The CRF250L Owners thread

[Krono]

Originally Posted by Lost Rider

We have a 13t front sprocket, agreed, a must have for dirt riding and great value for the small money spent. If we were commuting only I'd probably leave it alone stock, and doubt we'll change the rear so we can still cruise at 65-70mph on the highway. A good compromise for us.

I found the 42t filled the gap between 1st and 2nd, if i can say, and allowed the use of it were needed offroad.
Achived up to 85mph with this combo, but obviously not usable on highways (120km/h or 75mph here)...

L

[eyeopenher]

how do you all do??? i am not an owner of one of these fine bikes, but i have been following this thread like a fly on s***t... everyday i sit down and see whats new in the world of the lrp... so here is a lil background on me... i am a 37yr old father of 2 lil germ bags (6yr old boy and a 3yr old girl)... sold my 1993 klr250 and 1985 cr250 three years ago and have been regretting it since... so i am in the market for another commuter bike i can still play around on (90% on road).... i have just enough money to get the lrp otd at $5483 (with 600 mile oil change and valve adjustment included) from the local dealership... i have all my gear already so i don't have to figure that into the budget... here is my problem... i just found a guys selling a 2012 kawasaki klx250s with 40 miles on it for $4000... saving almost $1100 is huge to me, but $1100 is also worth what my heart wants... (i think!?!?!?! lol) i can jet it, pipe it, and do the air box and smog stuff, rack, skid plate, tail light clean up, hand guards, risers and bars and anything else needed with the extra money left over... my question to you fine ladies and gents is this, would you buy the crf250l for $5483 OTD (but will not have $$$ for upgrades for awhile...) or the 2012 klx250 (40 miles on it) for $4000 plus $300 or so in dmv fees and taxes??? for some reason i am really stuck on this... i have read everything i can, and i do know whats good for you may not be good for me. but i still must ask...
sorry for being so long winded, but my head has been spinning and i also don't want to lose the klx250 deal being as its a new bike for almost $2000 less then the otd price... ($5200 plus all dealer fees and taxes makes it $6000 otd here in dirty jersey.)
any input would be greatly appreciated by me and my hair line... and yes, ive watched the comparison videos and visit this forum, TT forum, and the kawasaki klx250 forum everyday. just kind of in one of those moments in life, where i don't want to jump off the ledge alone... also i know if i don't like the bike, i can sell it and take a very little hit on price. so thats comforting at least... thank you all in advance.

marc

[eyeopenher]

just read my post... WOW... i wrote like one long run on sentence... sorry if its hard to read with my written mental babble...

[Krono]

Hi

And for your question, what to say to a big boy like you ???

I know ! ----> You will forget the price, but the bike will stay, so ... listen to your heart

L

[SAPB]

Originally Posted by Krono

Hi

And for your question, what to say to a big boy like you ???

I know ! ----> You will forget the price, but the bike will stay, so ... listen to your heart

L

I agree with KRONO, go with your gut feeling. In your situation, money is tight, I know, been there, done that. I've never been without a bike since I got my licence, so I can't imagine how it would be to not be able to ride. Some of the folks on this thread frown on "non owners" posting, but that's how I got information, and ultimately, went with the CRF. Thinking that you could hand down the bike to your son/daughter, so that makes it more cost effective. Good luck!

[eyeopenher]

yeah, i felt like i was 17 again going to buy my first bike... lol i was gonna write how i should put on my big boy pants... glad you pointed it out... and i would like to say sorry to everyone. this is not a comparison question or anything like that... i asked this question here cause, well, who else to ask, but the owners of what i am looking to buy... no disrespect intended...

thank you SAPB... thats why i was just writing this... i just read lost's post (NOT POINTING FINGERS) after i posted it and felt like a heal...
and thank you Krono... thank you for pointing out that i already knew the right answer and to grow up... lol

and yes, if it wasn't for this specific thread, i think i would have bought the k**250s yesterday when i first found it... so i thank each and eveyone of you guys and gals...

[yyz]

For someone who doesn't own a CRF, your input to others is meaningless

Originally Posted by MentalGuru

Those 2 posts look right on the money to me.



Sound like your panties are kinda wadded up and you may still have some sand you need to wash out.

I haven't read any posts from you that are of any benefit to any inmates here yet...

Are you related to tirebiter by chance???

[AZDavis]

My circumstances are very similar to yours, an important consideration for me was "how will this vehicle do in storage"? I don't mean properly put away, i mean when i can't get to it for 6 weeks because life is going on. The fuel injection Honda seems to be more tolerant and forgiving of the ethanol blended gasoline commonly available (or so i am told) than the carborated Kawi. I have been quite happy with my Honda after spending $20 to replace the front sprocket and seat bolts. Other mods are in the works but in three manageable chunks, tires, controls, and armor probably in that order at about $300 apiece. I'm at a month of ownership and 300 miles and couldn't be happier.

[Lost Rider]

My apologies, I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad or not welcome at all, just pointing out things about ADVrider that will help folks get on throughout the forum. Staying relatively on-topic is a good skill to have around here, along with developing a good BS radar.
I do a whole lot both online and off to promote our sport to folks and enjoy helping out when I can. I turned to ADvrider many years ago with the same questions as a new member, and folks with more experience helped me out but also pointed me in the right direction as to where is best to ask certain questions, though they weren't as civilized in the good ole' days on ADV before all the fucking PC.

I think I will just start a thread like I was talking about, I'm not the police and don't want to be one, there's only so many hours in the day and this thread could be a full time job if I cared that much.
I do believe this thread has gotten too big for its own good in some respects when it comes to just discussing bolt-on parts, troubleshooting, tires, DIY, upgrades, packing, and the like. Lots of pages here to find that kind of stuff. LRP Adventurer stuff.
For LRP owners a new CRF250L Adventure Traveler thread that's very specifically laid out could be a good resource, especially with updates to the first post to index it, while this owners thread stays as more like what it is - the go to place for everyone to talk about the LRP or to ask actual owners direct questions since it's the place that many folks are coming no matter what the first post says.


Stay tuned.

[trainman]

Lost Rider, I agree with you that a new topic should be started for the Newbie, or just for those who want questions answered about the new CRF250L. Just to see how the WR250R thread handled their post and they have 32,824 plus post, they pretty much are as out of control as we are. I read several post and they to get asked the same question day in and day out, with pretty much the same answers over the last five years, so I'm pretty sure it will happen here to. Here is the last page that was post today, see what I talking about, a Review, http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...9337&page=2189
and as many of you know the results by now. Good luck maybe were can get something going. Now does that mean that we have to go over to the new forum and answer their questions to keep them off of this one.
John

[gaw777]

This Thread has gotten too funny. It's kind of like a good movie, with commercials, some good
Some not so good
Just have to get past the commercials to gleam all the good stuff, cause there is plenty of it on here. The sad thing is sometimes one has to go thru way too many commercials to find answers to asked questions.

Have owned the lrp since November, done some mods, looking to do a few more. Been 15 years since I have been on the dirt, mostly riding sports bikes on the tracks and a lot of things are different getting back on the dirt, so the lrp is a perfect fit at this point. Looking to get the few extra ponies and I think it will make the perfect bike for the time being. My biggest issue coming back to off-road was that I needed a short seat height, 30' inseam. Being able to put 2 feet down is very comforting . Tried taller bikes, got tired of falling off.
So far though, stock, I have found nothing it will not climb, at least for my ability at this point.

When I get to be a big boy rider, I will maybe move up to a stronger bike.... if I can find one with the right seat height.

[jsmithy]

Originally Posted by eyeopenher

yeah, i felt like i was 17 again going to buy my first bike... lol i was gonna write how i should put on my big boy pants... glad you pointed it out... and i would like to say sorry to everyone. this is not a comparison question or anything like that... i asked this question here cause, well, who else to ask, but the owners of what i am looking to buy... no disrespect intended...

thank you SAPB... thats why i was just writing this... i just read lost's post (NOT POINTING FINGERS) after i posted it and felt like a heal...
and thank you Krono... thank you for pointing out that i already knew the right answer and to grow up... lol

and yes, if it wasn't for this specific thread, i think i would have bought the k**250s yesterday when i first found it... so i thank each and eveyone of you guys and gals...

I would offer $3,500 for the klx and go from there.

[Telemarktumalo]

Originally Posted by eyeopenher

......would you buy the crf250l for $5483 OTD (but will not have $$$ for upgrades for awhile...) or the 2012 klx250 (40 miles on it) for $4000 plus $300 or so in dmv fees and taxes??? for some reason i am really stuck on this...

marc

Hi Marc. I agree with Krono. Go with your gut. You seem like the kind of guy who hangs on to a bike so you can logically amortize the cost difference over the years of ownership. The cost difference will then be less noticeable. So, if you own the Honda for 5 years, the cost difference only amounts to an extra $27/month over the Kawi. Only you can answer your question if it is worth it to you. Good luck and let us know what you decide..... Green Hornet or Spiderman Red?

[NesquikNinja]

Just want to chime in on which bike to buy.

First off...get whichever you like more. People get far to caught up on bike capabilities....there less important than most think. The only things that really matter are safety and fun.

Second. Never. Ever. Pay all the dealer fees. I tell them wipe the fees or im out. Never failed me yet. Usually gets knocked from 700+ dollars to less than 100

[Ed@Ford]

Well, here's some semi technical stuff for other CRF owners. I was thinking about an LED taillight bulb. Ended up taking off the silly bracket and reflectors that hold the lisence plate more vertically...ended up taking the rear mud flap off to get at the screws....Grrrr...Oh crap...nasty "Japanese Phillips" screws....and the sumbitches were tight as hell...took vice grips to get them loose. Replaced 2 of them with M8 hex head washer head bolts...the 3rd one was a big head shoulder screw....nuts....dug thru my scrap bins...found one of those funny "top hat" washer sleeve things that keep you from crushing the rubber vibration thingie...filed it to the appropriate height...DONE!

BUT, that leaves the lisence plate light that has the silly plastic spacer under it...took all that apart..CRAP..nope...gotta keep the stupid spacer.

Soooo...why am I telling owners all of this. Those screws were stupid tight...without the right tools onboard...can't repair a blown taillight bulb...and I've had nice policemen tell me..."fixit or get it towed". So, do it now, in the relative comfort of your garage, with a fine adult beverage at hand.

AND...NO...I don't want to spend $100+ to save a pound or so replacing that light assembly.