Is my brother looking for the impossible?

[sw3dl1]

Originally Posted by mas335

Thanks but 250cc is his limit, he really wants no less than a 350cc but those choices are limited.

Mark,
His price point is a little low, but there are a few good XL250l's still out there. Most are not e-starts though. If he were to step up a little, the Honda CRF230L is a pretty nice machine. It was up-staged by the CRF250L last year. I have a few miles on my 230 and love it. After many years on Transalps and NX650's the 230 was a bit of a departure from my usual riding style. I still have both my NX's but I seem to be putting more miles on the 230 then the others. Easy to ride.
Don

[cjbiker]

Another vote for the Super Sherpa. It fits his criteria perfectly. Be patient and you'll find one. Once winter is over, the used bikes will begin popping out of the garages and barns looking for new owners.

If you're willing to travel a bit, here's one for sale now:

http://savannah.craigslist.org/mcy/3595412991.html

[SloMo228]

What about an older CL350 scrambler or similar? They're easy to find for well under that price point, for $1500 you can probably find one in very good condition. Smallish bikes with a low seat height, pretty sure you can find one with e-start, they're definitely street legal and more road-oriented than any dual sport, but he'd still be able to ride it on gravel roads. Plus, they're pretty cool-looking.

[mas335]

Originally Posted by sw3dl1

Mark,
His price point is a little low, but there are a few good XL250l's still out there. Most are not e-starts though. If he were to step up a little, the Honda CRF230L is a pretty nice machine. It was up-staged by the CRF250L last year. I have a few miles on my 230 and love it. After many years on Transalps and NX650's the 230 was a bit of a departure from my usual riding style. I still have both my NX's but I seem to be putting more miles on the 230 then the others. Easy to ride.
Don

Hey Don, I told him you can't find much for that kind of money, he's not going to ride it much and just doesn't want to spend much on it. I don't know much about the CRF230 but I thought they were relatively new and out of his price range. They also look very small, kind of like the DR200 which to me looks like a big mini bike. I'll take another look at them.

Weren't you planning on doing the TAT, surely not on the 230?

[mas335]

Originally Posted by SloMo228

What about an older CL350 scrambler or similar? They're easy to find for well under that price point, for $1500 you can probably find one in very good condition. Smallish bikes with a low seat height, pretty sure you can find one with e-start, they're definitely street legal and more road-oriented than any dual sport, but he'd still be able to ride it on gravel roads. Plus, they're pretty cool-looking.

I think I know what bike you are speaking about but aren't they kick start only and fairly old? He's not a mechanic and getting a CL350 in decent trouble free condition are not easy to find around here plus wouldn't he be on ebay for parts?

[mas335]

Thanks, this bike is high on the list, I forgot about them, how do they differ from a KLR250?

Thanks for the link but that is a long haul from here, someone mentioned one for sale in Raleigh, NC and I found it on CL but it seems extremely high priced, at the least it is way out of our price range.

Originally Posted by cjbiker

Another vote for the Super Sherpa. It fits his criteria perfectly. Be patient and you'll find one. Once winter is over, the used bikes will begin popping out of the garages and barns looking for new owners.

If you're willing to travel a bit, here's one for sale now:

http://savannah.craigslist.org/mcy/3595412991.html

[mas335]

I found my answers on the KLR250 vs KL250, the KLR is our due to the kick start only.

[sdd04]

Sherpa is also lower at the seat, around 30 inches, and air cooled.

[sw3dl1]

Originally Posted by mas335

Hey Don, I told him you can't find much for that kind of money, he's not going to ride it much and just doesn't want to spend much on it. I don't know much about the CRF230 but I thought they were relatively new and out of his price range. They also look very small, kind of like the DR200 which to me looks like a big mini bike. I'll take another look at them.

Weren't you planning on doing the TAT, surely not on the 230?

Mark,
I have plans of doing the TAT, I thought this year, but got side tracked a bit. I'm building a NX650 for that endeavor.
Going to do the Shadow of The Rockies ride in May. Going to start in southern New Mexico, follow the trail into Colorado. Going through Utah and will end up in Reno. Going to us the 230 for that ride, about 1300 miles. They are a bit on the smallish side, but that makes them easy and fun to ride. Pretty neat little bike, 6 speed, disks front and back, air cooled, carb, and pretty light weight. Most of all, Honda reliability.
Don