I have recently purchased a new 250S, and would like to share my impressions.

First off I am a new rider, I just started in 1964 and still feel that there is a lot to learn. My first bike back in "64" was a used BSA 350 enduro. A truly simple forgiving bike, I can't say that I ever changed the oil, because like the old Harleys, you just kept adding oil. I went every where on that machine and one cool moon lit fall evening, had to be moon lit I had no headlight, I learned a valuable lesson, never chase deer through a corn field on a bike, it is the death of a thousand cuts.

I was in the Navy back then and I left the bike with a friend of mine when I was off on patrol in the North Atlantic, his wife made him sell the bike because it was too dangerous..we had a talk about that when I got back.

There have been lots of bikes since then, some more memorable than others. My first true road bike was a Honda 350 twin, that I installed a bash plate on and rode "almost" everywhere. What a neat machine, I had my sister in law on the back one time, a large woman, I felt some need to impress/scare her, so I "went fast", as I recall we were going up hill and as I shifted from fourth into fifth I looked at the speedo, it read 85 and was still climbing.

Over the intervening years there have been a lot of bikes, cruisers, dual sports, my last and favorite road bike of all time was the ZG1000 Concours. That bike model had a long run and should still be an offering, I believe, but we are trapped in the new/bigger is better loop.

When I lived in Alaska I had a 350 Honda Enduro, I think it was the CB350. Long time ago. A great woods bike, I rode a lot of moose trails with that machine, could pack all of my gear on it for a camping trip. I put a pillow on the gas tank and my young daughter used to go with me. This was true adventure riding, no roads, just game trails, and trails cut through the forest by trappers.

I was cruising along on the pipeline road, strictly forbidden, when a cow moose stepped out of the forest and took exception to my presence, that was a bit exciting.

I had a Vstrom for a number of year, and my thought on that is, the V is a great road bike...I traded my KLR650 for the "V", on reflection a very bad choice.

I had the Concours and the "V" at the same time and as time passed, I kept the Concours.

When I finally decided to retire, I bought a place in the mountains of Eastern Oregon and found myself with access to almost unlimited, logging, and forest service roads, not to mention elk trails cattle paths and just lots of open places to ride.

I cruised the forums and and liked what I read about the KLX250S. The day I bought the bike on my way back home I had to chase some cattle, that were in the process of invading my horse pasture. The KLX did a fine job of that.

My favorite ride is only one horsepower, quite tall and not so fast, but with a few grass stops we are good for as far as my food lasts. The KLX is a great bike for cruising and cleaning trails. I also use it a lot scouting forest service roads to insure there are places to get my stock trailer in, park and turn around.

It works well with a few fence supplies in the saddle bags to do fence repair.

A word on saddle bags, over time I have tried lots of ways to carry stuff on a bike, so far the best is some sort of saddle bag/panneries set up. The more stuff you pile on the back the harder is is to get on the bike. However for extended trips a tail bag as a must, just can't get enough in the saddle bags.

I have not modified my machine to any extent, just a rack on the back to keep the saddle bags off the not muffler, and as time passes I will probably add more of a bash plate.

My impressions are that this is a very woods capable bike. I use it primarily to scout for places to take my horse, and to get me to where I can start hiking.

The bike is light enough so that it is easy to get out of bad spots, it has good ground clearance so you can go over logs, and other obstacles out in the forest. I live a considerable distance from town, and the KLX works great for trips into the settlement for supplies.

With a little care one can exceed the 70+/- mpg rating that the bike has. My last fill up calculated out to 75mpg and there was some expressway rinding included.

My bike is a bit fussy about starting in the cold, but with the choke out and just a fraction of throttle it fires right off.

The bike goes as fast as I would like and I have seen 80+ on the speedo, and the potential for a bit more. One has to be a bit careful about how far you go, but there are plenty of options for extra fuel.

With my forty plus years of bike riding, I would have to say that this is the most fun I have had with a bike since the days of the old BSA.

I think that with a few mods, that this would be a very fine adventure touring bike. An authority on "small bore" touring can be found here: http://bigdogadventures.com/

So my bottom line is that if you could have only one bike, the KLX250S is a return to the day of the bike that does all things..

See you out on the trail..

 

Nice write up, and I agree with your overall impressions of the KLX. I picked mine up in May and have been busy setting it up how I want it. My other bike is a Husky SM610, which I love, but the KLX seems like a great all-around bike. I previously had a CRF230L as my "small bike". The KLX is so much better, especially the suspension. I'm light, so I find it perfect.

 

Sounds like you hit the jack-pot John! In more ways than one. I also think that the KLX is a great bike. It's not the fastest, not the lightest, etc etc, but unbeatable as a do it all bike. Congratulations, on the purchase.
Dan

 

good to hear you like the bike. i too think this is a do it all machine, well probably sence its my only ride.

 

Nice post.

Nice country up there. I grew up in southwest Idaho and was born on your side of the border. Spent a lot of summers in the woods on the Idaho side of Hells Canyon. Had some interesting experiences takeing the Oregon side down from Lewiston to Ontario. A little town calle Imnaha comes to mind.

Personaly I think you would be happy with giveing the bike a little more power even if its just snorkel jets and exh. Would give it more grunt even if you not a wide open diver.

Cheers Jim

 

Thanks one and all for the responses. I haven't done much with my machine, I do not want to do anything that will decrease my MPG, which I feel is quite good. At some point I will probably add a chain oiler. I have in the past made quite efficient oilers using a few brass fittings, a valve, some 1/4" irrigation line and a contact lens solution bottle. Over the years I have been able to fabricate most of my accessories. I put together a very nice set of hard luggage for my "V", total cost was just over $80.00.

Another mod I will add to the KLX is a pad for the kickstand foot. A 3" X 4" section of a car tire side wall attached to the bottom of the foot with a self threading screw and a washer will hold the bike up on very soft soil, and keep the foot from sinking into the asphalt in parking lots on those 100+ days that we experience here in the West.

I have been to Imnaha.. stopped there for a burger on my way into the wilderness for a pack trip, it was the first time my horse and I had gone packing with mules, a very interesting trip.

I use the KLX to haul treats to my horses of an evening if they are in my upper meadow, they have now assumed that it is the "carrot machine" and are there to meet me when I roll into the pasture.

Has anyone found the "sweet spot" that is the point where speed and engine RPM balance out to produce the best fuel efficiency. My initial impression is that it is someplace between 37 and 42 MPH. The CleanMPG folks have gotten 100+MPG with the SF, I am not sure what the gear difference is. They achieved similar mileage with a Yamaha XT250, which should be pretty similar in gearing/etc., to the KLX.

Thanks again.
John