Before I go crazy on the little 250 engine I want to get my suspension "right"

I know I need to go up on my front for springs and re valve them but what about the rear?

What are my options on making the rear suspension better? If I build up a 351 with all the bells and whistles Ill need that rear suspension right to handle rough trail riding.

I never plan on jumping the bike like a motocross machine but want to be able to ride fast and hard on the trails.

 

Revalving the fork and shock make an amazing difference in this bike. The stock suspension components themselves are pretty good, but the factory valving in both ends of the bike is almost shameful. Compression spiking is super noticeable. When you ride the KLX after a revalve and with the right springs, it just doesn't seem like the same bike anymore. You're plowing along on a trail, the bike just sucks everything up and keeps the wheels following the terrain so that you're always in control of the bike instead of having those frequent "Oh Crap!" moments. Fatigue is also greatly diminished. Also most all of the quality aftermarket revalves are done in a way that deliver new found plushness and surprisingly good big hit performance. That's what well selected shim stacks and pistons provide...a smooth ride but also great control for big slams...best of both worlds.

For those who'll mainly just ride some dirt roads or just the very occasional mellow trail ride, the money may not worth the return, but if you ride any real trail conditions, you're going to be pleasantly shocked by the results.

I just rode this weekend out at our local riding place where we have the Concho Enduro. It's rough, rocky, and gnarly. It's not normally the place for any dual sport bike. With the Race Tech revalving and springs for my '06 model, I can ride anything and any place out there without any real drama. The weight is the only drawback of a KLX250 compared to a real competition trail bike, but with the suspension mods the weight becomes almost unnoticeable.

Edit: I might also add that I did the suspension before I made a 300 out of it. My 300 cylinder and mods made the bike a whole snappier and stronger on the top. It would have aggravated the poor suspension habits with more power and more speed in any trail situation.

 

encouraging news TNC but what did you do specifically to your rear suspension?

BTW

When Im off road I like to ride like Im in a race. Im either wide open throttle or braking hard. The only time i ride slow in the woods is to check out a trail Im unfamiliar with.

 

I did Race Tech's Gold Valve kit for both the front fork and rear shock. The fork's rebound stack is not conventionally capable of being modified, but then it's not the real problem anyway. The RT kit replaces the main compression pistons in both legs...the main limiting culprit in the stock setup...and all new compression shim stacks. The rear shock kit has both rebound and compression shim stacks along with the new main piston valve.

I know Moto Pro does a good job with these forks and shocks on the KLX too. I went with RT because I wanted to do it myself, and RT supplied super instructional videos for the shock and fork.

 

Sweet, Thanks for the info. I like to do the work myself but Ive mostly worked on cars all my like so this dirt bike thing is a new twist for me.

All the mods I have done so far have been pretty easy and went smooth so Im willing to dive into more advanced stuff.

 

....is my plan, also! Good suspension is more important to me than more power. The front sticks OK, but, sharp compression spikes are WAY TOO hard. That tells me I have soft springs, but, not nearly enough fluid flowing fast enough on compression. The rear feels like it's on grease...which means it's not following the ground undulations well. The thing I DO like about stock is that the bike is very neutral landing after getting it in the air. So, it may not be "right", but, at least it's equally wrong front-to-rear!

I REALLY liked talking to John at MotoPro. I think the guy has the goods and the experience to dial in this bike. However, I found a Pro-Action local fellow that has been recommended by many different racers, and he wants to experiment on my bike, as he's never done an 09 KLX250. He's agreed not to charge me to take off and install the forks/rear shock, and wants the entire bike so he can make sure it handles the way it "should" when he's done. ALL of the other places I tried to contact didn't seem very interested, or didn't even return my message.

Assuming the bike does what I want it to do when he's done, I'll order the Big Bore kit. I'll probably only go 331, as I ride in 110+ degree heat at times, and I REALLY want to not have to worry about too much heat when I'm 100 miles away from help out in the middle of the desert.

 

Damn man

Must be nice to have a suspension guy want to take you bike and set it up for awesomeness for FREE

As far as the overheating goes Ill just have to chance it on the 351cc kit. I have found that maximum is optimum when dealing with displacement.

 

Ha! I see how it reads, now.
He's charging me for parts/fluids...just not the labor!

 

I have a KLX 250 2006, It comes set up for a 180lbs rider on lite trails. My son is 135 and I am 210. Get on any track and both of us bottom out. I called and had my suspension done by John at Moto Pro Suspension 800-277-5089 [/U]http://www.moto-pro.com. Call John and it will take 1 minute for you to know he know his stuff. My bike was done to ride a Motorcross track, I told john I didn't want to bottom out any more. He did my front and back cost me $600

 

I'm still dinking around with the stock forks. Tried thicker fluid with comp open, and lighter fluid with the comp screwed down to see what direction was best. Lighter was better and I now have an almost zero weight fluid in it and the fork actually moves now on the high speed hits or spikes. Setting the comp depending on the terrain become more critical and a couple click can be noticed fairly easy.

Oil level on this fork is kind of a mystery, because you'll find all kinds of specs and recommendations. One thing I noticed was the fork was not bottoming to full stroke, even when I tried hard. I've been sneaking the oil level down.