Hey all,

I'm fairly new to motorcycles (I picked mine up last May) and I'm completely new to the kawi forums. That being said, you guys have a wealth of knowledge that I would love to tap into! I have a few noob-ish questions about my 2009 klx 250s.

1. Are these tires safe or would you replace them? The dry rotting scared me into ordering new tires, but I've had a few people say that they looked fine. What do you guys think?


2. As I was going through my bike and checking the air filter, I noticed that the previous owner had replaced a missing air intake cover with a piece of tape. Will this negatively affect my klx in any way? Should I order the missing cover?


3. I noticed a build up of carbon, grit, rubber, dust, grindings etc. under a section of my chain. Is that a normal occurrence or is that a sign that something is wrong?


Again I'm here to learn. Any little bit of advice helps! Thanks!

-Jonfin (the new guy)

 

1. Yes, replace that tire asap. It's dry rotted and cracked. It's not safe.

2. Looks like you can just remove that piece of tape. Most here run without the snorkle, so your perfectly fine like that. I would check your jetting by taking plug readings just to make sure. Looks like the PO taped it when washing the bike and didn't remove it all. I tape mine off when power washing.

3. Just looks like dirt build up and chain slide dust from the chain. Make sure the black plastic chain slide isn't worn through to the swingarm. Clean it good (chain & slide), then lube chain and keep an eye on it.

 

I get the impression that the tape on the intake cover was an attempt to address a jetting issue...reduce the amount of air. I don't see any tape adhesive on the open end of the hole on the cover, so I'm guessing there wasn't any tape there before. I can see the outline of the OEM rubber snorkel around the hole. But who knows...without interrogating the original owner, we'll probably never know for sure.

On the tire cracks...that's sometimes hard to tell. Some tire compounds are more prone to producing cracks...sometimes in short order...that are harmless. But as Werloc suggests, it's a tire...better safe than sorry than to find out which is the case with your tires there. It's not like you're having to buy a set of four 20-incher truck tires at well over a $1000...and the fallout of a motorcycle tire failing can bring much more carnage. Get new rubber.

 

Thanks for the input TNC and Werloc. My gut was telling me that those tires weren't safe so I ordered some Shinko 244's last week. It's good to know that I made the right call. As far as the tape goes, I assumed it was to reduce the air intake - maybe I should just take it off and see what happens. Is the purpose of the the OEM snorkel to keep debris out? If that's the case I might grab one for peace of mind.

-Jonfin

 

If the sparkplug looks good and the bike runs and starts good, I'd leave the tape be. Lots of KLX's have had the snorkle removed with no apparent ill effects except a little more noise. On the DynaJet Stage II kit it is recommended to remove the snorkle. I'd guess it was the PO's attempt at ultra fine tuning of the carb.

I think you did the right thing by ordering new tires. Much better safe than sorry.

 

Hey Jonfin, welcome..

Do-Up a signature line..? Clik on your name --- then "UserCP" in upper left ---- then "Edit Signature" down the left side... Put in your bikes' info etc etc..

 

Hey!...maybe some of want to keep that info a secret!

 

1. Tires - check the date code on the tires - I, personally, won't ride on tires that are more than 6 years old, and won't wide on tires with dryrot like that
2. I'd say it's likely a jetting issue. My 2009 did not have a jet kit (yet) and I removed the snorkel and it ran like crap. After putting a jet kit in, I removed the snorkel and it ran well. So, it might have been the PO 'tuning' the intake to reduce the air for some reason (maybe removed and lost the snorkel and had to remedy that situation with some tape.)
3. That chain, to me, looks like it's in dire need of a cleaning and lubing. The stuff you're seeing deposited there is likely dirt mixed with oil/grease from the chain.

 

Johfin - Welcome to KF!

While we're looking at the chain, throw up some pics of the sprockets so we can check wear. How many miles on the bike? That grit doesn't look abnormal, but as said above time to clean the chain.

I'd change the tires unless maybe I were riding dirt only or going to Moab to scrub it off on the sandstone.

Remove the tape. Put it back. Which runs better? Let us know what you think.

 

Gotta tell you I got the information on dry rotted tires from a Bridgestone tire rep who ran a parts/accessories seminar for Honda. He also worked with Dunlop so he has some tire cred.

Sidewall cracking doesn't make the tire unsafe, it happens over time as the compound loses the preservative in the compound. The tire is unsafe if you can see the tire belt cords in the cracks. He also commented that sometimes that sort of gunky look on tires - the old Bridgestones used to get a greenish hue - is the preservative coming to the surface. Tire dressings will strip out the preservative. The only good treatment for tires is soap, water, and a scrub brush.

Now you know the manufacturers' take on it.

I would ride tires with cracks in them like your picture, those are light surface cracking. But keep an eye on the cracks and get some new tires to replace them when cracks are deep. Fact is I have my tires get like that in about a year, usually coinciding with being worn beyond working the way I want them to work.

I'd be wondering where the previous rider rode the bike with that carbon black stuff.