Ok, so i'm in the beginning stages of jumping into the world of motorcycle ownership. (i was actually pretty darned close to being in the final stages, i.e. owning one, until a few things came up and i had to postpone). Doing my research and knowing what i like to do, i settled on getting a dual sport. that way i can ride to work, then after work go one exit up to the trails and kick some dirt out before going home.

since this is to be my first bike (ever) the consensus seemed to be that a 250 was the way to go. did the research on the 250 DS market (man it's pretty slim isn't it?) and pretty much decided it would have to be either the yamaha XT250 or the KLX 250S (the yamaha wr250R is to tall and too expensive and the honda CRF230L is a bit....well not right). Considered the yamaha because of the low seat hight (seriously, 30" seat height sounds pretty good since i've got a 30" inseam) but the KLX beats it out in every shoot out online that i've read so far. plus it looks nicer, feels nicer, is liquid cooled, and well i like it.

so, basically all of that can be condensed down to "i'm planning on buying a KLX 250S within the next 6 to 12 months".

so i need to know the low down. outside of the "you have to mod this" mods (rejet, snorkel, exhaust) what should i usually expect "out of the box"?

i see a lot about starting issues in cold weather what kind of cold are we talking about (i'm in east TN...doesn't really get cold)?.

does anyone have a personal direct comparison between the klx's closest 250 competition?

i'm 5'8" (ish) 220lbs, am i going to have suspension issues or power complaints (i've been riding my friends TW200 in the woods/dirt/hills and it seems to have enough gumption to get me around on double track and a little bit of slick stuff so i'd imagine the 250 would be "better")?

anyone got any suggestions for lowering it a bit? stock seat height puts me on the upper end of the ***** of my feet (not QUITE tip toed, but not flat footed either), i think while i'm learning and getting used to everything it would be better to be a bit closer to the ground. simple as a suspension adjustment? or should i get new dogbones and lower the front in the triple tree?

anything else i HAVE to know before i get this bike?

 

Ok I'll try and answer some of your concerns.

* You didn't settle, you made the best choice.
* Cold starting issue is not completely limited to cold (as in ambient temperatures) Its more of a how long does the gas sit in the bike between starts kind of thang. 3 days, you might get it started. a week and its doubtful, any more than that fogetaboutit!

* A lot of the guys have drilled something and claim that is has fixed the starting problem, but to be honest while I totally believe them, I dont want to mess anything up, so I just run the gas out if I know I might not ride the bike in a few days, weeks, or longer (with the rain still pouring I wonder if the sun will ever make an appearance again. )

* I only have experience on the KLX, the XT 225 (wifes bike) and a TW200. Lets just say that with the mods of 13-45 sprockets, jetting and new pipe, my 250 has what I call twice the power!!!

* There is a lowering link mentioned somewhere on here, maybe someone can post it for ya.

* And las but not least....WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Great first bike choice. It is a great beginners bike and also one of the easiest bikes to mod out. It has a pretty decent aftermarket following.

Out of the box? Being your first bike and only ridden a TW200, you won't have many complaints. Most of the complaints come from guys that come off dirt and mx bikes. It is choked up from the factory but it does okay for what it is stock.

The starting issue? Best thing to do is drill out the mixture screw cover and turn the mixture screw out about 2-1/2 turns. The dealer actually did this on my bike and I never once had a cold starting issue.

About the only 250 that is "better" is the Yamaha WR, but it costs like $2500 more, so IMO, you got the best bike.

Other than that, just start saving up for mods and goodies, once you start you will never stop. You will have a smile on your face every time you go out to ride.

Again, lowering links came on my bike from the dealer, I actually had them take them off. Even at stock height, once on the bike, it doesn't effect you. But, any dealer would gladly put lowering links on it for you.

 

thanks for the info guys.

BigSky, the mixture screw cover is there to prevent you from jacking with the mix on the carb for EPA reasons right? so that's not an internal carb mod or anything (last thing i'd want to do is jack up the internals of the carb)?


still haven't bought the thing (have to get a few accoutrements to make it ownable since the dealer won't finance anything that doesn't bolt to the bike) but when i do, i think i'll be happy with it

 

Before you put lowering links on, you could adjust the sag setting. This may not be the best approach as it affects suspension, but it will let you experiment with ride height and get comfortable with it without spending any money, then you may find with some experience raising it back up works okay (or not).

 

ironically, in my uneducated brain, the fact that the KLX is a bit high sounds more beneficial. i'd imagine that it's MUCH cheaper to lower a bike that's too tall (within reason) than it would be to raise a bike that's too short. on the TW200 with it's low seat hight (30" like the XT250), i seem to stick my feet out on the track a lot more than i should be. i think it's because i'm so close to the ground.

 

Agreed. Kouba makes lowering links and there are some other manufacturers as well. When I picked up my used '06, the sag was set low and I didn't like it so low (34" inseam). I've since put on a stiffer rear spring and set sag at about 95mm for my weight (205#) and it sets a bit higher, which is better for me on the dirt. After some time on the bike, you may decide to go to stiffer springs, particularly if you're riding it harder in the bumps, but I wouldn't expect you'd need to do that right away. There's some threads around here on lowering links and how they affect other bike characteristics (travel, stiffness).

 

I'm an inch shorter than you, and I'd recommend leaving the height as is. You don't need both feet on the ground, you will get used to it.
Definitely the best bike out of your choices. Look around for a lightly used one, you might find a real deal on one somebody bought and never really used. For a first bike the only issue you might want to address is the cold start. Each of these bikes is different. Some have no real issue with cold starts, but most do. It's very frustrating. I'd reccomend fixing the problem by drilling the enricher (choke) jet rather than working around the problem with the many other methods on here. The work arounds will work until you get it fixed, but they are a pain, fix it and be done.
Dan

 

Yeah, its on the bottom of the carb. The best way to access it is to pull the carb. Drill a little pilot hole in the screw cover and stick a screw about two turns in it. The cover pops right off. Then just back out the mixture screw.

Don't worry about the carb, it sounds scarier than it is. It is actually very simple and easy to play with once you learn how. You will probably want to do a jet kit in the future anyways. Pretty much everything on this bike is easy to work on and if you can turn a wrench, you can do it.

 

The bike will be more capable than you off road for awhile, so don't go crazy changing things just to make it "better". Most of the mods don't make much of a difference in power until you get to the pumper carb and big bore kit. I would advise you get proper fork springs for it so you don't land on your nose off of jumps. It is sprung for a 200 lb rider in the rear and a 140lb rider up front from the factory. Do not lower it, it is already too low when the trails get rocky. I am 5'8" also and this is the first dirt bike I've had that I could touch the ground without sliding off the side of the seat.