I found this broken frame yesterday as I was taking stuff apart to do a valve check. I did a carb clean in March and didn't see any of these cracks. Since then I have ridden some trails in Moab and Colorado. I ride slowly in 1st and 2nd gear and don't jump or race. There is no damage to the plastics, radiator, or tank. I have had a couple slow or no speed let down but like I said, nothing else shows sign of damage. It is a 2009 klx250s. I know that others ride a lot harder than I do and have never seen this happen. I am posting just so others make frame inspections part of their routine pre-ride checks. I really like this bike and don't want to discourage others from riding it. I think I just have a rare defective frame.

 

Did you buy the bike new? It looks like someone tack welded it about in the middle of the crack.
Is the other side cracked too?
It looks like something has been hitting it at the front edge as the paint is all wore off.

 

Are you the original owner? I ask that because that's a fairly classic spot that is usually a result of an impact on the front end. Doesn't make that a guarantee by any means, but usually that's a sign of a decent impact which causes a hairline compression and/or crack. The compression line or crack slowly grows and lets rust and corrosion build. But...there's always a chance that something else strange has occurred there.

 

I am not the original owner, I am the second. The crack basically looks the same on the side. I know the previous owner could have ran it into something and I just never noticed a small fracture which is a bummer. Once the frame started to fracture I have no doubt that the constant flexing in all directions would cause the metal to deform, the paint to flake, and rust to start.

 

That's a bummer but it is what it is now. If you or your buddies are handy you could fix that, arguably it'll never be like new but at least you could fix it before it's totally wasted. If I were you I'd maybe get some measurements from people on here, try to get it bent back or what ever corrective action is needed then strip the bike, weld it up properly and just keep an eye on it.

 

I think a good fix would be to grind and maybe slightly V cut the crack, TIG it, then lay a fitted small plate over it and weld the plate in to spread any stress for added strength. Kind of double walling the spot.

 

If you decide to repair...
I would suggest checking the fork rake or at least the wheelbase. Put it on a frame rack and bend it back to standard and check the track before welding.
The bike already handles pretty quick and having the fork angle taller makes it even faster.
A car shop with a frame rack should be able to get it back to good as new.

 

I contacted Kawasaki and they recommended that I take it to a service center to have it evaluated for a defective frame. I also have a shop ready to weld it and reinforce it for me. No idea how long Kawi is going to take and I don't really expect much from them. I will say that if the riding that I have done caused this then I will probably change bikes. I am also one of the victims of a broken shift change drum holder or shift star. I broke it on a slow speed let down and got stuck in neutral out on the trail. I don't mind working on and fixing bikes but this might be my last Kawasaki.

 

When it comes to dual sports, no brand really brings their "A" game, thats for sure.

 

Honestly...the KLX frame is not fragile, and that point on the frame is not known to be weak. The only part of the frame on the '06/'07 models that was noticeably weak was totally non-structural part of the frame on the rear rails that supported the small luggage rack. I'm no extreme expert here, but I worked part time as a mechanic at a motorcycle shop for about 15 years to pay for my bad habits...motorcycle related habits, obviously. We would do crash damage repairs, but one thing insurance reps were adamant about was checking key points before any work was done...in case of frame damage which often resulted in a "total". One of the key places the adjuster would inspect was that area on the downtube below the steering head...a very common point of failure if the impact was significant enough.

The KLX is not a glass slipper. Anything can break. Mine and many other KLX's have been thrashed and trashed in tons of heinous off road situations without this kind of failure. That crack looks wreck induced. I'm curious on the bike in the pic. Is this an SF or S model?