Your surprised by the results??? I think your getting too tied up with displacement and not overall weight or performance. All the bike on the list with the exception of the WR250R and the KLX250 are light weight simple dual sports, perfect for trail use and general dual sport use but with their low compression and small displacement aren't really comfortable doing 70mph sustained. The little are 225-250 air cooled bikes with a 6th gear are phenomenal bikes when used in their performance envelope but aren't highway tourer. of the list the WR is the only fuel injected bike and probably is the most highway capable, best suspension as well but its like 296lbs the carbed KLX250 is almost identical weight and maybe gives a bit at top end but is $1500 cheaper. The mid to late 90s DR350s were only 5-15lbs heavier than that with more low end grunt and the current DRZ400s are close to within 20lbs If you really want performance start looking and KTM, huskys and husabergs. In the 250 dual sport class from the big 4 you have 2 bikes at the higher price point and performance specs and the rest which are set up as dual sport trail/county road less than 70mph bikes.
Wow! = lots of need more than a 250 to compensate for my cock size agendas here! (comment added due to poor reading comprehension where the O.P. wanted to talk about 250's) ...you like/NEED a bigger bike = fine. But can we keep your need to compensate out of the O.P's discussion? My vote would also be for the WR250R in terms of its abilities. As for "touring" with a load, I'm surprised the bigger is better crowd didn't comment on the light rear subframe, to which I'd add, it's possible to fit a weeks worth of MC touring gear into a large backpack. Who even really NEEDS a robust subframe? (unless you're used to your Goldwings) The lure has been placed in the water. What will we land with this "Troll"?
How is the sub frame on the klx? The two choices if you want something newish seem to be the wr and the klx, the klx has the advantage of a big bore kit with easy carb tuning to use it. FI is nice, but there was some report of fuel pump problems with the wr250, plus its harder to tune then a carb with its $5.00 jets. I kind of like the look of the red klx...
It's in a different league from the WR250R, but the 6-speed Super Sherpa is geared so it does very well on the highway.
Having both a WR250R and DR350 in the garage I can't say a bad word about either. If you want modern ergos, precise suspension and great brakes the WR250R is the choice. FI is nice also -- with spot on fueling. The DR350 has more guts (torque) and is also simpler. The thing about DR350's is that you can find low mile units for $1500 bucks all day long. For a WR250R you are looking at $3500.
The WR250R to me is the replacement to the DR350SE. The DR350 was the king of lightweight dual sports, in that it was very usable off road, reliable as a hammer, and could run 70mph all day on highway if the rider was game. The WR250R is the modern equivalent. Great suspension, light years ahead of the DR, has fuel injection, and a very lax valve maintenance schedule. It is an even more capable off road bike, and is smoother on the pavement. It trades the low end grunt of the DR350 for some pulling power up top and higher redline. Both bikes are close in acceleration and top speed. If you rode the WR250R, every single one of the other bikes would underwhelm you. The KLX250S comes close, but has a bit less power, not as tall of a 6th gear for cruising, has a carb instead of new EFI... and so on. If you are looking for a more late model bike than a DR350, you owe it to yourself to but the WR.
They both are 6-speeds. I haven't ridden either, so didn't offer my opinion on them. My wife has a 2005 Super Sherpa, and I had ridden it on the highway at 115 indicated, and it was stable and didn't sound ready to explode. I weigh 225 lbs. + gear. She has ridden it to 130 indicated. 115 = 71mph 130 = 81 mph Not sure whether the 10% lower displacement CRF230L and XT225 translates into less power. For certain the Sherpa is no power-house, but it is simple and reliable. I rode a KLX250SF around Vancouver Island last Summer, and it was great fun, but I didn't enjoy highway much on it, and I suspect the S model is not better on the road.
Yamaha WR250R. I have a 250R and a Suzuki DR350. The WR handles better, better suspension, less vibes on the highway, gets better mileage and has electric start. 300 to 400 mile days, no real problem. (With a Seat Concepts seat.) The DR350 has better low end torque and is really, really simple. But, after a couple hundred miles, I'm really physically beat. If Suzuki had proper spacing on the DR350 (6 speed) gearbox, the bike would be a lot better dualsport bike. Heck if the DRZ400 came with a 6 speed box and properly spaced gears... that model would be an absolute no-brainer for dualsport. Unfortunately, it looks like they aren't updating that DRZ 400 design though. Now, if Yamaha came out with a 6 speed 450 like the 250, they would own the dualsport world. Oh, well... I guess 250 will do fine. Honda 250 later this year... it will probably be pretty good, but I will wait and see.
X2... I completly agree. Try the Wr250r and ring it out before you make your decision. If you don't ring it out a la 2 stroke style you will think its a a dud.....
My dad has one of these... and it is a good dual sport. Excellent on the back roads, slower trails and perhaps one of the easiest bikes to ride ever... That being said, it is a little scary on any road where the speed limit is 65 mph or higher. It's pretty much topped out, no power left. I like my WR way more. The only area where the honda beats the wr is in really slow maneuvering. Oh and if yamaha did make a 450 version like the WR250r, they would own the dual sport market...
If you have 70mph <s>speed</s> Government imposed "safety" limits in your state, then I'd choose one that would or would come the closest to 90mph. "People" never do "the limit" unless there's a cop around, and you need some power to power out of a bad situation sometimes. And having that ability, as opposed to not, is nice to have... Fun too, but don't tell anyone wearing a badge I said that. You don't have to do 90, but it'll be nice to get away from some potential bad situations if you can do it.
As byron555 said, the 230L is pretty much tapped out above 60-65. I've had a 230L for a few years now and didn't buy it for hi-way use at all but as we all know, we often have to run a bit of pavement from time to time to get where we want and to be honest, it can be a bit scary. It is a great all-around, fun bike but there are a lot of areas(suspension) where it could be better. Great around town commuter and I've done 250 mile days on it but to even vaguely consider it for hi-way touring....no thanks. PS: I did replace my front cog from the stock 13t to a 14t. It makes the ride on the open road a bit less buzzy but you lose some bottom end pull. Also, 6th gear becomes pretty much worthless, in fact, will actually slow you down if there is much headwind.