yes another what bike should i buy?
 

hey guys, i bought the brozz last year and sold it...great bike..now i am itching for another bike.

loved the brozz, just wish it had a little more power. so i wanna try something different. i want another dual sport although i don't ride a bunch off road.

i should have up to 3k to spend on one and my choices so far seem to be..

SSR XF250
PitsterPro XTR 250
or used older Japanese bike

i want to be able to get on the highway if i need to, for at least a short drive

any other suggestions i would love to hear about

If you felt the brozz didn't have enough power, then the xf250 and xtr250 arent going to be much more impressive to you. I would say it might be in your interest to save a bit more and get the lxr250f or a crf250, or step up to a used Japanese 450 or 650. I say that because even the most powerful 250 will still be trying pretty hard at highway speeds.

That said, what do you consider highway speeds, and how long is a short run? I can run my Hawk at 60 to 65mph for the 10 miles it takes me to get to work. The right mods, good carb tuning, and the right gearing make all of the difference.

very good points, i would say my longest freeway trip would be 20 mins at 60-65.

that might be what i need to do is go up to a bigger bike.
i have seen a few older drz400s and an older versys 650 that i may look into.

The 650 s are fun but fat (weight). But have a ton of power. Defiantly getting in to the street realm if you go this direction, but can handle unpaved as well. The trick is, keep it vertical.

Personally, I'd look for a Suzuki DR 350. The older ones are lighter and still have much more power than what you are used to. Not heavy like the 650's...ARH

I have a DR650 that I use for longer trips. It'll flat-top all day long at 80-85 with a full load. It goes through some serious fuel at those speeds, though. With my current setup, I average about 35-40mpg with easy highway riding and regular surface streets. I use the Hawk for my around town riding mostly. I'm probably (more than a little) biased, but if you can find a DR650 in your range, that's probably going to be what makes you happiest. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have about the DR vs the Hawk.

D4, My Opinion would be a 350cc and up. As Dan said I don't think there is a 250 that will give you what you want. The Newer 400 zuk's are very nice, but with everything Jap, better git yer wallet out. On the other hand, I think the XF may just be ok for you. Seems it has a little more power than the CG 229 motors, and it looks to be a good ole Bullet proof air cooled design.

yeah i am leaning toward the xf250 right now..having a hard time finding them in the street version with the supermoto look, i think they look better.

Saw a few older klx250 bikes that look nice.

i like the fact with these chinese bikes you don't feel like it is the end of the world if you drop it and i enjoy wrenching on them..

such a tough choice..lol

and thanks emerikol..i'm keeping a look out for dr650 now

The damage is done...no regrets:yay:

DA4, where in Texas are you? If you’re close enough to the Phoenix area to make a day (or two) trip, you can drop by and ride both my DR650 and the Hawk. My DR is set up for some serious adventures, but it will give you a really good idea. Let me know.

im in fort worth, yeah that would be very cool to ride and see what the DR650 is like, maybe the wife and i will take a vacation soon and roll through phoenix!

I think your best bet would be to contact the nearest SSR Dealer and see if they can get in the version you want. I have been eyeballing the SR450S, and while they don't list a model with 17" wheels, in the owners manual it has a listing for them, and talking to a dealer, they do have the ability to get those wheels for it.

They might have to order it in for you, but that isn't any more unusual than ordering the other version.

thanks, i emailed a couple of dealers closest to me today. hopefully they understand what i am wanting. I couple of online dealers wrote me back saying they only sell the bike a off roader? so hopefully the local dealers will understand what i want

If you need to, call it by the name that SSR gives it, the XF250 Street. Maybe they are just misunderstanding what you mean.

Member dh has had a lot of good things to say about his XF250, and he has used it on Southern California freeways, so it passes the freeway test. That being said, there are quite a few choices non-Chinese out there.