Unreasonable Expectations: Trail AND Long-Haul Capable

Good call, I guess I've assumed it was the S model with a few things removed. But I guess it could be the base model and someone ADDED tail light and headlight.

Touche sir, touche.

The WR250R is a dog off the line stock but once you do "the usual mods" (airbox, exhaust, programmer), you might be suprised by the hit when you twist the throttle. Modern water-cooled fuel-injected high-compression powerplants are a far cry from the old 250s (there's no comparison between my WR250R and my '83 XL250R). It won't be snappy at 50mph and up but on tighter single track, it's rare to run out of power (at least for me).

I happen to love my 650L. although the throttle response is awful and the front suspension is really weak, those are the only real complaints I have. If you are tall, there is no more comfortable bike for cruising. It's the tallest seat height I have ever experienced on any bike. You can find them on craigslist in the high $2K range all day long

That said, I have a secret lust for a dual sported XR650R. The combination of water cooling, large oil capacity and far better suspension makes up for most of the issues of the L model while making a good platform for dual sport. While I thought I wanted lockable steering, turn signals, a cush hub, luggage capacity, and full instrumentation, I found out for what I do, some of those things aren't necessary and the L doesn't even have some of the others!

The DRZ is a versatile dual sport and they supposedly have 40 hp but I was unimpressed with the middling amount of torque.

Eventually, my 530EXCR will become my dual sport when wear out the L. It already does almost everything better than the L. With the Honda's seat, it would be better in every way

Alright, I could go on all day about my favorite topic, but I will step down now.......for a while

Edit: now you've done it. I may have to donate some plasma to put this beauty in my garage:

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/mcy/3605582098.html

Add a Trailtech Vapor or something to the DR350. Then a pumper carb, big-bore, cam, and exhaust.

If you want even more, trade up to a DR650SE. They can be built for over 50WHP, and suspension can be built however you want. With the oil/air-cooling it works great. They run about 366 curb. Sometimes less. Weight is pretty easy to strip off this bike, and the bigger tanks typically carry a lot of the weight lower than the stock DR tank does. A GSXR 40F0 muffler drops over 7lb, compared to the stock DR muffler, and while not very loud, it flows well enough to use richer jetting. Stock DR mirrors, bars, and lights/signals are often swapped for better items too, and many of these better items are much lighter.

The DR-Z400S can be built up too, but doesn't have the wide-ratio gearbox of something like a DR...unless you want to throw a big chunk into a wide-ratio gearset. They ARE now available for the DR-Z.

IMO - The bike you really need, you would have to build. You want/need a Ninja 250/300 motor, in an off-road capable chassis. I hate singles, for any street work. They all feel too vibey for prolonged periods of cruising.

That looks downright beautiful! The weight is unreal, and the weight to HP ratio is solidly better than my DR350 by almost 2lbs per HP less when wet. Also difficult to put a price on the fact that the bikes been gone through so thoroughly.

Good find.

Maybe someday I can make that a reality, unfortunately I don't have the money or time for an endeavor like that.

Yeah that looks pretty unbeatable for what you're wanting to do, especially at that price. A few years ago I might have been tempted to drive to New Mexico for that bike.

From a bit of research, the DRZ400e seems like a likely candidate (thanks to all who pointed me that way). A bit of sportbike tech went into the pistons, the powerplant puts out 48 hp and she weighs in at 262lbs dry. That seems like a nice ratio.

Any input on these bikes? I've seen a couple in my area and I'll probably go take a look at 'em. They're coming in right in my budget ballpark for the early models.

Also, this forum is the worst thing to happen to my work productivity in a while... Lovin' it.

As a DRZ400e owner, I love the bike. Fly-weight, it's not. 48 hp seems very optimistic. You're limited to one manufacturer for racks (see my sig line, not me but inmate Jackpiner57.) The subframe isn't up to massive loads.

The E did not come with a speedo, tach, high-beam or signals stock either. Some were made streetable carefully, others I've seen are a bit of a hack. If the electrics were not done carefully, expect some problems in that area. The stock battery is pretty weak -- you can easily flatten it by cranking the bike after a tip-over. Eddie Sisneros makes a battery box that will hold a battery with twice the cranking power.

You CAN ride them on the road, but they're not the best tool for that, particularly with the E gearing. A common complaint is that the bike really could use a sixth gear.

Part of the light weight comes from having light, thin engine cases. There are some fragile spots on them. A good skid plate is necessary, and case savers are a good idea.

And lastly, the stock seat is an absolute horror. Really one for the trash bin. Fortunately, Seat Concepts makes a good kit for the bike.

Not everybody hates their tingly bits feeling tingly.

Some singles aren't bad at all, IMO. In contrast, I'd rather slab it across the country on a jetted DR650SE or an F650GS single than on most 2cyl or 4cyl sportbikes. Even my 4cyl standard isn't as nice on the slab, and it isn't necessarily because of the motors. The DR and the Rotax 650s are smooooooooth.

This one seems pretty heavily modified, any issues you can see? http://denver.craigslist.org/mcy/3660396050.html

Looks essentially ready to ride with a lot of nice aftermarket stuff on it, although it looks like it's been ridden hard and not babied by any means. I'm in the Littleton/Ken Caryl area if you wanted to check it out before driving down here.

It's not an E, but an S. 290 lbs, 8 less horsepower (different carb). The E has much better front forks than the S in the early years. The S has a better subframe, and a techno-geek speedo cluster. For a 4k miles bike, that sucker looks like it's been rid hard. Does not appear to be the original headlight, and serious rash on the handguards just for starters. Slick rattle-can paint job -- yum.

^^ well that and it has the marking sheet and numbers on it. Looks like it has been in an enduro or harescramble lately. Not hatin', just saying! There are countless examples of pristine, lowmileage DRZ's out there in your price range.

to the OP, i think all of the potential bikes you want will only be minutely better than the bike you already have. A high beam , speedometer and tach are like $100 a way. look no further than trailtech, they make both.

Regarding getting a XR600, XR650,etc... bear in mind they are kickstart only. When you are on those "intermediate" trails here in the rockies with a stalled bike on a cliff face, you will love the E-starter. Its frankly a must have these days for trailriding.

I really like the wr250r but i would be willing to bet they dont make a whole lot more power than the DR350 that you already have.

Many folks prefer the DR350 over the DRZ400 for the transmission alone!

I have a highly modified DRZ400e and while i constantly waiver over selling and getting a WR250r; the dyno sheets simply dont lie.

Sounds like your recommendation would be to go for an E, do the electronics mods correctly/carefully, get skids + protectors, and go from there?

There are a couple E's in the area that might be worth checking out.

I think these are close enough to my criteria to warrant testing, but I'll be wary of on-road handling and long haul comfort/capabilities.

Thanks!

Thanks for the offer mate! It's not an unreasonable drive for me from Boulder, but given the traffic and available daylight I wouldn't head down till the weekend. I'll wait to give the guy a shout on Friday.

My DR350 is also lacking an electric start. The DR350 claims 30hp while the DRZ400E claims 48hp; comparable weight. Sounds like you're skeptical that the DRZ would handle any better or pull any harder than the DRZ... sorry if I'm putting words in your mouth.

It's not a huge effort to set up an E correctly. Just make sure that you can register it in your state. There are some very nice pre-made wiring looms out there. Potentially the best value is Tusk's dual-sport kit, which comes with everything you need to legalize the bike, but does not include a high-low beam headlight.

http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/44/54/227/1156/-/26724/Tusk-Motorcycle-Enduro-Lighting-Kit/drz400e+dual-sport+kit

The mirrors that come with the Tusk kit are crap. Get one from Neduro of Dakar fame. His are the goods.

As to headlights, check in the vendor's section. Britannia Fairings are superb, but costly. Inmate Sanjoh makes one that's less expensive, and comes with LED lights that are wicked bright. I have one that's going on my E soon. Or you can simply get the S assembly off Ebay or ask around for one here. The DRZ isn't overly blessed with electric power, so keep that in mind.

You'll likely want new chains and sprockets. E gearing is for trails, not roads.

I'd stay chilled out and keep checking on the Bikes thread here. I've had pretty indifferent luck buying stuff off of Craigs, but inmates have treated me well. You have a much better chance of finding a bike that's been set up correctly.

oh well in that case (lack of E-start), you are probably better off then...

No problem, i agree and that is kind of the inference that i am making. It is: short of an awesome hard enduro KTM, you would be dabbling in the same bike niche (the non-high performance dualsport world).

Is your DR plated? Im also in boulder and wouldnt mind trading for a couple blocks so we could both have a better understanding of what you are working with and want to achieve!