I am in the market for a good dual sport. I want a bike I can ride to work and around town but still be able to ride off road and really beat on it. Is this the bike for me? I read it only has 18 horses, is that really enough or this bike awfully tame? How would it compare to the DR400 and the Yamaha 225 dual sport?
Thanks

 

Well I have just recently upgraded the exhaust to the full muzzy and had the carb jetted, and the bike is absolutely amazing now. Keep in mind I am between 230 and 250 depending on what scale I'm on, so if you are any smaller than that you'll be fine. The mods were around $500.00 and well worth it. I just recently bought my wife the Yamaha XT 225 and I have to say that it feels a lot more sluggish than my bike did stock, but then again she only weighs 120 lbs, so it will be more than sufficient for her. On a related note, on the Poker run I rode on Sunday there were 2 Yamaha XT 225's and they did awesome with smaller rider on them. So it depends on your height and weight. Good luck.

 

The KLX 250 is a great bike. If you are looking to do a lot of free way riding I would get the DRZ. If you are looking for a good off road bike then you are looking in the right place. The bike in stock form is a little under powered But with a pipe change and re jet the carb the bike comes to life.. The DRZ is 30 pounds heavier and it is taller than the KLX and the KLX is about a $1000 cheaper. I am not bashing the DRZ. The DRZ is a great dual sport too, But the question is what type of riding do you plan to do? As far as the Yamaha 225 goes the KLX and DRZ are leaps and bounds ahead. If you are an experience rider then the Yamaha is not for you. This is just my opinion, I hope you find this helpful.

 

My KLX is still totally stock. I've been using it to commute to work as well as ride on dirt roads and trails. On level ground it will hold 70mph without a problem, and I've had it up to 80 on level ground. With some mods, even the freebie/almost free ones, it will pick up another few ponies too. It's a fun bike. I've had much bigger/faster bikes, but I find that if I keep the revs up this one accelerates enough to be fun. For reference, I'm about 195 with my daypack on when I go to work (20 lbs of notebook pc, charts, and junk, lunch etc.)
doc

 

Thanks for the feedback. I only weigh 150 and am average heigth but still want something that can perform off road. It sounds like with some mods the KLX would be a decent bike.

 

Even with just a little bit of jetting, opening up the crankcase vent and getting the bigger intake snorkle, you will see noticeable improvements and still have a quiet ride.

 

Ya might want to stop by your local Kawa-dealer and see if it fits you. It's kinda tall for people with under 32" inseams. With mods, the bike will rip. Stock - not so much, but it's decent for a thumper.