You guys both apparently scored better than 99% of the KLX owners out there. The bike has a reputation among riders and the media for cranking over longer than many others and running lean requiring choke for a long period.

" The injected bikes fire immediately and settle into a steady idle within seconds, whereas the KLX has to sit on the choke for some time before the engine will run cleanly without enrichment." - Cycle World

"The Kawi is a very cold-blooded bike and, even on a relatively warm day, takes awhile to get warmed up." - Dirt Rider

"Some carburetor tweaks or an upgrade to EFI to sort out the soft spot on quick throttle openings and eliminate its hard-to-reach enrichener and cold-blooded start-up performance would be worth a bump in price." - Rider

Pretty much sums up my experience with a stock jetted 2009 KLX250 too. Crank it over 3-5 seconds for sure every time, choke on for several minutes. Consistent among most. You guys must just be lucky. I'd love to see the jetting in those carbs.

 

yes, those were the reviews and overall consensus I was expecting as well. This is why I posted this thread, my surprise of how much I liked the stock performance. I wondered, "wow, how much more can this bike have".

 

AlOttA MO.



Yu likee now, spend sum money n Ur likee go to "Holy Grunt Cakes Batman"..

 

Even if my stock bike would make it into the mid-90s I would never be riding it when it does. I would not be comfortable at that speed even on my DL650 Vee-Strom, a much heavier bike. On my old GSX1100G 130mph was smooth and effortless and there was a lot more left, but these dual-sports aren't designed for that type of thing.

With respect to modding for a few more ponies I really don't see the practical logic of it. Personal satisfaction, maybe, but the cost to transform a woefully underpowered bike into a slightly less underpowered bike does not pencil out in a dollar-for-hp sense, especially since you can get much better performing bikes right from the dealership. I just don't see the logic of getting a pony and then hiring a famous trainer to make it into a race horse. Or something...my analogy machine is not working well today.

 

Top speed is really irrelevant anyways. Although they are capable of short highway treks, these bikes are made for legally getting to the trail/open country to have some fun. Its why I bought mine-- I got busted by a sheriffs deputy on a CRF150F on a back road and that was the icing on the cake for me.

Tuning for better lows and mids is a much more valuable goal for this bike, even at the cost of a bit of wide open horsepower, IMO. It'll make it much more fun on the trails.

 

I rode my updated KLX in the woods yesterday for the first time. I had recently installed a Q4 slip on, Quiet Core insert, DJ kit, and at the frequent suggestion here - removed the airbox lid. Supposedly I would feel a night and day difference.

For my part, I just made a noisebox that I was embarrassed to ride past my neighbors out walking their dogs or baby strollers. The noise is brutal, especially when the throttle is opened. If I lived out in the country.. maybe cool.. but the noise would still bother me so I'd have to use earplugs. The airbox noise is bad. The Q4 and quiet insert are also loud.. I drove it to work once last week with my lid in place and a KDX snorkel.

After last night's ride I'm half thinking of going back to the OEM muffler and replacing the lid (KDX snorkel though). This bike will never be a WR250R, at least not without dumping about the same amount of $$$ I paid for it, into more modifications and shop time getting them all to work nicely together. Even then the resulting modifications would be obnoxiously loud.

 

Now this is what I modded mine for and why. I had full race enduro bikes for decades and raced our state series for many years. A slightly bigger bore, better carb, better exhaust, and good suspension upgrades made my KLX a much torquier and easier bike to ride off road. I've liked it enough with these mods to keep it for many years and will probably keep it a few more. I just got back from southern Utah from one of my several trips a year I take with this bike...in the back of a toy hauler, of course. I've ridden it in some heinous places with friends riding plated race bikes, and while not as fast, it has soldiered through without drama.

In stock form it was anemic, and the suspension sucked. Now it's a very competent off roader with the reliability of an anvil. On the WR250R, I have several friends who own that bike. While it's faster in stock condition, it has a peaky powerband, and it's suspension requires modification too to achieve really good trail manners. I've ridden a couple of them with some decent engine mods and fuel maps, and they still do not produce as much low end as my modded KLX. Even the owners of those WR250R's acknowledge that when we swap bikes.

The mods most of us have talked about and done to our own bikes don't have a great deal to do with ultimate horsepower...just good, solid, forgiving, low and midrange power. Mine is a tractor, and that's what I wanted. I will say the TM36-68 I have on mine did help getting to redline faster and while screaming at top gear going up a paved hill, but that's not its purpose for my use. The quick, improved throttle response was the real benefit. I'm also amazed that it still provides excellent fuel mileage.

 

Ah QOS, you can't remove the lid with your current reported CVK setup. You installed the DJ2152 kit as per instructions - including the DJ128 main jet - and cannot remove the lid without running extremely lean - power robbing leanness. If you want to experience lidless power, you'll need to order a DJ140 main jet.

Also, did you fix the stumble problem with your carb?
If so, what did you find?
If not, then your carb is still not working properly.

Loudness is always subjective - A Q4+quiet tip is far too quiet for me.. My PowerCore 4 purrs like a kitten when ridden with care in the hoods..

What is fortunate for you is that your current CVK setup will work perfectly with the KDX snorkel + stock exhaust.

WR250R power is no problem - it seems they make about 24 hp @8700 RPM at rear wheel when stock - You go buy a Megabomb header, run a proper lidless setup, and you'll be close enough to be very happy you didn't spend the extra $50,000,000 Yamaha thinks it's worth.

 

PO installed a fuel filter which caused the supply line to kink. That caused the bike to experience stumbling/dying problems.

I still have a slight stumble so I expect to dive back into the carb innards in time.

Some like quieter scoots.. I guess I tend to side with that camp more often than not. The airbox noise was especially annoying, but as you mentioned above.. I shouldn't run lidless anyway. I couldn't bear riding without the lid anyway.. just the wrong kind of loud for me, the "tone" is off. I'll try another woods ride with the airbox lid back in place and Q4, before I decide to swap back to the stock muffler (if I do).

I went up a 50' hillclimb yesterday and the bike all but stalled near the top. Pretty sure it would have stalled with the stock exhaust, but.. that's the price to pay for a quiet bike.

 

A DJ140 or K152 that is..

BTW, isn't that bada$$ KTM loud?