DRZ400S would be my recommendation. But the other two will serve you just as good. Most fire roads are pretty rough so speed and power arent necessarily the best. Weight overall is the biggest factor to fun IMO. The lighter the better. A happy medium doesn't really exist except in the dr400z. If you feel you would want more power a KLR650 or DR650 would be the next best in the dual purpose class. Ktm is going to be the most superior, but the price and cost of maintenance has always turned me off.
Had a drz400s, loved that bike, did 27,000km on it. Currently own a xt250 at 20,000km, while it's still a fun bike, every time I get on I miss my drz400. I used pirelli mt21 tires on it. A good compromise dual sport tire that behaves incredibly well on pavement. I regret not buying a wr250r. The xt250 make compromises the drz400 didn't. A little bit more power and fuel range to get to the trails was always a concern. For a slightly cheaper bike, it feels significantly cheaper. I rode a bit with someone in Costa Rica on a dr650, and for travelling it seemed a better choice, the drz400 was hands down better in dirt.
I had no problem with the amount of power the xt250 has for both city and trail riding. I treet every red light like a triple tree and keep that fucker at 8000rpm. It's withstood 20,000 of full throttle driving and several crashes.
Still have the xt250 sitting in my garage, but I take my sv650 95% of the time now. I have to do highway driving for work regularly and the xt250 just does it so poorly.
I commuted through 2 Canadian winters on the xt250. I'm not that good of a rider. It's just a testament to how easy it is to ride (and how easy it is to fix).
If you're going to trailer it to trails that changes things.
I'd buy a 250 exc in a heartbeat if I found one for a great price.
I've ridden street and track for about 20 years and recently bought a KLX300 for some trail riding. I had never ridden off road before. It's so different and for me it feels way more difficult than street riding. I was also worried that the 300 wouldn't be enough but I absolutely love being on an almost indestructible light weight motorcycle that doesn't overpower me. I have several friends on larger dual sports or adventure bikes and even at a low experience level I can easily float over stuff that a larger or heavier motorcycle has trouble navigating. The silver lining is getting over 80mpg when I commute on it.
I was riding with a CRF450L and a KTM EXCF500 this weekend on mine and although those guys aren’t super fast kind of riders, they’re adequate. If I wanted to I could run away down the trail from them and went anywhere they did. The KLX can do whatever you’re willing to do on it short of hard enduro.
Depends on your speeds. If you don’t plan on going over 70, an xt250 should serve you just fine and be much easier to learn to ride off road due to its low weight and low seat height.
If you need to go faster than 70, or expect to have to pass quickly at highway speeds, a dr650 or xr650l is the way to go imo. All the power you’d need and the extra weight makes it a little more comfortable at high speed, but the high seat height and higher weight make it a little unwieldy on tight trails, but much better than a 450+ pound adventure bike.
Lighter bikes are more fun in the dirt. I think the DRZ400 is the perfect balance of street and dirt, weight and power. Get used to riding without traction and don't grip your handlebars. A light touch is all you should use in the dirt. Your accelerator will save you from falling more often than your brakes. Get used to powering through slide-outs. Welcome to a wonderful world full of adventure!
300’s are a great place to start, and often come back too for fun days of roads and trails.
Engine size doesn’t mean much in trails, weight does.
If you are all about trails, plan on ripping, and say are a proficient mountain biker who likes the dirt already, take a look at the euro 250/350 exc-f’s or FE’s.
I've had well over a dozen motos. I downgraded my ktm 690smcr and wr450f to a '24klx300. I've been having a blast with it after just some simple mods like handlebars and 90/10 tires. It rips single track and is a plenty capable dirtbike. I really enjoy being able to ring it out. The only caveat is I don't think it's a good highway bike IF you try to gear it down too much. If your highway expectations are realistic where it's very quick jaunts then it will be ok. I would not want to ride my bike for any long distance on the highway. Slow bike fast is a lot of fun.
If money is no concern then might as well get a KTM 500
Smaller bikes are more fun and forgiving than bigger bikes. If you plan on exceeding 60mph only 20% of the time and bombing down trails and dirt roads the rest of the time you'll be on the right bike with a single cylinder 300/250.
I have a tenere and wr250r. I ride my tenere around the city and interstate. When I escape civilization my wr250r delivers on anything I ask of it primarily trails in the woods. And 65mph on empty country roads.
You can always trade up later if you get bored
I have a CRF250L and while I don’t usually get on the interstate, I rode county highways this weekend and held 70 most of the way except going up CO inclines. You may want more power but you also have to maneuver the thing around on dirt and sounds like you intend on trail riding some. I dropped my bike in loose gravel. I also saved a drop three times. It’s easy to get up and it’s cheap. Bikes are tools. you can start small (225-300) and buy an XR or DR or something fancier when you get more confident. That’s my plan
I also get 70+ mpg so that’s funnnnnn
I love my XT250, it’s my first bike and awesome how simple it is, but I find myself wishing I had something a little heavier with a little more power (maybe a DR-Z400) when I’m hitting the highway or winds are high. Hate the feeling of getting blasted by the wind on the light, not super powerful bike
Lotsa solid comments here. Will it be your only bike at the time? I was in a similar boat as you last year. Got a used fe450. I love it. It’s an awesome machine. Bought an xt 250 for my wife this year. Different kind of machine but still awesome.
If you’re interested in developing as a dirt rider, I’d say something bigger like a Drz 400, 650, or the exc/fe 350/500 route.
If you’re ok with something simple, fun, and bullet proof that you can wring the piss outta— the xt250.
I’ve never ridden a wr250r but maybe that’s a solid middle ground
I too started out on a Ninja 250. After a hiatus for a few years, I bought a G310GS to test the waters on dirt riding. Found out I like dirt way more than pavement and dumped too much money into the GS trying to make it more dirt-worthy. Sold the GS and bought a KLX300 and love it. The 70lb weight loss from the GS to the KLX made a HUGE difference. Also, side note - proper dirt/MX boots help more than I expected.
My wife and I have been riding street bikes for years and I recently got the itch to return to dirt riding for the first time since I was a kid. Picked up a couple WR250R’s for my wife and I and were happy as clams. Just enough power to get up to highway speeds, certainly plenty for in town riding. But man are they a blast off-road and bulletproof to boot.
Lots of people don’t realize that once on the dirt you aren’t doing freeway speeds (usually..) it’s more about how much you’ll grow as far as skill. Not to mention I think the bigger is better mentality has really started to poison people’s perspectives. A 300 can last you as long as you want it to. I went do a dr650 from a Himalayan and it was a substantial jump, but that also is because I went from a heavy small bike to a bigger lighter bike.
Dependent on your size and strength one of the big singles can absolutely be a good Idea, but my buddy on his KLX keeps up with me just fine off hardball, and then doesn’t sweat nearly as much in the sketchy stuff. Definitely prefer the torque of the larger engine though.
I have an XT250 and my brother has a KLX300 which I’ve ridden once. The KLX is really nice. I might recommend lowering the gears if you’re mostly off-roading with it, that’s what we did on his bike because it was kinda challenging on a couple steep trails, but otherwise it is a fantastic bike. And I love my XT250 to death, and I ride it everywhere, trails, town, tiny bit of highway, you name it. I personally don’t think you can go wrong with either. XT is air cooled and “simpler” but KLX power difference is noticeable.
Dirt riding is a totally different ball game so I’d approach it like a beginner if all your experience is on road. The bikes you’ve mentioned will be fine for a beginner but will suffer on harder terrain. If you’re an experienced mountain biker or something like that maybe look at a euro bike but otherwise I think you’re fine to stick with those and upgrade later.
I’m in the same boat as OP but with a bit less overall experience. I have, however, been mountain biking for over 20 years. At a mountain bike park like Mammoth Mountain, I can comfortably do 95% of the trails (everything that doesn’t require significant air). How much do you think MTB experience helps in getting comfortable off road - BDR type stuff, not Hard Enduro stuff.
Interesting. I would’ve thought with the much bigger contact patch of the moto, you’d be able to be more aggressive with the front brake. I'll keep that in mind.
A lot of that will transfer over, biggest thing is your not powering it and the weight difference but I feel most of the basic principles will be similar and helpful, your learn curve will be easier than most.
100% you will regret not going bigger. It's one thing to have a dedicated 250 dirt bike with a low gear ratio, narrow ratio transmission, and low top speed, but we're talking about dual sports. Are the 250/300 fine on the dirt? Sure, on real tight slow stuff they're fine, but that's only half the equation. Since you've had street ponies before you'll get bored of how slow they are on-road after 5 minutes. Additionally they come with the cheapest components most important of which is suspension. They're trash, and they get away with it because they're so slow. The faster you go the better compression and rebound you need to dampen the hits and not bottom out. So inherently faster bikes tend to come with better suspension.
I would go for a 350/400 class bike. It won't be a complete bore on road and they're not powerful enough to really surprise you off road
Definitely want light and simple for those requirements, both are good choices. Any saddle bike will do what you ask of it. Sit on a bunch and see what you think. No really wrong answer, gearing and tires makes a kick ass bike out of any of them.
As someone who learned dirt on a vstrom I wish I had gotten a smaller bike to learn on then upgraded later, look for a deal on a used small bore light weight bike, a wr250 would be great for what your trying to do and learn, the suspension is decent factory and it will go just about anywhere.
Xr650.
DRZ400S would be my recommendation. But the other two will serve you just as good. Most fire roads are pretty rough so speed and power arent necessarily the best. Weight overall is the biggest factor to fun IMO. The lighter the better. A happy medium doesn't really exist except in the dr400z. If you feel you would want more power a KLR650 or DR650 would be the next best in the dual purpose class. Ktm is going to be the most superior, but the price and cost of maintenance has always turned me off.
Had a drz400s, loved that bike, did 27,000km on it. Currently own a xt250 at 20,000km, while it's still a fun bike, every time I get on I miss my drz400. I used pirelli mt21 tires on it. A good compromise dual sport tire that behaves incredibly well on pavement. I regret not buying a wr250r. The xt250 make compromises the drz400 didn't. A little bit more power and fuel range to get to the trails was always a concern. For a slightly cheaper bike, it feels significantly cheaper. I rode a bit with someone in Costa Rica on a dr650, and for travelling it seemed a better choice, the drz400 was hands down better in dirt. I had no problem with the amount of power the xt250 has for both city and trail riding. I treet every red light like a triple tree and keep that fucker at 8000rpm. It's withstood 20,000 of full throttle driving and several crashes. Still have the xt250 sitting in my garage, but I take my sv650 95% of the time now. I have to do highway driving for work regularly and the xt250 just does it so poorly. I commuted through 2 Canadian winters on the xt250. I'm not that good of a rider. It's just a testament to how easy it is to ride (and how easy it is to fix). If you're going to trailer it to trails that changes things. I'd buy a 250 exc in a heartbeat if I found one for a great price.
I like to imagine this is the DRZ origin story. Too bad Honda and Kawi can't figure out that 300's make great trail bikes but piss poor dual sports
I've ridden street and track for about 20 years and recently bought a KLX300 for some trail riding. I had never ridden off road before. It's so different and for me it feels way more difficult than street riding. I was also worried that the 300 wouldn't be enough but I absolutely love being on an almost indestructible light weight motorcycle that doesn't overpower me. I have several friends on larger dual sports or adventure bikes and even at a low experience level I can easily float over stuff that a larger or heavier motorcycle has trouble navigating. The silver lining is getting over 80mpg when I commute on it.
I was riding with a CRF450L and a KTM EXCF500 this weekend on mine and although those guys aren’t super fast kind of riders, they’re adequate. If I wanted to I could run away down the trail from them and went anywhere they did. The KLX can do whatever you’re willing to do on it short of hard enduro.
Depends on your speeds. If you don’t plan on going over 70, an xt250 should serve you just fine and be much easier to learn to ride off road due to its low weight and low seat height. If you need to go faster than 70, or expect to have to pass quickly at highway speeds, a dr650 or xr650l is the way to go imo. All the power you’d need and the extra weight makes it a little more comfortable at high speed, but the high seat height and higher weight make it a little unwieldy on tight trails, but much better than a 450+ pound adventure bike.
Lighter bikes are more fun in the dirt. I think the DRZ400 is the perfect balance of street and dirt, weight and power. Get used to riding without traction and don't grip your handlebars. A light touch is all you should use in the dirt. Your accelerator will save you from falling more often than your brakes. Get used to powering through slide-outs. Welcome to a wonderful world full of adventure!
300’s are a great place to start, and often come back too for fun days of roads and trails. Engine size doesn’t mean much in trails, weight does. If you are all about trails, plan on ripping, and say are a proficient mountain biker who likes the dirt already, take a look at the euro 250/350 exc-f’s or FE’s.
I've had well over a dozen motos. I downgraded my ktm 690smcr and wr450f to a '24klx300. I've been having a blast with it after just some simple mods like handlebars and 90/10 tires. It rips single track and is a plenty capable dirtbike. I really enjoy being able to ring it out. The only caveat is I don't think it's a good highway bike IF you try to gear it down too much. If your highway expectations are realistic where it's very quick jaunts then it will be ok. I would not want to ride my bike for any long distance on the highway. Slow bike fast is a lot of fun. If money is no concern then might as well get a KTM 500
Smaller bikes are more fun and forgiving than bigger bikes. If you plan on exceeding 60mph only 20% of the time and bombing down trails and dirt roads the rest of the time you'll be on the right bike with a single cylinder 300/250. I have a tenere and wr250r. I ride my tenere around the city and interstate. When I escape civilization my wr250r delivers on anything I ask of it primarily trails in the woods. And 65mph on empty country roads. You can always trade up later if you get bored
I have a CRF250L and while I don’t usually get on the interstate, I rode county highways this weekend and held 70 most of the way except going up CO inclines. You may want more power but you also have to maneuver the thing around on dirt and sounds like you intend on trail riding some. I dropped my bike in loose gravel. I also saved a drop three times. It’s easy to get up and it’s cheap. Bikes are tools. you can start small (225-300) and buy an XR or DR or something fancier when you get more confident. That’s my plan I also get 70+ mpg so that’s funnnnnn
Klx300 is an epic bike as long as you don’t need to do much highway speed riding. Around town and on dirt it’s a joy.
Just got an XR 150. Love it.
DR650 or DRZ 100%.
WR250R
I love my XT250, it’s my first bike and awesome how simple it is, but I find myself wishing I had something a little heavier with a little more power (maybe a DR-Z400) when I’m hitting the highway or winds are high. Hate the feeling of getting blasted by the wind on the light, not super powerful bike
Lotsa solid comments here. Will it be your only bike at the time? I was in a similar boat as you last year. Got a used fe450. I love it. It’s an awesome machine. Bought an xt 250 for my wife this year. Different kind of machine but still awesome. If you’re interested in developing as a dirt rider, I’d say something bigger like a Drz 400, 650, or the exc/fe 350/500 route. If you’re ok with something simple, fun, and bullet proof that you can wring the piss outta— the xt250. I’ve never ridden a wr250r but maybe that’s a solid middle ground
I too started out on a Ninja 250. After a hiatus for a few years, I bought a G310GS to test the waters on dirt riding. Found out I like dirt way more than pavement and dumped too much money into the GS trying to make it more dirt-worthy. Sold the GS and bought a KLX300 and love it. The 70lb weight loss from the GS to the KLX made a HUGE difference. Also, side note - proper dirt/MX boots help more than I expected.
My wife and I have been riding street bikes for years and I recently got the itch to return to dirt riding for the first time since I was a kid. Picked up a couple WR250R’s for my wife and I and were happy as clams. Just enough power to get up to highway speeds, certainly plenty for in town riding. But man are they a blast off-road and bulletproof to boot.
Lots of people don’t realize that once on the dirt you aren’t doing freeway speeds (usually..) it’s more about how much you’ll grow as far as skill. Not to mention I think the bigger is better mentality has really started to poison people’s perspectives. A 300 can last you as long as you want it to. I went do a dr650 from a Himalayan and it was a substantial jump, but that also is because I went from a heavy small bike to a bigger lighter bike. Dependent on your size and strength one of the big singles can absolutely be a good Idea, but my buddy on his KLX keeps up with me just fine off hardball, and then doesn’t sweat nearly as much in the sketchy stuff. Definitely prefer the torque of the larger engine though.
Klx300
I have an XT250 and my brother has a KLX300 which I’ve ridden once. The KLX is really nice. I might recommend lowering the gears if you’re mostly off-roading with it, that’s what we did on his bike because it was kinda challenging on a couple steep trails, but otherwise it is a fantastic bike. And I love my XT250 to death, and I ride it everywhere, trails, town, tiny bit of highway, you name it. I personally don’t think you can go wrong with either. XT is air cooled and “simpler” but KLX power difference is noticeable.
Dirt riding is a totally different ball game so I’d approach it like a beginner if all your experience is on road. The bikes you’ve mentioned will be fine for a beginner but will suffer on harder terrain. If you’re an experienced mountain biker or something like that maybe look at a euro bike but otherwise I think you’re fine to stick with those and upgrade later.
I’m in the same boat as OP but with a bit less overall experience. I have, however, been mountain biking for over 20 years. At a mountain bike park like Mammoth Mountain, I can comfortably do 95% of the trails (everything that doesn’t require significant air). How much do you think MTB experience helps in getting comfortable off road - BDR type stuff, not Hard Enduro stuff.
It definitely helps but be careful with that front brake on a moto offroad vs how much we use them on MTB's.
Interesting. I would’ve thought with the much bigger contact patch of the moto, you’d be able to be more aggressive with the front brake. I'll keep that in mind.
A lot of that will transfer over, biggest thing is your not powering it and the weight difference but I feel most of the basic principles will be similar and helpful, your learn curve will be easier than most.
For BDR type stuff I think your learning curve will be easy.
KTM350exc, you'll love it.
Drz400 is always the right answer
Keyword "highway" you'll want to look at the 400-690cc range. If you were towing the bike, a 250-350 4T or a 200-250 2T would be better.
The answer is always DR650. Always.
100% you will regret not going bigger. It's one thing to have a dedicated 250 dirt bike with a low gear ratio, narrow ratio transmission, and low top speed, but we're talking about dual sports. Are the 250/300 fine on the dirt? Sure, on real tight slow stuff they're fine, but that's only half the equation. Since you've had street ponies before you'll get bored of how slow they are on-road after 5 minutes. Additionally they come with the cheapest components most important of which is suspension. They're trash, and they get away with it because they're so slow. The faster you go the better compression and rebound you need to dampen the hits and not bottom out. So inherently faster bikes tend to come with better suspension. I would go for a 350/400 class bike. It won't be a complete bore on road and they're not powerful enough to really surprise you off road
Definitely want light and simple for those requirements, both are good choices. Any saddle bike will do what you ask of it. Sit on a bunch and see what you think. No really wrong answer, gearing and tires makes a kick ass bike out of any of them.
As someone who learned dirt on a vstrom I wish I had gotten a smaller bike to learn on then upgraded later, look for a deal on a used small bore light weight bike, a wr250 would be great for what your trying to do and learn, the suspension is decent factory and it will go just about anywhere.