san francisco bridge winds can be horrible...sporadic gusts and unpredictable...it use to scare the crap out of me...i only weigh 150 lbs at most with a visored helmet...i'm use to the winds now...long as i keep my head, body and arms loose, the wind will blow right through me without any problems even when i'm cruising 85 mph....if you stiffen up or try to lower you body out of the wind, it'll be worse and you'll get pushed around like a rag doll....i just ride with one hand on the throttle and still keep perfect control in strong winds as long as i keep myself completely loose in the wind...

 

@ahnh: You know, I think you are right, I too have gotten used to the wind on the KLX. It’s still unpleasant but not as concerning to me as it used to be when I first got the bike a couple years ago. For me it’s probably a combination of developing a ‘looser’ riding style, as you put it, and just having set lower expectations for how the KLX will perform in the wind, especially a head wind. I am now more prepared to be blown across the lane by a breeze that wouldn’t affect bigger bikes.

That’s how I justify having ‘slipperier’ bikes in the garage to my wife; “it’s really a safety issue, honey!”.

 

Just remember one thing,,, the 351 will not rev as high as the 250.
therefore, it may get you to top speed faster but may not go faster than the higher revving 250. If you want to go faster on the 351 gear it up in the front and take advantage of the torque.

 

??? Where are you getting this information ?

 

Mine revs right up to the limiter. I think if someone's 351 isn't, there is a problem.

 

From Bill Blue and his dyno sheets. Do you have a 351 kit installed?
I didn't see the reference to 351 on your posted dyno sheets and your signature shows a 331.
your dyno sheets confirm this as well. stock is making power at 9K and modified power falls off at 8.5K.
even though the big bore is making MORE power, it doesn't matter if the bike is geared the same, and the revs are more, the bike will be faster, not quicker, just faster. Make sense??

 

but is it making good power on the limiter???
or is the HP falling off?

 

Think of it this way.
2 equal cars in a race with no wind restriction.
both cars have the ability to run their motors at the same rpm,, and make the same power. The race should be a tie.
same race but one car has twice the power so it should get to the fiish line quicker but both should cross the finish line at the same speed if the motors are at max rpm.
now,,, add some gearing to the more powerful motor and it will be quicker AND faster.
Make sense????
the wheels will only turn as fast as the motor and gearing allow, which is speed, not power.

 

RPM 9500
stock 18hp 10torque
mod'd 26hp 15torque

The mod'd bike will get there faster, speed or distance, take your pick. From the runs posted, the 351 really needs a bigger carb as with just the cylinder change it does not pull over 8500.

I was going to do a delta rpm with the new 351 piston, but I could not find any information on the wt of the stock piston. If the 351 is heavier, you should probably limit your rpm's, or you will have shorter bottom end life. But I think the Kawa has a pretty strong bottom end, never heard of a problem.

 

Yes, the dyno sheet Bill has posted up now is with a stock carb and exhaust. Others have demonstrated that opening her up a bit yields better results (no surprise there).

Most curves I've seen show the stock bike's torque curve dropping off around 6500 to 7000 rpm, and hp peaking around 8000.

I wasted a bunch of my time while recovering this spring comparing curves. And let's all remember we can't really compare different dynos on different days with different tires, etc. etc. etc. So these charts below don't mean squat when comparing torque and hp values between bikes, but I think they do get to the point of where things peak and how much they may drop off. If Zrex's tests are valid, they demonstrate the dramatic difference in improving the exhaust system.



A good example of the possible error in comparing curves (both supposedly stock, different dynos)