Should I Buy This?

I've been looking for and on/off bike for a while and came across a Suzuki DR200 in new condition. The bike's a 2012 and has 340kms on it. The selling price is firm at $3500 and the new cost is $5,000 retail (in Canada). So the question is will this bike do what I need it to do. The plan is to ride some of the logging roads in my area but to get to them I will have to run some highway at 80-90kph (55mph). A light and nimble bike is important. The old logging roads are hilly with loose gravel in places and some bush riding could happen (that why the light part is important). I was considering a WR250 or WR450. I can make the WR450 street legal where I live. I have a deal going on a 2008 WR450 and it's $4,000 and mileage not known.

Help me decide.

2012 Suzuki DR200, concern is power and seat height is only 32" (would it feel small)?



2008 Yamaha WR250



2008 Yamaha WR450

Well I know for a fact that your inseam is the same as mine, since the pants I bought from you fit just fine (love those grey Olympia pants, BTW). I think the 32 inch seat height is a good thing. I would go for it! Smaller is better.

However, I did notice at the bike show that the seats on all those DRs seem to be made of scrap building lumber.

Thanks for the reply. Forgot you have my pants and glad your enjoying them. I'm rely not intimidated by a tall seat. The only real Issue I have with the DR200 is that it may be too much of a beginners bike and that I'll get bored of it or that it may be too small even for me. Even with my 32 inseam I would flat foot the DR when the suspension sags.

My advice is to stick to your original plan. The DR is a nice little bike but if you are robustly built it will struggle to get you up to speed, and if the offroading gets any way heavy it will struggle there also. You will find yourself wringing the neck off it on a permanent basis. The WR's by comparison are streets ahead in ability for what you want.

If this will be your second MC, the DR200 would be good.

You can fix the seat with padding and such to get her to 35".

However, if you are very massive, the limited horse power will hurt you to stay at 55mph. But the 278lb MC will be good to go on the forest roads. The range on the 3.4 gallon tank is fairly impressive.

The price seems high, but I do not know much about your region.


The 450 would be really fun if you have the skills. I do not.
If you only plan on keeping this MC for a couple of years, the 250 and 450 might be the better choice.

I rode with a dr350 a few weeks ago, and while he danced circles around me once on the dirt, he topped out at about 55mph. I don't know how big you are, but that rider was about average height and weight (I'd guess 180-190). I would think the 200 would have a hard time getting where you want to go without being run over by impatient cages on the way.

I ride a lot of dirt bikes. Based on what you say, I think you would be very disappointed with the DR200. It would be wound up tight at 55 mph. Suspension isn't much count. It is truly a beginners bike. Now the WR450 is at the opposite end of the scale. If you watch off road racing, the WR is commonly seen. It can be a handful, but fun, certainly not for a beginner. A street legal bike in the middle would be a XT250 (yamaha). The newer XT's are great little bikes if you weigh under 200 lbs. It may struggle with more weight, but larger people do ride them and love them. The XT will also be fuel injected. I'm in Oklahoma and the DR's get real cheap, due to lack of ............ Our local dealer don't even stock them.

I sold my 2013 WR250R prior to buying my NC. I loved the WR, it will run 70 all day, was far more capable offroad than I am, normal maintenance schedules, valves/etc. (much better than the 450). For me plenty of power off road, very light 295#, high stock seat height approx. 36", but lots of ways to adjust that. Good fuel economy, 50-65 mpg., Yamaha reliability, lots of aftermarket stuff to setup. If you want some good info on the WR250R check out Mark Sampson Big Dog Adventures, he has 45000+ miles and lots of experience with his. I think it would be a great bike for anyone wanting to do more offroad, but with two knee replacements I needed less off road capabilities and a better road bike which is why I sold the WR and bought my NC. Again just my humble opinion.

So thanks for all the replies. I phoned the person with the DR200 and told them thanks but not interested. So now considering the WR450 but I have to add signals. brake light to make it street legal. Friend at work is pushing me towards this and said it would be a blast to ride and uncorking it yield very good results. My main concern is the small fuel tank and range plus not sure if I need this extra power.

Other bikes that I'm considering are the WR250. Better gas mileage and range and also has fuel injection. Also can get a very good deal on a Kawi KLX250 with very low hours. All of them are priced around the 4G mark.

Thanks for all the suggestions. It's helping.

Almost forgot. To give you and idea on my dimensions I'm 5'8", weigh around 172lbs and have an inseam of 32".

I really think you should seriously consider the WR250R over the 450...better economy, longer interval maintenance schedules, street legal and will handle highway easily, and very adequate power offroad.

Hi Ruggy, every guys I know who own a WR250 is very satisfied with it. But on the other hand, a WR450 street legal...WOW...

wr250 is a great bike. The seat is going to be a stretch for you. The bike is very capable of about anything within reason. The 450 won't need uncorked unless you are a competitive rider, not amateur. The 450 can kick your tail quick. The KLX is a nice bike too, but would have to be uncorked, they are just choked down. The uncorking is not expensive.

Who would have thought buying a bike could be so tough. I found a nice barley used XT250 for $3400 but after reading some reviews I think I'll pass on it. Good reliable bike but with only 16 HP I think the ride would get boring quick.

I'm still considering the WR450 but ther a some thing that I don't like. The small gas tank and higher fuel use limits it's range. I have to buy a lighting kit ($200) and install. There is no way to tell how many miles the bike has been road, the mileage can be reset. The owner says he is selling it because he what's the YZ version 2 stroke so how hard has he been riding it.

I think the WR250 or the KLX250 should be the way to go. Better gas mileage and range then the WR450. Better highway manners then the XT250 and it's water cooler and injected. Also has about 10 more HP. Better ground clearance. Now I just have to find one at a reasonable price. Pricing may keep me from it, 08-10 are getting 5-6 G! That's more than I'm willing to spend. Three KLX250 is priced more reasonable at around 4 for 08-10.

I have a DR200. It is a fun bike to ride and requires little maintenance. They are geared low and sprung softly. I use mine more on the road as opposed to off-road. Otherwise, the occasional off-roading I do on it, I keep it to fire roads and mild trails. I find the seat on mine to be just fine. I'm 5-07 with a 30" inseam.

By the way, my bike tops out closer to 70 mph and at that speed it has nothing left. Also at that speed, any input to the bars is very amplified so I have to remain very still on the bike.

I leave the off-road stuff to my XR400 which unfortunately is not street legal. I think you'll find the WR series to be a much more capable bike.

I ended up buying a '07 Kawasaki KLX250. The bikes in new condition with 2,600 kms and was only used to go back and forth to work. What sold me on the bike is that it's stock. Now I can mod it to my liking. If I could have found a WR250 I would have bought it but the KLX250 was about a grand cheaper and with some easy performance mods it performance is almost identical. I've already order a rejet kit, will change the exhaust and do the air box mod which should result in about a 5hp increase.



The reason why I passed on the WR450 was the seat height. The KLX has a seat height of 35" and the WR's are a lofty 39". A little much for my 32" inseam.

Congrats for your new bike Ruggy ! The green Kawas are the fastest !

Edit. MC already purchased.

Enjoy!