2014 No new updates
#21
No idea. I was just poking around the AU site. I just figured you need a tail light to be street legal anywhere. Point being is that here's a bike that exists today, just about 90% of what all of us want, and isn't available in the US. I don't think it would be very hard for Kawi to make it street legal. Isn't it their business to build and sell motorcycles? Their current plan is causing them to loose market share. If you had the money to buy any bike to fill the needs of your current KLX250S would it be a Kawi? No idea what the price point is on this thing, so my rant may be pointless.
#22
Looks like the CRF450X and CRF250X are both Street legal in AU. At least looking at the pictures it looks like they are.
http://motorcycles.honda.com.au/Off_Road_Enduro
http://motorcycles.honda.com.au/Off_Road_Enduro
#23
Looks like the CRF450X and CRF250X are both Street legal in AU. At least looking at the pictures it looks like they are.
http://motorcycles.honda.com.au/Off_Road_Enduro
http://motorcycles.honda.com.au/Off_Road_Enduro
#24
The standard KLX450R MSRP here in the U.S. when it came out was pretty much in line with the KX450F...8K-9K, so it wasn't the relative bargain of the KLX250. You pay for high tech whether it's KTM or any high tech Japanese bike, so you wouldn't get much if any price point advantage to speak of. Right now, on your question if I had the money to buy any bike, it would probably be the KTM690 Enduro. Mucho expensive but mucho impressive...and it only has as least 3 times the horsepower of the KLX250 with about the same weight...LOL! This bike has the best likelihood of fulfilling a decent pavement bike roll along with being a good dirt bike with least compromise.
#25
Funny you mention that. At the shop I used to work part time at, they have one of those last Honda 125 2-strokes MX bikes without an engine. That frame and suspension is superior to our KLX. I wouldn't mind having my 300 engine in that frame, and I wouldn't mind trying to stuff another more powerful engine into it. But frankly, those kinds of projects are usually more work than they're worth.
#26
Funny you mention that. At the shop I used to work part time at, they have one of those last Honda 125 2-strokes MX bikes without an engine. That frame and suspension is superior to our KLX. I wouldn't mind having my 300 engine in that frame, and I wouldn't mind trying to stuff another more powerful engine into it. But frankly, those kinds of projects are usually more work than they're worth.
#27
#28
That KLX450R has a headlight, but isn't street legal. The video on the Kawi AU site talks about how it would be a great bike for the bush, but with 8L (2 gal) of fuel on a 450cc bike it better be a short trip. Yeah, you can get after market stuff, but you shouldn't have to. Add a bigger tank, 6th gear, tail light, turn signals, drop the seat height a bit, and bring it to the US.
Well, except for the missing 6th gear, lol.
Mine has a 3.4 gallon Acerbis tank, full Baja Designs dual-sport kit, the seat has been cut down 1", the forks shortened 1", and Devol lowering link in the rear. I only have a 30" inseam, and 38" seat heights don't cut it for me. I can plant the ***** of my feet pretty easily with this set-up.
Here's the thing about the KLX450R. With the gear spacing it has, you have 2 choices. Gear it down for tight trail riding, or gear it up for the highway. There isn't a lot in-between, and you can't have both at the same time. Mine is geared lower than stock for single-track and tight trails, but on the road, it's really unhappy at any speed above 50mph. Sure, it will probably go 75mph as-is, but you'll turn 13k RPMs to do it. With the stock gearing, 1st was good for 30mph, and 5th would probably top 100mph - great for the desert, but not so much for east-coast trails. A decently spaced 6-speed transmission would make this bike so much better.
It's an awesome off-road bike, and I keep as such. I only got it street-legal so that I can connect the trails and ride the organized dual-sport rides. The power it makes is downright addicting.
#29
Something like this, maybe?
Well, except for the missing 6th gear, lol.
Mine has a 3.4 gallon Acerbis tank, full Baja Designs dual-sport kit, the seat has been cut down 1", the forks shortened 1", and Devol lowering link in the rear. I only have a 30" inseam, and 38" seat heights don't cut it for me. I can plant the ***** of my feet pretty easily with this set-up.
Here's the thing about the KLX450R. With the gear spacing it has, you have 2 choices. Gear it down for tight trail riding, or gear it up for the highway. There isn't a lot in-between, and you can't have both at the same time. Mine is geared lower than stock for single-track and tight trails, but on the road, it's really unhappy at any speed above 50mph. Sure, it will probably go 75mph as-is, but you'll turn 13k RPMs to do it. With the stock gearing, 1st was good for 30mph, and 5th would probably top 100mph - great for the desert, but not so much for east-coast trails. A decently spaced 6-speed transmission would make this bike so much better.
It's an awesome off-road bike, and I keep as such. I only got it street-legal so that I can connect the trails and ride the organized dual-sport rides. The power it makes is downright addicting.
Well, except for the missing 6th gear, lol.
Mine has a 3.4 gallon Acerbis tank, full Baja Designs dual-sport kit, the seat has been cut down 1", the forks shortened 1", and Devol lowering link in the rear. I only have a 30" inseam, and 38" seat heights don't cut it for me. I can plant the ***** of my feet pretty easily with this set-up.
Here's the thing about the KLX450R. With the gear spacing it has, you have 2 choices. Gear it down for tight trail riding, or gear it up for the highway. There isn't a lot in-between, and you can't have both at the same time. Mine is geared lower than stock for single-track and tight trails, but on the road, it's really unhappy at any speed above 50mph. Sure, it will probably go 75mph as-is, but you'll turn 13k RPMs to do it. With the stock gearing, 1st was good for 30mph, and 5th would probably top 100mph - great for the desert, but not so much for east-coast trails. A decently spaced 6-speed transmission would make this bike so much better.
It's an awesome off-road bike, and I keep as such. I only got it street-legal so that I can connect the trails and ride the organized dual-sport rides. The power it makes is downright addicting.
#30
Thanks. It's a 2008 that I bought new in 2010 as a leftover. In Pennsylvania, there is a process to plate a dirt bike. It's not all that easy, but it can be done. However I learned that all KLX450Rs came with a MSO that says "Motorcycle" instead of "OHV" or "For Offroad Use Only", just like KTMs. When I got my title from the DMV, it also already said "Motorcycle", so all I had to do to get a plate was apply and pay for it. I needed the dual sport kit to pass inspection, and then I was good to go.