Hello,
I have been a subscriber to your group for over a year now.
Just sucking up as much information as I can get. I must say that
this group is very informative. I am hoping that I can get your
opinions and hopefully real world experience on either bike. I
apologize if this is too long.
As you know, when a person typically asks about two bikes on a
generic newsgroup, the responses are usually smart remarks
like "don't buy a kawasaki, buy a Yamaha, etc". And the person who
posted the question does not come away with any real answers.
I think it is important that I should tell you what I intend on
doing with either bike and a little about me before I would expect an
educated opinion. With that said, I am 30 years old, 5'8'' tall, 30"
inseam... I have had numerous go carts-mini bikes, etc as a kid. I
had a 1987 Kawasaki KE100 and a 750 Xi Jetski. As lame it it might
sound, I had an absolute blast with the KE100 and hope either 4
stroke bike can give me the same enjoyment. My local dealership,
where I bought the KE 100 from, is absolutely useless as far as being
able to answer my comparative questions. Heck, they did not even
realize the SS was air cooled. Asking them to compare either bike to
the KE100 was like getting Clinton to give a straight answer.
A DRZ400E is nice but way too tall and heavy. A 250 is about
right. I understand fully that DS are a compromise. My short list
included a Yamaha XT225, Suzuki DR200E, Kawasakai KLR 250 and a SS.
I narrowed down my list to the KLR250 or a Super Sherpa.
I want to use it for 60/40 or as much as 75 street and 25 dirt.
I live in west central Florida so sand is all over. Croom is the
only offroad site I know of. Either bike needs to be able to go on a
45-55mph highway for about 50 miles so I can get there, ride around
for a few hours and then ride 50 miles back. There are stop lights
every mile or so most of the way.
I am leary of an air cooled engine, especially a 50 mile one way
trip to the "playground". Yet I like the SS for it's looks, disk
brake in the rear and being a new design rather than an old KLR
design. Electric start is not an issue for me. The KLR has been
around forever, while the SS is not. I want to say the KLR250 is the
better of the two, only because it must be a proven design and it's
water cooled so I would think it should last longer.
Soooo, can you give me your opinion and maybe answer a few of my
questions??
1) Which bike has the better suspension
2) Can either bike handle the 55mph for a few minutes without having
taxed the engine so bad it will die of an early death
3) Is the rear disk brake that much of a benefit as to outshine the
watercooled KLR250. Is cleaning the drum a huge hassle
4) Neither bike has much aftermarket support. With that said, is
either bike so underpowered or bad that the bike should not even be
considered.
I realize neither bike will be a Ninja or a KX125. The more
epinions I read, the more I get confused. I am not a total idiot but
reading 5 opinions about the KLR 250 being an underpowered pig and
then reading how 5 people say it has pretty good power and can easily
wheelie, etc, etc.. That's why I feel a specialized group such as
this, is the best source to post my questions.
So, have at it. Flame me for a huge post, etc. I was laid off
(IBM) so regardless of which bike I go with, I can't get it till I
get a new job. Can anyone help me out?
I have an electrical
engineering degree and an M.B.A. Not a good combination in Florida
but willing to relocate if the position justifies it.
Thanks so much for putting up with this long post. I'll
probably duplicate for the other related newsgroup(s).
Thank you so much,
Bill K.