Tough girls are cool and from your description it doesn't sound like she should have a problem with the XR650R.

The DRZ400SE and XR650R were the exact bikes that I was considering for my 2001 trip. I felt that the extra power and gear spacing on the XRR was going to be worth the extra effort of the dual sport conversion. Not because the riding was going to require more power than the DRZ has, but I felt the DRZ comes up short for extended road cruising because its combination of power and gear spacing is more comfortable off-road or at lower speeds. And if you raise the final drive, first gear will be too tall.

On a previous trip through Mexico and Central America, I had ridden a DR350ES, which was great, and I feel a more versatile bike than the DRZ. The DR350ES is comfortable cruising at 130kph, and yet can manage nearly any trail an enduro bike can do (though not as fast).

E-Line in Massachusetts did my dual sport conversion, including the uprated stator and a 55/100 watt H4 headlight. Interestingly, the XRR is available in full dual sport trim from Honda in some other countries, such as Guatemala.

My XRR had just the basic uncorking. I kept the exhaust stock and replaced the rubber intake manifold and rejetted as recommended. The bike ran great and started first kick hot or cold. I would be very wary of doing extra power mods, as I don't think what you would gain would be worth the hassle of hard starting or a loss of throttle response.