I took the rider safety course in February and bought a Honda CRF 230L (which I love and would highly recommend to other new riders) in March. Riding friends were recommending that I get a larger bike (in the 400 range) because my eventual goal was to commute to work on fair weather days, but this site and some prior riding experience steered me toward a smaller bike. I had never heard of the Dual-Sport category, but I loved their lean look and the descriptions that made them sound easy to maneuver and fairly indestructible.
I chose this particular brand/model because a friend of a friend found a used one with only 132 miles and said it was a great deal – and that Hondas were utterly dependable/low maintenance bikes. As advertised, the bike gets 92mpg. I do most of my riding on the streets of San Francisco and this bike couldn’t be better for the hills, potholes, sandy beach roads, and other city hazards.
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