The Complete KLX250/KLX300 Long Term Review Thread

My sons and I run the D606 rear and IRC TR8 front on our three KLX's for rides that are mostly off road, although they will handle pavement jaunts fine as long as you don't have visions of being ricky racer.

The 606 works great on the rear and is the best DOT rear knobby that I have tried out of the following:
MT21 (wears faster than the 606. less traction)
Trackmaster II (wears faster than the 606, less traction on the road, but is cheap and better in the mud than the 606)

The IRC TR8 is better on the front for mostly dirt than the following knobbies:
MT21 (wears funny and faster, twice the price of the TR8)
D606 (not as good as either the MT21 or the TR8 on the front, also twice the price)

For more street biased rides and even so 50/50 exploring rides that do not involve mud, we run the Shinko 244's front and rear. The 244's are better on the street than the Kenda 270's due to less squirm in the corners. The 244's will even handle some faster two track and light singletrack as long as you keep the cornering speeds down (the front will wash out pretty fast) and as long as there is no mud.


FWIW, IMO, YMMV, HTH

Let me throw one more in the mix.

Duro Median HF903/904 a great dual sport tire with incredible road characteristics and really clean out well off road from my experience. The tires are spread out in the image, they are well packaged with bead spreaders so as to not flatten down when stacked in shipping. This makes them fairly easy to mount too. When they air up they round out.



The thing you may not be able to see is the unique tread build. The blocks have a web between them side to side, allowing less flex when cornering, but the tread is full depth around the circumference giving a bit of a paddle tire effect. I've been in clay and they still clean out, as well as leaning into a turn further over than a dual sport tire would expect to go.

My experience spans several sets over nearly 14 years. I get 4000 miles on the 650 before the rear is flattened and the tread depth low enough I order a new set. The front has cupped enough I'll replace it too, although I have done two rears to one front before - but boy was the front shot. So for about $124/set (that's Dennis Kirk pricing, I usually get a bit better at the dealership where I buy them) I do them both. I've ridden the tread style of the Kenda (and likely a Shinko model) when I used an old Yokohama that originated the tread design and was OEM on Honda and wasn't impressed. Friends used them too - again not impressed. They may be cheaper than the Duros, but they won't work better for my use both on and off pavement... been there done that.

I took a chance with the Duro (low buck at around $120/set) back in 2000 when I was unemployed and near broke. They looked good in the catalog. They worked better on the bike! Short of a knobby, I don't see anything that will work better off road and I guarantee nothing will do better on road. I ride with my friends on their supermoto bikes and sport bikes having no problem keeping close in the corners. I've scraped a toe but never had the rear step out on pavement. 30,000 miles with them and not looking to change - except to put a set on my 250 now.

They make a 120/80-18 and a 120/90-18 although I'll likely run the 80 series for less rotating mass and better clearance on inner fender areas.

Tire choice for 50/50 really depends on what you mean, and is highly subjective. Is your 50% dirt just cruising gravel roads...or is it race pace single track? On the pavement, are you trying to win a supermoto championship, or just going to the grocery store for a jug of milk? So consider that my opinion is based on something like a 50/50 use profile, but really focused toward dirt performance. And also that my opinion is based on a very narrow sampling of the available tires on the market.

I use my KLX as a true do-everything bike. Most of it's use - more than 90% - is just commuting, probably in a 60/40 ratio pavement/gravel roads. The rest of the use would be aggressive trail riding, in any condition from sloppy mud to dry hard pack. When commuting, I'm not concerned if it rides like a dirt bike...it's a point A to point B machine...I can live with compromises toward the dirt end of the spectrum. I don't ride very aggressively on pavement. I want the bike to work near it's best in the dirt though. I bought it new in 2010 and I've got around 15,000 miles on it.

Rear:
On the rear, I like the 4.60-18 K270 - it works well enough for me, that I haven't even bothered to try a different rear since the stock D605 wore out. I think I'm on my third K270 rear. They're cheap, and I get around 4000 miles out of them. They get pretty good traction most everywhere (the KLX doesn't have much power to break traction anyway). Not great in slick mud, but get the job done. They can act a bit strangely when leaned over on the very side knobs with the power on, both in dirt or or on pavement.

Front:
On the front, I've pretty much settled on the 80/100-21 Kenda Washougal K775F (standard compound, not sticky). DOT approved, lasts about 2,500-3,000 miles. Very good traction everywhere. It can get a little head-shaky in a staright line on hardpack and pavement. Obviously this is really a pure dirt tire, and won't have the the best pavement cornering or braking traction.

I have used and worn out two or three 80/100-21 Kenda Trackmaster II K760 fronts. I won't buy another one; they wash out far too easily, cornering traction is just not very good. I think I got about 3,000 miles out of them. They also lock up very easily on pavement.

I can't find the K775 in stock anywhere; they seem to be on closeout. I agree totally on the Trackmaster II's... not a fan. I already replaced my rear one with a Pirelli MT43 trials tire (it's awesome), but the front Trackmaster remains. It needs to get gone soon. Been thinking about trying the Pirelli XCMH.

I have D606's on a spare wheelset for my DR650. They're "okay." Not at all great on asphalt, decent off-road, but not stellar IMO.

I have Shinko 244's on my DR650 for general use. In Oregon terrain, they're quite good. In soft stuff, like in SoCal, they suck.

Somebody asked about a tank bag on the Acerbis 3.7 gal tank. I run one... it's the Giant Loop Fandango. Fits nicely.

Rob

To answer a few of your questions and describe my riding a bit more:

I use my KLX as a street/gravel road bike. I don't have too much access to pure single track dirt trails anyway. From time to time, I might get it off the road and in the dirt but nothing serious. Certainly not race pace. On the road, I want it to feel stable, particularly in the corner. I ride it to work occasionally, make donut runs on saturday morning, and ride pavement between gravel roads. Most of the gravel roads I ride are hard packed with some loose gravel mixed it. Nothing real muddy, nothing real sandy.

I'm looking hard at the Shinko 244. Price is good and reviews are good. I actually like the way my OEM tires ride and handle, just don't like the price. I bought the bike used a few months ago. Its an 09 that was bought new in 11, so it sat 2 years in the store. The guy I bought it from, kept it in his carport, exposed to the weather, never rode it (only had 1500 miles on it when I got it), and the rear tire has developed huge cracks in it from dry rot...I guess. It looks like hell.

So, thanks for everyone's help. Keep it coming and I'll keep reading.

So who all on here are going to the LBL 200 ride this year in Kentucky?

I'm thinking about it. Those trails are sweet. Went backpacking there years ago. Can't wait to ride my 250 for 2 days!!!


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Concur with this, the Trackmaster II front washes out offorad and are skittish on pavement, it is not a good choice for any type of riding, dirt or pavement.

On the other end, the Trackmaster II rear works well in mud and is a pretty decent DOT knobby, especially for the price, if most riding is off road. It wears pretty fast on pavement and can let go unexpectedly when leaned way over on pavement.

NCRacer and I are out riding with the girls today when he pulls along side me on his '09 KLX and shows me this:



We were near a little store and got some oil. Missus Sweetwater had the bright idea to bend a circlip into a hook and we managed to realign the gasket (rolling the dice to get home don't ya know?). 'Racer made it 30 miles home with no further leakage after we added 500cc or so that he had lost (most of it on his right pants leg).

Can't even begin to guess what caused this? Any ideas before we remove and replace?

Many '09 models had a bad valve cover gasket. Apparently a whole slew of them made it on to bikes. It was like the material shrunk and/or deformed.

Weird. The '09 model is notorious for leaking valve covers due to bad gaskets, but this isn't that. This looks like improper assembly; were the valves checked recently? Otherwise maybe some kind of impact, or maybe even pressure washing could have popped that plug out of place...but I've never seen that before.

http://peoria.craigslist.org/mcy/4410555105.html

I don't have a ton of tire experience, but I did go from the stock tires to the Michelin T63s front and rear and it was an improvement on road and off. They are rated 50/50 but are knobbies, and I feel very confident on pavement with them (no chicken strips even ). They are an improvement off trail, but not great in the usual tough conditions. If you do a lot of road/commute and still want decent off trail I would give them a look. The rear won't give the same mileage, but yaknow, knobs....

I bought that (almost) exact same spec three years ago for 4100 cnd$

If you got lucky and dropped it on something or had something poke it in the right spot you might get that result. Odd for sure.

I put the T-63's on a XT225 and then proceeded to do the Continental Divide Ride, a total of 4600 miles round trip. Went from AZ to Canada on asphalt then back to AZ on the route (mostly ). They worked well on that kind of ride on that bike.

TNC, Lutz, Dan888:

It is odd isn't it? No known impact, NEVER pressure wash the bikes, and before disassembly, the gasket appears intact from the outside.

When 'Racer picks up a new one, I will report what we find (or don't find!).

Again, not a big deal, and not an end-of ride event.

EDIT: we actually laughed because at first he thought he'd found a way to win the argument for getting the 351 kit

Its on my list!

There a ride in May if you are interested: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=952026&highlight=adv@LBL

I noticed that this plug was unplugged. I couldnt tell if it had been destroyed or just yanked out by accident.

I jammed it back in. What was that? I assume something with the radiator / thermostat?

It was plugged into an outlet that had a plastic hanger on one of the radiator hoses.

What is this?

Just ordered some Shinko 244s for front and rear. After reading all the reviews and really thinking through how I ride, I'm pretty sure they will fit my needs and wants. I ride mostly pavement and hard packed gravel roads with limited loose gravel and limited mud and minimal sand. I just don't ride much dirt at all. Just don't have much access.

I'll update everyone on how the ride as I get them worn in.

Thanks for all the help.


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