[HuD 91gt]

Hey guys,

Looking to buy my first bike fairly soon. Decided it is going to be a dual purpose bike.

Here is what I have found locally.

1985 XT350
1985 XL350R

or the expensive 1993 DR350.

Now keep in mind money is a large issue right now being fresh out of school with massive loans, and not much pay coming in

I am looking for a commuter bike that will be fun in the trails. I am also planning on doing some highway driving. Does anyone have any comments on the above? I know everyone is going to say how good the DR350 is(I've searched), and how weak the XT350 is, but can anyone give me some reasonable explanations?

Does anyone know some common problems with the bikes listed above, maybe something I could look for when I go take a look-see this weekend.
Thanks,

Colten

 

[dmanrevived]

You should read through the sticky above about older bikes

 

[Guest]

Hi I have owned all 3 of those and close to the years listed. the honda is ok but if it is the 2 carb one ..well that was a problem with it to keep it running smooth...the yamaha was a good bike but it was limited production run so parts may be hard to get for it now...the Suzuki was the best and still have a lot of those around...I guess for the older bikes the pricing should be aroun12-1800.00 where th Dr will be around 25-3500. depending on condition...FYI I sold my 97 Dr for 3000.00 it was in great shape and there are always some available...also consider a harder to find DT200 but the blue ones or a DR200, or a XT225

 

[HuD 91gt]

You should read through the sticky above about older bikes

I've read it, I am looking for info specific to these models.

 

[HuD 91gt]

There is actually a DT200 for sale in my area for $3200. Is this a decent price? How would a 200 be on the highway?

 

[TeeTee]

The DR still has a very faithful following and there's tons of them out there. As an indicator do an ebay search on DR350 and the same on the other two bikes. That'll give you a good idea of what's available.

So far I've never had any problem at all getting parts for my DR. There's also still a very good company actively selling hop up parts for DR350's. Try to find the same thing for the other bikes. The Yami in particular I've heard has pretty much fallen off the map. And because it wasn't that popular at the time parts will be harder to get I suspect. Phone a dealer and ask about some common stuff for that particular model year for order times and prices. Like fork seals and a clutch cover gasket or similar.

So while it may cost more it may be worth it. Just how much do they want for these bikes?

Check out the XL, XT and DR sections over at www.thumpertalk.com and you'll soon see how much of a following these three bikes have.

 

[TeeTee]

A 200 will suck on the highway. The DR350 is OK at 100 to 110kph but over that it gets a bit laboured and isn't happy. The 200 would hit that same zone probably at around 80 to 85 kph I suspect.

 

[TeeTee]

Oh yeah, you asked about power and all that. THey are all 350's and they are all air cooled so barring any engine troubles they'll all work about the same. However the DR with it's newer suspension will handle better.

You'll want to listen to the engines and try to remember what each sounds like. GO for the one that seems to run the smoothest and with the least noises. The one that starts decently easy is also a good idea. However be sure to test for warmth in the cylinder before it runs to see how long ago the guy ran it before you got there. Warm engines all start easy (usually), cold engines can be a whole other story.

If you do go for the DR I've got a lot of setup info to help turn it into a one to two kick starter even when cold on a winter morning.

 

[Mr.Sushi ya ha]

There is actually a DT200 for sale in my area for $3200. Is this a decent price? How would a 200 be on the highway?

I owned one and for a short ride say from surrey to downtown would be no problem. It held 100kph and would go 130 but that was pushing it...I put an aftermarket pipe on it and it helped huge. not great for highways but wonderful for trails... nice and light...

If your lookin for a hiway capable dual sport get 300+ cc'c The dr350 I had was by far the best dualsport. ok on the highway and decent in trails...I called it the couch it was so smooth...Back then the only other good bike was the XR400..Keep an eye out for one of these with a baja kit that makes them street legal.

 

[HuD 91gt]

Thanks alot for the help guys, exactly what I was lookign for. As for the prices, well the older bikes were betweem 15-1900, and the DR is posted as 2400. Seems like the dr is the best deal, atleast on paper.

 

[TeeTee]

If it's in decent shape then it's well worth the extra IMHO. Newer design, easier to find parts for and higher resale value and ease of resale later on because it's not so much of an "orphan".

If you've read the thread on buying older bikes you'll know that any of these will need a few hundred worth of some sort of fixups on top of the price. If you can do your own work then you may well save a few hundred on the presumably greater volume of repairs to the older bikes. But if you're paying for your labour through a shop then by far the cheaper alternative WILL end up being the newer DR.

And whatever you do be sure you get the brake systems serviced at least if not totally rebuilt. Second most important is the steering head if any work is required. Other than that the other stuff is optional from a safety standpoint. But if you ignore the problem areas it could well get pricey. It's winter so you got lots of time to learn as you go.

 

[HuD 91gt]

Well the DR is sold, as well as the XL, and one of the XT's....
I guess they were alright. Going to check out the last XT on saturday. Sounds like some work has been done.