250-400cc enduro bike

[wooley Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close wooley]

hey guys,

while i'm waiting for my prado to roll of the production line i thought i would look at a new moto.

i've always gone with yamaha, but looking at some of the other brands, honda, ktm, husky for example they all look fantastic, and you cant beat the price of suzukis.

but i was wondering if anyone had any experience or advice to offer?

this will be my first on road bike, but i still want to stick with a dirt bike so looking at the wr250/400, drz400, xr400, etc.

any help/advice appreciated.

thanks, david.

[damonat Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close damonat]

i bought a KTM EXC 400. best bike i ever had.
smooth excellent power.
mate bought a WR400/426 about a month or so after me (based on price). he thought the WR was good until he rode mine.
he never like his bike after that and sold it about a year after that.
i gave me 400 to the wife and bought a KTM EXC 525. the 400 is still a nicer all-round ride.

[wooley Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close wooley]

i had a look at almost ever brand in existence today. the ktm was an extremely nice bike, however its 5000 more than the suzuki.

honda no longer make the xr, and all the bike brand bikes need servicing every 500kms, where as the suzuki has the service interval of a car.
looks like the drz400 will probably be the way to go.

the husqvarna was a really nice piece of kit though, very much on par with the ktms.

yamaha had a nice little efi bike, a wr250r, but it was a bit soft, and i decided i may as well go for a 400.

anyone got anything they can add?

[fridayman Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close fridayman]

The KTM is the best of the bunch, but as has been said also quite pricey (worth it if you have the funds). The Husky's look and go nice. Then break.

Compared the KTM's the DRZ's feel heavy and underpowered, but they almost never break and are super cheap to maintain and fix after crashes. There are also loads of affordable aftermarket bits available for them. The DRZ's come in an S and SM version, the difference being the SM has street wheels (the wheels are interchangeable with the offroad S wheels) and slightly taller gearing. There used to be an E version which made more power (different exhaust, cams & carb). The SM also has slightly better USD forks (used on previous RM models). I bought an SM and have been mod'ing it when I have time.
Done so far:
- extra set of offroad wheels
- bigger clarke tank for better range on offroad trips
- rear rack for camping gear
- braided brake hoses and wavy discs (for vanity)
- stronger sump guard
- engine casing protectors
- cut the levers shorter and fitted ascerbis hand guards
- fcr carb
Waiting to go in:
- Athena big bore kit
- E cams