Anyone go from a Big 650 dualsport to a 250 and regret it?

I have a KLR650 that I picked up last year and have been enjoying it alot but, it is a handfull offroad. I'm thinking of getting a klx250s but I am affraid that I'll miss the klr650 on the street. Sometimes riding the highway/turnpike is the the only way to get around and I like that the klr can do 75 to 80 on the highway.

Has anyone gone from a bigger dualsport to a smaller one and regretted the decision? How much more does a klx250s vibrate on the highway compared to the klr?

Will the klx250s have enough power for steep hill climbs offroad?

Is there anything I need to know before I make the switch?

Can you spend 6 to 8 hours in the saddle of a little 250 without it splitting you in two? I'm not a big guy but those seats look freaking tiny compared to the klr seat.

Thanks for advice

P.S.: I have read the bigdog adventure website and I know a lot of guys like the wr250r but I like to do my own work and the fuel injection will probably keep me doing my own repairs and the drz400 is just too tall for me, I'm short and had to lower the klr to make it fit me.

Having a fat ass KLR myself, my typical trip load before fuel and without me is about 540 pounds. I like to bring lots of spare parts....

Like you, I have the same draw to the WR250 Yammy. I think it is the clear ticket. Friend of mine just got one and has outfitted it nicely. GREAT BIKE.

I dont think there is going to be the same kind of tech tinkering on the WR like the dirty ass KLR requires sometimes. If I was going to pick a 250, it would only be the WR. But that's just me.

To answer your question, I think a guy needs the KLR and a dirty little 250.

Two bikes.

Or a Versys and a 250.

Just me.

You are not the first to come to this conclusion, our local riding group (KLR folk) has this conversation weekly....

Curious if this can go like 8 posts before we smoke out the haters. Just curious..

Until then, subscribed!

Yes I have, and no regrets at all! I downsized from a KLR to a Super Sherpa. I ride the back country a fair bit as well as commute, and with a decent set of tires(TKC 80's) the Sherpa does all I ask of it. The Sherpa doesn't beat me to a pulp the way the KLR did, and I still carry the same camping clag as I did on the KLR albeit not quite as fast. The only mods was to transfer the bash plate and bark busters from the KLR and add a set of Happy Trail side racks to keep stuff out of the rear wheel. One of these days I'll get ambitious and install a bigger tank but for now I'll carry some extra fuel. Haven't got a clue how to attach pics, so I'll leave that to the experts. I have been riding for about 50 years, and have found that size does matter!

Cheers, Old Bill

See my avatar for pic.

I went from a KLX250 to a DR650rs and really missed the KLX most of the time.

The DR obviously had more power but I thought the KLX was better every where else.

The only time I didn't miss the KLX was at the end of a long day on the highway because the KLX has more of a buzz through the handlebars than a vibration...

After the DR shit the bed I found a 300 engine to go back in my KLX and didn't miss the DR at all...

Mine was an 04 KLX, and the DR was a 91, at the time I had the DR my brother had an 08 KLR650, and I found the KLR and DR very close, but the KLR had much better brakes (I only had a couple of rides on the KLR on tar).

I think you would miss the extra power, but probably forget about it and enjoy the other benifits pretty quickly.

I think you need to define how you plan to ride.
If you plan on hauling a bunch of unnecessary stuff 400 miles, set up camp and then ride no more than moderately difficult trails, I think the KLR is a good choice. If you shorten your highway miles to 200 miles and lighten your load to say 40lbs, owning a WRR would allow you to ride harder stuff much easier and not beat you up every day.
But ditching a KLR for a WRR? It was a choice I've never regretted. The conclusion that I reached was that when I traveled long distances I tend to ride more conservatively because I didn't want to be stranded. This meant the abilities of the KLR became less an issue. For me, a WRR and a trailer solved that problem nicely - I can still take some risks and make it home.

If I wanted to take long, camping/sightseeing trips on nothing harder than fire roads then something like a Vee, GS or wee works way better.

I wouldn't worry too much about the FI on the WRR and being able to work on it.

About the most work you're going to have to do anyways is to clean the air filter
and change the oil.

I've been thinking about getting a smaller bike to augment my xr650l, it's a great highway bike and destroys the gravel like no other, but much more technical than that and it becomes and unwieldly beast of a bike.

I've been giving serious thought to finding a smallish two smoker to get plated, along the lines of the kdx or even a 125 mx bike detuned and big tanked for those less than all day rides.

200 highway miles for me would be a lot. I'm usually under 100 highway and the rest is backrounds and trails. I just don't want to get run over in that 100. I went out late in the day last night and had to take the turnpike back because I figured it would be safer than dodging deer on the backroads at night. You pretty much HAVE to go 70+ mph or you will not be keeping up with traffic. I'd like to be able to go 70 mph with a margin of safety for passing and do well on the trails and not have the bike cleave me in two because the seat is so narrow. Trailering the bike isn't really option for a number of reason. I know it's a tall order.

I agree, The WR is a far superior machine to the KLX 250S and will not need a ton of cash thrown at it to make it good.

.. after a recent crash and having my KLR land on my leg I can see the benefit of having a smaller (and lighter) bike for the more-challenging stuff up in the mountains ..

.. no broken bones, just some very nice deep-tissue contusions and crushing .. thanks God and MasterCard for decent gear ..

.. looking forward to reading about what the popular choices are for smaller sizes and if the 300-400 range of bikes start popping up .. though I do have fond memories of my uncles 70's era Yam and Kaw 250s ..

.. thanks for cranking this thread up ..

250 blows getting up steep stuff. You get so high in the rev range that it's just a pain dealing with all the spin. Too bad the japanese makers don't make a 450 ds bike because it is so nice chugging up something with torque

My first 4 DS bikes were KLR600/650 models until I found a clean, used '06 KLX250S. I put a 300 cylinder on it and modded the suspension. I wish I had been riding smaller, lighter DS bikes all along upon reflection, as I really didn't do any long highway miles. If you're going to do any challenging 2-tracks or singletracks, the KLR and similar bikes are just a huge handful. If you're going to spend most of the day on pavement, the KLX and WRR are a little small and buzzy. The best of both worlds is two bikes, but I don't even care to ride that much pavement on a KLR anymore. If I was doing a good bit of twisty pavement and only some smooth dirt roads, I'd get a Versys in a heartbeat. My mainly rougher 2-track adventures and even an occasional singletrack has been so much more fun on the KLX. I'd have no qualms in riding a WRR either. If you find an '06/'07 used KLX, you get 11" of travel. Even with a full aftermarket exhaust, DJ jetting kit, full Race Tech Gold Valve suspension mods, new springs, and a KLX300 cylinder, I only have about $3000 in the bike. The suspension mods really transformed the bike.

I am on my 2nd KLR650. It's a great bike, but a tad heavy when the going gets tough. I've been toying with the idea of buying a KLX250S instead since most of my riding is on an island with lower speed highways and limited distances to cover.

I can't keep two bikes so it would have to be one or the other.

Riding my KLR yesterday on the highway, dirt, gravel and mud to get to a local lake I kiteboard at I was pondering having a smaller bike. I definitely wouldn't want less power/stability on the highway, but as soon as the pavement ends the KLX sounds awesome.

I can't afford to make a change until next year sometime so I can think about it. I suspect I may just miss the KLR enough to regret my choice to go to the KLX. I can ride my KLR to Baja and across Canada with a swap of tires. That's pretty cool when you just have one bike.

It would be ideal to have both bikes, but that's not feasible sadly...

When I have the funds to contemplate the swap I'll take a KLX out on a good long ride to see how she handles the paved parts of my local riding.

Yeah, there's a point at which you really have assess your riding preference and type. I always had that romantic notion of riding my KLR to far off places for adventure. And hey...the Dakar bikes back when I started riding KLRs...1985...were huge behemoths. Plus, I was younger and tougher as I was racing enduros on real dirt bikes at the time too. As time and reality set in, I realized I wanted adventure in the sense of going to a particular place and do some serious exploring of the area. I wanted to go up the mountains and down the canyons, and the neater the place, it seemed the rougher the route. Also, I think camping off of a bike kinda sucks. This is an area of real personal issue and preference. I like primitive camping out in the forest and BLM land, but I like to have my van and dirtbike trailer so I can cook great meals, carry some luxury camp items, sleep in real comfort, and have plenty of gear, tools, food, clothes, fuel, etc. I use camp as a base to really explore the area and then move to another location to do the same. And camping with a 4-wheeled vehicle you can stay out in the hinterlands in comfort for much longer periods. It sounds like I could do with a pure off road bike, but no...the big loops I do take usually throw you out on pavement stretches to make other off road connections. Being totally street legal and having a bike that pavenment doesn't challenge mechanically really makes a difference. That's my take on the KLR vs. smaller, more capable DS bike. Not everyone is the same, and that's why there are so many options out there. I'm having so much fun with my KLX at this point over the KLRs that I had.

You sound like the perfect KLX250 owner...

What, like only having one bike?
That I would regret, no matter the size.

300 pound 650 bikes like the 690 and the late te 630 and xr 650 are as close as you can get to having it all in one. Klr does not work period but the 250 would be the one to choose if you had to

As other posters have stated, you really have to analyze the type of riding you are going to do the majority of the time and get the bike that you feel will suit you best.

When traveling on the bike the KLR just handles loads better. The size makes it easy to pack things. When taking a long trip the KLR can handle a tank bag, front panniers, saddle bags and a tail trunk and still be comfortable, not cramped. The KLX, as you know is physically smaller and won't handle my tank panniers, will only accept a smaller tank bag and feels more cramped with a tail bag and saddle bags.

I have two sets of wheels for the KLR which helps for when I need more dirt oriented tires which helps for when I want to go on more challenging trails. But then you have to decide if you want to burn up your knobbies riding 6-8 hours on the highway to be better Able to handle the trails, or use your more street oriented tires and be more challenged on the trails. This would also come into play with the KLX, 80-20, 50-50, or 20-80 tires?

As with others who have the luxury of multiples bikes, it seems like when you are riding that bike it is the best bike and you think you could get by with just that bike. Then you ride one of the others and you wonder how you could ever get rid of it. You would miss the torque/comfort (KLR), the smooth revvy engine and light handling (KLX), or the pretty good torque/ pretty light handling air cooled goodness (DR, which is really a nice compromise).

It is the best of all worlds having multiple bikes so that you can choose the best one for a given task, but even with that you might not be on the right one for every part of one trip, just the most right one.

Good luck with your decision.

John

I have both a DR650 and an XT225. I am thinking about selling the DR because I don't use it that much. I also have a Vulcan 750, an '95 Goldwing, and a Ninja 500. The ONLY place the DR does better than the XT is on the highway. And I have pure street bikes for highway use that are a lot more comfortable than the DR. The way I see it, the 650 and larger bikes are great for one thing. Adventure touring. They are big enough to hold highway speeds, can be loaded down with a lot of stuff, and can handle less than perfect roads. But they are not dirt bikes or trail bikes. If you mainly ride off road locally, or at least within a couple hundred miles of home, you don't need a 650. I have yet to find anywhere my XT won't go if any kind of bike could get there. And it's a lot of fun on trails, unlike the DR. I bought the DR because I am 6' 220, and thought I needed a big bike. I was wrong. The KLX250 should work fine. I would get it over the WR because it still has a carburetor, and you CAN tinker with it. It also doesn't have several hundred dollars worth of electronic parts. And it's cheaper.

I started with a KLR650 and after riding it once offroad went and bought a KLX250S. I have no desire to ever ride the KLR off road again. I still have the KLR and I like it for commuting and street riding in the twisties. For 50/50 riding, I think the KLX is great. It could use more power, and I intend to do the 351 kit some day. Only once have I really needed more power, and that was on a steep, rocky climb at 7000'. It just didn't have the power to pull 2nd gear and 1st would just spin and lose momentum. It would be nice to have more grunt so I can pop the front wheel over obstacles off road, and the max speed on road is currently only about 65mph (GPS, not the pie-in-the-sky speedometer). I've done 200 mile days on it, no problem. It is a lot smoother at speed than the KLR. Some wind protection might be nice, but I'm not sure I want to give up the smooth clean airflow I get now. I find the seat quite comfortable, much more so than the KLR seat for some reason. I went with the KLX over a WRR because it was much cheaper used, and I like the simplicity and possibly greater reliability of a carburetor instead of fuel injection (although the WRR has proven to be extremely reliable).

So, to answer your question, no regrets on the KLX. I do ride my KLR more, simply because I commute on it. I'd probably get rid of the KLR and use the KLX for everything except that I ride 2-up with my wife now and then. And that's one thing the KLX will never be able to do.