I've been riding my XR650R for a year now and I love it. I've toured half of Australia (other half starts next week), commuted to work, raced enduros (won one), and when I've finished in Australia, I'm going to ride home back to the UK. I have had some issues, but most of them have been my own fault to be honest. I think it's one of the most versatile bikes on the planet, heck, you can even give the sports bikes a hard time when it gets a bit twisty.
The sensible option for me though, would have been the XR600, purely for the fact that it's air cooled. I have had a couple of leaky radiators, one up at the top of Cape York which could have been a problem, but ended up not too disastrous. The 600 is great, a friend has one and loves it, so either bike will serve you well, but the 650 is heaps sharper handling and better in every way.
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