Bike

[wbute]

Saw a brand new husqvana TE449 in Mudgee today. 2011 model, $8500. TE250 same age and new, $8000. These are based on the old BMW GS450. Bit weird looking but a good bike.
I have a 2012 Husaberg FE450. It would make as good a commuter as any bike. Feels good on the road and is rated as generally the closest out of the crate race bike. My 2008 CRF450X was the worst bike I have ever risen on the road. Most magazines now rate these as a trail bike. Go figure.
Basically, you can't buy a bad dirt bike these days.
Yes the TTR250 is another more than capable commuter and they were the pick of the 250 4 stroke class in the late 90's.

[hdt134]

I've got a ttr 250 I like it but I only use it in the bush. A guy at work has a one owner late model 07 or 08 ttr 230 for sale wants about 3 k

[HK1837]

Ive ridden all the bikes you have mention and this is my take;

XR400 and XR600 have had their day (gameover, its all E-start now) and have been replaced by the DRZ400 and DR650 for the past 10yrs, which are now being classed as oldskool too, but compered to the latest and greatest out there they are more reliable,cheaper, and a lot less maintenance required.


Depending on how much road to dirt riding you do should determine which bike you need;

XT & TTR 's : oldskool big and heavy, same class as the XR's (imho)

DR650: 70% road 30% dirt, better for longer commuting, slapping big tanks and racks on for adventure riding and fine for light dirt work, eg fire trails.. bulletproof engine,good torque, very oldskool, and poor suspension if looking to do more then just commuting

DRZ400 E: a true 50/50, not too much long distance commuting and you'll be fine (seat not the best for long trips) - great trail bike easily keeps up to the modern MXers on the trails...with comments like "oh.. not bad for an old DRZ" as you kick their arse up some snotty hill.
bulletproof performance eng, low maintenance,good on road and heaps of af/market gear...top seller year after year!

DRZ400 S : 70/30, FORGET ABOUT IT....trust me!.. better to fit different tyres to the E model if doing 100% road.
the S model are only popular in the US because they cant get a DRZ E registered over there,
There is a big difference between the E and S models mainly engine/carby wise

DRZ400 SM: 90/10, has the same engine as the S (very de tuned) but has better forks (USD) and 17" motard wheels.. most owners modify them to E specs engine making them a good supermotard commuter for everyday road use,smooth and low vibes,
but at an extra cost of motor performance parts/work and dirt wheels to be the same as the E model, also theres more involved converting a SM to dirt wheels. (better converting an E model to SM and back imho)

WR250 R: 50/50, have to agree with wbute, good bike but a little soft on the power for open road, still a fun bike if your after something lighter for the bush and trips down to the shops,..suited more for the first time,lighter riders

WR250 X: 90/10, as above but a supermoto version (17' wheels) would make a great little bike to run around in town on, but is lot more involved converting to dirt wheels then the wr250r is to convert to 17' rims and back.



The thing is with bikes these days, most are built for a specific purposes only, be it for road, racing, dirt what ever.. they dont like to venture into other fields

The last few yrs ive been in the motard scene and have a race only supermotard (Husky450RR), ultimate weapon on a race track but no good for road use, same go's for all MX type 250/450 registrable bikes, they hate the open road... enduro models with bigger cc's do alot better, eg KTM690


For a road rego, daily rider bike, ive converted my DRZ400E to SM by adding a motard wheel setup, (17' rims, sticky tyres & bigger brakes) which makes it a lot more enjoyable on the road and when blasting up twisty mountains on the weekends it leaves big road bikes for dead...
Then when Im ready to get dirty i slap on the dirt wheels (21/18) setup, takes about 45mins to change over and Im set for any dirt trail i meet, its like having two bikes in one.

The drz400e with a little compromise dose it all pretty well, ive used my for road, dirt, commuting, adventure trips, enduros and go-kart tracks without a hitch,
not the best in each field but dose it well enough to not be a problem, i'd have to say its the most versatile bike out there for a road/trail.



Anyway its a good idea to take them all for a run to see which suits you best,...
whichever you choose, buying a 1-2 yr old bike with low ks and the normal mods already done will save you alot from buying new,
in most cases if looked after will resell for close to the same money 2 years later.



Old Holden's and bikes.... love it!
.

Excellent advice. I'll go take a better look at the DRZ400E. I wonder if I can buy tyres like come on the DR650SE and put on it for commuting? These bikes are pretty cheap new, like just under $8k rideaway. Being yellow too they'll stand out more than a grey DR650SE which blends into the tar!. And like you say if I picked up some secondhand stock wheels I could mount the original off road tyres on them and swap wheels when I go riding in the bush.

[HZSMR]

I wonder if I can buy tyres like come on the DR650SE and put on it for commuting?

sure can,the S model have the same set too, so easily changeable onto the E..

If your buying new most good dealers will throw some gear in to sweeten the deal - if you ask, normally a helmet & gloves or a jacket, but in ur case you'd be better off asking for the street tyres to be fitted on the E rims and getting to keep the knobby tyres to slap onto some other rims for dirt rinding, i reckon they go it easy enough.

It dose makes life easier to have another set of rims, they don't need be flash for bashing around in the bush so should be able source cheap enough, but in saying that they can also be changed quite easily by urself at home or in the bush if your good enough, only takes some practice and a couple of tyre levers.

another point to make with the E model like most LAM bikes they are massively restricted from new and most dealers( i haven't heard of one that hasn't) will derestricte them to a point to get some power happening, but at a cost of the exhaust becoming alot louder from removing the bung thats in there restricting it, not ear piercing like a harley, more like a normal mx dirt bike loudness, some reckon its too loud for the road but most people are fine with it, they are even louder again with an af/market pipe fitted like my.



There is a saying in the bike world... " loud pipes save lives"


good luck bike hunting.

[playwme]

It's probably easier to find a set of cast 17" road wheels that have been converted to run on a DRZ than it would to find a good set of dirt wheels with disks.

(although I still maintain my opinion that the the Suzuki's are heavy overpriced dinosaurs compared to the offerings from Yamaha at the moment based on considerable seat time on all of them)

[HK1837]

I talked to a few guys over the last few days and they reckon with my height (6'5") and weight (120kg) the WR250R is too small engine wise, plus apparantly 250cc bikes are a lot harder to sell in NSW nowadays as rego is the same for a 400 or 650. Right now i'm leaning towards a DR560SE or DRZ400E. I'd rather a Yamaha or KTM but neither really make what I need. I've been quoted as low as $7300 rideaway on a DR650SE, and a little more on the DRZ400E. I've been told by 5 x different shops selling any number of brands that the best one to learn on and sell/trade very easily later is the DR650SE. I had a talk to VSM in Inverell and they reckon the only mods I would need to make it really suitable for me would be a changed rear spring, Renthal bars with hand protection and possibly lowered footpegs plus a bashplate (just in case). None of this is very dear and can be done on a new bike. Front springs aren't that much either. The dearer stuff is bits like a replacement pipe but not really necessary for what I need it to do. I'll get my Learner stuff done and then see what is on offer. I even got offered the Kawasaki equivalent today of a WR250R (KLX250 I think it is) for $5500 brand new, which is pretty cheap but still probably underpowered for my size.

[wbute]

Byron go for the DR650 or 400. Either will be good. I don't know your off road plans but the 450 will be easier in the dirt, the 650 will still be good, but it will eat any longer distance stuff.
Bash plate is mandatory in my experience. Vince is the man in the know for these bikes for sure.

[HZSMR]

HK1837 your size changes a few things... most dirt/trail bikes are sprung for a 75kg , 5'5 - 6ft rider,
anything over 95kgs well most likely need a suspension upgrade.

if ur leaning towards Suzuki ;

DR650se will pull your weight a lot better especially on the open road... but has a lower seat height.

DRZ400e will suit your height better (after fitting bar risers)... but has less torque for pulling weight.



get ur learners license - test ride - then buy the bike you like.

[HK1837]

Probably the best advice!

They can raise the DR650SE a bit too.

[HK1837]

I dropped in at Vince Strang's this morning in Inverell and had a talk to Vince. By his advice the DR650SE is the go for me. All I need to do is replace the rear spring and fork springs ($450), lower the pegs (less than $100), Renthal bars ($200 I think), hand guards (stuff all), engine and frame protectors (about $200 or so fitted) and a rear rack with bag to put stuff in to carry to work. He said later on once i've got through all the learner phase and got used to it then a staintune pipe and matching jets will make it nicer, and also once the tyres wear out there are others available as good on road but better off road. Once the chain gets some wear then maybe replace it with a 530 chain and lower gearing if I want to have a bit more fun offroad. It is amazing how nuch these things look like an old 1980's XR6xxR when you have a good look at them. We used to convert these old girls into trikes in the 80's, one of these would make a good one too.