Hey all! A few months ago I bought a barely used '07 KLX 250s and I'm quite happy. The bike only had 350 miles on it; apparently it spent 6 years in a shed. I cleaned it up, and have since added 2000 miles since July.

I've made a few conversions, most importantly the 351 and Q4, and a number of other smaller ones. I really enjoy how much personalization/upgrades you can put into the bike.

Anyway, I've just replaced the stock tires with a set of T63's. I'm surprised how few miles dualsport tires are expected to last, and I'm a bit disappointed in the capability of mixed tires. I've spent about 30% of my 2000 mile escapade on the dirt, on moderate difficulty terrain--I mean not just ordinary forest roads, but singletrack and atv trails.

My road miles are mostly day trips to my Parent's house from University, about 70 miles on the freeway. Other than that, a bit of commute, but at low speeds, and less than ten miles.

As far as tires go, I figured for my use a 25/75 would be optimal, but I found the tread pattern far too tight for the offroading I do. I've gone with the 50/50's, but I know I would much prefer avoiding the compromise. It seems like the tires are mediocre at both tasks, so I'm considering the idea of getting a second set of rims.

I chose the dual sport over a dirt bike for its ability to go on those short jogs of county roads connecting trails, so a 10/90 tire would probably be ideal for my offroading. However, since I found its use for commuting, I think a 90/10 would be ideal for that, especially for the long tread wear.

I feel like it's a reasonable plan to get a set of 17" supermoto rims with adventure tires, and just swap out rims when I go for weekend offroad trips. I believe that over the lifetime of the bike I would save money overall, due to fewer tire changes, despite the substantial cost of the rims, hubs, spokes etc. I know I'll have a better experience both on and off road with more dedicated equipment. Also, I find the process of converting/upgrading very enjoyable.

Questions
So I have a few questions for this type of conversion. I've looked over this forum for specific information regarding the 06-08 model, but it's rather vague. Here is what I've found so far, please correct me if I'm wrong:

Warp 9 Rims
The KLX300F Warp 9 set of complete wheels will work on the KLX250s 06-08 model, but need to have the brake disc bolt holes drilled. Warp 9 Supermoto Wheels - Motostrano.com

Is there a set of aftermarket wheels that is designed specifically for the KLX250s 06-08? I'm in the US so the D-tracker isn't really an option.

Does this mean that the disc that the wheels come with must be replaced? If not, then is the 'floating disc' worthwhile?

Procycle Rims
Procycle makes a set of custom rims, but they are about $400 more expensive than the warp 9's. However, they are specific to the KLX 250s. https://www.procycle.us/bikepages/klx250s.html#wheels

I imagine I could get the parts they use for around $500 cheaper, and put the wheels together myself. Would this process be beyond the skills of an amateur? Presuming I had all the tools of course.

Speedometer issue
Since the bike uses analog components, I was wondering if there was a way to fix the speedometer issue when using each tire. I understand that it is possible to use a Vapor computer with some hefty wiring/component changes, but I'd prefer to avoid this.

I have been thinking about opening up the gauge and replacing the sticker under the speedometer with one correcting for the factory overestimation. I figure indicated is about 115% of actual speed, and with the supermoto wheel, this would go to about 140% actual. A sticker, corrected to be between the two values would still be 12% wrong on both ends. Too much off for my taste...

Of course this isn't a critical thing to fix, since I can just keep in mind that 90mph means 60, but still.

I understand that there is a set of gears fixed to the front wheel which measure speed. I was wondering if it is possible to get a gear with fewer teeth which would fit? Perhaps from another Kawasaki model. This would be my preferred option, especially if it is easy to swap out with the wheel.

As far as the vapor computer goes, how hard would it be to change out the system on the 06-08? I mean it doesn't use a computer as is, so it would seem like there would be some difficulty. As well, it looks like some components might have to be moved like the key.

Would it be possible to use the '09 computer? Or is that far more difficult/expensive a solution?

Is there any other option for resolving this issue?

Hmmm... now that I think about it, replacing the speedometer sticker with one which has two ratings listed on it (like how Km/h and MPH are listed on the same meter) would probably would best and be the cheapest solution. Still, I'm curious about the above.

Shocks
I was curious how much the shocks matter in this conversion. I did purchase a set of 2" lowering links, in the hopes that they will stiffen the front forks. At the very least, I figure they will reduce the travel on quick stops.


Detachable Windshield
I am also wondering how beneficial these are for freeway travel, or in the cases of distance travel and in the wind.

Larger Seat
I haven't really had much issue with the stock seat, but I hear people reccomending a larger seat for extended travel. I don't think I've spent more than 2 hours on my bike whilst on-road riding, and it didn't really bother me.

Do the larger seats mess with passenger riding?


Thanks!

 

Bottom to top...

I used a National Cycle Deflector Screen with the quick release mount kit. I did some very minor trimming of the lower headlight portion to make it fit a shade better to my KLX650 which uses the same headlight set up as the early KLX like yours. It knocks the wind off your chest and cuts some helmet level turbulence. Great part, no cheap look. I sold a few hundred of them for cruisers and Nighthawks back in the mid 80s, then remembered it when I wanted a bit of weather protection (cold) on the 650. There are a set of ***** at the top that allow the shield to be removed for cleaning. The bottom set are for removal. Here it is:




Your shock can be rebuilt, revalved to suit whatever you want it to be. You could have had the lowering done by inserting a spacer to limit shock travel, a common flat track practice for the 4 stroke 450 singles. No sense in spending money on a shock when you can get the OEM custom tailored by a variety of sources. One good one is Race Tech with their Gold Valve components.

If you run 17s you can get the early SM speedo gear drive for your wheel, probably have to get one from a D-Tracker or if they did an SF in Asia, since the first SM in the US was an 09 with the electronic stuff. I'm sure it would be less costly to get the speedo drive than to convert all the stuff.

I will tell you the high cost part of a set of SM rims are the spokes, rims, and hubs. If you can buy a set of wheels for under $700 it is the best way to go, with tires it is a no-brainer. I speak from what I've learned looking to do SM wheels for my 650. A rear rim will run near $200, the front will hit around $150, spokes are about $100 a set, I paid around $200 for a set of wheels just to get my 650 hubs, but you can get a set as you have learned, by getting some KLX300/KLX650/KDX200-220 wheels to get the hubs. As you see, you're going to hit $600 easy without having the wheels built yet. I will say some sharp shopping could help.

One other thought - go to a set of 18" rims and run normal street tires, not the low profile radials. That is what some of the Adventure bikes do, 18/18 or 18/19. Then you can get a KLX300 rear wheel and run it as it is, just get an 18" or 19" rim for the front, which should be relatively cheap because they are relatively plentiful, and have it laced up. The wheels could be built and tires on them probably for under $500. If it is all about street tires to lessen wear on dual sport tires this would work fine. Just wouldn't have that Supermoto panache.

Now I run a set of tires few use. No clue why, my experience has had me running them on road and dual sporting on my 650 since 2001 and the past 32,000 miles. I run the Duro Median HF903/904 which are about a 60/40 or 50/50, yet I get 4000 miles a set. They have a deep open tread that cleans well. The blocks are webbed side to side for better block stability in cornering, which creates a bit of a paddle effect with the tread cut side to side.



I change them at 4000 miles because the center of the rear is flat enough and the tread shallow enough I don't get the handling and traction I want. I don't run them bald. I change the front because it is cupped bad enough it won't quite make another rear tire and it isn't that expensive. They have stuck like glue in my road riding with supermoto and sport bike riding friends, surprising them a bit. I still haven't had any traction issues if I drop the pressure to around 20 psi for the off road stuff, but I don't get too nuts when it comes to mud and gunk. The 650 is a bit big for me. You could try a set of the Duros 90/90-21 @ $57 and 120/80-18 @ $76 (or go to a 4.00-18 rear @ $57) until you get the supermoto set up. I'm sure you can find cheaper, but I doubt you find better for the money.

 

Try a 12 o'clock Labs SpeedoDRD. I don't know for sure if they are compatible with the KLX250, but my friend put one on his WR250R.

 

his year of bike has a mechanical speedometer.

 

Pull the cable when you run smaller wheels and use a cheap bicycle computer or a gps.

 

You can go back and search post from 06-07 A couple of us converted bikes to super Moto, or you could search Redbrd I put a lot of information on back then I just don't remember if I put anything on that would help you.

 

KLX678...
I'm interested in those Duro's, those look good for my beamer.
Did you balance them?
Were they round & roll smooth?
thks

 

I did balance my tires most of the time, because I used to mount them at a dealership and do a spin balancer. I didn't on my 250 since I mounted them myself in the garage and don't have a balancer. I've been up to around 75 mph with it and not had any hop or any problem. Always been concentric as any tires I've had before. They're pretty darn good over all. Like I said, over 30,000 miles running them and I won't run what doesn't work and I don't fix what ain't broke. They have done well by me so I keep running them.

If you are talking a big GS they may or may not be a good choice due to the sheer weight of the bike. It isn't a ton of money to try them though. The lighter smaller twins and singles would do well though.