If you need to combine commuting and fun, but also need to save on motorcycle insurance, then a dual sports motorcycle could be right up your green lane. By combining practical on and off-road capabilities you can happily tackle urban riding during the week, and then spend time exploring off-road to relax at the weekend.
There are great options ranging in size from 125cc up to bigger bikes as capable of going around the world as along local trails, and the benefit of going for such typically hardy machines in that they'll survive a fair bit of abuse, making them good secondhand purchases. Best of all, low insurance costs mean cheaper biking, although you'll want to make sure you've got adequate security to keep your bike safe.
We've picked out a handful of great dual sports machines currently available secondhand to inspire you:
Suzuki DRZ400, Insurance group: 9
The rugged Suzuki DRZ400 has been around for a long time since succeeding the DRZ350 and has kept things simple, practical and effective.
It's not a bike for open roads, but works well as an urban commuter (particularly with supermoto wheels and tyres) and brilliantly as an off-road bike.
Just watch for paint getting rubbed away frustratingly quickly and budget for security as it can be a favourite for bike thieves
Yamaha XT660 Tenere Insurance Group 10
The Tenere has a top speed over 120mph and is more suited to longer journeys, whilst still remaining a very capable off-roader.
It features durable crash panels and a front towing hoop, plus the single cylinder engine pulls well up to 70mph.
It also comes in cheaper than the comparable bikes from BMW
BMW F800GS Insurance Group 11
The F800GS is smaller and more manageable than the bigger 1200cc bikes, but still combines great performance on and off-road.
You get 85bhp and a 125mph top speed combined with the ability to tackle serious off-road challenges and decent build quality.
That's reflected in secondhand prices but does mean your bike will hold its value well.
Yamaha TTR250R Insurance Group 7
It might be smaller, but it's also a more hardcore enduro machine than the other bikes listed, running out of puff on the road around 70mph, but is extremely dependable and easy-to-use off-road.
There's little to go wrong and the TTR250 will take a lot of abuse before more accomplished enduro riders may want something with more power
Honda XR125L Insurance Group 4
Before you dismiss the XR125 as a learner-only bike, consider the combination of extremely low running costs and potential to still have a lot of fun off-road.
In addition to the usual Honda build quality, you get a high riding position which is as useful in traffic as on a green lane, and decent pull up to around 50mph.
A very cheap and practical choice.