What Is Dual Sport?              

            No doubt the question of  “exactly what is dual sport riding” will be asked. It is little doubt that Dual Sport will be different things to different people. I have lived in regions of the country where Dual Sport consists mainly of organized events that are comprised mostly of older enduro competitors who still want to ride and use their skills, but at a pace that doesn’t keep one pressed as a real enduro competition would. The organizers of these events would typically be an existing enduro club who would host the Dual Sport event for an extra opportunity to make some money for the club. These clubs would work with the local forestry just as they do for their enduro and the Dual Sport event would follow many of the trails that might be used in their enduro event. In the areas that I have had this experience with, there were no other opportunities to legally off road ride a motorcycle unless you entered a motocross or enduro event. This made the organized Dual Sport event more appealing. Since those Dual Sport courses were basically enduro routes without the time keeping, an off road competition motorcycle that was modified for street legal use was more appealing.

            In Southwest Missouri, we DO still have a legal off road riding area where everyone CAN ride their dirt bike, and that would be Chadwick. Organizing a Dual Sport event there would require a great deal of work and a permit process. It would have to be on a particular day or weekend, as opposed to a open ended event that one could ride at their leisure any weekend. Not to mention that one can buy a pass and ride the trails there any day of the year with no need to have any type of event structured. Personally, I prefer to take a “real” dirt bike when riding at Chadwick, instead of an over weight, marginal tired, marginal brake compromise motorcycle that works well enough to make me think that it IS a dirt bike, before I over ride it and crash. On the other hand for street riding, I prefer to have a motorcycle with some fuel range, one that I can purchase fuel at any fuel station for (most of the race bikes require 93-95 octane minimum, find that out in the sticks at a one pump station), more seat cushion options, etc, etc… Once all these things are factored in, Dual Sport in Southwest Missouri would seem to be more about rural touring and exploring than about trails, since there are no trails other than Chadwick and we cannot just take off across private property. Whether you might agree with this logic or not, this is the basis of our dual sport routes.