Hey guys,

I've been following the KLX forums religiously in anticipation of my early life crisis (I'm 28) purchase of 06 KLX250s, so I'd thought I'd join in on the conversation.

I was set on purchasing a DRZ400 or WR250r until I rode a friend's KLX250s and instantly fell in love with the weight and balance of the bike and bought a used KLX the next week.

More about my bike:
2006 KLX250s
3800 miles
-No airbox lid, plugged supplemental auxillary tube on airbox
-Jetted (not sure on jet size)
-Different sprocket sizes front and rear (up in the front, down in the rear?)
-Big Gun Full Exhaust (too loud, going to repack/fender washer mod this week)
-Removed rear fender/inverted plate mount
-Pirelli tires
-Renthal bars
-Tiny LED lights - front and rear

Parts on the way:
-Tusk D-flex handguards with turn signal
-Happy Trails Rear LED brake light (I'm super paranoid about safety as a new rider)
-Longhorn Short Pull Clutch Lever
-Tusk Super White Headlight bulb
-Hyper-lite 3-way LED lights
-Tusk Right/Left mirrors (I have none at the moment--not sure why they were removed)
-Two Brothers Exhaust packing
-Reflexalite tape for reflective accents

My riding: I have less than an hour of total riding time, but I plan on using the KLX as a commuter and fire road/trail blazer near State College, PA.

Mods I'm considering:
-Definitely need to quiet the Big Gun Exhaust--I feel like a douche starting her up. I hope I don't have to re-jet after a fender washer mod/repack.

-Springs: I'm heavy, 260 lbs heavy and 5'11" (32" inseam). The previous owner was 5'6" and had the preload all the way up in the rear, I adjusted it to 2/3 of the way down the spring and it rides much better but I may max out the preload to better handle my weight at the cost of planting both feet flat on the ground.

-Acerbis front fender (not sure if I can justify this yet--I'm bound to drop her a few times.)

Questions: After adjusting my preload, the upper portion of the chain seems to rest on the plastic guide and the lower portion has about 1.5 inches of play. I tried adjusting the wheel to get the lower chain play to 1.5 inches but the top seems like it shouldn't be resting on the stay. This may change when I'm on the bike, but I'm not sure. There appears to be wear on the guide from rubbing so it's a little concerning. I have the adjustment wedges set all the way out to 7 and can't get the wheel to slide out to 9. Doing that will undoubtedly tighten up the lower chain to no slack. It almost seems like I need to remove a link from the chain or slide the chain up one link to balance the slack. Any suggestions?

-Sean

 

Cool bike! Welcome.

 

Welcome to KF.....congrats on the new ride. Yeah that so called early life crisis is an obstacle. I am still fighting it. lol
Concerning the chain....if you sit on the bike, where is the chain? Once you set up the suspension for your riding and wt, you may still have some wear on the guides, but you will see once the ride is set up for you.
Have you hit up the KLX section yet?

 

Welcome to the forums! The chain is supposed to sit on the guide. As you take off on the bike the chain tightens over the sprocket toward the bike and lifts it off that guide. The 1.5 inch you are seeking is when the bike is sitting off the back tire or at least you have the wheel spun forward and then you measure the distance between the guide and the chain by lifting it. The distance on the bottom is not important. If you can put 2 fingers stacked between the chain and the guide when you lift the chain, then its perfect. Keep in mind if you make the chain too tight, especially because you are a bigger guy like me then it will wear faster and there is even a chance that you can snap the chain when the suspension goes down. As the suspension closes, the chain naturally gets tighter, but if its adjusted properly then even at the lowest end of the travel it will still not be too tight.