Bike Guides

So you want to know if you can start your dirt bike without oil. The answer to that is actually quite straight-forward.

You can start a dirt bike without any oil, however, it is NOT ADVISED. There is nothing physically stopping a dirt bike without oil from starting up, but internal grinding of bearings and catastrophic damage is likely. Within seconds, you can expect a loud sound of grinding parts within your engine.

There are some motorcycles that can last a few minutes running without oil though you shouldn’t test this. Eventually your dirt bike will seize up and you’re likely looking at a complete rebuild.

Running Dirt Bikes Without Oil

There isn’t any time when riding that you’d want to have no oil in your dirt bike. You see – dirt bikes need oil in order to lubricate parts which are operating at high speeds.

This oil stops your engine from seizing up as well as providing longevity for your motor. Just like a car motor, the oil does need to be changed regularly.

Frontaer would never advise a rider to go out on the tracks and trails without oil in their engine. It should be full, but not over-full and nor should it be empty.

Running dirt bikes without any oil is a quick way to make the engine seize up. You’ll hear a ‘rusty grinding’ sound emanating and you should turn off your dirt bike right away to prevent further damage.

Buying a Dirt Bike

If you were to buy a dirt bike, then always check the oil levels before starting the engine. If the seller says it’s OK run the engine without oil, then walk away quickly! It’s likely that the engine has already suffered some big damage.

It’s expensive to replace a dirt bike motor. If the oil is old, then you should drain and replace the oil with fresh oil before starting. You’ll be able to buy dirt bike oil for less than $50 for 5L from any motorcycle dealership.

Oil Cap Off

One of the most common reasons why dirt bikes are accidently run without oil is the cap being left off, or it unscrewed itself when you were riding. If you detect this, then quickly shut down your engine on the track.

From here, you’ll want to guage how much oil you’ve lost so far and then check the dipstick for the level. You might be alright to ride home on limited oil as long as it isn’t below the minimum on the dipstick.

You’ll always want to keep an eye during routine maintenance on the oil drain plug. This occasionally can unscrew itself and if it does, you’ll lose oil very quickly when riding.

Dirt Bike Sounding Funny

If you do hear this weird screaching sound coming from your dirt bike motor, then it could be a lack of oil. We recommend that you shut off your dirt bike right away and problem-solve the issue.

Things to check:

1. Does your dirt bike have oil?
2. Is the dipstick still intact?
3. How tight is the drain plug?
4. When did you last change the oil?

Also consider the quality of oil and avoid cheap-Chinese oils which have recently come on to the market.

Damage from Dirt Bike with No Oil

So with all of that in mind, what kind of damage can you expect to make? Plenty, actually.

The valves and pistons could seize and you’ll likely find little bits of metal inside your oil reservior. Let’s not forget the bearings either, with all of this possibly affecting the transmisions as well.

The cams and head might actually fair alright, as might the valve cover. It really depends on your make and model.

Essentially, a seized engine is likely and it will never run the same way again. Most riders simply do a full replacement of their engines which is both costly and time-consuming. You’re looking at $3,000 to replace a dirt bike whose engine has blown due to being run without oil.

In Summary

Don’t run a dirt bike without oil in the engine. At the same time, don’t buy one where you believe it has been run dry.

Manufacturers make these machines to be run WITH oil at all times. It keeps them lubricated and in tip-top condition.

ADV motorcycles are becoming quite advanced their technology now and some even have cruise control. We’ve done the research for you!

There are numerous adventure motorcycles in 2020 that have cruise control. These are:

1. Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200
2. BMW R1250GS
3. KTM Adventure 1290
4. BMW F850 GS
5. Honda Africa Twin 2021

You’ll notice that these are all big-bore adventure and dual-sport motorcycles. They are derived from the bitumen-world as opposed to being dirt bikes which very rarely have cruise control.

Cruise Control on Adventure Bikes

Some people say that having cruise control on a motorcycle is a wonderful thing. You don’t have to try and match your speed with an arbitrary number on a road sign all the time. Others say it could lead to an accident due to your lowered response time.

Then again, fatigue could lead to an accident too and the increased focus you need to keep checking that you’re not speeding. Of course, speeding is quite typical on these big bikes which is why we believe they come with cruise control.

When to use cruise control on motorcycles

What would we recommend? On long stretches of highway, then cruise control is certainly helpful. Certainly we don’t recommend using a motorcycle cruise control system when riding offroad and especially on gravel tracks because excessive torque at the rear wheels could spin you out.

Also, don’t use cruise control on motorcycles when it’s raining. The same theory applies where the torque could cause you to lose traction and aquaplane with your motorcycle, on both the road and gravel tracks.

It’s also difficult to use cruise control in heavy traffic so leave it for the open country where you can trail behind another vehicle quite comfortably.

Dual Sport Bikes with No Cruise Control

While motorcycle technology has come along way in 30 years, there are still plenty of dual sport and adventure motorcycles that don’t have cruise control, including these:

• Yamaha Tenere and Super Tenere
• BMW 310GS
• KTM 690R and 790R
• Yamaha WR450R
• DRZ-400S (indeed Suzuki hasn’t put much at all on this bike)
• Beta 500RR-S
• Husqvarna FE450
• KTM Adventure 990
• Kawasaki Versys
• Suzuki V-Strom

So what can you do if you own or plan to purchase one of these motorcycles? Well, you can actually get an aftermarket cruise control system off eBay or Amazon for relatively cheaply. These are relatively in-expensive and you can expect to pay under $200 for a dual sport cruise control system for any of these adventure motorcycles.

Do you really need it?

One of the biggest questions is the need to have cruise control on a dual sport motorcycle. Do you really need it? We don’t believe so, because you’ll only use it 5% of the time.

Sure – it’s a “nice to have” feature when your’e in the showroom, but such time looking at such motorcycles generally doesn’t transfer to genuine time on the road and dirt trails.

We wouldn’t place the use or availability on our list when we’re consider a new adventure bike. As the years roll on, more and more manufacturers will undoubtably add these to their model lineups. Cruise control has its place on motorcycles but yet, will seldom be used anyway.

After all, dozens of people have ridden the entire world without some ‘push button’ device successfully. If you do need it, then the cost and time to install is minimal, but as too will be the real world use….in most cases.

It’s quite normal for people to consider BMW Motorcycles as an offroad-capable machine when their first getting into adventure motorcycling.

After all, those glossy magazines, well-edited marketing videos and immaculate dealerships certainly do make it very appealing. The thing is: Are they really that good for heading off the beaten track? The response from the ADV community is mixed and let’s elaborate further:

BMW Motorcycles are largely considered to have limited capabilities offroad, mainly due to their heavy weight of their 700cc to 1200cc adventure motorcycles. These are best suited towards on-road and unsealed gravel track use, as opposed to creek crossings and technical forest tracks.

It’s a common mistake for first-time riders to purchase one of these bikes for a big adventure, and later regret this decision due to the weights. The 1200GS, for example, adds very little extra for the rider except for more power and addition weight. This is ideal for the bitumen highways, but can be disasterous offroad when crashing.

BMW Motorcycles Offroad

Among the ADV riding community, BMW has mixed responses. There are basically two classes of people.

The first say it’s a weapon and everything they ever wanted in a motorcycle. These people are either buying a motorcycle for the first time or they have come from the road-motorcycling world.

It’s this group that are quite cashed up and simply want to get out there and explore the world. For them, they are buying the badge as much as the motorcycle itself. After all, BMW is synonymous with safety, reliability and excellent German engineering.

And then we have the second group…

These people don’t like BMW motorcycles offroad and believe they simply belong on the black top. Why? The reasons why BMW make a bad adventure motorcycle are quite easy to see:

1. BMW’s are very heavy. Due to their weights, you’ll find it quite challenging to ‘throw around’ an adventure motorcycle of this height on the tracks.
2. They aren’t so responsive to power. Sure – they’re often much more responsive than say the DRZ-400 from Suzuki, but they aren’t snappy like a KTM 690 would be.
3. Parts and servicing are quite expensive. As a result, it’s not just the upfront cost that you need to worry about.
4. It’s very hard to lane-split in traffic. If you’re buying this to make your daily commute + ride on weekends, then the width of these bikes plus additional luggage panniers makes things quite difficult to sneak through to the front of traffic.
5. Their heavyweight makes them hard to pick up when you fall over. If you’re riding solo and constantly fall over, then you’ll wear yourself out pretty quickly and won’t enjoy the experience.
6. In deep sand riding, they are quite a mission to handle and you’ll struggle unless you’re an experienced enduro rider.

Now are we biased? Not quite. BMW certainly has their place in the enduro ride.

When buying a BMW Adventure Bike makes sense

BMW’s ADV buyer group is generally 40 to 60 years old and predominantly men who have disposable income. If you’re in this age bracket and are excited at the proposition to purchase a BMW motorcycle for offroad use, then don’t let our previous comments scare you!

Riding one of these bikes is actually a lot of fun. The controls are very ergonomic and on the highway, these bikes absolutely shine. Dirt roads are also a lot of fun and the bike typically handles well when both sitting and standing.

If you read reviews of the 750GS, 850GS and 1200GS bikes, then you’ll realize just how great these bikes are. That is…until you’re into the deep river crossings, tight technical tracks and sandy beaches. That’s when disaster can strike…but if you’re avoiding these areas altogether, then buying a BMW adventure motorcycle makes perfect sense.

In fact, dozens of people have ridden around the world on these motorcycles without a problem. When you’re clocking that many KM’s with 90% on the blacktop, it’s totally understandable. You’ll wear yourself out with a dirt bike which has been converted into an adventure bike, especially with knobby tyres.

In a Nutshell

All in all, BMW makes a great adventure bike for adventuring…as long as you’re not looking for total adventures. Some mock riders who choose these bikes but everyone is on their own unique adventure.

What lets BMW adventure bikes down is the heavy weights which wear riders out and also make the technical stuff much more challenging. That said – with the G310GS offroad, that problem is mostly solved. For years the ADV community begged BMW with a solution instead of looking at their fancy big engine bikes, and they certainly listened.

If you did want to go for technical tracks, then the 310GS could be exactly what you need.

Have you seen those Chinese Adventure Bikes on the market attempting to break their way into the ADV market recently?

We recently came across these at a tradeshow in China and were stunned. Do they really understand the market and what we need as adventure riders?

This leads us to do some research to see what Chinese dirt bikes and adventure motorcycles are on the market. We’ll give you an analysis of our thoughts and ideas.

Chinese Adventure Dual Sport Motorcycles

The Chinese aren’t new to bringing dirt bikes to the market and they have been selling the cheap dirt bikes and pit bikes for 15 years, while the bigger adventure bikes have only started to come to the market now.

Will they revolutionze the industry? We don’t believe so. They have only made a small inroad or dent into the dirt riding scene due to their lack of trust in Chinese dirt bikes, and we can only imagine this will be the case with adventure bikes too.

One thing to consider is the average age of an adventure bike rider is around 50 years old who is probably holding a reasonably high net worth. They aren’t like to go down the cheap isle and prefer quality and craftsmanship as opposed to factory print offs.

So if Chinese manufacturers like Zongshen are simply attempting to win on price, then this isn’t a war they are likely to win. When we consider right now, as the world is in a Pandemic, the anti-China sentiment, it’s going to be hard to really make ground in this market and especially the older generation.

The ‘Knockoff’ lack of trust

Given the nature of Chinese products to be knocked off, this only creates more brand loyalty with the giants such as BMW, Yamaha and Honda. More and more people see the value in spending their money with companies which are revolutionary in this marketplace.

There are several adventure motorcycles that have been copied by the Chinese, but the flaws are evident. These bikes would only serve a small segment of the market who either can’t afford or won’t spend up on the more beefier adventure-spec bikes on offer.

It’s for this reason that we don’t see commercial viability with Chinese adventure motorcycles for at least the next 10 years. The market is already well served and the pricing isn’t too outrageously high. In fact, you can buy a KTM 450 and spec it up as an adventure touring for under $10,000 quite easily with fairings and the like.

What China Has

The thing to keep in mind here is that many motorcycle parts and accessories do actually come from China and are used in assembly plants. This actually keeps the costs down and fancy-sounding brand names are simply overlayed for the consumer.

It’s for this reason that China believes they themselves can ‘cut out the middleman’ to reduce their prices and offer a complete unit to the market. They have been mildly successful in the dirt bike arena, though many westerners do prefer the trusted brand names from Japan and Germany.

What China lacks is experience and indeed this is true with Zongshen and GPX. This isn’t a culture where dirt bikes are in their blood, though hard work is certainly there. They aren’t in touch with the consumer and aren’t likely to be for a long time.

For now, we can:

1. Purchase an adventure motorcycle that is of high quality, though has Chinese parts and accessories.
2. Purchase a cheaper dirt bike and spec it up as an adventure tourer.

Both options are excellent and will lead to many enjoyable years of riding. Choose price last and you’ll simply enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

Have you seen steering dampeners on dirt bikes and ever wondered what they are used for? We’ve got the answer.

A steering dampener on motocross and adventure bikes reduces the ‘grunt’ or feedback that comes with steering on offroad terrain, resulting in smoother turns for the rider. The forces are reduced and so riders feel less fatigue and are more control of their motorcycle with a steering dampener, otherwise known as a stabilizer, installed on their cross members.

Through adding resistance to the steering, it prevents the ‘shock’ to the bike and gives a more relaxed feel to turning corners.

An overview of Motorcycle Steering Dampeners

Let’s think of it this way: Have you ever closed a heavy office or commercial door and noticed how it closes slowly? This is because there likely is a control box that adds resistance to the door with a gas strut. The same concept can be easily applied to motorcycles.

Inside, they operate very easily including the big name brands such as Scotts.

By having a steering dampener installed, there is much less shock when you suddenly fall into a pothole and need to recover. Essentially, the handlebars are less likely to twitch quickly and uncontrollably like a mountain bike.

You won’t be able to turn a dirt bike side to side quickly if it has a dampener installed, but you wouldn’t want to. It may seem counterintuitive, but out on the track, it’s actually a much better experience. Manufacturers don’t install these stock as they are expensive and not all riders need them, but they are certainly the top of our bucket list when we buy a new bike for the stable.

It might seem annoying at first when you are stationary and need to do a hard turn up the side trail, but at speeds, it becomes so much easier and less fatiguing.

Benefits of a Steering Stablizer

A steering dampener can stop the ‘tank slapper’ feel but not eliminate it entirely. They certainly do reduce speed wobbles so riders feel more confident as the wheel is right where it is meant to be, instead of being thrown around.

Think of it like suspension but for your handlebar…but not really. Same concept but different functionality, but often leads to a much better outcome for the rider, and especially those who ride offroad.

Adventure motorcyclists and dirt bike riders especially prefer to have an aftermarket stabalizer installed to feel safer at speeds on the B-grade and C-grade roads. They are more effective at speeds at more than 30 miles per hour. For the tight technical tracks, they unfortunately can be a bit of work as more force is required from the rider to turn the hydralics which operate this system.

Final thoughts

So then, should you get one? This really depends on your experience and style of riding. If you’re brand new to dirt bikes and have a limited budget, then leave this one on the back-burner for now and invest in quality riding gear and gain some experience.

You may want to spend your money on other parts first including better suspension and tyres.

For the intermediate or advanced rider, then we can higher recommend motorbike steering dampeners for riders both on-road and offroad. Look for quality brands that are stocked in stores as opposed to cheaper alternatives found on Amazon. These illegitimate knock-offs by Chinese sellers often don’t live up to expectations and nor do the manufacturers themselves even ride performance motorcycles.

Choose a model that has fine adjustment nobs as you’ll need to do some fine tuning to work out the ‘sweet spot’ for your bike, your weight and your riding terrain.