Cliffie,
Unless you're on pavement or hard packed dirt 95% of the time, avoid the big bikes. I know lots of people love them, but fighting that weight gets old really fast. I have sooooo much more fun on 250s on the trails. Even my KLR650 seems like a bloated pig compared to the small bikes I've been renting. If you're going to see dirt, trails, fire roads, etc, stick with 800cc or less. Just my 0.02, whatever that's worth
