2006 XT225 all stock. Factory Cheng Shins with 3900mi. on them (Yes, time to change them). I love everything about this bike except it SUCKS on gravel roads. It is hands down the worst handling bike I have ever had for riding on gravel roads. Any ideas to get it to handle better on gravel? I don't do any off road riding. Signed: Puckered so tight you couldn't pull a pin out.

Race tech fork emulators and springs and a Works Performance rear shock.

Or just slow down and stand up.

It's hard to go any slower than 10mph with a passenger and keep the bike balanced. LOL. Not the answer I wanted to hear pj. LOL

How much air in your tires?

22psi front 25psi rear. I have tried both more air and less air. Neither helped.

I think the XT225 is a great handling bike on gravel roads but I also accept that the handling and performance of such a light and small bike is designed and optimized for a single rider.

To me the passenger provision on the XT225 is useful for temporary or sometimes emergency use but I know that carrying an extra person on such a small bike will severely reduce the handling especially on loose surfaces partly because of the huge change in weight distribution and center of gravity and partly because the rider can't apply the usual riding skills.

230 lb motorcycles with 15 hp and a passenger don't handle great no matter where they go.

Just to clear things up a bit, the reason I made my original post is because I used to have a Honda XL125 which weighs basically the same as the XT225 and had only a little less power. The Honda could be ridden on a gravel road WFO if one wanted to with complete confidence. I rode many gravel roads doing 45mph-55mph because it would do it so easily. That bike was completely predictable and very easy to handle on gravel. So I know a bike can handle great on gravel. Now for those of you that want to tell me to get another Honda XL if I like them so much, I probably would except for the fact that they don't have a magic button and are a little down on power as compared to the XT. I believe the ill handling has more to do with the rake & trail of the XT than anything else. A better choice of tires may help some but I don't believe it will ever handle like my old XL. The only other bike I owned that handled as poorly as the XT was a 1974 Yamaha DT250. Yamaha got a lot of things right on the XT225 but the way they handle on loose gravel wasn't one of them. PS. It doesn't handle any better on gravel riding solo.

With a passenger? Um... get a KTM?

The XT's stock suspension is barely adequate for one person. It's woefully undersprung for 2-up riding, assuming you're both bigger than the average 4th grader. As you mentioned, the rake and trail make the bike pretty light on the front tire. When you add a passenger, it's going to be extremely light on the front tire and a real handful on loose surfaces. The only thing you can do is slide as far forward as possible.

Although the bike has pegs and room for a passenger I think it's best as a single rider bike. I've ridden with passengers on several occasions and don't much care for the reduced handling.

As for gravel roads, they have their own personalities. Here we call it scree. Basically hard pan littered with small round stones is the riding surface. We run 15 PSI front and 10-12 in the rear. Expect the bike to dance around as the small stones roll from under the treads. Normal. With a little practice, you will get used to this and compensate. Riding out of the seat helps I think as it allows for better body adjustments.

The XT225 will handle gravel roads fine with proper skill. We ride them here all the time. Not my first choice but necessary on the way to better trails. Be safe!

I guess it is true that "gravel" can mean many things. Perhaps that's why I don't really relate to digger's sentiments here. I've never had an issue with my XT on anything except icy asphalt (45mph on ice is a pucker moment!).

I ride offroad (trails, dirt/gravel forest service roads, etc.) 2-up quite a lot, sitting down, not aired down, and I rarely find myself "puckered".