Patster said:

( I am a XR650R lover. You need to go to Arizona they are easy to Plate here. I plated mine in January of this year Now street legal.

Lots of great advice here, thanks!  So I guess that for a dual sport bike suzuki seems to be the manufacturer of choice. So the only complaint on the 400 is the narrow hard seat and the tall seat hight? Other than being heavy, is there any other complaints about the 650? Is the seat comfortable on long trips?  I havent even found a 650 in any of the shops around here!
  Also what kind of range are you guys getting on a full tank of gas with these bikes.  Lots of questions I know; but answers like I'm getting are really helpful to a guy that has never owned a bike like these.
                                                   thanks  Rick


   Are there any magazines devoted to the dual sport crowd?

I own a DR650se 2003 ,mileage stock was between 45 and 50 mpg. after I rejeted and replaced the stock pipe  with a supper trap, mileage went down to about 35mpg, Yes has way more power and noise also but I like it like that, I replace the stock seat with a gel seat,difference? almost nothing, some guys said that if you want a more comfortable  seat , needs to be a Corbin,I do own a DRZ 400,which I use on the trails, DR650 easy to ride on the  streets, lower seat, both   good bikes

Honda XR650R all the way!
My step-dads got one, and when I occasionally ride it around, wether it be on the street or the dirt, it is wonderful. Gobs of low end tork just waiting to be used. It is also comfortable on the long street rides to work and back.

On my DR650 the rear end can only take about 50 miles on the stock seat. A Corbin is definetely something I can see happening in the future. My 2006 is still stock except for the sprockets (14t cs & 45t rear),and tires (Maxxis 6006's): 45-50 mpg is the range although it depends on how much you romp on it!
There is a bimonthly magazine devoted to Dualsports- Dual Sport News.
It can be seen at  www.dualsportnews.com .

I'm 6'4 255 and my plated KLX400r(DRZ) halls me around just fine and is really good in the tight woods. I've seen new 03 KLXr's on ebay as low as $3500/$4000. Can you really beat that for a leftover 400?

Hello everyone.  This is my first post here, my questions are near to the original post so thought it would be best to just reply here.

I have been out of bikes for a long time, my last bike being a Honda 350 Scrambler, burgundy and white 2-tone tank and dual upswept pipes.  If you remember those then you know where I'm coming from.

I have been reading posts here for weeks and doing other research trying to figure out what bike might be best suited for my use.  I have visited a few bike shops and set on a few different bikes but haven't found the one on the floor that I am leaning toward, the DR-Z400s.  I have seen and set on the DR650SE, KLH650 and XR650L.

This is the kind of riding I expect to do.
I have a 40 minute commute to work, 4 lane state hwy. I will ride the bike as weather permits.

I will ride dirt roads, jeep trails, power line right of ways - trail riding not trail racing. I like to get out and explore with the camera and guns, that kinda thing.

I also anticipate  occasional rides within a 100 mile radius of where I live.
I am 5'9" and 200lbs. heading for 170ish where I belong:-)

I thought my mind was set on the DR-Z400S.  Today the owner of a shop told me the 400cc bikes weren't designed for any sustained highway speeds above about 55mph, that a 650cc machine would serve me better.  Those bikes seem somewhat heavy for any trail riding but maybe one gets used to it.  This shop owner also seems to prefer the KLH over the DR's even though he sells both.  To me the DR's seem to be a little more bike but I have no experience with either.  I can buy the XR650L cheapest around here, $4983+tax, but I don't think that would be for me.

I am within a day or two of buying something and realize only I can decide for myself, but any help with your experience will be appreciated.

So how do you lean, 400-650, DR-KLH?

Thanks for reading and any response.

Great questions..... I'm in the same situation, although I have more time to shop.  The DRZ 400 seems like a light powerful and nimble bike, but I too wonder about highway cruising.
    Anyone??????

I have 2 of these bikes in my garage right now. The XR650L and a DRZ400s (girlfriends bike).   I have ridden both of the bikes extensively.  We were kind of like you guys, had a short list of preferred bikes.  We ended up with the bikes we have because we got good deals on them used.  Here is MHO.  The DRZ is snappy, much better for trail riding, lighter and handles better.  I love the XR for the same reasons many people hate it.  It's simple, air cooled, old technology (aka time tested) and just plain works (had some electrical problems with the '05 DRZ). We normally do 4-7hr rides on fire roads or in the desert.  About 2 hrs into the ride my girlfriend is normally trying to sucker me into taking the DRZ because the seat is just brutal (I'm not fallin' for that one).  I guess my bottom line is the same as you have seen over and over in this post.  It depends on what kind of riding you will be doing.  I love the XR for all day fire road and desert riding.  The drz is the way to go if you ride more technical stuff.  I don't have any experience with the KLR but I hear it's the best of the bunch for road riding until you move into the BMW.