| Author | Message | ||
     Fresnobuell |
So what is the power difference between say the Yami WR250 and the Zook DRZ400s? | ||
| Miamiuly |
So far the gearing has been fine off road. Will chug through puddles, mud, up what ever little hills I can find. Bigger folks than me claim they do just fine on them. Some people have messed with gearing, bike is not buzzy stock, I think if you go radical on the gearing you get some buzz on the wr but some say it is still BETTER on highway than the 400s due to 6th gear. Haven't spent time on a 400, wanted the mountain bike with a motor feel. I'm sure the 400 has more power but I like the suspension better on a Klx or the WR. Did I mention 26,600 mile valve check? Kind of funny but the whole 650 vs 400 vs Klx250s vs KTM 525exc question is what led me to say WTF and buy the uly. The WRR wasn't out at that time. Wanted the ktm but not the maintenance, and they are hard to come by down here, figured the price wasn't THAT far off of the uly and ...... (Message edited by miamiuly on November 17, 2008) | ||
| Danger_dave |
Sizewise I don't have a lot of trouble taking most bikes off road really. I even take these things anywhere there is a dry track. Momentum is your friend.  | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I'm sure the 400 has more power but I like the suspension better on a Klx or the WR. Is that because the latter 2 have adjustable suspensions versus the non-adjustable of the DRz400? | ||
| Reepicheep |
Depends on the commute I suppose. If there is any interstate, it won't be worth it. If there is some 55 mph highway, it would be OK, if its not too much. If its a lot of 35 mph stuff, it'd be embarrassingly fun. A 650 class bike would work pretty well on the road, but I've had to drag my neighbors "Big Red Pig" (XR-650) out of many muddy ravines and mud holes. I was ready to shoot the &*($&#( thing on more then one occasion. And he is a MUCH better rider then I am, but there were many situations where I just burbled right up a hill on my little 250 with huge knobbies, and his XR became a "sit and spin" trench digging machine (even with big knobbies)... Light is good. I'm probably more negative then I should be on reliability... I just see ***soo*** many sub 20k mile thumpers advertised with "fresh top end rebuild". Not all by any means, but an awful lot. My 9sx has only had fuel, oil, and tires (and one exhaust stud) in 25k miles, all since 05. My neighbor had an all street XR-650... he did a full rebuild at 18k miles. His friend's XR-650 was raced in some seniors class hare scrambles, and his motor only made 12k. I saw the scuffed pistons first hand, and stood there drinking Ed's beer while he was rebuilding both bikes. Thats the kind of friend I am. He paid me back by drinking his beer watching me rebuild my KLR-250. Handy when I needed a third hand (but not a fourth, as it was holding said beer  ). Knobbies work fine on the street, even when it is wet, provided you aren't in that much of a hurry (and aren't going fast enough for the buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz). So its not that the dual sports are that bad on the street, its that the contemporary street bike is SOOO good on the street, and cheap. | ||
| Danger_dave |
My friend 'The Hippie' is a smart man. Even if he can't spell. Thinking motorcyclist - vast experience. He rides a breathed on DR650 and has two sets of wheels. Road and Enduro. | ||
| Miamiuly |
Is that because the latter 2 have adjustable suspensions versus the non-adjustable of the DRz400? More adjustable yes but what I was really thinking is that they are both more like a modern dirt bike overall where as the 650s are kind of old school desert bikes- kinda. If I were to get a drz I think the SM is the way to go, then buy rims for a dirt set up. The SM comes with inverted forks and dirt rims are cheaper than Super moto rims from what I've seen. I really like that the WRR is Fuel injected and ligt. I could take this bike down any trail and know that I can lift the rear end and spin it around if I needed to. It's fun but if they made a WR450R avail with fuel injection that would complicate things. The WRR is not a mellowed WRF motor. It is supposedly more like 1/4 of an R1 engine. I do travel a long (70miles) straight road to get to one riding area, people speed out there and it is two lane no divider. No big deal. Easy enough to break the speed limit even in a 65, the mpg just goes down a bit. Here it is next to my KTM 125 SX  | ||
| Cityxslicker |
It just burns my biscuit that they get me all excited for the bike, and then pull the plug. Its like telling the fat kid that the tour of the donut factory closed right before he got there..... I know where a sweet DRZ400 with lowered links and a expanded tank is, just sitting there dying to be ridden. Looks like Buell loses that money from me. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
If Buell made a true dual sport bike, I would be all over it right now...and as hot as this segment is, it really is too bad that the program didnt' ever come to fruition. (Message edited by fresnobuell on November 18, 2008) | ||
| Lonexb |
two summers ago i blew the motor in my xb12r. well waiting to figure out what to do with the buell. i went and bought a husky sm 610. i bought it used for $4400, with 1500 miles on it. i always wanted a supermoto. i figured if i didn't like it i could always convert it to knobbies for a true dual sport.  this is what's left of the buell. i have never looked back. 1.5 years and 18k miles later. i will probably never get another sport bike again.  it's good on the highway and off road. i have beaten the ever living crap out of this bike and it just keeps taking it. brian | ||
| Hammer71 |
You need to get that thing to March Badness. | ||
| Lonexb |
rich hopefully i will be able to take the time off from work this up coming march. brian | ||
| Bads1 |
So are you gonna put the Buell back together??? | ||
| Chippy |
i've got a 03 klx 400 (green drz) love it, even though it's kinda tall and cumbersome. it's geared way down for the woods, so it's not too happy cruising around faster than 55 or so. one thing i will really recommend to any of you with the drz is a high end skid plate. i've rebuilt my water pump twice after eating doo doo in the woods. | ||
| Bigredwood |
What is more important . . . streetable or offroadable. If you are aiming more toward your daily commute . . . look at used 650's. They are all nice and have features that speak to different groups. I am a Honda fan but have always enjoyed a friend's DRZ for the egros. It just fits me better. The 650s are better in traffic and are more than powerful enough to use for passing. If your aim lies in the dirt . . .go for a KLX250s. The 250 thumpers are just more fun in the woods. Unless you are very skilled, the big bikes drop the fun factor offroad quickly. Nothing against the WR, you just have less hassle getting the power out of them. The WR250's are great but come with throttle stop, an crap factory muffler, and the almighty grey wire. Also they come tuned considerably lean. They are a good bike otherwise and I have helped build one up. But the GYTR market is huge for these reasons. The new KLX is a beast out of the box. Besides getting FMF'd, they are breed to be great ISDE bikes. They can easily be upgraded and down right cheaper than the WR's And here is a little tidbit . . . the Honda CRF250X has a street-legal frame. I know this because my CR500AF was street-legaled in 2006. I had a to add a HI/Lo headlight, brake lights, and a horn to get the plates. (in Nebraska, though) She was retired to SM/commute mode after my competitive racing ended (warden denied further requests). I no longer had a purposeful use for the AF north of Ensenada and outside the MX tracks. Thus she became a 600cc killer and a sore arse ride. She is great fun on scoot as long as you are only in the saddle at a hour at a time. You might want to check out this website: http://www.californiadualsport.com/ These guys are great. They not only sell you the parts they will help you with the DMV B.S. Avid enthusiats trying to kill the damn 2004 rule! | ||
| Haus |
KTM has the Duke, its a 640cc single thumper but similar to motard style with the street tires. Real fun bike to ride in city traffic to work too | ||
| Reepicheep |
How well do the CRF250's hold up for accumulating street miles? I wouldn't mind having one, but I don't want to be rebuilding every 10,000 miles just for playing in the dirt. I don't know if the frequent rebuilds on the modern Hondas are because they are engineered to a razors edge, or just because the people that buy them run them crazy hard. If you ride them like a whimp, do they run forever? | ||
| Haus |
KTM DUKE 640cc  | ||
| Miamiuly |
The WR250's are great but come with throttle stop, an crap factory muffler, and the almighty grey wire. Don't think I've read anything about the grey wire yet. Do share. Throttle stop? There is more to go- cool. Muffler and FMF tuner are pretty cheap. A larger tank will be nice when available. Mine is stock for a skidplate and I'm still pretty happy so the rest will be icing on the cake. We are talking about the wr250R, the dual sport model correct? That is my bike, not really related to the others in the WR line up except by name. (Message edited by miamiuly on November 22, 2008) | ||
| Bo_sox |
Hey Fresnobuell - I'm in the same situation as you. I'm really getting the itch to add a dual sport to my garage. Tons of wet weather and riding a Buell to a muddy & rocky construction site isn't always the best combination. A dual sport would work perfectly when a motorcycle would be a good choice, but my Buell isn't the most practical or safe. I've done a bunch of hunting and pecking in the local factory bike shops and I'm really impressed with the Kawasaki KLX 250s. Great looking plastics, ergos, actually set up for medium offroading, small and lightweight. I've had a lot of friends that have had the bigger dual sports (400's & 650's) and most of them say they do great on the street, but aren't the best off road. Little too big and on the heavy side. Don't get me wrong I'm not bad mouthing these machines, I'm just passing on info. I've heard. I guess it just depends on what you want the bike to do. If you're not interested in long distance riding (roll the Buell out for that) maybe a 250 might be the perfect answer. Take off for half a Saturday and head up in the hills, hit some dirt trails on the way home from work, and load it behind the camper or trailer and take it camping...perfect. Seriously, do yourself a favor and go look at the 2009 Kawi KLX 250s. Just my 2 cents. Good luck! | ||
| Miamiuly |
The klx is a nice bike, I just liked the yami and it's Fuel Injection and have a thing for Yamaha from the past. I'm sure I would be equally happy with the klx. Not sure if it is a 6 speed though. Haven't ridden as much as I'd like but a 190 mile day so far no problem, lots of it off road. I finally decided on the lighter weight vs the bigger cc. I am less worried about getting it stuck or unstuck. It really surprises me on highway type roads, just uses more gas at that pace. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Kawi just came out with their 25O SM.... Not like I dont know how to outfit 17inch wheels with some muddy tires. And I did love my Kawi KLR 250... ah memories. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Bo_sox and everyone, thanks for the input. Unless something changes at the IMS in San Mateo or Long Beach (not sure which one I will be going to,) it will be a 250cc. I have yet to decide if it will be the WR or the KLX. But even narrowing it down to two bikes, will let me focus to make the best choice (for me of course.) Keep the opinions coming! It's great to hear everyone's opinion and experience. | ||
| Danger_dave |
>>it will be a 250cc.<< Cool - out of interest - in my parlance that is a trail bike - not a dual sport. What says the group? | ||
| Cityxslicker |
MORE trail than dirt, though maybe that new 250 SM is just the opposite | ||
| Miamiuly |
Anyone read Japanese, not sure if I posted this link before. Edit- yep I posted it earlier, but they describe the bikes kind of like slicker did. One more road than dirt (X,) the other more offroad than on (R.) http://www.yamaha-motor.jp/mc/wr/index.html (Message edited by miamiuly on November 22, 2008) | ||
| Typeone |
make sure you give the Husky TE 310 a look  i love my TC 250, runs like a top, planning to throw a 300 kit in it.  Lonexb, that 610 is badass! ive been seriously considering a SMR510 or Aprilia SXV 550 (leaning toward the 5.5, pure sexxx) | ||
| Reepicheep |
Not sure what to call it anymore. A street legal trail bike or a street legal woods bike would be the most descriptive terms I can think of. Thing is, my neighbors CRF-450 is lighter then my KLR-250, with a better center of gravity, and certainly less streetable. Dirt bikes have come a long way since 1985 | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Here are a couple that pique my interest Sachs X-Road KTM 450 EXC Harley XR750 Armstong MT-350 Royal Enfield Scrambler Ural Gear Up Kawi KDX 400 Yami WR250, Honda CRF230, Suki 250 SB, Kawi KLX250SF Hyousong RX 450 Buell 400-450 SM/DS/MX Harley SX350 Harley MX250 And the bike that started it all for me, The Honda XR75 with a light kit. | ||
| Danger_dave |
BMW X-Country. I thought it was outstanding. |
