Long term KLX250S review

[streakerfreak]

NiklyK. Congrats on your first bike. The KLX was my first and it is damn near a perfect first bike. It's nice to dream of mods, but may I suggest riding it for a few months before pulling the trigger on any modifications. I had my KLX for almost two years. During that time I put over 50 thousand miles on it, but only added a Giant Loop Coyote, a Wolfman Tank Bag, and went with different size sprockets. I never felt the need to modify the bike. Once you ride it for a few months it will give you time to figure out what you REALLY need.

[Rob.G]

Welcome, Nik! Great choice on the bike. :)

Check out the CycleRacks rack too (cycleracks.com). It's the biggest one I've seen, and is pretty beefy. I love mine.

As for saving on shipping, the best solution I can think of is to make friends with somebody over here that you can trust. Order your mods and have them sent to their house, and then have them pack it all together to ship over there. 'Course that could make for an awfully big package.

A much less practical idea is to apply for a student visa and move over here. :)

Rob

[Prophex]

Originally Posted by NikLyk

I just purchased my first motorcycle!

It is a 2009 Kawazaki KLX250 (EU spec, EFI). I dont have my MC license yet, but I am in the process of getting one. Ill have to take some courses but I should have it mid-april. The dealer said I could let the bike stay there until I was ready to bring it home. I must say it sucks to own a bike that you cannot ride yet! That being said, I am super thrilled about the idea.

I have been without motorized transportation since I had to sell my car 6 months ago. Maintenence, insurance and gas prices were simply too high for me as a student. (Imagine paying 6$+ for a gallon of gas). Im from Denmark so anything with an engine is super expensive. I paid 6700$ for the KLX and that was a bargain. A new 2012 model costs about 10k.(Is there any difference between 09 and 12 models) None of the other 250 dual sports are available here, so I really had nothing to choose from. Nevertheless, I am satisfied with the KLX after having read lots of stuff about the competitor bikes on the market on here and on other sites.

I will mostly be using the bike for commuting around town, but I also hope to do some minimalist touring and some trips to the beach and the forrest.

Im already thinking about what mods I want to do. So far I have decided that I will need:
1) Rack (I was having a hard time deciding which one, but PMRracks just released a new one that looks good)
2) Seat concepts seat
3) IMS tank (They dont have one out for the EFI KLX yet but hopefully they will soonish)

I like to keep it somewhat simple and stock looking. This is supposed to be a practical, cheap and reliable means of transportation for me so I dont want to sink tons of money into it.

Any other mods you guys recommend to start out with? Im thinking about the 13 sprocket, but since I plan on touring on the bike I am not sure its such a good idea. Its something I will have to think about. Most other performance mods I read about seem difficult to implement on the EFI Kawi.

Oh and another thing: Things such as the Seat Concept, the IMS tank and the PMRrack will cost me a fortune once shipping is calculated (like 50$ shipping pr item!) Any suggestion on how I could cut down on this cost? Could I perhaps ask the companies to send the items to eachother and then ship it as one package? Do you think that would save me anything? Im fairly strapped for cash, so paying 50$ shipping on a 100$ item is quite a lot.

Sometimes, as a motoring enthusiast, I wish I lived in the states as everything is just so much cheaper, but then again, it seems as if the carb version of the KLX250 only has 18hp stock? The EFI has 22hp apparantly. I wonder what gives the 4hp difference?

Anyway, that was quite a lot of questions and I hope someone can shed some light on it. Pic is my bike at the dealers where it will stay until mid-april.

*pic*

Hi NikLyk,


Grats on your first bike. As some have mentioned above, it's one of the best 'first bikes' to get.

I'm from Belgium and we also get the EFI model here. <3 So to answer some of your questions and recommend some stuff:

1. First off, don't upgrade untill you've had the bike for a few months! Especially if you are tight on cash. Some stuff might not be needed.
2. For example the seat and bigger tank: If you only plan on doing short rides arround town or the odd camping trip then try out both first. I've ridden 2+ hours on mine with the stock seat and wasen't soar at all. And with a full tank I got arround 180+km's. So upgrading was not needed.
3. As for the rack, how about looking for suppliers in the EU or even your own country? Have you asked your dealer if he can get some of the items you want? (Remember, within the EU you don't have to pay import tax, but outside you do...)
4. An essential upgrade on the EFI model is to get rid of the 110 km/h restriction. This is a free mod and is explained HERE.
5. You can also remove your airbox snorkel for a slight increase in power and a deeper sound or get a bigger one like THIS. (Picture below shows difference between, from top to bottom: no snorkel, bigger snorkel and stock.)

[philp38]

I drilled the choke starter jet last week and it made a big difference on cold start ups.. I also got to the air fuel mixture screw. It was set at 1 and half turns out from the factory. I set it to 2 and a half and it seems to idle much better.

[zontar]

Originally Posted by streakerfreak

NiklyK. Congrats on your first bike. The KLX was my first and it is damn near a perfect first bike. It's nice to dream of mods, but may I suggest riding it for a few months before pulling the trigger on any modifications. I had my KLX for almost two years. During that time I put over 50 thousand miles on it, but only added a Giant Loop Coyote, a Wolfman Tank Bag, and went with different size sprockets. I never felt the need to modify the bike. Once you ride it for a few months it will give you time to figure out what you REALLY need.

+1 on this advice. it's a great bike for anyone. I mostly commute and rides gravel roads with mine, but I'm ridden it all day as well. plenty of power, light, and if you drop it it will just add character. the Nomadic rack is a nice one too, affordable and sturdy. you really did pick a good one!

[aki]

Originally Posted by Prophex

[*]An essential upgrade on the EFI model is to get rid of the 110 km/h restriction. This is a free mod and is explained HERE.[*]You can also remove your airbox snorkel for a slight increase in power and a deeper sound or get a bigger one like THIS. (Picture below shows difference between, from top to bottom: no snorkel, bigger snorkel and stock.)[/LIST]

Thanks for sharing the info. Hahaha.....

[NikLyk]

Thanks everyone for the input. Had my first on-road MC lesson today, although on a school bike. Good fun!

Yeah I will wait a few months before I decide if I wish to add the tank and the seat, but the rack seems very handy as I will use the bike for everyday commuting, grocery shopping and so on. I havent been able to find any EU-based manufacturer of racks so I think I will have to go with one from the US. There are some really good looking racks available from the US, so I guess there is no way around the shipping fee. I dont know anyone in the US and who knows if it would even be cheaper to have the packages sent to them and then bundled up... Oh well...

I knew about the clutch-cable derestrict trick on the KLX250 EFI as I already read about it on some other threads. Its certainly something that I will do immedietly.

As for the Snorkel mod, I was actually thinking about that, but I remember reading a thread where a guy had done some tests and found that the bike worked best with the stock snorkel? Although this chart you posted says differently. Ususally I bookmark threads with good info, but somehow I didnt do it this time. Does anyone know what I am talking about? I tried to google, but I couldnt find the thread again. I think it was here on ADVridier...

[Ride Now]

Originally Posted by NikLyk

As for the Snorkel mod, I was actually thinking about that, but I remember reading a thread where a guy had done some tests and found that the bike worked best with the stock snorkel? Although this chart you posted says differently. Ususally I bookmark threads with good info, but somehow I didnt do it this time. Does anyone know what I am talking about? I tried to google, but I couldnt find the thread again. I think it was here on ADVridier...

Congrats on the new bike! I think the post you're referring to was by Ranger Ron. I copied his carb mods and actually increased the mpg on my stock bike. I know yours i FI, but air flow is air flow, right? Here's the link.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...postcount=5807

[Crooked Tree]

Hello, my name is Larry and I am a motorcycle addict.

I have some questions. I can not buy just the bike I want so I am going to build one out of a KLX250S. I do a lot of just exploring, no more than 200 miles in a day. Fishing, mushroom picking, etc. I used to be heavy into single track and went through a KTM phase back when work was better[contractor]and money was not an issue. It is now.

After the KTM's I had a series of bikes, a KLX 300, Drz 400 and a 650L. Of those I liked the KLX far better than the rest for the kind of riding I like to do. Just far easier in the tight stuff where a trials bike would actually be the ticket. So......

Since then my knees have gotten so bad that I want E start, so although making a KLX 300 street legal would be the easiest, I want the button. So I am looking for a 250 to mod to my liking. I want a bike with a motor that is good at slow speeds, so no KTM"s or Husky's, plus I do not want to deal with the maintenance schedules on a race bike. Have been waiting for the bike I want to get made, but seems it is not going to happen.

So besides the usual farkles, suspension, tank, rack, exhaust, etc. I want to do a 351 kit. I weigh 230 pounds give or take ten.

How does this change the vibration on the street? This would be my biggest concern as I want to use this on the street to get to where I want to ride. Typical ride in the upper peninsula includes 50 -70 miles of pavement.

Does the bottom end hold up under moderate riding at reasonable RPM?

Any accelerated tranny/clutch problems?

I miss the KLX 300 more than any other bike I have owned, and in my advancing age it would be an even better fit as I am slowing down. IF anyone thinks I am crazy to start with a KLX 250 by all means voice your opinion. Keep in mind that I absolutely hated my DRZ400, did not at all fit how I ride. Clumsy is how I would best describe it. Decent on the road, but a tank in the woods.

Hope to hear from the bored out crowd.....

Larry

[IDRIDR]

Larry,
Welcome to the addict meeting.

Some have claimed to notice a little additional vibration with the 351. I do not.
From what I've heard, I can think no tranny problems that can be attributed to the 351. A few burned out the stock clutch, but that may have been ready to go anyway. I put in a new clutch when I did my 351. Build report here: http://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum/...351-0-a-36944/

[Crooked Tree]

IDRIDER

I read the entire thread, very informative. I tried to save it in favorites but just got Windows 8 and am having issues.: I'll find it when I need it.

Actually other than a tube on the fork to hold a fishing pole your bike is exactly what I was after. Where did you say you live?

Hows the off idle pop over a log response. I like taking off straight through the woods and seeing how far I can go without taking a foot off the pegs. Love bottom end grunt!

Later, and thanks, Larry

[IDRIDR]

The off-idle pop is pretty good. Much better than my XR250 and bro's WR250. You probably noticed it's geared pretty low with a 45 rear, and 13, 14, or 15 front. Today it's 13/45. I had a 49 on it (stock is 42) and kind of wish I'd left it there and not pulled a link from the chain. Here's a vid of me dumping on some of our moderately steeper trails. It got steeper and loser further up (careful, language NSFW).



That said, I can't quit modding and plan on adding a Mikuni TM36-68 pumper carb some time. All my discretionary funds are going to a KLR650 project right now, so that may be a few months away yet.

Here's some more of that ride. There's some good climbing right off, then flattens out. FF to about 4:50 to see more climbing.

[Crooked Tree]

I always said falling gracefully is better than never falling at all.

Of course I say that because I fall a lot...........

Rocks! I rode Drummond Island about once a rear that is all round rocks mixed with just enough jagged rocks to really hurt when you fall. I did some riding out in Montana in rocks but most of what we have here is sand, and mud, and mud and sand with roots there to screw with you just about the time you get feeling like a hero. I nailed an ironwood tree a couple of years ago in one of my Off Road Hero moments. "I'm not backing out, I can make it....."

I found a KLX300R in Michigan with a street conversion, supposedly 400 miles on it. So I am thinking I need to see the two bikes together to see if the trannys are the same with E start added. $2400 is tempting.

Or I could get a new knee screwed in that side. Na...

Larry

[kbuckey]

I hate riding on large loose rocks. And they don't call these the Rocky Mountains for nothing. Couple of months ago I was on a STEEP, ROCKY trail out of Alice, CO and I fell about 4 times in a mile. Finally said screw it and turned around. That was enough exercise for one day for an old man! Didn't dump it coming down but was really slow.

Gotta figure out how to ride rocks. I think that more speed would help, but as Shane Watts would say "Control is improved, but so are the chances of disaster." You have to imagine it with an Australian accent for best effect. I'm not sure this old body could handle the disasters!

[Adv Grifter]

Originally Posted by kbuckey

I hate riding on large loose rocks. And they don't call these the Rocky Mountains for nothing. Couple of months ago I was on a STEEP, ROCKY trail out of Alice, CO and I fell about 4 times in a mile. Finally said screw it and turned around. That was enough exercise for one day for an old man! Didn't dump it coming down but was really slow.

Gotta figure out how to ride rocks. I think that more speed would help, but as Shane Watts would say "Control is improved, but so are the chances of disaster." You have to imagine it with an Australian accent for best effect. I'm not sure this old body could handle the disasters!

On steep, rocky up hill tracks momentum is key. To get to that pace, good suspension is important. You have to be able to "attack" rocky tracks, keep your speed up ... and most important, pick impeccable lines. If you pick poor lines ... and are caught looking down at your front tire ... you are done. Look UP the hill ... way ahead and charge! Keep the bike in the right gear. Up hill, tight rocky steps are the toughest for me. The stuff in the Video was moderate and the pilot only needed to increase pace by about 10% and he wouldn't have struggled as much. (easy for me to say sitting here! ) But steep rocky tracks is about ALL I was pretty good at when I rode Enduros. Man, those 250s are a hoot!