I have the 2007 KLX-250S with the free mods and it's a bit tired so, do I spend a good chunk of money on it with a new seat, lithium battery, BB351 kit, a new carb and who knows what else or, do I move on? At some point, I will move on and I'm at that decision point now financially.

I realize fuel injection on street-legal rides is more about emissions than performance but, my KLX has never been a good starter in the cold weather (think kissing 32F or even into the mid-40's). I've gently modded the suspension on my KLX but, it leaves a bit to be desired. And, the seat is becoming an issue as I get older. It is a bit too tall for me today and it just plain sucks. I can put a new one on but, that doesn't fix the issue of getting my older legs over the saddle. And, well power and velocity. It is super sweet plodding along at 45MPH but, at Interstate speeds it is so high strung it's not fun. I also worry about getting run over from behind due to lack of acceleration, ability to fight headwinds and, its twitchy nature at 65+ MPH. I'm also becoming a softer rider in the dualsport realm with trails through trees and tracks out in the open I could take a 4x4 pickup being the norm with more difficult stuff being the exception. A bit of wind protection on the street would be nice too as I hate June bugs and Grasshoppers (not a fan of raindrops either ).

• The Yamaha WR250R looks like a nice option except for the seat height which is trying to impersonate a KTM dirt bike (or WRF ).
• I see Kawasaki is fuel injecting the new iteration of the KLX but, that won't fix the suspension or the seat.
• The Honda Rally looks nice but, I'm not sure about that one. I grew up on Honda XL's so, I really have a soft spot for them and they were really easy to keep running. However, Honda's archaic antiquated power plants in their little dirt bikes have been a disgrace to the brand IMHO. I can see the Rally theme bringing things like good fuel range to the table but, what about the suspension? More travel from old technology won't make me happy. And seat heights again can be an issue. The regular CRF-250 is a nice starter bike but, way too soft and underpowered for anything other than puttering around a flat cow pasture.
• Suzuki has a promising start with the DRZ-400, the five-speed transmission and weight have always been an issue for me. It's also pretty tall.

Is it time for me to look at things like the Kawasaki Versys 300 or Honda CB-500X? Heck even maybe a BMW GS650 thumper, though that's getting a bit heavy for my tastes? A street tagged Beta 390 would be nice except for the routine maintenance requirements, tall seat height and, well the ~$10K price!

What are everyone's thoughts? Spend the coin ($2000~$2500, exhaust, BB351, carb, seat, etc.) and rehab my tired ride or, move it along for something more appropriate for me at this stage of my life? On a final note, I got my shoulder rebuilt so I could ride the KLX again but, my back protests the harsh nature of the suspension on East Texas county and farm to market roads.

TIA,
Sid

 

If I were buying a new bike from the field currently available, I hate to admit that I'd probably choose a WR250R. The aftermarket is strong for making it a better off road bike in terms of power and suspension. None of these bikes have very good off road suspension as delivered for me personally. They all require work.

Now as to your situation specifically, I think you already own the best base bike for a really good dual sport and especially off road. The '06/'07 models are pretty close to being the off road-only model the KLX300. They accept a big bore kit from 292 to 351 with ease and when doing so they really benefit from the Mikuni TM36-68 pumper carb. Do some complete spring and Gold Valve suspension kits in the fork and shock, and there is a dramatic improvement, especially in light of the 11" of travel the '06/'07 models have. Stick a 3.7 gallon Acerbis tank on it, and you have a competent, long range, dual sport that is quite capable off road and on.

I ride with some friends who have highly modded WR250R's. They are great bikes, but I do not think they have the low end torque or suspension quality of my modded '06 model. I have the OEM KLX300 cylinder, full suspension Race Tech mods, TM36 carb, exhaust, etc. Once their bikes are wound up in the higher rpm range, they are superior, but it's my observation from riding their bikes that they are not as tractable in loose or steep terrain. The WR's powerband meat seems to be higher in the rpm range. If my KLX had the 351 kit it would be even more noticeable.

Anyway, I think you already have maybe the best bike from which to build a better DP bike. Otherwise it's the WR in my opinion. The Honda?...I've ridden a couple of these and was shockingly disappointed. I'm an old XR250R guy who had 4 of those models over time. Modern or not, FI or not, I think the newer generation of XL250 kind of sucks.

 

For an off the showroom floor option, I looked the WR250R over pretty hard. At a 37" for seat height, I think that might be a bit much for non-offroad use. I did a lot of riding (~1K miles per month before health issues took me offline) for groceries, to work, puttering on country roads, etc. and found a lot of awkward starts, stops, and navigation in parking lots. Having to slide off the seat to put a foot down is something I would like to avoid today if possible.

I already have the Clark tank (early adopter) so, range is pretty good now. Back in Arizona, it really was a close call a few times but, out in Rural Texas I'm rarely more than 15 miles away from a cold drink and some gasoline so, I'm probably going to stay with the Clark and possibly some gas bottles if I ever need the insurance. A Bill Blue 351 Kit is almost mandatory if I keep the KLX and spend the coin to bring it up to standards again.

I don't really like high strung bikes generally. Sure they are fun for specific things and short runs but, not in a general 'do it all' dualsport.

"kind of sucks" is much kinder than my personal opinion, it really isn't a viable dualsport in my opinion if it includes any 'real' off-road use or need for highway travel speeds.

 

How hard is it to add the TM36-68? I really hate working on the carb because my hands and wrists always hurt taking the factory one off and then again later when I put it back on. Rejeting it for the 'freebie mods' was a real torture exercise for me.

 

I once had a DRZ 400 E, They weigh in at around 335 lbs IIRC .If you get the dirt bike version and a Baja kit on it to make it street legal , a larger tank ,lowering links , and a decent seat you have your self a pretty decent dual sport. I think the S version weighs around 30 more Lbs .,But don't quote me , That's the factory street legal version .Stock the suspension is pretty good and you have 150 more cc's and only about 35 more lbs, the only draw back I can see is the 5 speed ,but 70 -80 was no problem ...but it's been 5 or 6 years since I had mine ,But it could be a good alternative..I just remembered that I re jetted it ,opened the air box a little and re geared it front and rear so I could keep the stock o ring chain and that thing would pull some pretty good hills in 2nd no problem good luck

 

Plenty of posts online on what it takes. I used the jetting guidelines folks have found to be better than the baseline the carb comes with.
I also agree with TNC-you already have a viable mount. Do the 351 and upgrade the suspension-it transforms the bike into another animal. For an all around performer on and off road really benefits from at least 350cc so that really limits what's available from the oe-either a DRZ or hi buck Euro bikes.

 

Well, it's kind of hard to qualify the "how hard" for someone else, but since you mention that you removed, rejetted, and reinstalled the OEM carb, I'd say you definitely have the skill to install a TM36. Tank interference on an Acerbis tank was probably the most labor intensive issue on my install, but even it wasn't high tech or complicated. I don't think the Clark tank has the issue that the Acerbis has with the TM36. For me the application of the TM36 has been one of those "wish I'd done it sooner" situations. I love that carb. The Mikuni plugs into the stock intake manifold and airbox boot "almost" like a stock fit...no real issues.

 

Thanks! I was worried about cable fits and how hard it would be to fit into the factory intake and airbox boot. It sounds like it would not be much harder than the stock carb so, my fears of a complicated and difficult fit and install were a bit overblown.

 

Yeah, the throttle wheel for the cables is a little more complicated but not by much. I used the stock pull cable for years before it finally wore out. The worst case scenario with this carb and some aftermarket tanks was having to cut off the return cable portion of the throttle wheel and just use the pull cable and that portion of the throttle wheel. The throttle wheel detaches easily from the carb body so that the return cable hole portion can be cut with a hacksaw and grinding wheel. May sound scary, but it's not. Ask around, I know the Clark clearance is much better than the Acerbis at the throttle wheel.

 

THANKS! Your posts are helping me a lot.