well, maybe it was all started by Yamaha with the DT1 250 2-stroke in 1968? Here was an affordable genuine dual-purpose bike. Competent and legal on the road and competent off the road, and offering excellent reliability, light weight, and riding comfort. All four Japanese manufacturers eventually produced facsimiles of the DT1 and we called them ‘trailbikes’.

1968 YAMAHA DT1

In this hurried world can these first of type machines still fulfill their purpose (in an unhurried manner)?

Inspired by a CJMC (Christchurch) article about their old bike adventure rides, Ian and I decided to find out for ourselves. Along with Gary A on a BMW650GS, we headed over to Castlepoint in the Wairarapa, traveling on back roads and gravel roads. We rode our old-school trailbikes – Ian his 1980 Suzuki DR400S and myself on a 1974 Kawasaki F9 350 (disc-valve 2-stroke). We struck all kinds of weather from pouring rain to a strong south-westerly ‘breeze’, and it got cold.

Our first stop after the Mangamaire turnoff was Eketahuna. This was the only bit of main road and necessary to top up the older bikes as the next stop was Pahiatua on the way home. It was also pouring at the time so a bit of a spell out of the rain was a welcome break.

From there it was out to Alfredton and onto Castle Hill road through to Tinui. This road is predominantly gravel and winds its way through hill country farms, and then from Tinui it’s a 20 km dash to Castlepoint.

The local Castlepoint store has a café and we ordered fish & chips and coffee and enjoyed the shelter and outlook over the beach. As the wind seemed to be picking up we decided to forgo a ride along the beach and retraced our steps to Alfredton. This of course makes for a completely different ride. From Alfredton we went through Pa Valley Road to join the Rongomai loop and headed for Pahiatua and the BP station.

The Kawasaki hit reserve on this stretch of road at 94 miles (151 km). This was the first time I’ve reached reserve, and was surprised to have the bike then run dry at 103 miles (166 km). Not a lot to come and go on. The spare 5 litres went in and Pahiatua was reached without problem. The economy (if it can be called that) works out at 42 mpg or 15 km / litre). Ian’s DR400 also went onto reserve on this stretch of road but made it to Pahiatua with ½ litre to spare (and from a smaller tank). The DR achieving 20 km / litre. So distances have to be managed with the potential of 240 km (F9) to 280 km (DR) with the extra fuel carried.

So what was it like on the old bikes on a 270 km back road run? It was great fun and added an extra dimension to the ride. The combination of a 21” front wheel, narrow tyres, and light weight is very good on the gravel. The F9 has been geared up so will hold 65 mph on the road at 5000 rpm which doesn’t feel stressful on the engine. Ian’s DR is geared down slightly and also sits on 100 kph at 5000 rpm, and being a 4-stroke has a real advantage over the F9 on the hills and into the wind. The F9 has a big jump from 4^th gear to 5^th gear but the engine has good torque for a 2-stroke and it holds well.  3^rd & 4^th were perfect on the gravel.

These old trailbikes are very well suited to tight bumpy back roads soaking up irregularities with ease and providing a comfortable perch. They are very easy to manoeuvre when the corners tighten up, particularly so on gravel. Being able to maintain 100-110 kph on the main road is good and less stressful than being a mobile chicane at 80 or 90.

While the Suzuki is only 6 years newer than the Kawasaki it is clearly of another generation and would be far more capable off road I’m sure. But that’s a challenge for another day.

So dust off your old trailbike and come and explore the road less traveled.