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Best Lightweight Dual Sport Motorcycles

Our favorite street-legal dual sport motorcycle of 2025.

Kurt Spurlock

January 9, 2025

Less weight = more fun when it comes to off-roading.GasGas

Motocrossers and enduros are great, but off-road-only machines come up short when it comes to practicality. If you live in the right place (and know the right people), you might be able to score a license plate for your dirt bike of choice, but for most of us, a lightweight dual sport is the most viable solution to (legally) explore dirt trails and the paved roads between them.

The requirements for this roundup were simple: To make the cut, these bikes had to be street-legal from the factory, limit their wet weight to around 300 pounds, and be legitimately capable in the dirt. Our selections run the gamut from ultralight and powerful to ultra-affordable and beginner-friendly, so if you’re in the market yourself, here are our top recommendations for the year.

Honda CRF300L

Honda’s popular CRF300L gets a face-lift and suspension improvements for 2025.Honda

Honda’s CRF300L remains among the bestselling dual-sports on the planet, and Big Red is introducing further refinements to the platform for 2025. The handsome face-lift combined with improved suspension damping and rider comfort leaves no doubt the latest 300L will be the best version yet.

We’ve logged our fair share of all-terrain miles on these machines, and when it comes to bang for your buck, Honda has the best deal going in the dual sport world. Dirt-capable yet reasonably comfortable at highway speeds, the CRF is a full-sized machine that truly does it all from weekday commuter to lightweight adventure bike and is backed by a healthy aftermarket for performance-minded upgrades.

Honda CRF450RL

Honda’s 450RL is essentially a hard-nosed racer that has been softened up for reliability and street use.Honda

Honda’s 450cc Unicam engine is nothing short of legendary, having powered the CRF450R motocrosser to World Championship status this year under racer Jett Lawrence. The CRF450RL is based on that very same machine, albeit one that’s heavily massaged for dual sport use.

Editor’s note: Read and watch the Top 5 Features of the 2023 Honda CRF450RL and 2021 Honda CRF450RL MC Commute Review articles/videos for more insight on this vehicle.

The CRF450L is currently the only option out there if you want a hard-nosed street-legal enduro from Japan, and lucky for us, it delivers the goods when it comes to performance. We’re talking 12 inches of suspension, around 40 hp, and a 291-pound curb weight, plus the peace of mind that comes with Honda’s legendary reliability and extensive dealer network.

Kawasaki KLX300

The 2025 KLX’s new “KTM-ish” appearance is a major upgrade in our book.Kawasaki

Kawasaki’s KLX300 has always been a great do-it-all dual sport, but up until Big Green’s recent refresh of this lightweight trail bike, its looks were polarizing to say the least. New plastics and lighting give the KLX the aggressive enduro look it has always deserved, but the appeal of this bike goes far beyond appearance alone.

With 10 inches of adjustable suspension travel and an entertaining yet unintimidating 292cc fuel-injected engine, the KLX300 combines user-friendliness and proven reliability with honest-to-goodness off-road prowess for less than $5,500. As for the weight, Kawasaki keeps it properly light with the KLX300 weighing in at just 302 pounds fully gassed up and ready to rip.

KTM 350 EXC-F

KTM’s 350 remains the weapon of choice for street-legal off-road performance.KTM

Most folks would argue that KTM’s 350 EXC-F is the tip of the spear when it comes to lightweight dual sports, and it’s objectively hard to argue otherwise (especially now that Husqvarna phased out the street-going version of its FE 350). Its DOHC engine is rev-happy and thrilling, its chassis and fully adjustable suspension are rock solid, and the whole production only weighs 262 pounds fully fueled and ready to hit the trails.

KTM cuts no corners with these bikes, and every component from the wheels to the bars is deserving of the brand’s “Ready to Race” philosophy. We’ll also note that while the aforementioned FE 350s got the axe for the 2025 model year, you can still pick up a GasGas ES 350 if you prefer your KTMs with a linkage-type rear shock and red plastics.

Related: 2025 KTM 350 EXC-F Preview

KTM 500 EXC-F

Don’t let the name scare you off: KTM’s 500cc enduro is big on torque but low on weight.KTM

KTM’s gnarliest street-going enduro probably isn’t the first bike that comes to mind when you think of lightweight dual sports, but it should be. That’s because despite its 161cc displacement advantage over its ever-popular 350 EXC-F stablemate, the big 500 only weighs an additional 3 pounds.

That means the KTM 500 EXC-F delivers both sharp handling and big torque that’s ideal for wide-open dirt or street use, yet still only weighs in at 253 pounds before filling up its 2.25-gallon tank. Aside from that, standard KTM fare like class-leading WP suspension and cutting-edge electronics make the 500 EXC-F a standout choice for the performance-minded.

Related: 2024 KTM 500 EXC-F Preview

Suzuki DR-Z4S

Suzuki’s 400cc DR-Z is back in the running with the new DR-Z4S.Suzuki

We know, we know… No one has actually had a chance to ride Suzuki’s new DR-Z4S yet. It’s hitting showrooms in April though, and considering how good the legendary DR-Z400S was (and still is), the concept of a “new and improved” version is exciting enough to land the new Dizzer a spot on this list.

Sure, the curb weight has increased a bit thanks to Euro 5+ requirements and a larger fuel tank, but the new DR-Z also gets a heavily reworked cylinder head, an all-new chassis, upgraded suspension, traction control…the list goes on. Upgrades are great, but perhaps the most important fact about the new dual sport is that Suzuki appears to have preserved the DR-Z’s niche as a comparatively simple and dependable machine, which has always been this 400′s secret sauce anyway.

Yamaha XT250

Yamaha’s light and low XT250 is the ideal dual sport for new riders.Yamaha

Few machines exemplify “beginner friendly” quite like Yamaha’s XT250. With its low seat, easygoing engine, and a proven track record for low-maintenance reliability, the little XT is an ideal introduction into both the world of off-roading and motorcycling in general.

It’s also worth noting that while we’d highly recommend the XT for new riders, it also makes for a surprisingly capable and versatile machine all-around. Despite its comparatively low 32.7-inch saddle, Yamaha managed to cram almost nine inches of suspension travel and 11 inches of ground clearance under this lightweight dual sport, so it feels right at home playing on single-track provided you keep the speed in check.

Related: 2025 Yamaha XT250 Preview