Leigh, when I bought the bike two weeks ago, I thought it was a heavy dualsport similar to a ’93 DR650 I once had. I was going to use it for traveling and for some fun and easy dualsport rides after work and on weekends. The only off-roading I planned for this bike were some easy jeep trails. For the “real” offroad riding I was going to use my KTM EXC400.

To my surprise the heavy and short-suspended TT is also pretty good off-road. It is stiff and stable, tracks well and is not wobbling all over the place (like most of the heavy dual sports I have ridden) in the loose rocks and sand. It is not as comfortable on the road as I expected (harsh), but a lot better off-road.

The main limiting factor off-road are the street tires (avon gripsters), they are good on the road but horrible offroad. So I got thinking… maybe I should get a second set of wheels with some knobby’s on them, and give my KTM a brake this summer?

The TT600RS will never be in the same category as the competition level offroad bikes but I do not care, I do not compete, just ride for fun. My KTM requires a lot more maintenance (both work and money) and I also will need to buy insurance for the summer.

So now I am considering what to do. Maybe I will buy some new wheels for the TT, maybe I will adapt the wheels from the KTM so they fit the TT, maybe I will just get the plates for the KTM… But If I go for a second wheel set with knobby’s for the TT I would like a little lower gearing for the more serious off-roading…

So that is why I am looking at the possibilities regarding a different gearing………………

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Yamaha XT600E '01, Honda XR400 '03, Yamaha XT550 '83