Dr650 se Good bike ???

[piratehood]

My buddy just purchased a dr350 and loves it , I am planning on purchasing a dual sport also and wanted some opinions on the differences between a used 650 and a 350, I will be usning the bike mostly on the street not much highway and some light trail (so cal) and was thinking about doing some serious dual sport runs as soon as I am comfortable on the new bike. I have been riding most of life so I don't forsee any problems , also I am 6' tall so the bike shouldn't be too tall, right?

[El Bandito De BadAss]

hey welcome!

with any bike, honestly.... anyone can tell you just about anything about any bike but in the end its really all personal preference.

ive ridden both the DR350 and 650. i now own a 650 and am very pleased with it.

the 350 although slightly small in cc's is actually not a bad bike at all. through the city streets and moderate trails its not bad. its light weight and small size make it real nible. im 6'3 250lbs and i got around fine on my buddy's 350 he let me use. it only suffered in the obvious highway range and soft sandy washes.

the DR650 however has the grunt to pull you through the parts the 350 has issues with. either way, in my personal opinion both bikes are great runners and its just all on how you plan to use the bike. best bet would be to borrow the bike if someone has one.

good luck.

[piratehood]

yeah I kinda figured they were similar just wondering what others think, thanks

[Navaho6]

I've owned both. The 350 is a better trail bike but too buzzy on the highway. The DR650 is a blast on the street and has the motor to take you up to interstate speeds with no fuss. However, the DR650's heavier weight and low ground clearance makes it challenging to ride offroad technical terrain. It will go almost anywhere the 350 will but it takes more effort to keep it upright. The DR's weight makes uphill, sandy or muddy embankments very tough to impossible without a lot of momentum.

[Rider eX]

The DR's weight makes uphill, sandy or muddy embankments very tough to impossible without a lot of momentum.

+1 to that.

I've had my 650 for about 3 years and the trail riding gets to be tough, especially when things get tight. It's a real blast to hooligan around town though...

[Kommando]

My buddy just purchased a dr350 and loves it , I am planning on purchasing a dual sport also and wanted some opinions on the differences between a used 650 and a 350, I will be usning the bike mostly on the street not much highway and some light trail (so cal) and was thinking about doing some serious dual sport runs as soon as I am comfortable on the new bike. I have been riding most of life so I don't forsee any problems , also I am 6' tall so the bike shouldn't be too tall, right?

If you're not gonna ride much highway, why not get a taller bike that's a bit better in the dirt, like a DR-Z400 or XR650L?

[piratehood]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I decided on a dr650 and I have only put a few miles on it so far but I can tell I will have loads of fun , and i think I made the right decision !!!

[jason held]

hey man if you bought the DR650 sweet. I bought one last summer. I ended up putting a Two Brothers M-7 pipe,dyno-jet kit,super motard tires,and new suspension on mine. totally changed the bike for the better!! I also drilled the slide in the carb and am running no screen or air box lid. the throttle response now is unbelievable. Go to google and type in kien tech. this guy has all the answers. I am very happy with mine now the up grades are a must!!!! later OHIO

[deanoaz]

I think you made a good choice, but either way you were going to be fine. I had a DR350 and got my DR650 six months ago.

I loved the DR350 on the street and on the trail, but since I don't haul my bike to the trail, I wanted something that I could ride on highways too.

The DR650 fills the bill very nicely. I've been very slow to try riding it on the kind of offroad trails I used to ride my DR350 on because of the extra weight and size of the DR650, but the more I do it the more I think that if I were a good enough rider I could do just about as well on it.

You do need to carry more momentum in soft stuff though, or the weight will stop you dead and it's hard to get going again.