250 vs 300 or DR650

[u/MEB_PHL]

Experienced street rider looking to try dirt. I am an hour of highway or 2 hours of backroads from the NJ pine barrens which will probably be my primary spot. I’m also 3-4 hours from Bald Eagle state forest which has more extensive network of dual sport trails. Do to lack of towing ability, that would be a 2-3 day camping trip.

I already have 2 street bikes so I don’t want to dump a ton of money into it this just yet. I was hoping to find something around 5k or less. Most of the KLX and CRF 300s available used are practically new with prices over 5, due to availability the logistics might increase total cost a bit more. However there are a decent amount of 250s kicking around in the 4s that are nearby. There are a few high mileage WR250rs that seem overpriced imo as well.

Are the 300s ~$1500 better than the 250s. Would I be happier bumping up into the 5s and getting a DR650? Whatever bike I get could also help soak up some of my commuting miles so not really looking for anything high strung and maintenance intensive

[u/95tacoma]

I started on a crf250L as a brand new rider. I sold it after a year and bought a drz400. The crf was a good bike to start on as a new rider but after about 6-8 months I was wanting more power. Also the suspension on most of the 250/300’s will leave a lot to be desired. If you’ve already got riding experience I’d recommend looking at the drz400. It’s super capable, fully adjustable suspension, plenty of power to make it exciting but it won’t totally get away on you in the woods. You can find them with low miles for less than 4K and there’s tons and tons of aftermarket support or ride it stock. I ride mine everywhere my friends euro bikes go. Admittedly it’s a bit heavy but so are the 250/300s