Opinons please!!! Tuono Rider looking to purchase an RXV 4.5 for dual purpose riding

[Dr. Zaius]

I've loved my 2003 Tuono for four years now, but I've got a huge itch to get onto some dirt roads (I've ridden dozens of street bikes, but never a dirt bike BTW). I would really love to buy a Tiger 800xc or the new Triumph Explorer, but sinking $12-$18k into a bike, and likely selling my Tuono to make it make better financial sense isn't a choice I really want to make.

I've found a couple RXV 4.5's locally for a decent price that I could just pay cash and keep the Tuono. My question is can the RXV 4.5 be bearable as a road bike just to get me to the dirt (maybe a 20-30 min ride) and in between dirt stretches in the paved canyons?

Thanks in advance for you opinions / experience.

[amauri]

The RXV450 can be an excellent dual purpose bike, as long as you get one cheap enough and budget enough $$ left over to have the motor gone thru properly.

[Allen Noland]

My question is can the RXV 4.5 be bearable as a road bike just to get me to the dirt (maybe a 20-30 min ride) and in between dirt stretches in the paved canyons?

My RXV 450 got me from Maryland to California, and it was a lot longer than 30 minutes between dirt sections.

[jay dub]

From my experience you would be a fool to sell your Tuono. I love mine to death, it's the only bike I ride on the streets/hwys.

[Dr. Zaius]

Thanks for the opinions. What exactly would need to be "gone through" on such a young engine? Also, what would qualify as "a lot" of miles on these engines? I'm looking to do some decent mileage, so perhaps this is the wrong bike for the job in terms of local "adventure" touring.

[Korgoth1]

The rxv will do that job well, a friend of mine is selling his on this forum currently, and used it for just that.

[Korgoth1]

And going through these engines is mainly precautionary, part of the preventive maintenance. Just like any other rr dirtbike. If you question the condition of the engine, and arent mechanically inclined, ship it to Allen for a reseal.

[amauri]

Than What exactly would need to be "gone through" on such a young engine? Also, what would qualify as "a lot" of miles on these engines?

Since you are looking for a used bike, you have to treat it like any used vehicle purchase.
Mainly because you don't really know the history and what if any service work has been performed in the past. Just as important is who has performed the maintenance work.

There are well known issues with these bikes, yes some are major issues but over the years we've all learned how to address them correctly.

By "gone through" I mean tear the motor down, inspect everything and re-assemble correctly with updated parts like DLC coated valve buckets, etc...
That would be the most extreme case and that's why I said to budget some $$ in case the used one you purchase needs it.

Depending on what year and condition 450 you buy, you may not need anything.
But don't be put off by horror stories you read or hear about, you really need to experience a properly setup RXV450 at least once in your motorcycling life.

As far as what mileage is too much mileage, that's also tuff to say, it really depends on how it was maintained.
If it is an early 07 RXV that has 5000+ miles and the motor has never been apart, it probably will need it soon.