So I am going to get my bike license in a few weeks and I'm buying a bike shortly after I finish the MSF course. I know I want a dual sport.

This little 250 appeals to me because it looks bad ***. It's also very lightweight which I like. I come from a sport quad background and I like having a machine I can just manhandle.

I have financing in place already cause I got a card to buy my quad last year.

Me: 6-2, 235 (or so), a few years experience off road on ATVs (KFX700 and YFZ450) and dirtbikes (various two strokes and minis)

My use for my bike: ride to work (10 miles, backroads, posted limits less than 50), occasional weekend juants on back roads, possible highway use (~50 miles) to get to some fun twisties and trails. No long trips; I have a truck for that.

Is this going to be enough machine for me or should I look at something bigger? Everywhere else I posted this question I was told to look at a 650 but they are very piggish.

 

Welcome ajd187to the forums. Personnally, I would say get the 450.

 

Yeah welcome ajd187. This little 250 may look bad *** but you need to ride before you buy and see if it willsuit your needs. It is a great bike but in stock form lacks in power. Lots of good info on this forum for mods.With the basic mods this is a really fun bike and you can mod as the wallet allows.

 

Welcome!

Im 6'1" 225... after rejetting and doing the basic mods it has enough power for me, now if ya wanna do mile long wheelies or go so fast your nose bleeds... this isnt the bike for you... if you wanna have legal on and off road fun this is the bike.

 

If you're coming from sport quads and are use to being able to loft the front end at will, then you will be real disapointed with this bike from a power point of view. Plain and simple, if your use to sport ATV's and other powerful bikes (like I was) you willjust simply not be happy with this bike.Even with exhaust, jets, free mods, and 13 tooth front, you still have to work the bike to get it up in second gear. If I were in your shoes I'd be looking for a bigger bike, I know I wish I had been able to try this bike out before I bought it because I would have saved up some more and bought a new, or year old or two, WR450 (no problems making street legal here)

I do like everything else about the bike, just missing the stand on one wheel power. Maybe I'll just have to get the 331 kit and be done with it.

 

Yup the bike is a fun bike, I love it. But you can not just gun the bike and have it flip over on you, it doesn't produce that kind of power. I wouldn't get any other dual sport though, this bike I love.

 

Wow thanks for all the feedback guys!

I'm not too concerned about big power. I am keeping my sport quad. This is going to be in addition to that, and it's going to be primarily a commuter bike. I just want to get a dual sport cause I know my curiousity will get the better of me and I'll want to take it off road. I'm in NY so plating an enduro or MX bike isn't going to happen. They closed that loophole years ago.

I think as long as it has enough power to get out of its own way, keep up with traffic, and still get up to 70-80 mph it might be OK for me. I do have concerns that with 17 hp that could be an issue. For ex, the DRZ only weighs a bit more but has 34 hp.

 

I don't have any direct experience with the DRZ400, but I think that might be a good fit for you. I have heard a few people say it is a little piggish as well in the woods, but certainly not like a 650.

I will say, though, that there are plenty of guys at your height and weight that love the KLX250S. You have already heard that there are some standard mods that you are going to have to do right up front. That's a given. I would imagine that you could avoid some of those if you got a DRZ, so if you don't like wrenchin' on a bike, you need to consider that.

As you know, it comes down to what potential you want in your bike. For example, I use my bike almost exclusively for commuting. I weight about 235, but recently I have been as big as 250. All logic would say that I should be driving the KLR650. You know what, though, I would rather have this bike because I want to know that I can do single track whenever I want. Idon't get a chance to do it often, but when I do, it makes up for every mile on the road that I would have been a little more comfortable on the 650. I have ridden with some 650s on some mildsingle track, and it can be done, but it looks like a lot more work than fun unless you are an extremely accomplished rider.

All in all, the KLX250S is a just a purefun bike. It's not a massively powerful bike. It doesn't wheelie very well at all. If you want easywheelies, you are going to either need to get a different bike or plan on putting about $1500 into a KLX250S (exhaust, big bore upgrade and pumper carb). I want power as much as the next guy, but I have never been able to do wheelies very well anyway, so I just ride and do all the other stuff. The KLX250S is great at everything but wheelies.

 

The DRZ is definitely more powerful.

With the KLX, you will hit 80 only with a tail windor down hill grade in stock form. 70 is doable, but you're pushing her pretty hard and your gas mileage will flat-out suck. As far as"loopholes" go, you have one in this bike. You can bolt a KLX300cylinder and piston on it andnobody will be the wiser...bore the 300cccylinder out to 331 and you basically havesomething like anplated enduro, though it's not ashigh strung assay a WRF.

 

I would say if you want to run a consistant 70-80 MPH do not get this bike. I would say 65 MPH you could do consistant, maybe if you change the gearing then 70-75 maybe could be attainable consistantly, but the bike will be screaming!! I do 65 MPH and that seems like the sweet spot to me. I'm usually more in 5th gear then I am in 6th because of the hills here in Georgia, 6th gear doesn't do hills but 5th gear does and it does it well. I need to get a 45 tooth rear sprocket. I hear that 6th gear does much better with the 45 tooth.