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xr650l or wr250r

Wow! I thought the XRL was a popular bike. Don't know what to do.

The XLR is a 2005 with 18,000 miles, metal luggage bags, 6 gal tank, and other cool stuff. It feels at this price I can try it for a couple months and get all my money back if it doesn't work out.


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:tab Sadly, I think far too many people today feel about marriage the way you feel about the bikes..., if they even bother with marriage at all... :doh:

From a guy who is still married to the lady he was sweet on in high school I'd say it's all about compromise. Something both successful nuptials & bikes require.
 
Wow! I thought the XRL was a popular bike. Don't know what to do.

The XLR is a 2005 with 18,000 miles, metal luggage bags, 6 gal tank, and other cool stuff. It feels at this price I can try it for a couple months and get all my money back if it doesn't work out.


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if its a deal, get it man. Ive got buddies that ride them like nobodys business. You are a larger frame guy if I remember your post right, so it should be doable. Im 5'8" and 140 and I pick up the DRZ with ease the first 4 or 5 times, only time I really wished for a lighter bike was in Arkansas in the rough and rocky stuff, but I had never ridden that terrain before either. The XRL is only about 50 pounds or so heavier than the DRz depending on the variant and the WR is no lightweight either but the power will be noticeably more. Ride it for 6 months or a year if you like it, and ride as many other bikes in the meantime if your curious about it.
You should be able to get your money back at least barring a total destruction of the bike. Pull the trigger
 
Wow! I thought the XRL was a popular bike.

The XRL is a popular bike. I, like many XRL owners, really like mine.

Like every other bike, the XRL has weak spots and areas that can be improved. The DRZ, WR, and every other bike you can think of has limitations and constraints - not the same ones as the XRL but they all have issues. For example, the DRZ is hampered by a very narrow 5 speed transmission and the WR is down on power compared to other dual sport bikes. And so on.

I've owned both a DRZ and a XRL and I prefer the XRL. But that's just my preference. There are undoubtedly others who prefer the DRZ over the XRL. It's just a matter of personal choice.

Since you are still agonizing over this decision I would like to reiterate a previous point; it doesn't matter which bike you choose, you aren't obligated to stick with that choice for the rest of your life. Pick one and ride it for 6 months to a year. By that point you will know if you want to stay with that bike or try a different one. If you want to try a different bike then sell your bike - if you have cared for it you should be able to sell it for about what you paid for it - and use the money to get a different one. Repeat as often as needed until you are satisfied (or until you join the ranks of those of us who want to own every dual sport bike).
 
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Hello, my name is bigdon and I am a Thumperholic !

I've owned and ridden most of the available Dual sports.
I have no experience with KTM thumpers but have owned a XRL.

I took the XRL in trade and sold it before riding it much. I have never been attracted to them so don't know anything much about the ride and handling.

I spent some time on a Wr 250 R. I tried really hard to like it but it was not to be. It would do just about anything you wanted to do but you had to ride the crap out of it. If you like shifting gears you will love it.

I sold the WR and bought a DRZ 400 s. It is pretty much the perfect bike for me, the way I use it. It is very capable on the trails and dirt roads that I ride and with GOOD EAR PLUGS will run down the highway at legal speeds + for hours on end. I don't find the close ratio gear box a problem.
If going 500 miles or more to ride I prefer to haul it.

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Obviously we're biased but the consensus seems to be that the 400s offer a nice balance of low weight and power. Plus, both the DRZ & XR being lauded on this thread can be acquired cheaply, have a plethora of parts and accessories available for them and (perhaps most importantly) are bomb proof & more easily trail maintained than some of the more exotic equipment out there.
 
Hello, my name is bigdon and I am a Thumperholic !...If going 500 miles or more to ride I prefer to haul it.

DSCF1478-X2.jpg

Bigdon that looks like a perfect dirt road for a V-Strom or other big adventure bike to cure your thumper addiction. Then no need to haul the 500 miles to Arkansas. Whatcha doing there with that little thumper? I don't see any rocks like Patagonia, Lol

Trail Boss has the right thinking. Buy something/anything at a good price and ride it. If not you can resell it to get your money back and rinse/repeat. Almost any DS will be lighter and more nimble than a KLR but not necessarily more dirt worthy with a skilled rider aboard. Plated dirt bikes converted to a DS are an entirely different story though. Anything you buy will probably be modded anyway. Although I've never been a KLR fan boy they can be modded correctly to be an impressive off road machine.

_
 
Bigdon that looks like a perfect dirt road for a V-Strom or other big adventure bike to cure your thumper addiction. Then no need to haul the 500 miles to Arkansas. Whatcha doing there with that little thumper? I don't see any rocks like Patagonia, Lol

Trail Boss has the right thinking. Buy something/anything at a good price and ride it. If not you can resell it to get your money back and rinse/repeat. Almost any DS will be lighter and more nimble than a KLR but not necessarily more dirt worthy with a skilled rider aboard. Plated dirt bikes converted to a DS are an entirely different story though. Anything you buy will probably be modded anyway. Although I've never been a KLR fan boy they can be modded correctly to be an impressive off road machine.

_

That was a perfect road for my 990.
As I age, I watch the weather more closely.
That trip was during the Memorial Day Floods of 2015 :rofl:.
I wised up or woosed out( you pick) and hauled my little bike. :rider:
 
From a guy who is still married to the lady he was sweet on in high school I'd say it's all about compromise. Something both successful nuptials & bikes require.

Well said.

If I were a multiple bike kind of guy, I'd also start a cult and get 3 wives. ;-)

My DS bike list is limited, but VERY applicable here

KTM 520- Don't even waste your time, and especially $$

Drz400 E- supermoto conversion, (could swap dirt wheels).. This was a pretty cool bike. With the sumo stuff, and gearing I had on those wheels, I could cruise 65 all day. Ohh my god it FEELS heavy and cumbersome, but that relative.

Klx300- such a weak bike. It feels like you're riding a toy. There's nothing exciting about it, other than it weighs what an MX 250/2 does, but has really flexy forks. Also, I think the motors are garbage, like most Suzuki/kawi mash up bikes. The intake valves mushroom out at an ALARMINGLY high rate of speed, and any klx300/250 you get will most likely need a valve job. All the new 250 guys put 300 cylinders on thses bikes, and there is such a tiny sliver of aftermarket replacement parts.
(Its a great wife/buddy bike/tight single track)

Xr400- I traded up from the KLX for this. Sitting on it makes the KLX feel obsolete, in regards to durability. I've fallen in love with this bike and still haven't even rode it much. The aftermarket is HUGE, but the stock bike is plenty. Everything is so easy to access, well thought out, nothing underdone, and just the right amount overdone. There are comrade machines with adaptable parts. If say you trash a head, a new one is $350 off eBay. They respond well to a few affordable mods, and like many other higher-end bikes, can be built for raw power. They're air cooled, reliable, and make great power exactly where you want/need it.

IMHO, it is the closest thing to a do all dual sport that I've thrown a leg over.

The drz 400 is cool, right up until you've gotta push it, anywhere. As previousky stated, the transmission sucks, SO BAD. you wrap out fifth, and will be looking for sixth, but its not there. Split the cases and throw in an ACT wide ratio trans, and have the drum cut.... $600. If you get an E model, you may as well have an air cooled bike, as there's no radiator fan. If you gwt the S/SM model, you may as well have a stupudly heavy klx300. The battery is WAY too small, and adding a bigger one is tough. They will run the battery down after a spill, still not start, and leave you wondering how you're gonna start it, or should I say, which hill you're gonna use to roll start it. My E model had the 434 big bore kit, yosh cams, nice open exhaust, and the FCR which I had tuned on a dyno. My freshly built xr400 with 10.5:1 piston, head porting, exhaust, and pumper carb FEELS like its got way more power to play with. Maybe because its over 60lbs lighter..

The only other bike I'd consider replacing it with would be a 650l. Better manners on long rides
 
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Thanks for the input everyone. I went with the pig! See you in the wild!!
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...
IMHO, it is the closest thing to a do all dual sport that I've thrown a leg over.
...

Better keep throwing that leg over as plenty more DS bikes besides your limited list. You state "IMHO" but really it should be more along the lines of "for my intended use". DS is always a compromise and you must tailor your choice to which end of the spectrum you want the most boxes ticked. There is no one single perfect or best bike for everybody at any cost, period.

Whatever you have just ride it, only then will you know how it serves you. You can always upgrade or add another complimentary bike to limit your intended use spectrum of the other bike.

_
 
Better keep throwing that leg over as plenty more DS bikes besides your limited list. You state "IMHO" but really it should be more along the lines of "for my intended use". DS is always a compromise and you must tailor your choice to which end of the spectrum you want the most boxes ticked. There is no one single perfect or best bike for everybody at any cost, period.

Whatever you have just ride it, only then will you know how it serves you. You can always upgrade or add another complimentary bike to limit your intended use spectrum of the other bike.

_


FOR ME, it is the closets thing to a do-all dual sport. :rider:

That or a 650l
 
Maybe it's sentimentalism, but riding motorcycle is about inspiration, not about practicality or comfortable cruising speed or MPG or techno gadgets.

This, ultimately, is why I'm rolling on my KTM625 instead of my XR650L. I COULD get used to the XRL ergos, change my oil twice as fast, not worry about water coolers getting beaten up, not worry about the maintenance schedule, not deal.with fork seal leaks...

...just ride uninspired. I'm speaking personally, of course. It's really a GREAT bike.

BUT I do love my XR250. I don't intend to that bike go for a looonnnngggg time.
 
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This, ultimately, is why I'm rolling on my KTM625 instead of my XR650L. I COULD get used to the XRL ergos, change my oil twice as fast, not worry about water coolers getting beaten up, not worry about the maintenance schedule, not deal.with fork seal leaks...

...just ride uninspired. I'm speaking personally, of course. It's really a GREAT bike.

BUT I do love my XR250. I don't intend to that bike go for a looonnnngggg time.

holding_breath_zps36fd57be.jpg
 
Maybe it's sentimentalism, but riding motorcycle is about inspiration, not about practicality or comfortable cruising speed or MPG or techno gadgets.


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txta4uThApE"]South Park Mr Mackey mmkay - YouTube[/ame]
 
My name is Philip and I have an addiction...

:giveup:
Mi nombre es Ezequiel y yo soy un adicto tambien. It seems like after every adv ride, I change my setup, modify something and want the bike the guy in front of or behind me has. Ohh well, its part of the adv fun. BIG toys for BIG boys and don't forget Gina.
 
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