| Motard - Which One and Why?
I went through the exact same list of requirements, and bought a Suzuki DRZ400SM.
The biggest factor here is what your state considers "street legal". The DRZ comes ready to go ahead and slap license plates on. They can be had in the neighborhood of $5,500-$6,000 new. I bought a complete dirt setup for about $900, so for a total investment under $7,000 I have a street legal dirtbike, and a street legal motard.
The other bikes mentioned - WR450, various KTM models, etc - are much nicer bikes. More power, better suspension, etc. But it would have taken me quite a bit more money to get one street legal (in the neighborhood of another $1,000 on top of the higher initial price).
My input is this: if you have the extra money available, get a KTM or a Husky or a WR450. Just know that you will have to put some effort into getting it inspoected and registered. |