Honda's cbr250 motor is the powerplant for the new cfr250L...could Kawi follow suit and put the all new ninja 300 motor in the klx? would give fuel injection to us...I know, some will say they would rather add a BB kit to the existing klx...I for 1, would prob be happy with the 300's performance...thoughts?

 

I think this new little Ninja will be a great bike, but I don't think that parallel twin will be a great off road engine. It would probably work just fine for the way many use their DS bikes...basically pavement and at best a dirt road. But if you want a DS to really try to span off road and pavement, I don't think the power characteristics of this parallel twin will be that suitable for off roading. I also don't think the clutch and tranny will be up to any real off roading, nor should it normally be designed for that purpose when it's a pocket rocket. Off roading can be heck on gears and clutches. I'd also like to see the weight on the Ninja engine as compared to our KLX. Don't get me wrong...I like this new little Ninja. There's a fundamental engineering reason that just about every dirt bike made has a single cylinder.

This is also a sign that perhaps motorcycle companies aren't locking themselves into the 250 engine size for so many various reasons around the globe...insurance, licensing, age, etc. I think that market isn't buying these bikes that much anyway. A more sophisticated Ninja pocket rocket and DS bike like the KLX probably aren't a big slice of the beginner market anyway. I've always hated that the companies had to cater that much to the 250 limit anyway. Most of us know how much better a KLX350S, WR350R, or CRF350L would be.

 

true...forgot the cbr250 is a single cylinder

 

No ....

 

my buddy put a cbr600 motor into a dirt bike..... well took the cbr fame and made a dirt bike around it.

 

thats crazy..i like it! must be pretty heavy though right?

 

360 pounds. He weighted it. This is his second bike. he made another. Started off as a FZ1.

 

Looks like he took some inspiration from Tim Allen. How does your Buddy's bikes run?

 

Insane.... both of them.... The FZ1 shoots flames out the muffler. The cbr is faster though.

 

Yeah, there's some kind of KLR/Versys type of home built motorcycles over on ADV too, but it doesn't necessarily make a good motorcycle...depending on what you're trying to accomplish. Some of these projects are just fun for the owner/builder and more of an exercise of what can be done. For purposes of this site and our KLX, I think we're talking more competent DS and dirt bikes. I've seen a few projects that really did produce an outstanding dirt bike. On the last page of the current Dirt Rider magazine, a guy built a KTM framed bike with a 2-stroke Honda CR500 engine. I recall back in the 80's when a guy took a Honda XR250R engine and put it in a Honda CR125 chassis. Cycle magazine even tested that bike and claimed it could the ultimate trail bike at the time...would've made a great DS model too.