I just bought my KLX 250R today. I can´t give you any information on it´s performance as I am waiting for it to be built and certified. I CAN´T WAIT! What I can do for you is share my experience with other bikes. I´ve owned, at one time or another, just about every style bike there is from motocross to rice rockets. The most fun I ever had was back in the day with my Yamaha XT 500, which is why I chose another enduro today. I also looked at the DR 650 (air cooled), but when I saw the KLX 250R I knew that was the bike for me. The 650 is powerful - very powerful, it´s heavy, air cooled and may be a somewhat of a handfull for a novice rider. The 250 on the otherhand is lighter, more manuverable, more responsive, and easy to pick up when you dump it - and you will dump it! Everyone dumps their first bike. General rule: The lighter the bike, the less damage sustained at dumpage. As for power, don´t worry about that either, the liquid cooled 250 will pump out more than you´ll ever want for a long time. Only true speed psychos crave more. Best of luck and keep it on the rubber...