Well, as a review of my dr650, I can say that I am thoroughly stoked about choosing this particular bike. Despite my lame financial situation this summer, and zero mods to the bike, I was still able to log about 4000 miles puttering around Colorado. It certainly would have been higher if I had The funds for panniers, better tires, and a few things to ensure a happy, safe tour of the state. Unfortunately, my lack of funds had me relegated to the canyon roads and foothills of Boulder, by and large. No complaints, however, as the roads I had access to are great. The bike..... I don't think I could be happier. I have realized what kind of riding i seek when I go down south for my trip. I realize that 70 mph is just fine for cruising speeds on highways, especially south of the USA. I realize that for as fun as road riding is, I want to be in dirt as much as possible, and that I am going to Push that bike as hard as I need in order to explore the nooks and crannies wherever I choose. I have full confidence the DR can take me there. I love its simplicity, reliability, its available power, and its very light weight for dual-sport type bikes. Ive been having a hell of a time offroading as much as my tires, stock suspension, and lack of a bash plate will allow, and can only imagine how killer it would be to have a 250cc mx bike. Still, the DR is pretty nimble, even up some hairy sections. I love how reliable this bike has been so far. I love how cheap and simple the parts are to acquire and install (generally). When I think of how I paid only about $2K for this awesome machine, I don't think I could imagine spending 4x as much or more, for a complicated, un-simple BMW. After riding this bike for 4000 miles i can safely say I am 100% stoked with my choice of the DR over a F650/800, and the KLR.
I am this happy with my STOCK dr. I can only imagine how much Ill love her, with all the mods I'm intending to throw on her. Now if I could just make some money to get the mods on and get traveling......