Well, I've reached the point where I can pour some money into my KLX (jetting, airbox, pipe/muffler, 300 jug) to get some "pop" out of this slug

-or-

trade/sell her for something with more snap that is street-able (KTM or Husky).

I've already gone to 13/45 sprockets to slow her down in the woods, and it helped with the overall zip.

My question is:

- With enough mods, will the KLX be able to pop the front wheel up and run like a "real" dirt bike, or is it time to throw in the towel? What will $1500 of mods do for the bike?

FYI, I'm 210 pounds, 6'1"...

Thanx, Lance

 

I'm a week or so away from having a 330cc jug and pumper carb installed (carb is here, but still waiting on cyclinder work). I'm pretty sure that these last two mods will be put me over the top for where I want to be. My cumulative performance mods inluding these last two would be:

jetting, airbox, muzzy pipe, opening the crankcase vent, 330cc bore, keihin fcr pumper carb

All that will set you back about $1700, give or take. I think that will do what you want, but give me a bit of time and I'll let you know for sure, or at least how it feels to me. I plan to do a dyno check also, but that may take a bit more time to arrange.

 

Truth be told I'd probably put the money into the KLX because unless you paid cash you are still going to owe on it, you won't get nearly what you want for it, and the $1500 cash is probably not even going to cover the difference between what you paid and what they would give you on a trade towards something else. But its all in what you want I guess.

 

Truly even if you dont get the money that you want out of the klx, it is not worth it you can dump alot of money into it but it will not do what you want it to do. much to everyones beilef. you will be happier with a husky or a KTM only because they were built for what you want them to do. To be a dirt bike with a **** load of power under them. and the klx will not give you that. just because it was not desinged for that it is a enduro bike. plus all these guys that are dumping all this money into thier bikes all they are going to find at the end of the road with thier bikes is that they will get tired of them and they will blow up on them and start to complain why the hell is my bike blowing up all the time because it was not designed for that. GOOD LUCK the TRUTH hurts

 

For mods, I would go with:

$450 +/- 300 kit
$600 Keihin FCR 35mm
$200 Proper springs for your weight
$150 FSW headpipe
$50 Used 300 silencer, or the DG ones on ebay
$35 Tusk 3/4" rise big bar adapters
$65 CR-HI big bars

 

mmmm As much as it hurts me to say but there is some truth to this.

If an off road "weapon" is what you want then the KLX is the wrong bike.
Pumping money into it will only delay the upgrade.

Somewhere out there in cyber space is a story about some Aussies who hotted one up to race.
Man did they throw some money at that bike.
From memory, I think they were backed up by Kawasaki and as Kawasaki didn't make a race bred enduro bikes, they hotted up a klx.

Found it http://www.klxzone.co.uk/klx_dirt_action_article.html

But Chris, I think you are way off the mark in regards to reliability.
The vast majority of the mods talked about on this forum are tried and tested over a long period.
They are well within the KLX's "zone".
They offer real cost effective improvements to what is in all probability one of the best "all round" "trail" bikes ever. (Trail being the key word here)
It hasn't survived all this time virtually unchanged for no reason.

And one thing I can be sure of.
Once finished I will spend considerably less time and money keeping my KLX going than people who have the latest high revving rocket.
Trust me, some of my mates have got these KTM/WRF/CRF/TE etc bikes.
They require a fair bit of maintenance. And the parts are not cheap.
Try new rings after 16 hours?? No thanks.

Love the KLX for what it is.
If you want more then go for that.
But please, don't buy a KLX and then moan because it's not a KTM/WRF/CRF/TE etc .

Cheers

 

+1

When it's all said and done I'll have added quite a bit to the cost of my bike, but its still no where near the cost of a TE or KTM, so going that route would have been more expensive, even just to keep those bikes in stock form. Not to mention that the nearest Husky dealer to me is about 3 hours away. And while I want more out of the KLX, I don't really need nor want a race ready dirt bike with all the heavy maintenance that entails as neilaction pointed out. I mod by bike for fun and because it makes it more fun for me to ride. I'm not at all unhappy with my choice, quite the contrary - I enjoy the KLX more every time I ride it. I can only speak for myself of course.

Will I ever get tired of it? Who knows, maybe. My tastes change over time so that's certainly a possibility, maybe even probable. But that would happen no matter what bike I owned, I think. I don't expect the KLX250S will be the last bike I ever purchase. But I'm sure having a hellava lot of fun with it right now.

 

Throw in the towel. If you can afford it. The KLX250/300 will never be a KTM I've owned one. A KTM 200 EXC it was faster and handed better. I now have the KLX250 with the 300 kit and all the mods for me it's better.
______________________________________________

>^,~,^< Ted
________
Zoloft settlement info

 

I am almost where you are. My brother traded his KLX250S in on a new, leftover 2003 KLX400R. It's a green DRZ400E. We found out how to tag a dirt bike. It is a sweet ride. Basically I can come up with about $1000 more dollars and trade my bike in on one. It has lots more power, pumper carb, bigger gas tank, bullet-proof motor, great suspension. The biggest downside to me is I ride my bike everyday and I really like the 6-speed on my bike. The only other possible downside is that it is a physically bigger bike, but between the better suspension, the torque of the motor and the pumper carb, it overcomes that off-road.

I have found my riding skills are now above the capablilities of the stock KLX250S. My bike is fine at about 3/4 speed - power-wise and suspension-wise. But I am finding myself more and more over-riding the bike. So I am going to have to at least spend money on suspension, which will run about $400. I don't realy need any more speed and power, but after you ride a bike off-road with a pumper carb on it, your going to what one for the 250. Spend the same money on suspension, pumper carb and going to the 300cc kit on the 250 vs. just getting a new bike...Well thats my dilemma.

 

I don't think anyone is 100% happy with any bike.

That's why they keep building better bikes and people go and buy them.
That's human nature.

Power aside, the DRZ400(KLX400) is not a better bike than the KLX250.
Buy one and see.
Quite big and awkward compared to the 250.
Trust me I have ridden plenty on both.

They are good bikes don't get me wrong.
But to think people are buying them and then being satisfied then think again.
There are at least as many improvements ($$) that are "must do's" on them.

Don't believe me?
Search and you will see.

My regular riding mate has one.
Sometimes he's ahead and sometimes he's not.
And when I'm beating him up on a tight trail on a "250" mmmmm he has no excuses.
mmmmm

Think fishing.
Catch a big fish on light tackle! That feels good. Real achievment. Sport even.
Drag a big net and well!!!??? Any fool can do that.

It's hard being happy. But I'm getting the hang of it!

Cheers