I never looked at the 06, Just thought they where taller do to having over an inch of wheel travel more.

 

Ah I gotchya, yeah the suspension travel is different. I'm having a hard time deciding on this one haha I guess it's "first world problems" eh?

 

I would get the 06, sounds like the 09 has been beat and has higher miles.

 

I wouldn't say beat up, just "ridden" as it's a trail bike to him. The only "beat up" part is the radiator shroud, which I'll be getting a acrebis tank any how. The tires have more wear but are still in decent shape.

I may be leaning more towards the 09 but haven't decided 100% yet

I know I'll be happy with either so I'm just hoping I can get one done soon so I can start with the project.

 

I haven't ridden one yet, I have sat on the 09' at a dealer and it fit me much better than the DRZ, I'm 5'11" with a 32 inseam.

The 09' has been used but what scares me about the 06, is how much it hasn't been used, I sometimes prefer a bike that has stayed moving than one that's sat up.

All in all, I feel like I'm in a pretty good predicament

 

Good call on the Acerbis tank.
You know that it fits the 06/07 just a little better than the 09+ models. Still works for the later ones, but doesn't match up with the seat as well, and you may need to move the wiring harness.
KLX-250s Acerbis Tank - gsnorcal's Photos

 

If you want an acerbis tank I would go with the 06.

 

That's a very clean '06. All models of the KLX are very good, but the '06 has a slight edge because of that travel if any real off roading is a priority. It has basically the same dimension fork and shock as the KLX300 at 11.0" and 11.2". This allows you to use the suspension mods such as revalving and springs from the 300 which are readily available. Even just as is in stock condition, if you're going to do some rougher trail riding, the '06 will have a slight advantage. Yeah, on the saddle height, both models have almost the same height for some reason. If you're that in love with the '09 headlight, there are some very slick aftermarket setups that look as good or better that are relatively easy to install on the '06. You probably can't screw the deal up by going with either bike. I have an '06, and the travel was important to me. It may not be as important to you for your needs.

 

Thanks for all the help guys, I think I'm going to go with the 09, after looking over a few things, I believe it's the best choice for me at the moment and with only 4023 miles, skid plate, extra parts, fmf exhaust, handlebars and barkbusters, I think it'll bring lots of fun! The shroud is not a HUGE priority for me at the moment and will look into replacing it later.





Thanks again for everything and I will post a report once I get it!

 

Congrats on deciding, I know how hard it can be. Both look like great bikes. The acerbis in my opinion looks bad on the 09's, but there are other options for a bigger tank that don't effect the looks.