Almost convinced on buying the klx250. but need a little more input on the power. I'm 5'10' 190lbs rider who did some riding as a kid but haven't been on a bike in over 10 yrs. Looking for a lightweight dualsport for 60 road/40 dirt. Considered the drz400 but it was a bit heavy. The road portion is intown commute to work, then weekend commute (36 mi) to the mountains for some fun. The dirt would be split old fire roads and trail riding. I have no real desire to ride fast and hard (I can still feel the cracked ribs from 15 yrs ago), just fast enough to not get run over on short highway trips up the mountain. The only thing I'm unsure of is how does the bike do for riders my size on steep mountain roads in high altitudes? I'd like to hear from riders with both stock and modified bikes. BTW, I'll eventually get a 650 and hand this off to my wife.

 

I recomend it. Ive had a DR400s,aDRZ350s,and a XT600,and I like theKLX way the best.Not powerful but who needs all that power when you can have this very light feeling user friendly bike? Love it.
HAPPY FATHERS DAY EVERYONE!

 

Ok some of you are getting tired of me repeating this but oh well. I am perhaps the tallest and heaviest rider here with the 250, and after doing the pipe, jetting and gear changes I am so happy with all the power that its not even funny. I have owned a couple of road bikes, a quad, a three wheeler and a few other dirt bikes when I was younger, but this is the first bike I have had that I can ride both on and off road, and thepower is awesome!!! Perhaps the best hookup is third gear at around 7 grand. I don't know what else to say, except hurry up you're missing out on all the fun.

 

I'm 6'2 about 230 with gear and camelbak 250ish. It pulls me around just fine as a 250 with the free mods,13-45, 2 bros slip on and jetting. I have only been to 3-4k feet so I cant comment about high altitude. The 250 is the PERFECT bike for someone getting back into the sport. Not two powerfull, very forgiving, easy handling, easily modified as your skill improves.

I do ALOT of riding and never have a problem keeping up with the 450s. Its all about skill level and the KLX will be fine for all but the racer. The klx will make you a better rider and its very easy to ride all day long (unlike a 450 mx'er or dirt only bike).

Once you get a little seat time on her you will know where the "sweet" spots are in the powerband and how to use them to go way too fast. Hope you get one and welcome to the Forum.

 

With the proper exhaust and jetting, the KLX250S is a very capable mountain bike. I live at 5300 ft and ride up to 11000. If I read your post correctly, you're going to have a fuel problem. If it is 36 miles to the trail (and 36 back home), you'll use up a good portion of your range just getting there and back. After upsizing to the 300cc cylinder, I'm only getting about 45mpg. The tank only holds 1.9 gallons, and that makes my range less than 90 miles...

Good luck, get the bike.

 

He didn't say there were no gas stations,

There is plenty of power to pull you up any hill. I live in Georgia and I am usually at around 1100-2000 feet above sea level. I ride on the street long enough to get to the trails I want to explore. You will need to start out just re-gearing the KLX right away (the stock gearing is way to tall). You will gain low end power and more top speed (because the bike wont pull the tall stock gearing)

It sounds like the bike will be perfect for your needs and you might even be getting two of them when you see how much you like the 250. The 650 is a much better street bike but is not quite the trail bike as the KLX.

I rode my bike everywhere when stock, now I have a slip-on, jetted, geared, airbox... I like the power even better now just the way it is. I get 65+ MPG on the road, and the small tank is no problem if you are near the city where gas stations are everywhere.

 

I live in suburbia, and we have gas stations. I ride in the mountains of north central and northern New Mexico. Very few people live in or near the mountains, so I thought it was worth pointing out the fuel range of the bike. I haul my bike to the mountains, because from where I ride (trailhead) to the nearest gas station, the distance is over 30 miles. I go where I want, but when I've gone 40 miles (without seeing a town or gas station), I head back to the truck.

 

Ya, I could see it being a problem. I just don't ride where there are no gas stations with my KLX so it is a non issue for me. I do ride in the mountians of north GA, TN, NC... with my street bikes and it would be a big problem up there. I see your point.

 

I am 240+ and ride the mountains of Southern Oregon most every weekend 1300ft-8000ft. Only mod is 13tooth c/s,airbox mod, removed snorkel. Keeps up with the WR450F in the trails and only lags in the long,long up hill street portions. I ride it hard and it keeps up well.

 

Here's one of you Tim form this weekend