Originally Posted by
go cytocis
It’s awesome to see folks getting their bikes dirty off-slab, no matter what they’re riding.
Anything is capable of handling a little dirt, it’s just a question of how much you want to wrestle with the bike. For me there’s several design specs of the Uly that keep it from being a serious off-road machine:
- The 17” front wheel
- The limited suspension travel (as you mention)
- The limited ground-clearance of the under-slung silencer
- The large turning radius
- The relatively tall 1st gear, coupled with the rough low-rpm throttle
- The fuel-in-frame, ZTL brake, belt drive, & brittle cast subframe are all more susceptible to the kinds of damage that off-road bikes often receive
- The air-cooled motor creates a lot of uncomfortable heat at low off-road speeds & causes the fans to run most of the time
Nonetheless, it’s commendable that you kept up with that GS & KTM; congrats!