Bought my KLX250S, near new, in 2008 in Michigan, using it commute in Detroit Metro to work. But its purpose was to come back home to Oklahoma to get converted to a 330 and become my local-regional dual sport and off road machine.

For an adventure, I decided to ride it to Oklahoma, leaving Detroit in the afternoon, resting overnight in Kalamazoo, taking off next morning to attempt 1,000 miles in 24 hours, something I had yet to do. And on a 250! Rain stopped me in southern Illinois at midnight, but next morning I went 720 miles in one shot. I geared the bike up and spent a good deal of time crouched down on a backpack on the gas tank. I had to put one hand behind my back so I could cut wind resistance to go as fast as I could, from 75-80mph. It was painful, but ever so fun!

One thing that made this trip possible for my old body was a throttle lock. I spent about a third of the trip with my right hand behind my back. If I had to keep the right hand fixed on the throttle, arm pain would have forced me to stop well short of my goal.

My favorite throttle lock is made by N.E.P. It’s a simple thumb-driven throttle lock made from nylon, costing about $21. I like Model CC-3 (Honda), because it’s easy to install and gives no trouble in the attach point, which if not done well, causes inconsistent results.

The N.E.P. is easy to install, engage and disengage, and it easily fits the space provided by typical Japanese throttles between the grip-stop lip and the throttle housing. It doesn’t get in the way of your hand. Sometimes I have to trim the grip flange to prevent rubbing, but otherwise I have no problem with drag on the throttle when it’s off. Three of my four dual sports have them. Not my wife’s F650 BMW because BMW throttles are goofy and don’t have a wide enough gap between the grip and throttle housing, which sucks.

I’ve documented my setup and install procedure in the following two photos. Enjoy. Anyone with reasonable skill can install these. I have installed them, like on an `08 KLR650 with only a few zip ties, but screwing right to the throttle housing is the best way to do it.

Here are the pix:

 

i like long rides, but thats just pushing it.

 

Right on! I bet your butt felt like it rode about twice as far as the rest of you. Props dude! I don't have a throttle lock, but I like the idea for long road rides. I have used a throttle rocker on a few of my other bikes and it does help, but you still have to leave that arm in position for extended periods.

 

I thought about doing a magazine article on the trip, and one editor expressed interest, but never got around to it. It was a fun adventure, and I still want to do 1,000 miles in 24 hours. Problem is, due to decades of racing crashes, construction, and other abuses, I hurt all the time these days, and more so when stuck in one position a long time. I have to move around a lot on a bike to not get too painful.

 

With that stock seat, which is KTM wannabe (only not as bad), my *** would have scabbed over and fallen off. I was smart enough to ship a wheelchair cushion to Michigan and strap it to the seat. It's something I have around just in case, made of very cushy liquid and solid silicone.

Here's a pic of the bike with cushion, a few months after I bought it and right before I left to take it back home. Note the street tires on the bike. Bought it with few miles and with those tires, which made it really fun on the street. I can see why people like Supermoto bikes as tires like that make the handling on the street razor sharp.

 

Love the mudflap....no really I do.

 

Hey what's that taped to the swingarm?

 

Taped to the swigarm is a small can of real chain lube... the stuff that goes on liquidy then evaporates some and gets sticky.
The real stuff, though a bit messy, especially if you ride off after just spraying it on, endures a long time. During the 1,320-mile trip, I only had to hit the chain once, the morning after I got rained on, for the chain to stay looking wet.