Best budget Enduro?

Hey, ya'll! So here's my situation.

I have a 1999 Honda CR125R and a 2008 Versys 650. I bought the Versys a few months ago because it was too good to pass up but it's not something I want to keep long term. I figured with what's going on in the world right now, having a bike that is capable of doing some touring would be a good way to travel this year.

With that said, I plan on selling the Versys and getting rid of it by the fall (I'm only waiting that long because the bike is financed and won't probably be fully paid off until then).

Now onto what I'm looking for-

I've been getting into a lot of enduro/single track and hare scramble riding so I would love to have a bike that can handle those purposes (while also being able to be street legal, in case I need to ride to a trail).

Here's some bikes I currently have in mind.

Honda XR 400 or 600R ( I know the 600 is heavier but it may be the best value/jack of all trades option)
Yamaha WR250R
Kawasaki KDX200
Husky 150-250
KTM XC 150-250
Honda CRF230F

Ideally, I'd like to keep my budget under 5k. 4 stroke would be nice to have (especially if I have to have it on the street often) but I'm looking for the best overall bike for the money.

Am I better off looking for a nicer 2 stroke or should I go with one of the 4 stroke options I listed and try to set up my CR125 for Enduro stuff?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
 
First Welcome to the site..:wave:

Next - Not sure where you live as you listed bikes that are not out of the box street legal, so depending on local state laws, you may have an issue getting a street plate unless you find one already street legal. Depending on how much street riding you are doing, the CRF230 may not be a good choice as it is slow and more for beginning type riding. The rest are not bad choices though small bore bikes are not very user friendly on the street for long distances.
 

SRAD97750

Moderator
Staff member
I would say any of those are good choices if they can be registered for the street.
The small 2Ts will be alot more fun off road than on road.
The XRs and most 4Ts are pretty heavy, but handle longer road stints without any issue.

I have a KDX200 and can recommend it for all applications you're considering.
-BIG DAN:thumb:
 
Thanks but I'm going to have a hard time finding one in my budget range
Yeah I’m not sure where you are but here in Texas there are very few bikes for sale at this time. Last year at this time my friend sold his ‘15 WR450F for 5k and it had a rekluse clutch, he was asking 6 but because there was some Competition in that price range he took the first buyer. In the fall maybe some more opportunities will arise. For some reason I read the word ‘touring’ and thought that was the main goal, and where the small bores run hard and feel tiny on the roadways, the bigger dual sports are WORK on single track. I have multiple bikes because I like to do everything on two wheels and no one bike can accomplish that very well.
 
First Welcome to the site..:wave:

Next - Not sure where you live as you listed bikes that are not out of the box street legal, so depending on local state laws, you may have an issue getting a street plate unless you find one already street legal. Depending on how much street riding you are doing, the CRF230 may not be a good choice as it is slow and more for beginning type riding. The rest are not bad choices though small bore bikes are not very user friendly on the street for long distances.

Thanks! I live in South Dakota, which fortunately is a very easy state to get bikes plated. Ideally, a 250/300 would be the best displacement for me. 4 stroke would be nice but 2T's are far more common in Enduro and if I'm going to do serious racing, it would be better suited for me. I don't need to do cross country adventures. I just need a bike that I can take around town and to the trails.
 
Any small bore under 600cc will burn up under prolonged road use. Small jaunts to hop trails, 5-10 miles ok. 60-70 miles of road at a clip on a 200cc bike will tear it apart from the inside out.
 
The issue with using a 2 stroke for any lengthy road use is finding or having to carry 2T oil.
My kid asked awhile back if we could turn his YZ125 into a supermoto.
It sounded like a neat idea for about 2 minutes, until I thought of refueling.
 
You cant go wrong with a YZ250.
Plenty of power, parts available everywhere. Parts interchange from one YZ to the next...
There's no downside in a YZ IMO.
Everybody here will tell you to get on 06 or newer though for the suspension.
I love my 06!
Just wish I could ride it better, lol!
 
You cant go wrong with a YZ250.
Plenty of power, parts available everywhere. Parts interchange from one YZ to the next...
There's no downside in a YZ IMO.
Everybody here will tell you to get on 06 or newer though for the suspension.
I love my 06!
Just wish I could ride it better, lol!

What's so different about the suspension on the 06+ models compared to an 05?
 
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