2008 klx450 any good??
 

I am in the market for a bike. Kawasaki wasn't my first choice but i came across one for fairly cheap. all the reviews are pretty good but am hoping some of you can tell me more to convince me. hopefully some people that own one too.

My goal for the bike (not right away but long term) is to make it street legal and have it kind of be both a supermoto and dirt set up. i want both a set of dirt tires and street tires so when i know i will commute to work and can just have those on and when i want to go and ride exclusively dirt i have those. in the end, i may just go with a good dual sport tire like http://www.shinkotireusa.com/tire/705-series which i saw on another klx.

I really want to be able to go on long rides through the mountains and do some exploring. single track is also a possibility. Have there been any over heating issues? How is it as a pavement commuter?

In other words, does this sound like the bike for me?

thanks for your help!

I saw a nicely set up KLX450 dual sport a few years ago. Very sweet bike.

Maybe you'll get some good replies here. If not, go to ADV site Thumpers forum and search "KLX450" and maybe you'll find something.

Thumpers - ADVrider

Congrats on the new ride. I am after one as well.

You're looking for a KLX450? They certainly don't show up often around here. :mad:

hahaha, yea, that ride has been my dual sport dream.

The wife and other dreams are hoggin' all the money right now. Dual sport on the back burner still. sheesh!

I've looked for a 400 or 450 for a while. Besides cc's I haven't really investigated the difference between the two. What do you know? All the sudden, these are up:

KAWASAKI KLX 400

2003 Kawasaki KLX 400 Suzuki DRZ 400

but this KLX650 is really reaching to me
Kawasaki KLX 650

The 650 is reliable as a rock, no 450 when it comes to performance and lightness, but with 45,000 miles on my 650 I can vouch for durability.

That 95 C model is exactly the same bike I have, for $1500 could be a good buy. They can have a big bore that adds decent performance for the cost of doing the top end. The C model has a steel liner that can be bored to fit the 102mm Vulcan piston or similar one from Wossner. No big tricks, just bore, trim head gasket, and build. The negative is the lack of aftermarket stuff. Getting a bigger fuel tank is near impossible now that Acerbis has destroyed their molds. If you can't live with 3.2 gallons and whatever you can carry elsewhere you're out of luck. I actually get 60 mpg on mine with a big bore and pipe! You could get a used steel tank and enlarge it. If you want a header you would do well to make one with mandrel bent tubing. I have a pipe and can take dimensions. A DRz400 shock can be fitted to the C model for good rear suspension. The bike comes with a rack on the back and that's handy. Then there is the Yahoo KLX650 group for specifics. An article on the shock is in their files among other stuff - including a manual in pdf zipped up.

If you want to do more off road and it can be done you want the R model, if it's more groomed trails, fire roads. The R model can have used big tanks more available than the C model. They cannot be big bored without getting a liner in them, they have the nickasil plating. Suspension is adjustable and better than that of the C. More power, lighter weight, better suspension, but titling may be tough.

Not a lot of aftermarket for the bike, but powerful. It is still the strongest Japanese 650 dual sport (what a shame they haven't done anything better). I am putting 17s on mine and making it my "street bike", getting a 250 to try to do a bit more off road in the future. Eastern Ohio off roading is not very open. Single track is usually fairly slow, rewarding smaller bore bikes that are easy to ride. That was true with 2 strokes too. A good rider on a 125 could work wonders and a KDX could keep up with about anything. In the wider open areas out west the 650 is great. Lots of them in the Washington/Oregon area, based on my cam chain tensioner sales for the 650. That is the one mechanical weak point, the tensioners fail on a lot of them. Not a tough fix and not expensive. I make them and the first one is still in my KLX.

The OP posted in ADVriders too. As I said there, with the 450s only holding about a quart of oil and being more high strung, they're going to be maintenance intensive compared to the 250 and the Japanese 650s. A 450 would be a fun toy, but for serious volume road use the DRz400 (KLX400 if you prefer lime green) and the Japanese 650s are the trick.

In your selection you posted, those 400s look interesting and I'm betting a larger tank can be had. The modified one would be interesting if all is good. But at $1500 a lot can be done with the money difference. Like a big bore, slide carb, head pipe and "John Deere replica" muffler. Tough bike!

i havent got the bike and probably wont either. i would have to wait for a while to save the money to do the conversion and also haven't gotten enough feedback to be confident enough that it would work for what i want to do with it.

not sure where in Nevada your at but here it is 08 klx 450r 300 miles

X2 ;)

The DRZ/KLX400's hold about 2 quarts of oil. I had a well setup DRZ400E plated in CO and sold it for a 2007 WR450 (Basically a Blue version of the KLX450 and CRF450X) that I made into the ultimate dual sport bike. The WR was great but I wouldn't ride it on a week dual sportsport ride (holds 1 quart of oil) without changing the oil in the middle of the ride, which is not always the most convenient thing to do during a ride or for commuting purposes either. The 450's will require more frequent oil changes as well as top ends than the lower performance 400's and 650's.

I ended up selling the WR and getting another DRZ400E and plating it. The DRZ400E performance is less than the 450 (and the DRZ400S/SM is MUCH less than the 450's) but it's a worthwhile trade off for me. If you can convert and plate a 400E for street use in your state that is my recommendation, the street version is about 30 lbs heavier and has noticeably less power than the E version. When I ride the S and E back to back it's like riding two different bikes.

The E is more powerful due to:
FCR carb
different cams
different exhaust
and I can't remember what else.

I'd do a plated KLX300 with a big bore on it before I'd do the KX based on durability. If it is a play ride, the KX would be fun and great, but for any volume of road use it's going to be sketchy. That's the knock against orange bikes (KTM), they take more maintenance than the Japanese dual sport/play enduros. You pay to play.