Hi guys!

I'm looking to buy a used DR650 or KLR650 for my 2 month trip to, through and all around Mexico from the States and need a little help to boost my confidence before making my purchase.

When is a bike too used and how can I tell? What are the red flags? Things I might miss in a parking lot inspection?

How many miles is too many miles? I see bikes varying from close to new (under 1,000 miles) and others that have been around the block (40,000 miles). Can a well maintained bike run the same after that long? Can a good mechanic help optimize an old machine?

Thanks for helping this rookie out!

Hello Sundance and welcome,
It is difficult to put a figure on how many are too many miles, it all comes down to how it has been ridden and maintained. A well looked after 650 with 40,000 miles on it can be a better bike than one that has been abused for 10,000.
I would go for a one or two owner bike to start with and look for things like greased swinging arm and suspension pivots, a sign of a careful owner they should last tens of thousands of miles.
Look at brake disc wear, if it is a low mileage bike with a lot of wear it will have been ridden quite hard, wear on the seat fabric and tank paint where knees rub on a low mileage bike can be a sign it has done a lot more miles than the speedo says.
If you are not familiar with what a smooth engine should sound like which is different on a big single take a friend who does.
High mileage does not have to mean unreliable, I have done 20,000 miles across Africa on a BMW that had already done 125,000 miles without a problem and am about to set off across Europe on one that has done 165,000 miles.

Low miles is best of course ... but you'll pay a bit more. Depends on your budget I guess. I'd buy as new and as low miles as you can afford.

That said, I own a DR650 with 60,000 hard miles on it and it's still running great. So, a well maintained DR650 or KLR650 can easily go over 50K and run fine ... or not! Depends on previous owner and how the bike was treated and how it was used. (or abused )

Also, be aware on bikes like the DR, disconnecting the speedo is child's play. So a deceptive seller may fool a rookie buyer ... but won't fool a mechanic or experienced motorcycle person for long.

Both DR and KLR are good, tough bikes. Either one, if in good shape, will easily make it two months around Mexico. At most you'd probably only cover 10K to 12K miles in that period.

Both bikes would need some prep and set up to be ideal travel bikes ... so I recommend paying a bit extra and try to find one that has a few extras already on it. This will save time, money and hassle pre trip.

A few things BOTH the DR and KLR may need for long travel are:
1. A better Seat! (Stock DR seat is horrible, KLR not much better)

2. Luggage racks for pannier bags.
Unless you can carry a simple duffel bag for ALL your stuff, then you may want panniers. The DR650 needs a rear rack, but may come with one installed. KLR has a rear rack stock. Both would need side racks if adding panniers, either hard or soft. Soft are MUCH lighter weight.

The DR650 has a stronger sub frame, KLR sub frame needs special bolts to keep it from breaking. (riding off road)

3. If going off road at all, it would be nice to up grade suspension on both bikes. The DR650 is clearly the better bike off road riding sand, gravel roads and such, but the KLR can cope if the rider is GOOD. The DR is easier to handle off road. But a well set up KLR can be much better than stock.

Pluses and Minus's
On road both are good, DR being smoother at 70 mph or above. It's also faster, has a bit more power. Both get about 50 MPG or better.

The KLR has a LARGE fuel tank in stock form, the DR needs an aftermarket tank to travel Mexico. (Acerbis or IMS) Stock KLR will go about 275 miles.
Stock DR tank range is 150 miles. Many used DR650's come with larger aftermarket fuel tank, a common add on. Expands range to 230 mi. or more.

Buying a clean bike that has not been abused is a bit of a challenge, but not that big of a deal. Most sellers are honest and in most cases looking closely at the bike will tell you all you need to know.

Is it clean? Covered in Oil? Scratched up? Dented? Some of this is normal if the bike has been ridden off road. But things like DENTS in the wheels, bash plate or lower frame rails or under side of swing arm, then those are signs of abuse or heavy use off road.

I would not hesitate to buy a very well maintained bike that has 20K miles or less. If the bike has been well cared for, oil changed, valves checked, then it should go easily past 50K miles.

Any bike you buy should start instantly HOT OR COLD and idle smoothly without stalling, surging or running rough.

Take a close look at the chain. You can tell a lot about how a bike was treated by the chain and sprockets. For Mexico, you would want to start with a brand new chain and NEW sprockets, so if your bike has worn items, don't worry as long as seller admits to mileage that matches chain wear.
(worn out chain means at least 15k miles)

Other tell tales are bent levers, or hard to operate throttle or controls.
Does the bike "track" down the road straight? Many DON'T. Are tires inflated to recommended pressure? This is a BIG deal on both KLR and DR650 ... even a few pounds off can affect handling.

Does the bike have the stock exhaust? Or a LOUD aftermarket one? What about the Carb? Many DR owners put on a "pumper" type carb. Not recommended for the Novice traveler. (IMO)

Battery: Always start a trip with a NEW battery! NEW!
Also: NEW tires and tubes (plus spare tubes and patch kit and tools)
New Chain and Sprockets.

Well, that's a start anyway.

Some very good answers to a question that can't really be answered

__________________
Regards Tim

Learning my craft for the big stuff, it won't be long now and it's not that far anyway