XT600 v DR650
 

Both of these bikes can be purchased brand new for NZ$9,000-00 at the moment. I would be interested in comments regarding preferences/similarities/differences between the two bikes. Unfortunately it is necessary to ride on sealed roads to get to some of the more interesting places I would like to go, but after that my riding would be mainly gravel roads, or only easy off road stuff.
Any comments would be appreciated.

Welcome to the board!
i have not ridden the DR650 though i once had a DR500, but i recently made the transition from an XT600E to the TT600RE which shares the same engine, but has different carbs, gearing and suspension.
The reason i made the change is that i found the XT waaay to soft in the suspension and had too many protruding parts (for example the plastic wings on the gas tank ) for off road work. Other than that the TTR feels a lot nimbler and aggressive in the handling both off and on road ( in fact its even more stable at highway speeds due to the thicker and stiffer front fender )
The differense in price is neglible.. atleast here in Norway... the only downside i have found is the TTR has a pitiful small gas tank (10 l) compared to the XT (15 l)
Best of luck to you in your selection...buying a new bike is one of my favorite things to do http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
*Laromo*

The DR650 is faster and lighter than the XT600, but is useless for trial riding due to the lack of flywheel. The DR is better off-road, almost like an XR600. But of course the XT is more reliable.

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Fred, XTZ660, Holland.

Thanks for your replies, I appreciate you taking the time to reply. I guess every bike has some compromises!


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