I put on 2500 miles on the KLX in the last couple of months but I was never completely happy with the overall feel of the shifts.

I would miss gears at times, especially when I didn't want to, and hit neutral shifting to 2nd and even finding false neutral occasionally.

I got my Ninja 500 and the shifter felt so much better and then it dawned on me (yes I am slooow on the uptake) that my shift lever was too high. I felt like I nearly had to lift my heal to shift down and forcing me to apply more pressure than needed. Shift up I could not apply sufficient pressure consistently.

Now I adjusted it and it is so much better. It actually makes it much easier to ride and more fun.

Strange but true -you heard it here first

 

On the KLX, I have to have the shifter higher so I can fit my offroad boots.

 

On the old Honda trail 90, and maybe other bikes, they had a shifter with a pedal going forwards & backwards from the footpeg. I always wondered why that never made it's way to other bikes, it seems so simple & that it would be easier with big moto boots to control the shifting.

 

yea the shifter lever is way too high from the factory, i had to adjust it down... and that was with my work boots.