My friend is looking to buy dual sport he relly wants a xr650 supermoto because he thinks he is to big for the Z 230pds .I told him it cost alot to change into a moto + he thinks the xr is so much faster but i dont think so:lol:

Tell him you know a guy who is 6'4" and 365 and he rides a zed. That Red pig is just taller, heavier and slower than the DRZ.

A little suspension work and you will love it.

Send him to Ohio and he can ride mine.

Well I just happened to check out the KTM690 on Sunday that I met up with. That is another option for him. Especially if he plans on modding it. The KTM is fuel injected and looks pretty bad ass!

Sure, if he wants to pay double just to start out.

I'm 6-02" and 225#+ before gear, and my little '09 stocker gets me around just fine!

Check the "Adams Track Day" thread in here for vids of it in action if he doesn't trust you.

650R yes. 650L no thanks.

Brakelate said:

I was under the impression the KTM could be had in the $8000 range. If thats true, then its actually a pretty sweet deal for something that is already totally tricked out.:banghead:

kenr74 said:

agreed. if it was a plated 650r in SM trim and it was just going to be used as a street bike it would be tempting. The L model is a steel frame, air cooled pig. It hasnt really been updated since the 80s. The R model is an aluminum framed, liquid cooled 60hp hog:)

shift1313 said:

Its a hog with a cork in its snout and a bung in its butt, until you get rid of those its closer to 50 hp.

Goebz said:

de-restricted yes. but stock drz have the same downfall too:thumbsup:

A friend of mine asked me if he should buy a DRZ or a KTM. We're both former road racers (he was *definitely* a better racer than me, he has won 2 national championships, one in 125gp and another in endurance racing) and we both like good power and good suspension.

I told him that at a minimum he'd need to put $1000 into an FCR & SSW pipe, plus some dyno time to make it run right. Then, another $750ish for suspension work. That's getting into KTM money, and they work pretty good out of the box.

About the original question, I had a 650L, and even with the motor tricked out, the thing was still heavy and hard to ride fast in the dirt.

Quote

Yeah, the DRZ doesn't feel nearly as top heavy as the XRL. The DRZ literally feels in comparison like light motorcross bike when comparing the two.

ive riden both and i dont like the feeling of the xr because its top heavy and i cant touch the ground

shift1313 said:

Yes this is true, they are both pigs out of the box. And they dont make the R anymore. Too bad those things were the kings of Baja.

Goebz said:

Yeah i dont know why honda even made the 400 or 650 L. They should have left those in the past and made the R models the focus. Maybe there will be a crf650x model? :ride:

bmack262 said:

I've spent some time on both bikes(currently own 09 drz400s), kinda hard to compare the 2. Off road the DRZ dominates, lighter, more agile handling, better gear box ratio for off road.:thumbsup: :thumbsup: On road, seat sucks for long rides, and i always find myself looking for that missing 6th gear, but in a drag race, the DRZ will spank the XRL.:p :p
Don't get me wrong, the XRL is good off road if you can handle that kinda bike, its just heavy and the gear box seems better suited for the road use compared to the DRZ.
If you have a long commute, the XRL is the bike to have, better gearing for road use, nice fat comfy seat, and it can cruise at 70mph all day long. Probably the best thing for the XRL650 is a pipe, jet kit, and eliminate the emissions, it really brings it to life.
The best thing to do is to try both bikes, if you can. They both have their pros and cons. It all comes down to what fits the intended rider.

I have both machines. The XR650l is uncorked and jetted. The DRZ is stock.
Both bikes in their current state are very close in power. The Honda suits me better for the road because I'm 6' 2". It doesn't feel top heavy at all. The DRZ is an impressive machine but a bit too small for me on the road. In the dirt the DRZ feels more at home than the XRL. That said... My KTM 525EXC
makes both machines lethargic, heavy, and boring. I guess you have to take the bad with the good. The KTM is much more expensive and is a time bomb waiting to explode.

I had a 2005 XR650L and now have a 2008 DRZ400S. The Z is lighter, faster, more powerful than the 650, much to my surprise. I am a bit beyond the 250 lbs mark. The Z feels way more comfortable weaving through city traffic or snaking through the rocks. My XRL scared the poop outta me every time I turned the bars at slow speeds. Everyone has their preferences, but the XRL's seat is no barcalounger either.

The XR650L motor wakes up with a air filter change, desnorkling, a couple enlarged holes in the CV slide and a shim under the needle. Gearing helps too. Removing the emissions does nothing significant for horsepower, just weight loss. Which compared to the overall weight of the bike, is like me going commando to save some weight. The XRL is a torque monster, but it can't keep up with the more powerful DRZ. You won't need shift as much in the slow stuff on the XRL.

I read in another post - don't fall for the "big guy needs a big bike" myth. If I could have test rode the two, I would have chosen the DRZ400S.

For street use, the high-revving DRZ is way more fun.

ON EDIT: My next bike will probably be a WR250R