Hello all, new here. I am in the market for a dual sport thats light enough to throw around in the mountains but still managable on the highway. I'v had a zx9r and an xr400r so I am a very experienced rider both on and off road. My question is, at 5' 11 and 215lbs is the klx250 too small and underpowered for me? my 97 xr400 was perfect in size and power but a little heavy for picking up after a digger. I know the newer 250's will feel just as powerful but I dont want to feel undergunned in the hills. thanx for your help!

 

If you're going to leave the KLX stock or relatively close, you'll be disappointed IMO. If you're talking mountains like Colorado and such, your gearing and mods will need to be modeled for that kind of riding. I was very underwhelmed on my last trip to CO this past August, as my gearing/tire size threw off my previous mountain setup enough to make it more work when climbing...and that's with a 300 cylinder, full Muzzy exhaust, and 14/47 gearing...compared to 14/42 stock. I weigh 195. Weight does matter on this bike to some degree.

I cannot imagine trying to ride this bike in stock condition. And if you're coming from an XR400R with some riding experience, I think you'll feel the same. Now, when you open up the bore, do airbox and exhaust mods, and do a pumper carb, the bike changes character a lot...a whole lot. It won't be a KTM or such, but it will be one of the best true dual sport bikes that can really handle some true off road conditions.

 

Judging from what. You're saying you're better off with the orange bikes .

 

I'm 6-1", 34" inseam and 200ish. With bar risers the geometry is quite comfy. Rejet and free mods made the power acceptable onroad and IMHO it's about perfect for offroad unless you find yourself in deep sand or super steep hill climbs. I was quite pleased with the cheap power mods. I found I couldn't use the power on my KTMs or even the DRZ offroad without getting myself in trouble at times on the steep, rocky stuff I frequent.

 

I think you're basically right if the bike is used in flatlands or low altitudes. When some real mountains and altitude are introduced, the stock or near stock bike really suffers IMO. Maybe the OP can clarify what kind of "mountains" and elevation we're talking about.

 

Good point. I'm never above 3000'. Don't know how it would feel in the Wasatch or any other western range.

 

The KLX is about the same weight as the XR400, but with a lot less power... I'm not sure it would please you considering this.

If you like to thinker on your bike, go with the KLX (as others said, you'll HAVE TO do some mods before getting acceptable power from this machine).

If not, you might consider a WR250R which seems to be better suited for your needs just out of the box.

Don't get me wrong on this, the KLX is a super nice ride, but with your background you might find it to be a bit too weak for your taste.

 

Not this 250. The modern off road bikes like the CRF250X or the WR250F will be camparible to the XR400 for HP, The XR will have more torque. The KLX is not a high output bike, 18HP in stock trim, compared to the others 28~35 HP. The KLX can be made to make up to 25HP with the big bore kits. Maybe look at the DRZ400S.

 

wow awesome replies everyone thanks! I did just read that the weight is about the same as my XR was!!! seems strange. I would have thought that a bike almost 20 yrs newer with half the displacement would be lighter than my old XR but I guess not. The altitude I ride at varies from around 4000 ft in moab to over 12000 here in SW colorado(I know I live in an amazing riding area, moab is like 2.5hrs from here) and the more I research it the more I feel like just getting a newer XR400r. I dont like high maintenance but do want streetable with an electric start with kick backup. So wr450? Gosh Im so conflicted. More input plz if your not tired of me yet :-)

 

The KLX really isn't a heavy bike. You're talking a fully street legal, true dual sport bike compared to a naked, off road only bike that is air cooled and no e-start. As far as the XR being a lot lighter, I don't think that's the case. Several posts over on Thumpertalk where honest owners carefully weighed their XR400's in a ready-to-go condition ranged from a lighter end of the scale at about 275 to a high end of 296. Bikes in their real-world setup with skid plate and other additions and deletions add and drop weight weight as they are set up to meet the needs of the owner. My '06 dropped some weight with the full aftermarket Muzzy exhaust and replacing the OEM instrument panel with a Vapor digital instrument panel. I probably gained weight by replacing the OEM peanut gas tank with a 3.7 gallon Acerbis tank, but that's weight well worth it. I'm still probably just under 300 pounds. I think redpillar weighed that stupid OEM instrument panel at about 7 pounds if I recall, and a Vapor can't weigh much more than a pound with the water line sensor.

I'm an old XR fan, but I'd much rather have a KLX with a 351 kit, 36mm pumper carb, all the standard exhaust/airbox mods, and some suspension improvements with revalving. Even at just a 300 displacement upgrade and all those other mods, the bike becomes very competent off road while still maintaining great pavement manners. And I'll also add that I'm pretty much through with air-cooled, non-e-start bikes.