Hi All,

New to Kawasaki after buying a 300. My former ride was a Yamaha XT250 which was great - just got a bit too small. You categorize my off-road riding as relatively tame with minimal single track, enduro type trails.

I need to accessorize - starting with:

1. Skid Plate
2. Electronic holders (phone, Garmin, extra power supply, etc.)
3. Rear Rack
4. Windshield
5. Handguards
6. Maybe the fuel tank upgrade - but not the first thing on the list.

Would appreciate comments on what you bought, what installs easily, etc.

Thanks much. Looking forward to riding this little guy.

Windy

 

Look for some of the stuff you need in the KLX250S forum. The bikes are extremely similar, so things you listed, except the tank are the same as those on the KLX250S bikes. Fact is a lot of the stuff that mounts on the frame are the same since the original KLX250R in 1994. From 2009 up the general chassis stuff is the same. Hope that helps.

 

Not much under the other forum. Seems to be a lack of posts specific to the newer KLX 300s. I have started watching and perusing both forums.

Windy

 

The main accessories I installed were a rack and a tank to increased the utility value of my KLX300SM.



The rack is very sturdy and fits the profile of the bike perfectly.



With SM road gearing, my bike averages 80+ mpg, so the tank increases the effective range to 200+ miles.



The tank has another advantage. It totally gets rid of that HUGE complicated tangle of emissions hoses underneath. It has only ONE hose, the fuel hose, and vents out the top with a simple valve on the cap.



I attach a ghetto crate onto the rack to make the bike useful to carry tools for work, for grocery shopping, and running errands in town.




The rack is about $100 from Amazon, and the tank is about $400 from IMS.

 

Thanks Tooter,

The rack looks like the Procycle Precision. It is on my list to consider.

I will have to do something about fuel. Even though I get about 70 mpg, it is still limiting. I carried a 1 gallon rotopak on the XT250, but it made the bike rear end heavy when loaded down. I hate paying so much though.

Even though I am comfortable with the current saddle height, I will read more about the lowering you did. Would be nice to have another 1" closer to the ground..

Any idea how much extra power the bike generates? I want to add heated gear, but not at the expense of potentially draining the battery during the ride.

Windy

 

I highly recommend the tank as the weight of the extra fuel is located at the center of the bike so it has no effect on handling. Plus the added convenience of not having to carry an extra item on the bike. I did a baseline dyno with everything totally stock except a slip on exhaust. It did 25HP and 16.5 TQ.



A totally stock engine dynos at 23.4HP and 15.4 TQ



Here's a video of the dyno testing.

 

The point was that things like the skid plate, windshields and hand guards fit virtually ALL KLX250/300. The rear racks should fit without problem from what riders have found. The one thing I know that doesn't swap over are radiator guards. Foot pegs are the same on all models as well.

 

@pkwindrath , There is one other option for a bigger fuel tank. You can get a fuel tank that is very similar to the IMS one that you can get on eBay. Here's the link:
Chinese fuel tank

For a skidplate, I highly recommend the T-Rex Racing one:
T-Rex skid plate

The rear rack I have is from Happy Trails but it is only good if you want to carry a rotopax:
Rear rack

I highly recommend the T-Rex windscreen also. It makes an amazing difference! :
Wind screen

Quad Lock is my go to for electronics holders. They have a killer vibration dampener to save your phone's camera.

As always, YMMV

Cheers!
dankly

 

Thanks Danklyrides,

I installed a Richocet skid plate instead of the T-Rex one. They are about the same except I think the T-Rex looks a bit better design.

Added a rear and side racks that fit my Tusk Pilot Panniers. Got them from Rocky Mountain ATV. The install was ok.

I wanted to install Acerbis full wrap handguards, but the stock handlebars present a few obstacles. While I was pondering the best way to approach this, I had a tight corner slow speed tip-over (rocky forest road) and bent the brake lever and the stock handlebar. Still rideable and a much easier decision about the way forward. Anyone have suggestions for the best handlebar for the KLX 300. In all likelihood, I won't ride much single track nor the gnarly BDR routes, but I expect a few more slow speed cornering tip overs due to slow inseam.

Otherwise, like the ike and it does well in everything I was looking for.

Paul