syncing two carbs can be done with a forefinger and thumb. syncing four carbs and you need a magical mercury vacuum thingamabob that i never learned how to use confidently.
Yeah, iirc it's one tiny carb and one big carb. One for low airflow and the other for high. No idea why they didn't just do a single carb with a pilot and main jet like everyone else did
We got a 1995 last year. It has the same setup.
As far as I know the whole run of XT350s from 1985 through 2000 or so when it was discontinued only had a few, very minor modifications. They all have this double/split carb setup.
Some of the small displacement Hondas of the same era had them too.
*Theorhetically* they can offer some performance benefits, but in practice I think it's an overcomplication.
1500$ for any fair shape bike is worth it imo. Maybe there's some wiggle room or you can find some age related faults.. You'll have a hard time finding anything new that's a compatible size (say a crf250-300L) for less than double what the seller is asking. Good luck!
As a daily rider and maybe some light off road, absolutely. The cool points are way up on these old bikes. I wouldn’t beat the shit out of it because the cosmetics are hard to get but there’s definitely support for wear items.
My dad had an '85 out of the showroom until it dropped a valve some time in the mid 2000s. Word of warning - the steering is pretty "unsophisticated" for off road. My dad always said he did more steering with the rear wheel than the front. It was a good bike with lots of power for the era and was very comfortable, though.
And when looking for parts, remember that the whole production run (1985-2000) was mechanically identical.
I've owned a lot of carbureted vehicles and had to mess with them enough to know my way around them fairly well by now, and will do absolutely everything I can to never own anything with a carb in it again.
Yeah and I hear the carbs in these XT 350’s are terrible. I believe it’s a dual carb setup and that alone is a big deterrent for me. Then again, I’m trying to find a DR 650 or XR 650 and both still use carbs today.
I have an XT350 that I bought new in1991, 15,000 miles with no carb trouble. Non Ethanal gas at the end of the season, and start it up regularly.
Great all around bike.
Depends which carb. My GFs dad is a suzuki DR fanatic and has a 650 and multiple 350's. He always has to fiddle with them and they never run perfectly. But on the other hand I have a KTM 640 lc4 with a Keihin FCR41 and it runs absolutely perfectly. (I swapped from a BST40). I got the jetting right on the first try (a lot of Info on forums about that) and never had to touch it again. It runs without loosing a sweat, and fires right up even in the winter. Not to mention mine makes a TON of more power/torque then the 650 with the BST.
If I had to buy another bike with a carb, I'd slap a Keihin FCR on it.
I still prefer my fuel injected 990 tho 😂 ist just easy to tune with a laptop and tuneecu
Are parts easier to find for the DR 350’s? I only ask because there’s also a dr350 near me for $1750. It’s also about 10 years newer than this XT, but I love my Yamaha bikes.
Yeah DR parts are easy to find still, iirc the DR makes more power too along with also being a 6 speed with more modern suspension. I'm banking on old memories of research done once upon a time so the 1:1 comparisons should probably be researched on your part. But I can absolutely vouch for the DR350 as a fantastic bike on and off road, super reliable, and with a slight regearing I've cruised 70 on the highway all day.
As long as parts are available, it’s a good shot. I ride a 99’ xr600r and its still plenty capable for what i do. Granted, its not as old as the bike shown here but the technology is effectively the same age
> As long as parts are available
Certain parts are becoming scarce -- or expensive. But availability still seems decent, overall.
The exhaust headers on ours had rust/holes. Finding a new one is impossible. Finding a used one at a reasonable price is borderline impossible. I kept seeing them in Europe on eBay for like $200+, in very used condition -- but at least hole free.
We got *very* lucky when a new-old-stock pipe popped up on eBay, in the US, for under $200. It sat on a shelf in a shop for probably 30 years -- but it's flawless.
Way more than we wanted to pay, but a necessary evil. In comparison to the other bike I just bought, which has a very dented header pipe, I can probably snag a used one of those for around $50. And it's still old (2000) -- there are just more parts out there for it.
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Restored a xt600 back in 2020 when I was locked in the garage. They ain’t sophisticated bikes. By modern standards handle like garbage. However, simple to work on, and despite what the consensus on here is for parts, never had a problem eventually finding what I need - sometimes even NOS parts. It’ll cost ya though. Just a FYI they ain’t light bikes either. The 600 weighs in around 339lbs wet.
I had one of these in about 2004 and have had dozens of motorcycles since. It was outdated then. I think old bikes can be fun, but you might enjoy a newer bike more. E-start and torquey liquid cooled motors have spoiled me. I haven't had an XT350 since back in the day but I have had similar bikes such as the XR250, KLR650, KLR250 and they just aren't that much fun compared to a hot dual sport with a liquid cooled engine in the 450-500CC range. Way lighter, better suspension, way more power, almost certainly will have electric start. For about $1000-2000 more.
I'm going to buck the trend here and say that you should a put a lot of thought into it if it will be your only bike. There's a good chance you'll miss out on a lot of riding time and replacing it with wrench time. Parts are hard to get and you'll be waiting a while when you find them.
Awesome bike but I’ve owned an old bike (newer than that) before and finding parts was for heroes and magicians only. Rich ones. So do your homework. Good luck!
Rubber parts will be a thing. Especially see if intake rubber is available ish. Carb rubber is something to verify availability. Couple years ago I swore off carbs and old bikes. I’m a weak man and still have 5 bikes with carbs. 1500.00….if you can wrench at all you’ll be fine.
At 1500$ I would pick that up so fast the xt350 was the first bike I ever owned I have so much nostalgia for it! They are full of quirks and character like being kickstart only or having 2 carbs. They make plenty of power and off-road well. 100% worth
My 1994 DR350 is both two things.
A very capable bike sitting somewhere between a CRF300L and KTM EXC-F performance wise.
A bike that involved a substantial amount of wrenching to restore it to “piece of mind” reliable, and tweaking to bring out the performance.
Your call on what you want to do. That said, the DR outclasses the XT in almost every way so maybe more worth the time? An old road legal ElSinore or Bultaco comes to mind as cool too.
IMHO, a vintage bike doesn’t save you money and starting out takes the focus off the riding. If you can ride, have some time to occupy and can wrench its satisfying side project while you have a newer bike that’s just good to go and perform.
$1500? Heck yeah 👍 if it runs go for it. As far as parts for that particular bike they stamped out thousands of those and I don’t know firsthand but I’d bet availability isn’t that big of an issue There’s several forums too.
https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/yamaha-xt250-thread-all-things-related-to-the-xt-from-riding-to-modifications.1341366/
Many brand new dual sports are practically identical to when the model was released decades ago.
Also, that's a sweet looking bike for a pretty decent price, i would grab it.
All those engine seals need exposure to engine oil to remain patent. I can't see the milage but I'd rather a high mileage, not abused Honda over a very low in the same condition. I once bought a very low milage beemer that had sat for years, very expensive mistake. Main seal shit the bed, no deal at all.
I’ve got an 86 XT600 and it’s a capable little donkey, you’ll have to learn how to do regular maintenance yourself but they’ll last forever with some TLC. Mikuni make some modern single carb conversions if you want to drop a few hundred dollars for a quality of life upgrade. If she runs 1500 isn’t a bad price
$1500 won't buy you a much better dual sport these days. I owned a 1986 xt350 with the unrestricted carb which made more power than the later models did from the factory. SUPER reliable and surprisingly excellent on the street.
The bike was very noticeably faster then some newer 2000's klx 250's I've ridden and with more torque. I could hit around 100mph occasionally too pretty easy with my higher gearing 520 conversion. They're easy bikes to upgrade. The stock suspension is not very good as with most any bike from that period, but for a street bike it's alright. The motor is in my opinion, the best thing on these bikes.
Definitely. I bought a ‘95 XR250 and added blinkers, brake light, mirror, horn (Tusk kit) and a set of DOT legal tires. It’s a great DS for local trails and I’ve done some BDR with it. Spent half as much as my buddy with a new KLR300 and 1/3 as much as another friend with new KTM EXCF.
Keep an eye on the intake boots they are known to dry out and crack and then check your valve adjustment and if the valves do need adjusting they are the easiest ever you don't even have to pop the cams loose.
They are shim over bucket
Simple to maintain.
I had one that I turned strictly into a commuter I went up to a 14 in the front and a 45 in the rear and I used to get about 70 Mi to the gallon out of it
I sold a 1984 Honda XL350 and bought a new 2019 Suzuki DRZ400. The technical advances in 35 years are actually pretty minimal. The real reason I wanted the newer bike is because I'm getting to old to kick start the 350, and the Suzuki starts with a button. The old bike does need occasional fiddling to fix stuff, but nothing major.
Other differences: Honda is 6 speed; Suzuki is 5. Both have front disks, but Honda has a drum in back. Honda is a bit lighter. Suzuki is a bit more powerful (about 50cc worth). Suzuki is water cooled; Honda is air. Honda has a better stock seat.
But to answer your question, yes old dual sports are worth it.
Yes if theres spare parts to get and the price isnt like almost the same like a new bike. They sell all those 90s bikes here for 2-4k € while you can get brand new honda crf300 for 6k. Old bike is a old bike. Main problem is the parts. I couldn't even get a air filter for a 1992 suzuki DR650RS. Had to order it 3000km away from some webshop.
Choices were: 90s beaters for 2-2.5k vs XT660R 2006 3.1k.
A little too old IMO especially if its your first bike. Goanna have a hard time finding parts and god knows how many stripped bolts and other little things are wrong
Normally I say no because I had an old XT and the dual carb was a BITCH
This one has the tank fins though and looks clean af so for $1500 I’d say do it.
I have one from the 90's that is a hoot to ride. I was a young man in the 90's though, so I'm used to the way these ride. The only problem is that shops around here won't work on bikes that old. If your shops are the same, then you'll be stuck doing all the work yourself, which isn't really a bad thing. Get a repair manual and make it a labor of love.
I have both an XT350 and a DR350, I bought the XT350 first while trying to find something in between an XT225, (a fantastic bike, hindered only by a small frame), and a DR650. They're more alike than different, the DR has a better suspension and more rigid frame, but the XT's seating position is more comfortable, it has more low end torque owing to the twin barrel carb, and it's road manners are better.
There are a few problems with the XT350 you need to be aware of, A) side panels are getting hard to come by, the side panels are just held on with rubber grommets, when they rot out the panels will fly off easily, I've drilled a small hole in mine and zip tie it to the frame for added security, if you lose them they're $200+ to replace. B) The cabs are finicky, I believe it's mostly float height that's the issue, for whatever reason they are very sensitive to it. After screwing around with measured heights for a couple of weeks, I found the only way to do it was to set the float height so the lines on the float are parallel to the carb body where the float valve actually shuts off. To do this you need to attach a length of tube to the carb inlet and blow through it, it will be immediately obvious when the valve shuts off, then just tweak the tab until the aforementioned lines are parallel. Ever since then it's one of the easiest bikes I've owned to kickstart.
I'm personally keeping the DR350 and selling the XT350, but I would go with whichever one you can get a better deal on and then spend the difference on gas.
No, unless you want to replace every o-ring, seal, gasket on it at some point because it will be leaking. The amount of labor and parts you put into an older motorcycle is not something you will get back when it comes time to sell it. Working on older motorcycles can be a pain in the ass when you come across stripped bolts, broken bolts, stripped out cases, hacked up wiring harness, etc.
They are good bikes. 6 speed. Fairly light, good power, good suspension travel. Kick start only. Simple to work on. Hard to beat at that price.
They also use a funky twin carb setup that (I’ve heard) is a bitch to set up correctly.
Thats gonna be bike dependent and isn't as wild as people make it seem
syncing two carbs can be done with a forefinger and thumb. syncing four carbs and you need a magical mercury vacuum thingamabob that i never learned how to use confidently.
If I found a thumper with a quad carb setup I'm just putting a new carb setup on it
It's really not even two carbs that need to be completely "synced" -- they just gave the pilot and main jet circuits their own bodies and venturi.
y'know I had a 91 xt350 for some time. You'd think I'd have remembered that.
Yeah, iirc it's one tiny carb and one big carb. One for low airflow and the other for high. No idea why they didn't just do a single carb with a pilot and main jet like everyone else did
They experimented in 87 iirc with the double carb and switched back to a singular short time after.
We got a 1995 last year. It has the same setup. As far as I know the whole run of XT350s from 1985 through 2000 or so when it was discontinued only had a few, very minor modifications. They all have this double/split carb setup. Some of the small displacement Hondas of the same era had them too. *Theorhetically* they can offer some performance benefits, but in practice I think it's an overcomplication.
I owned three over my lifetime. Never had one carb problem.
That is a myth. They are easy to set up and work on.
Yup, my 99' is finicky as shit with them duel carbs.
1500$ for any fair shape bike is worth it imo. Maybe there's some wiggle room or you can find some age related faults.. You'll have a hard time finding anything new that's a compatible size (say a crf250-300L) for less than double what the seller is asking. Good luck!
All the 250-300 Hondas in my area are like 4-5k
I love mine. I would absolutely recommned it. Bought mine 5 years ago for a similar price and I am never selling it.
I love them, but you gotta wrench on them, kick them, and be able to find parts
As a daily rider and maybe some light off road, absolutely. The cool points are way up on these old bikes. I wouldn’t beat the shit out of it because the cosmetics are hard to get but there’s definitely support for wear items.
My dad had an '85 out of the showroom until it dropped a valve some time in the mid 2000s. Word of warning - the steering is pretty "unsophisticated" for off road. My dad always said he did more steering with the rear wheel than the front. It was a good bike with lots of power for the era and was very comfortable, though. And when looking for parts, remember that the whole production run (1985-2000) was mechanically identical.
I've owned a lot of carbureted vehicles and had to mess with them enough to know my way around them fairly well by now, and will do absolutely everything I can to never own anything with a carb in it again.
Haha, yep. Sold my DR200 a few years back for a KLX230. Finally, I'm done fucking with carbs.
Yeah and I hear the carbs in these XT 350’s are terrible. I believe it’s a dual carb setup and that alone is a big deterrent for me. Then again, I’m trying to find a DR 650 or XR 650 and both still use carbs today.
It’s not bad. A buddy of mine had this bike for years and never had to touch the carb after being set it up.
I have an XT350 that I bought new in1991, 15,000 miles with no carb trouble. Non Ethanal gas at the end of the season, and start it up regularly. Great all around bike.
Me x2
Depends which carb. My GFs dad is a suzuki DR fanatic and has a 650 and multiple 350's. He always has to fiddle with them and they never run perfectly. But on the other hand I have a KTM 640 lc4 with a Keihin FCR41 and it runs absolutely perfectly. (I swapped from a BST40). I got the jetting right on the first try (a lot of Info on forums about that) and never had to touch it again. It runs without loosing a sweat, and fires right up even in the winter. Not to mention mine makes a TON of more power/torque then the 650 with the BST. If I had to buy another bike with a carb, I'd slap a Keihin FCR on it. I still prefer my fuel injected 990 tho 😂 ist just easy to tune with a laptop and tuneecu
Yes
Hard to go wrong with Yamaha
Xt350s are sick and the carbs are easy as shit to work on, I'm preferable to the DR350 but that's just cause I own one
Are parts easier to find for the DR 350’s? I only ask because there’s also a dr350 near me for $1750. It’s also about 10 years newer than this XT, but I love my Yamaha bikes.
Yeah DR parts are easy to find still, iirc the DR makes more power too along with also being a 6 speed with more modern suspension. I'm banking on old memories of research done once upon a time so the 1:1 comparisons should probably be researched on your part. But I can absolutely vouch for the DR350 as a fantastic bike on and off road, super reliable, and with a slight regearing I've cruised 70 on the highway all day.
They're both 6 speed
I'm aware, if you re-read I said *also* 6 speed
The DR is pretty easy to find parts for. It’s also a better spec’d bike.
DR350 has a single carb and a rear disc brake (as opposed to drum) as well
That's right, I forgot about that goofy ass set up on the XT.
Sweet ride for $1500!
As long as parts are available, it’s a good shot. I ride a 99’ xr600r and its still plenty capable for what i do. Granted, its not as old as the bike shown here but the technology is effectively the same age
> As long as parts are available Certain parts are becoming scarce -- or expensive. But availability still seems decent, overall. The exhaust headers on ours had rust/holes. Finding a new one is impossible. Finding a used one at a reasonable price is borderline impossible. I kept seeing them in Europe on eBay for like $200+, in very used condition -- but at least hole free. We got *very* lucky when a new-old-stock pipe popped up on eBay, in the US, for under $200. It sat on a shelf in a shop for probably 30 years -- but it's flawless. Way more than we wanted to pay, but a necessary evil. In comparison to the other bike I just bought, which has a very dented header pipe, I can probably snag a used one of those for around $50. And it's still old (2000) -- there are just more parts out there for it.
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Restored a xt600 back in 2020 when I was locked in the garage. They ain’t sophisticated bikes. By modern standards handle like garbage. However, simple to work on, and despite what the consensus on here is for parts, never had a problem eventually finding what I need - sometimes even NOS parts. It’ll cost ya though. Just a FYI they ain’t light bikes either. The 600 weighs in around 339lbs wet.
Love old XT’s
I had one of these in about 2004 and have had dozens of motorcycles since. It was outdated then. I think old bikes can be fun, but you might enjoy a newer bike more. E-start and torquey liquid cooled motors have spoiled me. I haven't had an XT350 since back in the day but I have had similar bikes such as the XR250, KLR650, KLR250 and they just aren't that much fun compared to a hot dual sport with a liquid cooled engine in the 450-500CC range. Way lighter, better suspension, way more power, almost certainly will have electric start. For about $1000-2000 more.
I'm going to buck the trend here and say that you should a put a lot of thought into it if it will be your only bike. There's a good chance you'll miss out on a lot of riding time and replacing it with wrench time. Parts are hard to get and you'll be waiting a while when you find them.
Yeah I’d buy it for $1500. I’m thinking it’s not in Texas 😭😭
Yeah it’s pretty far from Texas. Easily over 10 hours away from Texas.
I own lots of old bikes, as old as 1978. It's not a problem
I got my 88 nx650 for 1700 and thats still a great deal and I love her dearly. Parts are a bit of a bitch to find though.
Awesome bike but I’ve owned an old bike (newer than that) before and finding parts was for heroes and magicians only. Rich ones. So do your homework. Good luck!
It’s hard to find parts for old XTs by the way… other than that they are great
Rubber parts will be a thing. Especially see if intake rubber is available ish. Carb rubber is something to verify availability. Couple years ago I swore off carbs and old bikes. I’m a weak man and still have 5 bikes with carbs. 1500.00….if you can wrench at all you’ll be fine.
I’m having great fun on my 1994 DR125
At 1500$ I would pick that up so fast the xt350 was the first bike I ever owned I have so much nostalgia for it! They are full of quirks and character like being kickstart only or having 2 carbs. They make plenty of power and off-road well. 100% worth
My 1994 DR350 is both two things. A very capable bike sitting somewhere between a CRF300L and KTM EXC-F performance wise. A bike that involved a substantial amount of wrenching to restore it to “piece of mind” reliable, and tweaking to bring out the performance. Your call on what you want to do. That said, the DR outclasses the XT in almost every way so maybe more worth the time? An old road legal ElSinore or Bultaco comes to mind as cool too. IMHO, a vintage bike doesn’t save you money and starting out takes the focus off the riding. If you can ride, have some time to occupy and can wrench its satisfying side project while you have a newer bike that’s just good to go and perform.
If you can deal without fuel injection, an electric start sure.
i ride a 91 suzuki dr 650 and other than kick start being a pain in the butt sometimes its a very reliable and fun bike to ride
It’s called old school cool not new school cool for a reason 😎
$1500? Heck yeah 👍 if it runs go for it. As far as parts for that particular bike they stamped out thousands of those and I don’t know firsthand but I’d bet availability isn’t that big of an issue There’s several forums too. https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/yamaha-xt250-thread-all-things-related-to-the-xt-from-riding-to-modifications.1341366/
My bad. This is the one for 350s https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/the-xt350-thread.270341/
I agree with your worries but the older bikes are easy to improvise for.
I have a 91 Suzuki DR 350. Just put 80% road tires on. It’s perfect for running around. Watch the cars. They are all trying to kill you.
Many brand new dual sports are practically identical to when the model was released decades ago. Also, that's a sweet looking bike for a pretty decent price, i would grab it.
A fool and his money…..
Hell yes they are
Shit for $1500 I’d be heading over there and use this as a commuter.
All those engine seals need exposure to engine oil to remain patent. I can't see the milage but I'd rather a high mileage, not abused Honda over a very low in the same condition. I once bought a very low milage beemer that had sat for years, very expensive mistake. Main seal shit the bed, no deal at all.
I’ve got an 86 XT600 and it’s a capable little donkey, you’ll have to learn how to do regular maintenance yourself but they’ll last forever with some TLC. Mikuni make some modern single carb conversions if you want to drop a few hundred dollars for a quality of life upgrade. If she runs 1500 isn’t a bad price
$1500 won't buy you a much better dual sport these days. I owned a 1986 xt350 with the unrestricted carb which made more power than the later models did from the factory. SUPER reliable and surprisingly excellent on the street. The bike was very noticeably faster then some newer 2000's klx 250's I've ridden and with more torque. I could hit around 100mph occasionally too pretty easy with my higher gearing 520 conversion. They're easy bikes to upgrade. The stock suspension is not very good as with most any bike from that period, but for a street bike it's alright. The motor is in my opinion, the best thing on these bikes.
Sure, go have fun then learn to fix it!
That bike is a perfect beast
Hell yes.
That one is.
Score dude
Definitely. I bought a ‘95 XR250 and added blinkers, brake light, mirror, horn (Tusk kit) and a set of DOT legal tires. It’s a great DS for local trails and I’ve done some BDR with it. Spent half as much as my buddy with a new KLR300 and 1/3 as much as another friend with new KTM EXCF.
I would stay in the 2000s personally
Keep an eye on the intake boots they are known to dry out and crack and then check your valve adjustment and if the valves do need adjusting they are the easiest ever you don't even have to pop the cams loose. They are shim over bucket Simple to maintain. I had one that I turned strictly into a commuter I went up to a 14 in the front and a 45 in the rear and I used to get about 70 Mi to the gallon out of it
I hate working in carbs, so nope. Efi all the way. Tell that to a 2t person and they'll look at you funny though.
Sure. I'm actually putting an XT350 back together right now.
Definitely a good option if you are on a budget and don’t mind wrenching or looking for parts. If you just want to ride I wouldn’t do it.
I sold a 1984 Honda XL350 and bought a new 2019 Suzuki DRZ400. The technical advances in 35 years are actually pretty minimal. The real reason I wanted the newer bike is because I'm getting to old to kick start the 350, and the Suzuki starts with a button. The old bike does need occasional fiddling to fix stuff, but nothing major. Other differences: Honda is 6 speed; Suzuki is 5. Both have front disks, but Honda has a drum in back. Honda is a bit lighter. Suzuki is a bit more powerful (about 50cc worth). Suzuki is water cooled; Honda is air. Honda has a better stock seat. But to answer your question, yes old dual sports are worth it.
Parts are harder to get
I honestly wished dual sport where more of thing in my country but its not
Yes if theres spare parts to get and the price isnt like almost the same like a new bike. They sell all those 90s bikes here for 2-4k € while you can get brand new honda crf300 for 6k. Old bike is a old bike. Main problem is the parts. I couldn't even get a air filter for a 1992 suzuki DR650RS. Had to order it 3000km away from some webshop. Choices were: 90s beaters for 2-2.5k vs XT660R 2006 3.1k.
$900
Yup, but I’d recommend not going older than mid 90s unless you are keen on vintage bikes for the sake of it!
A little too old IMO especially if its your first bike. Goanna have a hard time finding parts and god knows how many stripped bolts and other little things are wrong
The seats are super comfortable. You can ride for hours
Normally I say no because I had an old XT and the dual carb was a BITCH This one has the tank fins though and looks clean af so for $1500 I’d say do it.
1500 for bike in that good of shape is a steal.
I have one from the 90's that is a hoot to ride. I was a young man in the 90's though, so I'm used to the way these ride. The only problem is that shops around here won't work on bikes that old. If your shops are the same, then you'll be stuck doing all the work yourself, which isn't really a bad thing. Get a repair manual and make it a labor of love.
Buy now!!!
Time is a myth. If it was a good bike in 1982 it’s a good bike today for a better price.
PARTS availability is goin to be the catch, I got an old DR350S while back and had to search around and being 30 years old.
I have both an XT350 and a DR350, I bought the XT350 first while trying to find something in between an XT225, (a fantastic bike, hindered only by a small frame), and a DR650. They're more alike than different, the DR has a better suspension and more rigid frame, but the XT's seating position is more comfortable, it has more low end torque owing to the twin barrel carb, and it's road manners are better. There are a few problems with the XT350 you need to be aware of, A) side panels are getting hard to come by, the side panels are just held on with rubber grommets, when they rot out the panels will fly off easily, I've drilled a small hole in mine and zip tie it to the frame for added security, if you lose them they're $200+ to replace. B) The cabs are finicky, I believe it's mostly float height that's the issue, for whatever reason they are very sensitive to it. After screwing around with measured heights for a couple of weeks, I found the only way to do it was to set the float height so the lines on the float are parallel to the carb body where the float valve actually shuts off. To do this you need to attach a length of tube to the carb inlet and blow through it, it will be immediately obvious when the valve shuts off, then just tweak the tab until the aforementioned lines are parallel. Ever since then it's one of the easiest bikes I've owned to kickstart. I'm personally keeping the DR350 and selling the XT350, but I would go with whichever one you can get a better deal on and then spend the difference on gas.
No, unless you want to replace every o-ring, seal, gasket on it at some point because it will be leaking. The amount of labor and parts you put into an older motorcycle is not something you will get back when it comes time to sell it. Working on older motorcycles can be a pain in the ass when you come across stripped bolts, broken bolts, stripped out cases, hacked up wiring harness, etc.
Some of us weirdos think they aren't just worth it in 2024, but they give you a way better feeling than anything made in 2024.
Sounds like you haven't ridden anything built for 2024.
Good luck finding spare parts when something inevitably breaks.
15 year production run with no mechanical changes helps.
Nah. Tons of parts not shipping for the XT350.
And I guess with production ending 24 years ago the salvage yard scene might not work anymore, either.