You guys have nailed it. The KLX has a HUGE grin factor. When I ride the sportbike to work, I am not looking for railroad tracks to jump or little pieces of singletrack to slide through or hopping curbs in parking lots. There are so many opportunities to get goofy on a small, nimble bike and so much easier to get out of the trouble you get yourself in. As a mostly street guy, the KLX gets me around with a stupid grin on my face. I am having so much fun with the damned thing it feels like having one should be illegal.

 

Well, here are my first impressions in the woods on the KLX 250 S. We did some slimy rock/wet trails, some sand trails ending up with a hill climb up to the top of Ephram mountain. I would say the bike is very stable, but clearly not something you whip around in its stock condition. I would say the stock tires, Dunlop 605's are very poor in the mud, it was like running the bike on ice! I went down a few times and bent the bars, the clutch lever and the shift lever. Also took out the left tail light, but that has happened on all my bikes. I would say other than that, the bike is very good. I cut off the fender extension today with the sawzall and it looks great! Off to the parts shop for tires, brush bars, stronger handle bars and maybe an exhaust. My friend who is an expert racer loved the way the power is "electric". So much less tiring than riding my KDX.