Dr250 vs XR250L vs DR250

[tgm]

Havn't had a bike for a few years and a bit out of date. How do theses 3 stack up?? Looking for a new bike mainly for trail type riding but to take to work the odd day etc too? Looked at WR too but at this stage maybe prefer something with a little less maintenance.

How does the XR250L compare to the older model XR250 of around late 90s?

[Zukin]

Hi TGM

First welcome to KB

I have both the XR250 (1996) and the DRZ250 (2006)

For the road
I prefer the DRZ250, it is a lot quieter and agile, with its stock gearing it is a lot smoother and faster than the XR250

Offroad
Haven't really had the chance to ride the DRZ offroad, so cant compare here sorry, but by all accounts it will perform okay. The XR is a real workhorse offroad , just go to have the right tyres, which is always a compromise when using it on the road too

My choice would be the Suzuki
Others will disagree but it comes down to personal choice

[T-Thunder13]

ive got a 99 xr250 and it goes really hard off road couldnt be happier with it. go the honda

[merv]

I can tell you about the DRZ250, the XR250L and the WR250F but can't tell you anything about the TTR250. I assume you are talking new bikes here.

As Zukin says its personal choice, I spent some time telling Zukin about the flaws of the Suzuki but he preferred that in the end. (Search my earlier posts on this if you like).

It depends exactly on what you want to do with the bike. I'm into trail and road and have got old and lazy and expect a good trail bike to handle everything you throw at it.

For me issues with the Suzuki are: the motor is too buzzy and its difficult to hold traction on slippery surfaces, the type of flat slide carb it has coupled with the buzzy engine and a lot of driveline lash makes for bloody jerky riding, so on tricky trails, gravel roads and even on curvy sealed roads its a bitch to ride smoothly and at 10/10 - you end up only going 8/10 and feeling like a novice on it. On top of all that it has a rather close ratio 6 speed gearbox and high stock gearing but if you gear it down so first is low enough for serious trail the ratios are just way too close.

The XR250L is the more road oriented version of the trusty XR. It has a very smooth engine and CV carb on it and it has the same wide ratio gearbox the XR250R had, though it is geared up stock for the road with a 40T rear sprocket instead of a 48T. Because of the wide ratio box it still has a lower first gear than the DR while having a higher 6th gear good for cruising on the road. I find my XR smoother with less vibration on the highway than Mrs merv's DR650SE so I'm happy to take mine on longish trips like this we did on Saturday http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=45786. In comparison to the Suzuki I find this bike puts a smile on my face because of its plush ride and smooth torquey engine. You could commute on one of these every day and trail ride in the weekends and do that for a long time as typical Honda it is built to last. The only down side is it is heavy for a 250 even compared to the Suzuki.

You'll see I have a WR too, mine's now 3 years old. I bought it before the XR250L was available. I bought it because one test ride showed me what a brilliant motor they have and I traded my Suzuki on it. Remember though they basically are an enduro race bike - mega power for a 250 and light weight. On the trail it is fantastic - it doesn't make you just smile like the Honda does, it makes you all stupid and you laugh in your helmet out of sheer joy as to how fast it is and easy to ride. Its like riding an XR200 with about double the power and extremely stable handling. There is nothing I can fault the Yamaha for except I would have loved a 6 speed gearbox on it to slow the revs down a bit on the road because while it will top out at about 165km/hr its doing 13,000rpm at that speed and doing 7,800rpm at 100km/hr. The most amazing thing about the WR is how it pulls like a real thumper unlike the Suzuki, something I thought a short stroke motor wouldn't do. The only downside is engine longevity so that is why when they became available I bought the XR as well. I use the WR for real dirt work with less highway and the Honda for the more highway less dirt type rides. So far I have done no work at all on the WR engine coz I'm lazy like that now. If I was hard out racing it I guess I would be doing the piston and rings as often as recommended.

For an allrounder I'd go with the XR250L, but if you ride to work short distances and want to do decent trail work in the weekends the WR will make you beam, just maintain it well. The newer WR's have a smaller gas tank than mine so fuel range won't be great, I'd say only about 120 - 130 km whereas the XR will do around 250 km.

Your choice.

[southernman]

in regardes to the question about the TTR 250 i ride one as a daily comuter, and weekend trail basher and for me it would be the best of the best bikes i have ever owned witch are ,88 dr250 2003 drz250,2004 drz400, 90 xr250, 95xr250, . these were used as trail bixes only but for me were all not right all went well just all had silly little problems. but the yamaha is just a dream to use. The only complaint is the tall gearing needs a smaler front sprocket 13 tooth makes hills on the trail better. but all in all bloody good bike for me.

cheers phill b.