Hey all,

Well, I found out that vfrpilot and I kinda knew each other through our kids and he told me that WOPS had a KLX 250S in stock. So I went in today to check it out and the salesman that I've bought all of my bikes from (Rick) ask if I wanted to take it for a test ride. My answer was "Yes!", of course.

Now realize that my comments come from a motocrosser who's currently racing the CRF450R with tons of torque and power and incredible throttle response.

This bike is a DOG in factory form! I understand that the carb is vacuum actuated and I'm used to a flat-slide carb with an accelerator pump and that's why the throttle response seems so slow. But despite this bike being quite the step down in performance from my CRF450R I was still grinning ear-to-ear and having a blast on the road with this bike. I also just love the looks of the KLX, it looks like a very capable dirt bike with turn signals!

vfrpilot has also offered to let me ride his modded KLX so that I can see what the bike is capable of. I think he's out riding today with his son. So, I'm gonna call him tomorrow and see if we can get together this weekend sometime.

Don't take my comments as bad-mouthing the KLX, I just wanted to give the perspective of how it felt to me. You never know there may be other MXers out there looking to make the switch like me and they would be able to easily relate to my comments.

I'm really looking forward to riding vfr's bike. I'll update this post with my second impression afterwards.

 

I've been lurking for a while now and I was thinking of pulling the trigger on the KLX250S, but I've been eyeing that street legal Husky 250TE even though its almost two grand more. Any opinions on the TE Midwest.....or any one for that matter. BTW its customary for cracker noobs to offer a beer on their first post. So here's one on me. [sm=icon_guiness.gif]

 

We just got back from riding at Rock Port IL. This is the first time since I did the mods and Big Gun that I have taken it off-road and really put it through its paces. I knew just by riding it around that it was much better but today on the trails made me really appreciate the improvement.
I would have to describe my bike as "torquey"!!!!!! Before mods if you didn't have it reved over 6k you weren't going to get much out of it. But today I was running around on some tight and steep trails in 2nd gear @ 3k and when you crack the throttle it would get with it. I was following my son around on his RMZ250 and having no trouble keeping up! And thats saying alot for this old man [sm=happy046.gif]
When you do get in the higher rpm range its hard to hold it down![sm=insomnia.gif]
I am so pleased with the improvment that I just can't say enough.
The only problem today was that I ended the day with a rear flat tire, and was a mile and a half from base camp. Not sure yet if I ruined the tire or not. [sm=smiley19.gif] I'll find out tomorrow.
The Big Gun? Oh yeah!!!![sm=happy046.gif] It is absolutely great!!!. Sounds like a big bike! Can you tell that I'm pleased?????

 

Hey midwestrider - no problem with your assessment of the stock KLX. Most of us here will agree with you. However, it is very easy to open it up and unleash its potential - jetting, airbox, and pipe mods. These are considered the "standard" mods because they are so easy to do and only cost $50 or $60. Even without the expense of the Big Gun or Muzzy or other after market exhaust, you will see a marked improvement. But a Big Gun or Muzzy will be the icing on the cake if you care to drop that much $$ on it.

Even with all these mods, though, it's not going to be anything like your CRF450R. That thing is made for racing and it's going to perform way better stock that the KLX can only dream about. But that's not really not what the KLX was designed for, so its hard to compare them straight up. Even so, if you get a chance to ride a mod'd KLX, I'd still be interested in your impressions especially with your experience on the CRF. That CRF is one bad machine.

And vfrpilot - congrats on your mods. Doesn't it feel great what a little work can do to let out this bike's wild side? My bike has undergone quite the transformation since it's stock form back in January. Little did I know then what it had in store for me - all good.

Edit: remove dead link

 

Finger mullet, I am not at all familiar with the TE250. So, I can't give you any valuable feedback on it.

Nobrakes, yes...I know comparing the KLX to the CRF is unfair. To make it worse my CRF has had the suspension worked on by ADR and I also have a White Brother carbon-fiber muffler with Ti headpipe! Actually here's a pic of my race bike after I got the custom graphics on it for this year.



I'm sure the KLX has got a lot more in it than it's factory configuration. I've rode a KLX300 before and it was a blast. Like I said, after riding vfrpilot's modded KLX I will give another report. I'm sure when I get a KLX that I will do all the mods mentioned here as well as get a Big Gun system for it as well. I'm 6'3" and 230lbs so I need as much power as I can get!

By the way, what kind of gas tank is that on your bike?

 

Dang, that thing is beautiful!

I think I see your stock header pipe, among other things, is hanging from your weed eater . Hey, who has time for yard work when there's riding to be done!

That tank is the IMS 3.2 gallon. It is not a direct fit - requires a little work to make it go, but it's worth it. It was the first mod I did on the bike - the stock 1.9 gallon was just too small for me, I will filling up like every other day and it was getting old. Here's a few more showing the fit and some of the work needed to make it go - main two things was rerouting teh cabling under the tank and making up a new fan bracket and repacement fans as the stock one is too big.

Edit: remove dead links

 

I found out why the rear tire went flat. I spun the rim on the tire and jerked the valve stem right out of the tube!
Now I need to go back on the threads and find a out about installing a rim lock.

Midwest Rider: I should have the tire all taken care of by Tuesday evening. Call me when you're ready to test ride it!

 

I guess all that extra torque took it's toll on the stock tire and rim setup!

I'll definately have to install a rim lock once I get a KLX cuz I'm sure that I'll be very aggressive with it in the dirt (especially after all the mods are done).

vfr, I'll call you tomorrow and see if you're ready for me!

Thanks again!

 

Well, last night I met up with vfrpilot at his house to check out his modded out KLX 250S.

At first I asked a bunch of questions about the mods he’s done (BG EVO X exhaust, Dynojet kit, dual-snorkel airbox and 13-tooth front sprocket). But after about 20 minutes of discussion he said “Take it out for a ride.”

When he started it up the exhaust note was so much more pleasant than the pffft pffft pffft sound that I heard at the dealer. He did not have the quiet core in so the exhaust may have been louder than some would like but it didn’t bother me at all.

From the moment I pulled away from his garage until I return about 20 minutes later it was incredible the difference that all of his mods made in the bikes performance. I think the thing that amaze me the most was how well the bike was able to carry speed. I weight 230 and am 6’3” tall and was able to go 80 mph on his bike. The funny thing was that other than the wind resistance it didn’t feel like I was going 80. The bike is very stable even at that speed. I had a blast with this test drive!

I will admit that being used to MX bikes and their immediate throttle response makes a CV carb always feel like it’s always got a delay. But the delay I experienced with vfr’s bike was not enough to sway my desire to want to own this bike. The carb and exhaust changes (resulting in more torque) could be felt from idle all the way to 8,000-9,000 rpm. This bike was a much different experience than what I had on the stock KLX a few days ago.

At one point in my test ride I pull off of the road into some sandy-like gravel and took off in 1st gear hard. The rear wheel broke loose easily (this is what I was trying to do) and continued to spin in the loose stuff as I shifted to 2nd gear and still spinning as I went into 3rd and then got back on the road.

My wife is already encouraging me to go ahead and trade in the race bike and get the KLX (she wants me to quit racing anyway). But I’m just not ready to do that…yet. On June 19th through the 23rd I will be going to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Motocross camp in Henryville, IN. This is a camp where MXers of all ages get some hands on instructions from pros (this year includes Sarah Whitmore and Nathan Ramsey, so far) to help them increase their MX skills and then there is some church camp type stuff mixed in as well. I will be attending as both a participant and a volunteer. So, I would like to keep my CRF450 at least until this camp is over just to experience it. Then I may be looking seriously to make the switch.

I will definitely make the same mods that vfr did and I might also do the IMS tank mod if I find that I want a little more distance out of a tank full of gas with this bike.

Many thanks to vfrpilot for his generosity to me that allowed me to see what this bike is capable of. Also many thanks to all of you who post your experiences on this forum. It definitely helps a guy who is looking for more info in order to make an educated purchasing decision.

I’ll be in touch!

 

DUDE!! Midwestrider you gota make your pictures smaller, LOL yea listen to me I did that a week ago, LOL but that's why we have to scroll back and forth. hehe