hey dudes, i'm a new kawasaki klx250s owner. I had dirt bikes in the barn since i was 16 but as house developments went up around me, it began to make it difficult, and then impossible to get to the woods (national forrest) here in eastern nc without using a road.

pretty set on getting a dual sport i researched the hell out of all the current ones- pretty much deciding on a honda crf 230l. its about the same thing as the 200 and 250 we had at the barn- i wanted something i could leave in there and start up 10 years later, like those.... since the honda was hands down the simplest it seemed like a no brainer.

I'm 5'8 about 175 pounds and have a 28" inseam- sat on a yamaha (everyone i knew told me to go for the wr(something) but i couldn't even touch the ground. it was huge, so that was out of the picture. plus very expensive.

i avoided the suzuki drz400 cause it was over budget, and i would have talked myself into it....

no one around me had a yamaha xt250, i had a ttr225 growing up and imagined it was similar. only one i didn't sit on..... i kinda wish i tried it out, but..... i wanted something different.

so i drove on a crappy rainy day to go check out a klx. Sat on it, and knew the honda was out of the picture. I wanted a kawasaki dual sport since i was a kid in the 80s, all the bad asses in movies had one and this thing looked exactly like. that and i couldn't believe how comfortable i felt on it, i can't flat foot it, but i can get more than just my tippie toes down. it reminded my of sneaking some rides from my dads honda 250 motocross bike growing up. it was the exact same size. bought it that day. brand new 2012. didn't bring it home till the weekend. (it was a wednesday , rained out of work) longest wait of my life. this was two weeks ago.

The hour long drive with the thing in the back of the truck was a killer. i was set on driving it home and everyone begged me not to. "its only a 250... blah blah" so i went and picked it up.... thank god i didn't try to drive it back.

I found that the most dangerous part of going from a dirt bike to a dual sport is all the crap that comes with it. the mirror i had to fix, the rpm gauge i had to watch, the blinkers i have to press...... it was kinda a pain to get use to that and dangerous at first, def. practice on some grass or yard or field.

I'm a pretty strict dude when it comes to breaking in an engine. i will always follow the manufactures specifications. but man let me tell you, when i sat on the thing and drove it for the first time, i wanted to cry. under 4000rpm..... are you @#$@#$ serious. I was so pissed. for 500 miles!!!!! how can this be right? any way, i decided to take it to the woods, about 8 miles from my house, through suburbia and for about 3 miles on a 45 mph road everyone does 55+ on. so i putted there going 40mph- basically trying to stay within my @#$@#$ 4,000rpm allowance (more like 38).


man when i got to the woods that thing brought a smile to my face. and it just happened someone was following me i veered onto a dirt road: that was why i bought this thing: it was incredible. I drove for about 20 miles and realized as long as i stayed in the woods, the break in would be manageable. Seldom do i find myself asking for more than 40 while back there. on the main stretches yes, but the side trails; its alright. only thing is the thing is screaming for the 6-8's range. man i can't wait.

I put on 120 miles the first weekend and it was a blast. well waking up on sunday and dodging church traffic downtown (stoplights, stopping, lots of cars, pedestrians) while on a bike you can't flatfoot and never drove a motorcycle on a real road before is a little nerve racking, but man did i learn quick, where i should and shouldn't go...... yet.


Then back to work, i managed to slip onto it on a wedneday and do 40 miles. determined to see how the thing would do on a faster, turning, pavement- i drove across town to a place i could get into the woods to and return home if i had to (and yes, i felt i had to). i definitly got over my 4,000rpm allowance, it was unsafe to try and pay attention and go that slow, and something definitely opened up after that, it sounds better, drives better, but since then I've still tried to keep it under 4000, while letting it slide to 5000 or 5500 if it keeps on fluctuating back down to under 4000.

i find its really annoying and hindering the process of learning the gears, and speeds and sounds at which to shift and downshift, as i am sure i will be shifting completely different when the thing is ready. every vehicle I've ever owned has had a standard transmission, its this is very important for me to know this.

As i write this i have 370 miles in two weeks. Ive only done about 30 of the miles on asphalt and the rest in the national forrest.

This was one of the best decisions in my life and how well i know the woods now, how the thing has performed on the road, in the woods, on the ohv trail, are all perfect for me. if i had any more power i would kill myself. i can launch the bike pretty good while even trying to keep it under 4k. (trying....)

Theres just something about cruising around on a forrest access road and finding a @#$ dirt bike trail that rules man. would never happen in a truck hauling them.

I'm planning a outterbanks camping tour in the fall on this thing....


but the bad-

the right blinker lasted a week, didn't even hit it on anything, just a bumpy road, look back and it was stuck (a lil melted) on the exhaust.

The clutch is a lil funky. throws are long, I've had it trapped in between gears and a serious rev and clunk into the appropriate gear 3 times

sometimes neutral can be a bitch to find, an it seems to only happen when someone is waiting for me and i can't get it out of a gear..... (3 times)

and sometimes i cannot shift out of neutral (about 5-6 times)

(I'm hoping all of this will go away with an oil change and an adjustment to the clutch cable)

the foot brake placement is a little awkward too, i was riding the brake the first day a couple times and didn't even notice. ill probably just adjust it alttle and it'll be fine.

Handle bars need to change, don't know how much higher or out, but my hands get pretty uncomfortable the first 20 or so minutes and try get sleepy from the weird position I'm at them.
but all in all-


i look forward to the future with this thing. Its a hell of a machine that so far has taken a liking to his new home. it does everything i need it to.

 

Congratulations on your KLX and welcome to the forum. That has to the the longest first post I've seen yet. Sounds like you're on track - adjust the clutch cable and change the oil. Maybe also go through and check for other lose nuts and bolts.

 

Welcome!
Forget longest first post, probably longest post ever period. LOL. I'd have to hire a secretary to input that much info.

 

i figured id write that for someone in the market. i woulda liked to read something like that.

it is awesome. ill post some pictures.

 

Welcome, and what a long first post. That might equal all of my posts put together. I was really happy with my bike for about 3 years, then I wanted more. Instead of buying a new bike, I installed the 351 big bore kit and I couldn't be more happy. The power of the bike is amazing and wish it came from the factory that way.

 

You'll live your ride more because it will grow with you. Mod as needed. I love mine so does everyone else who has one.

 

Welcome to the forum. An oil change should help the shifting. There is alot of stuff floating around in that oil during break in. If you do mostly off road some DOT knobbies will be a great upgrade.

 

Pit Posse bar risers and Pro-Taper Cr-Hi bars

 

I haven't experience the shifting/clutch issues you mention. I'm thinking the clutch cable needs some adjusting. Mine works A-1.

I'll echo the stock tires comment. They suck for the slippy stuff. They're pretty good for pavement & hard pack/rocky stuff though.

And I wouldn't worry too much about not going over 4000rpm. As long as you're not bouncing 8k all the time, I'd just ride - especially now with some miles on it.

 

Welcome to the forum.
Congratulations on your new bike.
You chose wisely.
Lots of fun ahead.