Over on the other forum, someone asked for a comparison between the KLX230S and all of the other dual sport bikes I have owned (admittedly quite a few).
Some here may find this useful, so here is my reply:
So my first bike was a 2010 KLX250S, purchased spring 2010. At around the same time, I bought my wife a 2008 Honda CRF230L. We learned to ride on those bikes, and rode them for a couple of years. We were doing a fair bit of road riding at the time, and my wife's little Honda just wasn't the right bike for that.
So I bought a 2012 DR650SE for myself in the summer of 2012, did a 351 big bore kit on the KLX, turned that over to my wife, and sold the CRF to a friend. That combination worked great for us for several years, but gradually we transitioned back to more and more offroad, and less pavement. For that kind of riding, the DR was a real pig.
So I bought myself a 2017 WR250R in late summer 2017. Really loved it, and made the mistake of letting my wife ride it... one ride and she said I want one of these. So I bought one for her as well about a month after I bought mine. Gave the KLX and DR to my two adult sons for Christmas presents that year. We rode those WRs for 5 years, and really loved them. My wife's bike started having valve issues at about year 3.5, and after a couple of valve adjustments, the top end was worn beyond what could be shimmed. At this point I read some articles on the KLX230S and was intrigued. Decided to buy one for her, found a 2022 ABS model in stock at a local dealer and bought it for her. Sold her WR to a member on here who read about the valve issues and reached out interested in purchasing it (he has the skills to deal with it, and has since rebuilt the top end and it is running great for him). I took a few rides on her new KLX, and really liked it. Started watching for one to come up in stock, and bought it when one did (2023 non-ABS). Sold my WR to a member on here.
So comparisons...
For me the KLX230S wins if you do mostly dirt and are not a real aggressive rider for the following reasons:
1. The KLX has a significantly tighter turning radius.
2. The KLX feels much lighter than the its actual weight due to how low it carries the weight. The WR is tall, and carries its weight up high.
3. The KLX has a much lower seat height making for more confidence in uneven terrain.
4. The KLX has more down low torque for idling along slowly on difficult trails, and is much harder to stall. You really have to rev the WR and get good with clutch feathering.
5. The KLX is just all around more relaxing and forgiving to ride offroad.
The WR wins if you are a more aggressive rider or ride a fair amount of pavement for the following reasons:
1. The WR has a much higher top speed (somewhere north of 90 MPH vs. around 70 MPH for the KLX).
2. The WR loves to rev, and has gobs of torque when you get it up into its powerband.
3. The WR is easier to wheelie.
4. The WR has a better suspension, which matters if you want to go fast on rough terrain.
5. The WR is really awesome on twisty pavement.
As to the other bikes from our more distant past...
1. The KLX250S with the 351 big bore kit was pretty comparable to the WR in every way except suspension. I think that is fixable if you throw aftermarket money at it.
2. The DR650SE was the best of all of the bikes I've owned for pavement, the best for easy gravel roads, and the worst for more technical trails.
3. The CRF230L pretty much sucked at everything. No suspension, no power. But a good learner bike.