WR 250 vs DRZ 250 vs KLX 300 ?????

[soundbeltfarm]

looking at getting rid of the DR and not to sure what i want.
has anyone here ridden 2 or more of the above?
what did you think of them.
i might try a few out next week.
this will be used for trails only and i dont want a real snot rocket as tried a mates RMZ 450 today and it was a nightmare in the deep ruts full of water .
just to much power for me.

[kro]

KLX300 is by far the best value for money imo, I have ridden an 06 model lots this year, and even with my 6'4 100kg carcass on it, it would pull the front wheel up on the power in second, but it's not loopy 450cc style power, it's way more usable.

DRZ 250 is a rock solid beastie too, and I found it handled well, and had more power than I knew what to do with as well. The DRZ would be a very close second.

[Woody@nztrails.com]

this will be used for trails only and i dont want a real snot rocket as tried a mates RMZ 450 today and it was a nightmare in the deep ruts full of water .
just to much power for me.

Mate, I thought along this line myself when I decided to upgrade. I had a KLX250 for 5 years and had tried out a mate's WR450 and felt it was too much. I wanted a KTM and thought the new 250 out this year would be just the ticket. Tested it and it just didn't suit me - took home a 450EXC the following weekend, sure it would be too much but it turned out to be awesome! My riding & confidence has improved already after 3 rides - even had the courage to have a go on some jumps which I'd never take the old KLX on! Can't wipe the smile off my face.

I guess what I'm trying to offer is that, if you're looking at a model that offers both a 250 & 450 option, try em both. If you're already down to the models listed, the KLX 300 is the best value for money but the WR has the electric leg!!!

[ArcherWC]

Dont know if it is an issue, but the WR will require more maintenance than the other two

[chris]

WR250, no contest. The KLX is OK but can be hard to start when hot (no electric start). The DR-Z250 is......alright.

[crazyxr250rider]

Screw the DR-Z man imagine your current bike with shiny plastics and spongy suspension and you have a DR-Z, the klx is a awesome bike but a little dated and WR250F is an Extra nice piece of machinery!!Also modern enduro bikes being designed to take a real hammering means they last a lot longer
(exept for CRF250's which are prone to valve faliure,incorrect valves were instaled in 2006 model WR/YZ250F however bikes affected were recalled to have the problem rectified)

[dammad1]

I've ridden them all and if I had to choose it would be the WR by far. But with that said I think they are all a bit boring to ride, but thats just because i'm used to riding two strokes, it just depends what you want out of riding? I'd rather the excitment of a two stroke.

[Firefight]

the WR best by far in the tight stuff imho(forest/narrow tight trails) what sort of rides do you go on ?

not sure about you, but value for money is not my main consideration when buying a bike road/or off road.

but I guess ride them all and form you own idea, give merv a pm he's got a WR and got lots of off road knowledge.


F/F

[cowpoos]

WR250, no contest. The KLX is OK but can be hard to start when hot (no electric start). The DR-Z250 is......alright.

I agree on the WR it is the best bike...but someone that is an average rider will get more out of a KLX in my opinion...having owned all three of these bikes...and currently having a KLX300 [which is forsale but not the reason I'm suggesting it]...recently getting rid of my DR-Z250 my worker used...the DR-Z is a piece of shit....they blow starter gears regularly...the motors are gutless...painful to kick start if you need to...the KLX is a piece of piss to start hot or cold...cold...no throttle choke kick once maybe twice...hot...full throttle kick once or twice...same if its flooded...I'm not sure where chris gets his opinion from about starting but mine was a daily farm vehicle till a month ago and was the most reliable offroad bike for starting I've ever had...
the KLX's are soo user friendly...and have a exellent motor...I used to do big organised trail rides in canturbury when I was down there on my old KLX300 regularly making most of the piolets on their MX mad machines look slow...
WR are great bikes...I don't really need to say much more about them....but they do cost a fair bit more than a KLX and will cost more to maintian...a workshop service on my KLX usually costs around $40-50...ya can't say that ain't cheap?

don't touch a DR-Z... get a WR or KLX...

[merv]

I had a DR250R, the model just before the DRZ and they have only changed cosmetically since. I never liked that bike it just had the wrong engine characteristics to make it a good dirt bike (let alone a number of other short comings) , so after much looking around Brendan Keogh convinced me to go riding with him on his WR while he rode a shop YZ at the time (This is almost 3 years ago now Jan 2004). I was sold then and there.

The Yamaha has a fantastic motor and the bike is light and its an incredibly stable bike to ride. To me it made me feel like I was riding a bike as light as an XR200R with the bottom end pull of the best of the old 250s (read XR250) and it got good traction right off idle with that proper thumper feel. Then open it up and it screams like a race engine topping out at over 160km/hr. Every time I ride my WR (and remember I'm an old codger now) on dirt or gravel it just makes me laugh in my helmet at the sheer joy of riding it.

I bought it hurriedly in 2004 just before the Pukemanu Adventure ride and was glad I didn't have to ride my Suzuki again. At the end of the ride I said as I checked in "hey I wouldn't mind going around again" that is how easy it was on the WR. Every ride since I have felt exactly the same about it. Its slightly hard on your arse on the highway. Mine is running the as supplied "street" gearing with the 14T front sprocket on, and it came with the 13Tin the box for harder dirt stuff.

My only concern with the WR is engine longevity because I keep my bikes a while and these days hate pulling engines apart - no time. It is a race engine remember. So a year ago I also bought the XR250L to do the distance stuff with a bit of dirt thrown in and keep the kms off the WR. Compared to the WR it is a nice soft smooth easy ride more road oriented as you'd expect and drinks less gas so I can cover a nice wide spectrum of riding with my bike choices. XR tops out around 135-140km/hr and its heavy 128kg dry versus 102.

You sound like you want more trail than road so buy the WR (latest models have a smaller gas tank than mine), but if you want to do less dirt and more road buy the XR.

I can't comment on KLX I have just never bought Kawasakis.

[KiwiDan]

looking at getting rid of the DR and not to sure what i want.
has anyone here ridden 2 or more of the above?
what did you think of them.
i might try a few out next week.
this will be used for trails only and i dont want a real snot rocket as tried a mates RMZ 450 today and it was a nightmare in the deep ruts full of water .
just to much power for me.

Did you manage to sort out what bike you might want to own ?.
if not, I have a WR 250 - 05 model that belong s to my girlfriend comming up for sale now. Shes don about 40 hrs on it.....Call me if your still in the market.

095364408 or 02168 4435

[Henk]

The DRZ is pretty much an updated version of what you have.
Having ridden all of them I'd go for the WR. I'll also throw the KTM400 exc into the hat.

[Soodog]

go the WR250F, easy to ride, reliable if you maintain it correctly and fun too.
bit more expensive to run then the others. the klx good value for money except no electric leg and a bit borring. Don't go DRZ its no beter

go for what you feel more comfortible on. so demo them first

:rockon:

[chonkers]

as a matter of fact ive just got my firts dirt bike a 2007 klx 300 and i love it:woohoo: the power is there when i need to and the motor has a lot of low down torque, but happily revs up, i have had no experience with the other 2 bikes but would also like to add the klx feels very light cause of the low down weight

[Hads]

I had a 2014 KLX 250s for a while, good bike, reliable and e-start was cool. Suspension was OK, it was not as good as the WR, but it cost a lot less.

[SVboy]

DRZs possibly offer best bang for buck. Don't underestimate the electric start as a valuable thing. DRZ,s are simple, good( soft) suspension. Quite heavy and low in power. Slide carb version better than CV carb one. I have two!