Crosser type 33bhp legal bikes

[lilredmachine]

I was going to post this in 'New bikers' but it doesn't really fit, I need the advice of the more offroady orientated group of peeps.

I have been trying to research 33 BHP legal offroad bikes for after my test. Bikes like the XR250, DR 350/400 Etc. Essentially I have gotten myself rapped up in all the different models like e and s and r and essentially want to know what to look out for, what would be a good bike for scooting around on on a resticted licence for a couple of years. Any help would be great, it seems to be a veritable jungle of bike out there...
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Bikes: too many, too much for one man to maintain anyway.

[G]

You want to ride it off road?

The DR350 is known to be an excellent all-round tool with a claimed 33hp.

[lilredmachine]

I wouldn't mind having the option to ride off road (a couple of green lanes down here), but would also like the ability to cruise motorways at 70-80. Essentially I want a swiss army knife in the shape of a bike, but 33hp legal.

I had looked at the dr 350 and it seems nice enough, would the gearing be long enough as standard or will it need adjusting?
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Bikes: too many, too much for one man to maintain anyway.

[husky03]

suzuki drz400 is supposed a very gd learner legal bike plus there almost full power aswell at 40bhp
ive got a husky wr125 i find this bike great has awsome low down torque great for going down country lanes and town.

gd luck with finding the right bike

[sean122]

hello

[stinkwheel]

DR350 is a good little bike and just a ball-hair off 33bhp as standard. I rode one for a couple of days when I was on holiday in the Canaries and had great fun on it. Obviously isn't going to do massive speeds but it cruised along at 80mph without too much stress.

I also got the impression it would handle well off road. Light enough and tractable enough. To me it would make a good first bike if you want the trailie style.

I think they also make a KLR250.

Also consider the KLX650. Surprisingly this only produces slightly over 33bhp so restricting it a bit wouldn't affect it too much. More of a 'full on' enduro style bike for off roading. Torque coming out of its ears.
https://www.minnesotamotorcyclist.com/classifieds/kawasaki/klx650.jpg
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[cagiva gezzer]

Kwack D-tracker

https://image.www.rakuten.co.jp/hatoya/img1042772779.jpeg

KLX250

https://www.staintune.com.au/exhausts/kawasaki/images/Kawasaki%20KLX250.jpg

KLX300

https://www.koups.com/sales/kawasaki/images/1998%20models/KLX300A3.jpg

I'd go for the DRZ over the the air cooled xr's or dr's.

Also consider the CRM250

https://www.honda-geneve.com/gallery/japan/CRM250.jpg

Despite being a two stoke, it's got a very good engine life.
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[Lawnie]

I had a DR350 for a few months, very capable machine, with very respectable acceleration and top speed (about 80mph).

However, I should stress that you really strive for the electric start version. There's nothing seriously wrong with the older kick start versions (like I had), except mastering the manual decompression lever could take a while. It's all to do with the correct sequence of using the lever, then lightly compressing the kicker, repeatedly until the piston is at the 'optimal' position for starting.

As they're air cooled, mine had a BIG problem starting when it was hot.

I really miss it though

[Lawnie]

[lilredmachine]

The D-tracker looks very nice indeed, haven't seen it before now. If it is 33 bhp, i'll keep a look out for one.

I'm keeping my eyes open, if a nice dr350 comes up i'll jump on it. But i'll keep my eyes open for others you have suggested too.

On a sidenote, Stinkwheel, how heavy is the 650? I have recently been doing more and more greenlaning on my supermoto (road tyres ) and had thought about these...
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Bikes: too many, too much for one man to maintain anyway.

[stinkwheel]

[Lawnie]

The 650 is apparently about 176kg. The 250 is about 117kb. Weights refer to dry mass.

[lilredmachine]

Hmmm... Thats getting on the porky side . I reckon I'll stick with the smaller capacity bikes for now.
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Bikes: too many, too much for one man to maintain anyway.

[byke95]

The D-Tracker is not available (officially) in the UK. I did a quick google search and it looks like it's a 250 and available through a few gray importers (from Japan).

Upgrade the brakes on it and it should be loads of fun!

[Lawnie]

Yeah all 650 trailies are just too heavy for anything more than light off road use in the UK. Where they shine are the vast desert environments in the USA or Africa.

[G]

[Lawnie]

[G]

I haven't ridden the DR350, but have ridden a couple of Goose's with the same engine.

Would go for the 600 over the 350 for road riding - as weight's similar the worst bit's probably the kickstart.

Engine was way more than I needed for off road. Pretty much only used second, going to first or third. Did mean I could be a bit lazy on gear changes as it had a large spread of torque as well.