- 14 minutes ago
In this video, we test three lightweight dual sport motorcycles to determine the best option for 2025. The KTM 390 Enduro R, Suzuki DR-Z4S, and Husqvarna FE 350s each approach the dual sport category from a different angle, balancing street comfort, off-road capability, and real-world versatility.
After riding each bike across pavement, fire roads, and technical terrain, one motorcycle stands out as Cycle World’s best lightweight dual sport of 2025. We break down pricing, performance, engine character, and real-world usability to explain why.
Check out the story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/lightweight-dual-sport-comparison-test/
Become a Channel Partner: https://octanemedia.co/home/become-an-advertiser/
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6CLI74xvMBFLDOC1tQaCOQ
Read more from Cycle World: https://www.cycleworld.com/
Buy Cycle World Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cycleworld
After riding each bike across pavement, fire roads, and technical terrain, one motorcycle stands out as Cycle World’s best lightweight dual sport of 2025. We break down pricing, performance, engine character, and real-world usability to explain why.
Check out the story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/lightweight-dual-sport-comparison-test/
Become a Channel Partner: https://octanemedia.co/home/become-an-advertiser/
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6CLI74xvMBFLDOC1tQaCOQ
Read more from Cycle World: https://www.cycleworld.com/
Buy Cycle World Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cycleworld
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SportsTranscript
00:002025 is the year of the lightweight dual sport and we have two of the hottest new contenders to
00:05enter the class ktm's 390 enduro r and suzuki's drz 4s to my left is the tried and true husqvarna
00:13fe 350s each bike offers something a little bit different to the class the ktm value suzuki
00:20versatility and the husky performance we're going to test these bikes over mixed conditions on and
00:26off-road to determine what is the best all-around lightweight dual sport or which bike might be right
00:32for you
00:56all right we're back at the cabin after a few days of testing these dual sports i got blake with me
01:01editor at large cycle world adam waheed senior editor of motorcyclists and before we jump into
01:07these lightweights i just want to ask each one of you what is your definition of a lightweight dual
01:12sport so i think that's changed over the years but i think any of these bikes they have to have
01:18some street manners to be able to commute and to be able to ride around on the asphalt or at least to
01:24be able to get from trail to trail on the asphalt and then when you get in the dirt they have to at
01:29least be competent enough to really have fun and actually tackle you know not just a dirt road
01:34they need to be able to tackle some single track and do some a little bit more elevated off-road riding
01:40and be able to link those things together and for me that's what the definition is okay and then adam
01:46yeah i concur with blake you know it's a motorcycle that that you can ride on the street that street
01:51legal obviously you can still you know kick up some dust in the dirt and have a good time comfortable on
01:56the road but you know comfortable off-road and just can kind of just a utilitarian versatile motorcycle
02:02yeah yeah i think like a bike that seamlessly transitions from pavement to dirt and then back
02:07onto pavement but that's the thing with these three bikes is we have three bikes that do that very
02:12differently one that's based off a street bike one that is this drz middle ground that's always kind
02:18of been the jack of all trades of street and off-road and then the husky which is like a race bike with
02:24the license plate essentially you know they have such different characteristics so let's jump into
02:28the engines because they all are pretty different as far as characteristics but pretty similar in
02:34displacement and horsepower so what do you think of the ktm engine blake the ktm is interesting because
02:39like you said it's based on a street bike platform compared to the drz4s for instance the ktm really
02:47wants a lot of revs to be able to make power and so you've really kind of got to scream it it's got a
02:52quick shifter you can use those revs but compared to the drz4s it doesn't have that mid-range or bottom
03:02end to chug like we found on the you know the more technical trails that we rode today that you've
03:09really got to rev the beans out of the ktm to make it go and sometimes that's frustrating and especially
03:16off-road you know you're really having to work to keep the thing going and then you're kind of having
03:20to make decisions between first and second gear in some places but then you can totally flip the
03:25script on the street it's more of a street oriented bike and on the street it's really fun because
03:30it's revvy and fun so i think for the ktm it's kind of interesting its platform really has dictated
03:37what that bike is yeah so being based off the 390p there's like this clear feel that this engine was
03:43originally developed for street riding right and now it's been plugged into yeah an off-road setting
03:48there's not a whole lot of bottom end it just feels like yeah you got to manage the revs a lot
03:52not even on off-road but also on the pavement i feel like it just you got to keep the thing
03:56schooled up to make it go and that was a little bit frustrating in the tight technical stuff where
04:02you're in first gear and you're almost at a standstill and you feel like you just need
04:06some torque right it's not there right so what'd you think of the the ktm engine yeah i think blake's
04:11summed it up really well you know the ktm engine it really likes to rev and if you're someone who likes
04:16to a really high revving engine you're gonna like that motorcycle engine for sure it's fun
04:22once you get used to it and just you know riding it you know wide open throttle all the time it's
04:26actually pretty fun the gripe i have with that engine is it just it shakes like it's an incredible
04:31amount of vibration it feels the less least refined maybe yeah just it feels you know a little clunky and
04:37it just it just vibrates like insanity so i mean it's not necessarily a bad thing maybe if you're a
04:43motorcycle rider out there who is looking for a very visceral riding experience you're going to
04:47like that powertrain package because it likes to rev high and it shakes like hell so you might like it
04:53it works best probably on the pavement or it works well on fire you just gotta you gotta keep the
05:01throttle wide open yeah yeah when you're crawling on a like a jeep trail like before that's when that
05:05engine which i you know i think that's that's one thing that i think for the target audience for the
05:12ktm who's going to be a newer rider who's going to try to take that on an off-road trail riding
05:18situation it's going to be more work to ride well with that engine than it is say on the drz yeah
05:24correct that's well so it it's going to require a little bit steeper of a learning curve it's not
05:28beginning rider user friendly as you may think it is for kind of an entry level dual sport so it's
05:35almost two-strokey like pipey like you got it and then it hits that mid-range top end and it really
05:40starts making power where the suzuki now let's talk about the suzuki engine that engine typical
05:47enduro like engine good bottom and power so what do you think of that thing you flip the script with
05:52that one compared to the ktm i think that the suzuki you can put it in first gear and just really
05:59chug it shift to second it's still really luggable and chuggable and you can just climb rocks real
06:04slow it's always going to find traction and it kind of works with that bike's overall identity i think
06:10it's very predictable i think it's easy to ride in trail situations then when you get on a mountain
06:17road it doesn't have the top end performance just doesn't have that sort of engine delivery you know
06:23it's much more of a bottom-end mid-range engine which is great for its overall kind of middle of
06:29the road package so it just depends on where you're going to ride it and what you're going to do because i
06:35think honestly taking the seat height away and stuff you could put a newer rider on that and
06:41they would have better luck trail riding on that bike because of the engine it's just so predictable
06:48and easy to ride chuggable yeah yeah you get you can tractor it through a trail yeah but then yeah
06:54we're not going to make mistakes so what do you think of the suzuki engine yeah again i agree with
06:57blake blake's making a lot of great points today the suzuki engine's just you know it's mellow it doesn't
07:02shake a lot really easy to learn and friendly and the adjustable combined engine power and throttle
07:08mode maps are very helpful and the adjustable track control and gravel mode i think it's a great
07:13power train yeah it's not as exciting as the ktm or the husfarna but it it's practical and it works and
07:19it's not as bland as you might think there's some torque there and there's a little bit of character
07:24you know i like it i think it's a it's a good power train i like it yeah i would really like to see
07:29what that engine configuration would be with an aftermarket exhaust i think that'd be a really nice
07:33upgrade for that yeah i think for me with that that suzuki engine as far as the non-high
07:39performance dual sports on the market crf 300l's klx that suzuki engine is my favorite engine
07:46as far as like a all-around more entry-level dual sport because it has that really good bottom end
07:51characteristic if you're an experienced rider or a beginner rider that's just super useful off road
07:56or around town i mean pulling away from the stop the ktm like i feel like you have to use that clutch
08:01a lot just to get the revs up to the mid-range where the suzuki it just seems like you could almost
08:06roll away off throttle and just get straight into the power but what about fast you know maybe high
08:11weight speed stuff because we got to address the fact that the suzuki is the only bike with a five
08:16speed transmission and this group yeah i don't know if it's if it's so much an issue as it is just it
08:22just stands out when you're switching from bike to bike you have a lot of engine noise a lot of
08:27information coming up that's making you shift and then you realize that you're in top gear already
08:32you're looking for six i don't think it really is a deal breaker for me whether it's a fifth or a
08:37sixth it's just when you're jumping from bike to bike it's really noticeable what about you adam did
08:42you yeah i don't really think it's a it's a moot point in my opinion i mean yeah it'd be cool to
08:46have a sixth gear it'd be cool to have a seventh eighth ninth tenth twelfth gear as well at the end of the
08:50day it works fine it goes 92 miles per hour or whatever it's totally fine you know yeah between
08:57the ktm and the husky and or excuse me the ktm the suzuki engine if you were going to commute let's
09:01say an hour every day on the freeway would you choose the suzuki or the ktm just for its engine
09:07package um well for the engine i mean i would probably pick the suzuki but that ktm has an
09:13incredible seat that's so crazy comfortable i'd want the ktm okay you know but in terms of engine
09:19the suzuki even on long distance highway yeah i mean even top gear doesn't pull crazy rpm it's
09:25smooth i mean that engine vibrates the least amount from all those engines okay i like refined packages
09:31so a bike that doesn't have a lot of engine vibration i'm gonna like that i agree yeah it's
09:35a very refined engine so what about the husky engine blake i like the competition style dual sports
09:42that are literally a off-road race bike with a license plate on them i like that because i like
09:49that style dirt bikes whether they're two strokes or four strokes so i happen to really like that
09:55engine a lot i like the barky motocrossy delivery that i expect from that when i get on that bike i
10:03have an expectation of it to just have this really high performance delivery and that's what you get
10:09that's not for everybody maybe maybe there's people who don't want that let's be fair we know
10:14from looking at the dyno charts that it makes the least power but it's also the lightest bike and it
10:19probably has a gearing advantage there too so you know what you're gonna get with the husky if you're
10:25going out and you're gonna you know do a cool dual sport ride where you're linking some street stuff
10:31and then you get on a cool trail you know exactly that that thing's just gonna bark and have a lot
10:36of performance and i love that about it i really do like that about that yeah on and off right
10:41yeah and yeah like like we discussed earlier we were all surprised at how much fun that bike is on
10:48the street too like in a twisty thing so it just says performance and it gives you performance
10:54everywhere from the engine standpoint and i like that for sure i agree so how about you adam yeah i like
10:59that engine that engine's fun it's got the most amount of like bam bam bam like it's very aggressive
11:04and it wants to go it just feels real racy which is fun it's got good power it's got the six-speed
11:09transmission like blake said the gearing's lower so it's easier to launch it can go up steeper things
11:15it's just it's a little bit more versatile off-road yeah you know at the at highway speeds the engine
11:20vibrates a little bit much for me it's still fun but it just vibrates a little bit much and even though
11:26at six speeds it's shorter than the other bikes were that thing your top speed is what 80 and the other
11:31bikes are going 90. yeah that's something to keep in mind if you're someone who is looking for a dual
11:37sport that's just going to cover more ground quickly you know on road well then maybe that's not right
11:42for you but then you know just the dividends it pays off-road well you know it's really going to
11:47help you yeah i mean i think it's clearly the bike that you're going on an off-road ride but you need
11:52to do some street parts to it yeah that's and then it all of a sudden makes a whole lot of sense
11:58you're probably not going to pick it to be your daily commuter and then do that but yeah but it
12:03was fun to ride on the street like in the street in the corners it's fun yeah yeah maybe not commuting
12:08every day on the 405 freeway but like running around town and yeah you know going around some
12:14turns it's totally fun totally yeah and i feel like that engine where the ktm is a mid to top engine
12:19the suzuki is more of a low to mid i feel like the husky engine just has very versatile all the way
12:24through whether you're right off idle or you're banging it off the rev limiter it's just there's
12:28this power all the way yes and whether you're ripping up a twisty pavement road hitting a fast fire road
12:34or climbing gold mountain and big bear technical jeep rock trails it just it works everywhere except
12:41maybe when you're putting in a bunch of fast highway miles it's it buzzes it's vibrate what it's
12:47designed for it does amazingly yeah so let's talk about the electronics because that's a big thing with
12:52two of the bikes the husky absent of electronics no rider aids at all no abs no traction control
12:58so we'll just skip over that bike as far as electronics what do you think of the the ktm
13:03electronics i'm super happy that you get an electronics package that has all of those things
13:11that you can adjust on a bike that costs that much it's you know it's a very affordable motorcycle
13:17but you get a full electronics package with tc abs that you can turn off to the rear abs that you can
13:24turn off completely you have multiple modes with your traction control and that's really cool at that
13:32price point to be for ktm to open that up we put aftermarket tires on these bikes and i thought there
13:38were some interesting things with the ktm's traction control because i tried to put it into street mode for
13:45a little bit and it really didn't like it it was really cutting the power a ton i think it was the
13:51knobby was just spinning the tire and then the thing was having to intervene and so then i had it back
13:57to the off-road mode so i think that kind of negated the whole point of having traction control at least
14:03with those tires yeah so granted it comes with a completely different tire that the ktm is tested with
14:09and i'm sure that that's not an issue with that but the fact that it has you know multiple modes
14:15it's got a gravel mode that you can put it in for those big gravel roads it lets it step out a little
14:20bit but not be crazy or you can turn all that stuff off and really get the thing to do whatever you want
14:25but then you've got the options with abs it's got a nice dash the interaction with the dash is super
14:31easy the joystick on the control pod is instantly easy to understand and be able to go in and navigate the
14:38menus and find your trip resets and do all that stuff so for that bike's price point i think it
14:43has the nicest electronics package overall as far as the rider interface and some of the fun yeah
14:50and some of the fun functionality bluetooth connectivity yeah with your phone so it has a usbc charging port
14:56yeah it's got a charging port so stuff like that yeah what do you think of the ktm electronics
15:00yeah i think they're cool you know in my opinion they're a little gimmicky you know as many
15:04electronics are in a vehicle in that price range but i like the tft screen you know the backlit
15:10switch gears cool the ability to disable front and rear abs is neat yeah yeah i like it i think it's
15:16good we've thrown pirelli mt21 tires on all three of these bikes and so i noticed that as well with
15:22the ktm with those that knobby tire on it and street traction control you get on the throttle and
15:27especially when it gets into the mid-range in the top end where it's making its power yeah the tc it's
15:32just cutting in because yeah i don't even think the tire's spinning i think maybe just as it goes
15:36from one block of knobby to the next that's just something that's throwing it it's just throwing
15:40it off but then we throw it in off-road tc and it doesn't trigger it on the pavement so if you're
15:47going to put a knobby tire on that thing yeah and you want traction control on the pavement you almost
15:52have to default just to off-road traction control right but it is nice that you can turn off traction
15:57control abs front and rear on the ktm that's great yeah i agree that the tft display is the nicest
16:03i think easiest to read it it's easy to read it looks looks nice sharp looks like it's gonna hold up
16:08well we had a lot of uh situations where we were riding where we had so much dust and on the suzuki
16:16when dust gets on the the dash you have to wipe it off because you can't read anything and then on
16:22the ktm it's even when it's covered in dust you can still see all the information and it also has
16:27a really nice super easy to scroll through and see your tack and your speed or go in and have the
16:33other information with your fuel range and some other things like that so yeah both the ktm does
16:38not have a fuel gauge that's the one thing or the husky you get a fuel light but no fuel gauge on the
16:43the ktm or the husky yeah so let's talk about the suzuki electronics because that was a big thing
16:48for this bike really the overhaul of the drz the new 4s i mean that was a major talking point
16:54yeah and so what do you think of the suzuki electronics yeah in the past obviously drz's
16:58never had any of that stuff it's nice to give the customer some options and have some different tc
17:04options and abs options that are easy to switch on and off and i'd say for me that's the key to it
17:08overall the package i think it's simple kind of like you know a lot of suzuki's products it's kind
17:14of got the real simple modes that you can go in and change on the fly and do that but it's got
17:20just the basics that you need yeah it's called i think suzuki drive mode selector is that what it's
17:25called while he didn't yeah so what do you think of those the electronics package on the suzuki yeah
17:29i like the electronics package on the suzuki you know in reference to the ktm it's much less gimmicky
17:34yeah much less gimmicky it more well sorted and you know it's gonna be appreciated by a wider
17:40spectrum of riders like obviously we're gonna turn everything off and off off but like if you
17:45weren't someone who's you know versed in riding dual sport bikes you're gonna want to use the
17:50those creature comforts and they're gonna help you and they're gonna work good and you know not
17:54having a tft it's not a big deal to me you know like it it still looks fine it's easy to read and
18:00fuel gauge and the big chunky switch gear you know it's not backlit like the ktm but it's still
18:05chunky and it feels good and yeah no i i think it's fine i i i think the electronics and suzuki are
18:11a home run honestly at a bike in that class yeah i agree with you yeah i think that drives mode
18:16selector the suzuki it's so easy to switch whether it's your throttle map or your traction control
18:21setting and you can do it on the fly yeah while your riding it's really a handy yeah just chop the
18:25throttle and you can turn off abs pretty easily too front and rear front and rear and so you look at
18:31the ktm dash on the surface it looks really nice and the electronics are pretty good i'm with you
18:35they feel a little bit more gimmicky with a suzuki it might not look flashy but i think that's an
18:40amazing electronics package on your dual sport but i do also agree with you admittedly we spent most
18:45of our time with abs front and rear turned off and traction control turned off and that's where
18:51you know you lead to something like the husky where they know for the most part the person buying
18:56that bike doesn't want traction control or abs because if i owned the ktm or the suzuki i would
19:02probably always ride it unless it was like a rainy day with all the rider aids turned off so but for
19:08the people that want it and need it yeah i think it's good addition to that bike in this category all
19:13right moving on to suspension chassis brakes let's start with the ktm again adam what do you think of
19:18the suspension on the 390. yeah i think it's okay you know it's definitely like a little bit less
19:23expensive components obviously with the bike's msrp but you know they work totally fine you know they
19:28look racy they look cool you know it's got a nice inverted fork with the tool-less compression rebound
19:34adjusters and the direct mount shock and yeah it works surprisingly well honestly you know it's
19:39nothing groundbreaking or earth-shattering but it goes over bumps real well and you know yeah it gets
19:44a little bouncy i think the ktm suspension's totally fine for that msrp and that intended use yeah okay
19:52you feel like the suspension was soft or stiff it's just like a little soft but not like crazy
19:57soft i mean it's not as springy feeling as the suzuki i mean it's a street bike it rides low it
20:03sits low to the ground hugs the ground but it still goes over you know off-road obstacles you know
20:08surprisingly well honestly for a bike that weighs that much yeah i think they did a good job i mean
20:13it's kind of funny because like they have those pro components but like i don't know why anyone
20:17would buy that kind of suspension on that 5500 motorcycle just is what it is and what it is is
20:23fine you know i think they did a good job yeah i think the suspension's just a little bit of an
20:28interesting thing with the ktm just because as we said it's a street bike based platform it's the
20:34heaviest bike of the group and it's kind of got to manage a lot on gravel roads and on the street
20:40suspension's working great i just felt like when we got into some little bit more technical stuff
20:45all of a sudden it didn't have the composure that i really wanted it to i could really feel the weight
20:51on the front end and that's the bike in general more than the suspension but i felt like the
20:56suspension just in certain situations was it's like oh it's working it's having to deal with a lot
21:02we played with the clickers we maxed out the compression we did some stuff and it improved
21:06things a little bit it almost feels more like an adventure bike than a dual sport bike at times
21:12and then kind of makes sense because most adventure bikes are a little bit more street oriented it works
21:18it does everything that it needs to do but doesn't do anything particularly yeah yeah and this bike
21:23is very similar almost identical to the 390 adventure r they're developed together so that
21:29does make sense the first time we rode the 390 enduro r on the press launch i thought the same thing
21:34immediately is this kind of feels like a lightweight adventure bike yeah and yeah i agree the suspension
21:40it's softer and at times it feels like the weight of the bike almost overpowers the suspension like
21:44the damping control and stuff but i agree it's surprising because you first get on it and you
21:50think whoa before you even move it feels a little bit soft but on the pavement and on the dirt some
21:55of the faster firewood stuff it had more hold up than i expected and i didn't bottom it as much but
22:01again i feel like like some of the rocky stuff where you're going fast through it the speed of that
22:05just seems like it's an open cartridge fork it's just it can't handle maybe what something like
22:10the husqvarna suspension yeah i mean this is stuff that's based off of their motocross suspension
22:15and this is the exact it's a closed cartridge high-end performance and that's kind of the thing with
22:20this husqvarna is you get what you pay for you know it's the most expensive almost 13 000
22:26but that suspension is really good by a landslide the best fork yeah but you're paying for it right
22:32the rebound circuit and you can fine tune it and make it work however you want it's totally
22:38predictable you know when it compresses hard over a hard hit or something it's not just going to come
22:44flying back it's got actual rebound dampening that's gonna keep it from extending too fast and
22:50unsettling the jazzy you know so that suspension package on the husky is a total tier above yeah the
22:57others as we expected and it's nice both the ktm and the husky being owned you know they're basically the
23:02same company in a sense is having those finger adjusters like you can just make suspension
23:07changes without even getting off the bike if you're going to change the fork and that was really
23:11useful the clicker adjustments are very noticeable and so when we're on some of the faster fire of
23:16stuff i cranked up the compression you could get the thing to feel really good almost like a fast like
23:21desert bike and then you get into the technical stuff and i'm able to soften up the suspension and
23:25i felt like it worked pretty good on the rocky stuff but maybe not as comfortable as the suzuki
23:30suspension yeah the suzuki is surprisingly comfortable in a super rocky situation yesterday
23:38i only rode the suzuki more on some of the fire roadie stuff and sometimes the suspension felt like
23:43it was getting overwhelmed and then on the street the suzuki felt a little bit vague with the front end
23:48which could be the tire we put on it but then on technical rocky stuff coming down off a gold mountain
23:54i was so happy that i was on the suzuki right then because it was plush and enjoyable to ride and i
24:01was really impressed by how good the suspension worked in that rocky situation it was almost as
24:07good as the husky in some ways yeah you're going to you can you can't quite go as fast as you can go
24:13on the husky but man it's predictable and trustworthy and you don't feel like you're gonna knife the front
24:18end it's just totally you know easy to ride what'd you think of the suzuki suspension yeah i think
24:24it's really versatile and nice and yeah it worked really well on the extreme rocky uh terrain it was
24:29really nice on the row it's just a little vague feeling that fork's really vague feeling it's kind
24:34of strange it doesn't even make sense why it's so vague feeling but that's really the only knock
24:39i have on it i think it's a good suspension package you know like i i like it i think it's versatile
24:44and it checks a lot of boxes on a variety of different terrain you're going to ride a variety
24:49of different rider weights and it's got a lot of adjustment and high-end component the msrp is higher
24:55but you're getting you know that bike's a quality bike yeah that's nice to know because you're a lot
25:01heavier than both of you are a lot heavier than me and so it's nice to know that even a heavier rider
25:06is supple but you're not bottoming it out it's not too soft for this intended use yeah no no i think
25:11it's going to fit a wide range of yeah rider weights and sizes and we noticed that on the
25:15press launch when we rode i was impressed with the suspension and today when we got on the rocky stuff
25:20i was equally impressed with just how comfortable that stuff was the suzuki suspension floated all
25:25over all of those rock gardens and stuff where the husky because i kind of admittedly going into it
25:31thought this is where the husky is going to shine is on this section of the trail and it wasn't bad but
25:36to me the suzuki it just floats over something super comfortable but i did feel like when i tried
25:41to push the pace and the rocky stuff that's where i felt like the suspension could get overwhelmed
25:47you're going fast in some rocky stuff and there's a hidden rock or a gl that's where that suspension
25:52will probably find its limit yeah the husky i felt you had to ride it hard to get it to work more on
25:57the more technical stuff to get it to compress more but then i had the confidence going fast knowing that
26:02if i do hit something big this suspension and chassis will handle it what about handling let's
26:08start with you adam and the the ktm oh handling is very nice you know it's a street bike feeling bike
26:14so it fits real low and long and it's nimble and it feels good and it rides well on the street and
26:21off-road and yeah it's it's a good handling bike it's it's heavy but it doesn't it doesn't feel that
26:26heavy it carries its weight really well i think honestly off-road as well yeah i'd say so yeah i think
26:31it it definitely feels lighter than its curb weight would imply okay you know it's a good handling bike
26:37all three bikes are very good handling bikes i mean there's a pretty big jump in weight the husky is
26:42right around 260 pounds maybe 265 on our scales suzuki 333 and the ktm they claim 364 so the jump from
26:51the husky to the ktm that's like 100 pounds i felt like the ktm has really good stability it feels heavier
26:58and bigger and a little bit wider it still has some agility or something like the suzuki kind of
27:03splits the difference of the the ktm and the husky yeah i'd go back and just say for me the ktm i like
27:10much better on gravel roads where i'm thinking of it as an adventure bike without the bodywork because
27:16it's kind of got that long low feel to it it's very predictable the drz you know is completely a
27:24taller dual sport type platform so it has a different feel it feels very different than the
27:29ktm both on fire roads and off-road and it's just to me the ktm still kind of feels like an adventure
27:37bike so yeah yeah i agree and that's where that street bike dna really is noticing yeah for me the
27:43suzuki chassis it feels like an enduro not a high performance enduro but kind of your just recreational
27:49enduro feels like a dirt bike yeah yeah but not as much as like the right yeah it doesn't feel like
27:54you know a competition motocross bike or a off-road race bike but it feels more like our definition in
28:00our head of what a dirt bike is it feels closer to that than say the ktm yeah definitely but um
28:06obviously the husky is exactly what you expect it to be it's a nimble lightweight aggressive turning
28:14bike that kind of acts like that on the street too right like yeah we were all thinking that it
28:19would kind of not have the ability to impress us on the street but it was really good on the street
28:25it was really fun on the street yeah so it was like a cool supermoto bike yeah all right let's
28:29talk about the brakes the binders i'll just start off with the husky you spent a lot of time on that
28:34you got brembos and again no abs nothing like that the feel but also the bite that i get out of
28:40the front brake and the rear you're never asking for more and it's not too touchy i feel like it has a
28:45good feel and bite it wasn't so touchy on the pavement where you felt like you're just going
28:49to lock up the front and so to me that braking package is just kind of what you would expect
28:54out of a high class brembo setup yeah for sure i think the ktm's brakes they work but the rear brake
29:00for me on the ktm because that was my photo bike a lot just so incredibly touchy that it was either
29:05locked or not going downhill on dirt it's really difficult to modulate whereas on the husky the rear
29:13brakes super easy to modulate when you're descending rocky stuff to be able to trust it and i never
29:18had that on the ktm you just gotta lock the thing solid and just slide down all the time yeah and then
29:24the suzuki is just kind of pretty darn good but isn't outstanding or and isn't bad so would you say
29:30the husky is over has too much braking no i don't think so i i was pretty happy with the okay brakes on
29:36there but oh i think all three bikes have very adequate brakes and yeah i mean that there was no real
29:42bike that stood out with better brakes than the other they all worked fine and easy to use and
29:48good powered modulation yeah i think all three bikes had good brakes you know and i really like the
29:53ability to to we already talked about this but to disable front and rear abs that's really cool you
29:59know it's neat that you have that option out there now but i think all three bikes have very capable
30:04brakes yeah for me i i was a not disappointed but i wish the suzuki had a sharper initial bike i feel
30:12like it has good stopping power but i really had to get deep into the lever stroke for me like on
30:17the pavement like coming into a corner with a lot of speed and trying to shed that speed i felt like
30:22i really had to just like oh grab a handful of it where the rear i really like that rear brake it's
30:27actually the master cylinder they pulled it off of the rmz and i agree that rear brakes really nice
30:33we got different size riders here what about ergos adam you're the tallest is the how's the ktm ergos
30:40i think the ktm ergonomics are awesome yeah i really like that just that bike's just crazy
30:45comfortable not so much the engine vibration but just the seat the seat's broad well supportive and
30:51those miles melt away with ease well i like that low handlebar like i like the ergonomics it fits
30:56real good even though it's a street bike it feels dirt bikey which i like and the suzuki again suzuki and
31:02the husvarno they're they feel like dirt bikes which again i like and i like that they have the you know
31:06lower flat bars and they feel real skinny and they have dirt bike seats which is awesome when
31:11you're riding dirt bikey but less awesome when you're pounding out miles on on the street honestly
31:17their ergonomics package on all those bikes is really good you know it just kind of depends what
31:21you want if you're going to be doing more street biking well then you definitely want the ktm if
31:25you're going to be doing more hardcore dirt biking well then the husvarno but then if you're going to
31:30split the difference between two the suzuki is a good option was the the ktm the foot peg to seat
31:34ratio wasn't too tight for you no it's really good it's a comfortable bike they did a good job
31:38with that yeah how about you blake yeah as a street bike i you know it feels like a street bike to me
31:42we have to mention that the seat height on the ktm is the lowest of the group which at times is really
31:49nice didn't really find that you know when i stood up that the bars were too far away or anything so
31:54both on the road and on the dirt i thought that the ergonomics overall on the ktm were pretty well
32:00balanced definitely the seat's the best like adam said if you're going to spend more time on
32:04the street that's the bike you want to spend the time on the suzuki and the husky both have much
32:09taller seat heights they feel like a dirt bike it's harder to tippy toe when you're making turnarounds
32:14and stuff and so you kind of have that compromise you have the skinny seat it's hard and you know
32:20you're spending most of your time standing on those when you're riding off-road so it all makes
32:24sense but as a street bike they can both be a little bit punishing in that thing but as far as rider
32:29triangles go in bar position and you know levers and everything i thought you know both of those
32:34bikes felt like dirt bikes that you're familiar with and they're just comfortable and easy to ride
32:38so for me the ktm as far as comfort to me that rider triangle was the most comfortable
32:44the seat i really like i agree i think that's part of it to me also feels like a little bit of a more
32:49open spacious cockpit to me than the suzuki and especially more than the husky i like the big wide
32:55handlebar it you know gives good leverage of the bike where the drz it's more comfortable than the
33:00husky but you still have this kind of narrow stiff seat so it doesn't quite meet the same comfort level
33:06as the ktm where the husky you're not getting much comfort out of that thing that's like one of the
33:10big compromises with that bike yeah i think one thing that we kind of have to mention that we've
33:15talked about internally if you take the bike's three kickstands which is super funny to think about
33:20because you wouldn't think that that would ever be something we talk about but like
33:24on the husky you can't find the kickstand with your boot you almost have to get off the thing
33:28to get it because it's hidden under the plastic on the ktm you can't avoid hitting the thing
33:34constantly it's always in the way and then on the drz it's just out of the way when you need it to be
33:39and then when you want to put your foot on the little thing to put it down it's super easy so it's
33:43just like one little thing that i noticed the kickstand with the ktm is your boot can hit the
33:48kickstand pretty often especially riding off-road and then it pushes the kickstand down which pulls it off
33:52with the kickstand sensor which then cuts power to the engine and turns it off yeah ktm their solution
33:58for that is like a rubber band coming off of like near the passenger foot peg to just hook the kickstand
34:04up so it doesn't bother you off-road and that's a little bit of a disappointment again i know it's
34:08more affordable bike your brand new motorcycle there's this kind of gimmicky solution for the
34:13stand coming down it's it's a little bit of a bummer and so like what about fit and finish with the ktm
34:18i think for that price range it's really hard to criticize it too much right i think that there's
34:23some little things here and there it's got less expensive components in some places but at that
34:28price range it's really hard to bash on that bike for too many fit and finish things like we said
34:34before you've got a couple of the things like the really nice dash fit and finish overall at that price
34:39range i really don't have any things to complain about too much so for the price point it's fine you
34:44know and they've made some improvements over the last decade decade or so with their manufacturing
34:48partner and yeah i think the fit and finish is okay it definitely looks really nice a little bit
34:53farther away when you get up and close maybe it's not as good looking as obviously the suzuki is
34:59you know or the husvarna but i think it's fine yeah yeah you know there's definitely some quirks
35:03with that bike i mean for me i noticed to me the hardware working on the bike changing tires and stuff
35:07like that to me that hardware on the ktm just feels cheap like yeah it may be frustrate you as an
35:12owner working on that bike a lot but for the most part everything else the fit and finish is nice
35:17the engine's not as refined some of the electronic gimmicks like they they say it has these you know
35:22automatically canceling turn signals but those didn't work for us and so some things like that
35:27that but again when you're spending 5 500 bucks what you spent on your mountain bike it's hard to
35:32complain it really is yeah it's a good bike for them so where then the suzuki really nice fit and
35:38finish it's really nice especially at that price point the only thing that i would say about the
35:42suzuki that at that price point i 100 want on my dual sport i want an actual skid plate and i want
35:48hand guards hand guards you know those two things i'm like i can't believe that they're missing on that
35:53motorcycle it's kind of unfair because you go over to the most expensive bike and you look at the husky
35:58it's got pro tapers it's got od lock on grips totally it's got everything which you expect at that
36:04price point but the suzuki is not exactly inexpensive so i at least want a skid plate and
36:09i at least want hand guards on that included hand guards for sure yeah especially when you look over
36:14at the 5 500 dollar yeah it's got hard right when we came down gold mountain today and we were in the
36:19rocks i was consciously thinking on the suzuki that it didn't have a skid plate and choosing some lines
36:25where i saw some drops and knowing the suspension's a little bit softer i'm like i can't do that line or i'm
36:31going to drill the the frame rails right into a rock yeah so you got it because it does have like
36:35this little skid plate but it's just like in between the frame it protects the engine but like
36:39you're just going to smash your frame rails and yeah and then the husky i mean the fit and finish
36:44kind of what you'd expect kind of what you would demand if you're spending 13 000 on a
36:48dirt bike a dual sport but you don't have to do anything to that bike you're not going to have to
36:53put bars on it or do anything you may may want different hand guards or something but
36:57it's got nice foot pegs it's got nice everything so the hubs like the hubs are like amazing looking
37:03yeah everything is just really nice and spot on steel braided lines to me there's not really anything
37:08i can point out with the husky that seems unrefined or the fin finish isn't there but again it's a dirt
37:14bike you can't complain about the dash yeah you know it's nothing fancy it's got the information yeah
37:20it would be nice to have a fuel gauge i would say that but not a deal right at 5 500 ktm's 390
37:29enduro r is the most streetable of the three it has the lowest price tag the highest top speed and
37:34makes the most horsepower its engine and chassis make it a great dual sport for riders who will
37:38spend more miles on pavement with some off-roading mixed in it lacks some refinement versatility and
37:45off-road performance but has an everyday utility vehicle that can also serve as a weekend
37:49toy the 390 enduro r is an easy motorcycle to recommend at 9 000 suzuki's new drz 4s is a
37:57balanced sporty and refined motorcycle the 4s offers an appealing mix of on-road comfort and off-road
38:03performance giving riders a middle ground between mild and aggressive more capable than the ktm off-road
38:10but not nearly as performance oriented as the husqvarna the drz 4s delivers a comfortable controlled and
38:16versatile ride across a wide range of terrain at just over 13 000 dollars husqvarna's fe 350s stands
38:24as cycleworld's best lightweight dual sport of 2025. the price is high but the performance capability and
38:30componentry make a strong case for the cost its engine makes the least power yet the character is
38:36exceptional its quick revving offers tractable low-end fork a punchy mid-range and usable top-end power up to
38:4311 000 rpm on flowing fire roads twisty single track and technical rock sections it performs like
38:50a competition enduro when the ride is over roll out onto the pavement and head anywhere it's not the
38:56best freeway companion but when the pavement becomes twisty the fe 350s can carve up a mountain road like
39:02a supermotive popping wheelies cutting skids and chasing apexes a dual sport motorcycle means something
39:08different to everyone to us husqvarna's fe 350s is the best dual sport because it compromises the least
39:16it's completely unrestricted in its tenacity whether it's on or off-road there's almost
39:21nothing husqvarna's fe 350s can't do that's going to wrap up our 2025 lightweight dual sport comparison
39:29if you enjoyed the video hit the like button comment subscribe and thanks for watching
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