well, at least for a honda guy, its not green !!!

ive been wanting a DS for a couple of years. havent had a dirt bike since i was a kid, but been on street bikes for approx 25 years. d@mn frustrated when the pavement ended, and i left wondering just what was down those gravel and dirt trails. and was never gonna find out on the VFRs.

my criteria was: lightweight, trail capable and street legal, MPG, and mech simple.

a buddy has a drz-4, it just felt heavy to me, and especially up high. i wanted to like the CRF-230/250, but a couple of test rides proved that they just felt too small for me (even though they were RED!)

so... a 09 KLX250-S popped up on CL nearby, and i was 1st to get there.
clean, 3k miles, stock, some xtras, sane owner, ready to ride, and its RED!


the only thing it really needed for my needs was a rear rack,
and of course to decide what tires to run in the near future.

for what i wanted, i think its gonna be nearly perfect. its pure joy down a country road at 40-60 MPH, and i can now explore all those off the pavement excursions i see.

i recently relocated to east-TN, and there is ALOT of off-road possibilities very nearby: windrock park, forest service roads and trails, etc. for my VFRs- i can be on the dragon in under an hour, and on the cheroloa skyway in about 90 minutes!

now, for the bad news- i am experiencing the infamous stumble/bumble.
not horrible, but VERY VERY irritating. not constant, but intermittent.

ive read about OH a million post between here and ADV about this stumble,
and i didnt see that there is REALLY an answer to the issue.
between all the diff mods and scenarios, just not ONE single DEF answer.

so... is this something im just gonna have to learn to embrace as is ???

coming from hondas V4 fuel injection perfection, its d@mn irritating.

ive already checked most of the common inspections for the stumble,
i understand that the OEM condition IS typically lean.
ive swapped some jets and shims, and have more on the way,
de-smogged, cleaned fuel filters, techron, etc, without any success.

i will list some of the particulars and details later to supply more info,
but for now, im just gonna ride and try to get muddy!

PS- 1st tank had fuel left after 150 miles on the clock. YEAH !!!

PSS- i can see a set more-tard wheels and a 351 kit in my future

 

I haven't had the 'stumble' on my 2011, but it does have a dynojet Kit in it (put in by previous owner). I have only been on the forum for a few months, but have yet to read about the stumble?

Re the rear rack, I got one from PMR (Precision Motorcycle Racks) off ebay: KLX250S XL Rear Luggage Rack KLX 250 | eBay

They also have matching side racks/protection that go with the rear rack: KLX250S Side Luggage Racks Rear Plasic Guards KLX 250 250s | eBay

 

thanks for the reply.

i already have the PM rear rack and sides bolted on.
pretty nice for the $. getting both saved the shipping $ later for the sides.

the stumble/bumble-

in my mind, its really like its missing ONLY ONE spark hit at a time.
runnnnnnnnnnnnnnnning MISS runnnnnnnnnnnnnnnning
NOT a missing and having to clear its throat to get going good again
run... cough, blurb, cough, sputter, cough, spit, complain... then run again

if i didnt THINK that i knew better, almost like missing ONE spark fire.

very intermittent, and mostly under very LOW engine load condition.
constant demand under 1/8-1/2 throttle position.
you know- 4th gear at say 40-MPH under very low load demand
it does not seem to want to stumble over 1/2-TP to WOT.

again, it almost seems like the coil skipped a single beat,
but i hate to spend $60 just to find out that it isnt it.
i DID read the R/R grounding the B/Y wire posts, and all looks fine.
(PS- i have plenty of R/R experience with the VFRs, carry a spare R/R !!!)

one interesting aside, i can SEE this on the tach when it stumbles
when it hits, the tach drops one BAR for that split second. every time.
would this point to the coil?
i dont have the equip to test it under any kind of REAL load
and those type of elect probs often dont show under STATIC testing

 

I would do it anyways just to rule it out.

 

Mine had the stumble, and grounding the rectifier did the trick.

Just make SURE that you are actually grounding the rectifier if you cut the wires. You want to ground the end of the wire that is attached to the plug, not the end of the wire that goes into the wiring harness, that is the existing ground.

 

i had a weird engine stumble while back...turned out to be a kinked chain... https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...stutter-40033/

 

i was looking in all the wrong places..

 

thanks for the replies. i had a look at the R/R plug/GND bolt/etc:

the bike is all stock OEM, as far as i know
but, the plug at R/R does NOT match the 2009 FSM wiring diagram
the FSM shows the 3x yellow wires (VAC) wired directly to the R/R
and a 3-wire plug leaving the R/R carrying +VDC, -GND, and switch

what is there is of course is a 6P plug for all of those 6 connections
so... the B/Y leaving the R/R is the -GND
does it follow the white +VDC all the way back to the starter relay?

obviously, the better the GND (esp at R/R), the happier the bike is.
so, if im hearing correctly...
1) cut the B/Y, cover the dead end coming from the main harness (or gnd it)
2) make a new big-a$$ GND wire to connect the R/R to the starter GND lug on engine
3) problem disappears?

im pretty well versed on R/R issues from my time with VFRs
the VFR has 2 main issues: too small wiring and connectors from stator to R/R
(wiring runs hot, degrades connector, increases resistance, more heat, dead R/Rs or worse)
and the wiring of the R/R to batt back thru the harness instead of directly.
the main fix there is adding bigger wiring directly from R/R to batt. both + and GND

im more than willing to do this mod, and think it is DEF a good thing
but im just not sure it is THE fix

i dont want to be all negative after just joining, but...
ive read TOO many threads on the KLX where people have said-
it stumbled the day i rode it off the showroom floor,
and 2or3 years later it STILL stumbles in the same exact way.

 

on a more positive note-

the KLX has given me an huge free instant upgrade to the VFR:

ride the 2-fiddy for a couple of days, and jump back on the VFR-

it now feels like a freaking warp drive ROCKET-SHIP !!!

 

Start simple and change your spark plug. Clean the air filter. Clean your carb(pilot jet).