Aside from EFI are there other major considerations between these two eras of KLX 250?

I've been shopping around for a used KLX 250 for trails and gravel roads. Available bikes have been sparse, but all of a sudden I've found a couple of options currently available to me for purchase. One is a 2020 and the other is 2015. Prices are roughly the same and the milage on both is under 1,000. Cosmetically, they're both in good shape. No major aftermarket updates on either.

Anyone have experience with both that could help illuminate my path forward?

 

Virtually no differences. Same pricing I'd be looking at the 2020. I have a 2009 myself. The carbureted version, I think, is easier to hop up when it comes to the fueling, carbs being easy to swap out and jetting pretty well established, but I'd still do the 2020. If a carbed bike is going to sit for a long time the float bowl needs drained, where EFI holds no gas in the body. EFI has a fuel pump (although I've not heard of any pump issues) where carbs rely on gravity (fluids flow down hilll). But again, I'd do the 2020. A tip over can flood a carb, no problem with EFI. No choke on the EFI and no jetting needed (the 250 is very lean and needs jetting done to run the best, but it's well known what is needed).

The general bikes have the same frame, same bodywork with a different color in some cases, same goodies fit both bikes, like racks and skid plates. I'd do the 2020. You want to illuminate your path, be bright, buy the 2020.

 

Thanks for the high beams! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear.

 

All else being equal, buy the newest that you can. Why? Because rubber seals age and get dry and brittle. The newer the rubber seals and gaskets on any car or bike, the better.

 

I went with the 2020! 497 miles and a flat front tire. It’s a clean bike as you might imagine. I need to spend more time on it, but after a few miles I think the front sprocket swap might be a near-term project.
I haven’t ridden a bike this size for a long time and hot damn it’s a good time. I’m excited for the summer 🤘

 

Awesome! Man, that thing isn't even out of its break-in period yet. At 600 miles change the oil and check the valve clearance, per the manual.

13 tooth Sunstar front sprocket is the best $20 you'll spend. Do you have an impact wrench? You'll need one to break the nut free to remove the sprocket.

Another thing to think about: Adjust your brake and clutch levers to suit you. Rule of thumb is to have them in-line with your wrists when you're sitting on the bike, but obviously it's personal preference. Don't hesitate to adjust the shift lever, either. It's held on with one bolt, the head of the bolt being on the underside. Even changing the angle by one spline makes a very noticeable difference, so play around with it and see what suits your boots best.

Check your headlight angle too. It's adjusted easily left and right and up and down with two different screws. Mine was set facing the sky from the dealer.

And then suspension. Set your rear sag (there are countless videos on YouTube if you haven't done it before) and then play with the clicker settings. Do you have the factory owners manual? If not I can grab mine and send you the factory clicker settings to make sure you have a good baseline. You never know how the previous owner could have messed with them.

 

Great advice - thanks greychinos! I just ordered the 13 tooth front. Yep, all set with an impact. Got the levers adjusted a few nights back. I never thought about checking the headlight angle. Suspension is something I'll need to spend some time feeling out. Yeah, luckily the bike came with the factory owners manual -- I don't think it's ever been cracked open. Getting that tire changed this weekend! Looking to get some saddle time first week of May - I took a week off from work and I'm hoping to get a few rides in, weather permitting.

 

Awesome, yeah, if the suspension clickers are at their factory settings then you'll notice immediately how soft the bike is. Now, here's the thing. The factory settings are so soft, that you might actually be fooled into thinking it's too stiff.

Why? Because the compression and rebound settings can be so soft that you actually hit the shock's bump-stop without realizing it, and it feels like the suspension is just really stiff and rough, but you're actually maxing out the stroke. An easy test to see if this is happening is to tie a zip-tie snuggly around the shock rod (tight enough that it won't fall on it's own) and then go for a ride. When you stop and get off the bike, you'll see the zip-tie all the way down against the bump-stop if you're maxing out the travel. If that's the case, stiffen the compression and adjust the rebound to be faster to prevent the shock from "packing" (where it can't rebound back up quickly enough and gets stuck in the lower range of travel). You'll notice in that situation that although you're increasing your compression firmness, which sounds like you'd be making the ride more harsh, it actually keeps you in the working range of the shocks travel and makes for a much more compliant ride.

The zip-tie trick works equally well if you put one on a fork leg too, and then take a ride, get on the front brake hard, and then see how far down the zip-tie gets pushed. If you're too soft you can easily max the travel of the fork under hard braking to where it bottoms out and stays down in a fully compressed state until you're fully stopped. These stock springs are really soft, so turning the clickers to dial in more compression damping helps to keep the front-end of the bike from diving under braking too much.

For getting the suspension dialed in, I keep a stubby flathead screwdriver right in the toolbag on the rear of the seat and then you can just pull over and make adjustments as you ride to find that sweetspot.

 

Also, unless you weigh in at around 165 lbs... changing the springs front and rear to match your weight will make the bike feel much more lively vs. the wobbly rocking horse it is stock. I'm around 220 lbs and run .48 front and 7.0 rear and that is just about right for my porkitude.