My friend, Chris Johnson, just purchased a 2006 KLX 250 in Michigan. Chris lives in Oklahoma. Last week, he rode it home. I thought I'd share one of his emails discribing the trip. He calls his new bike "Kermit," like the frog...you'd have to know Chris. Not that it matters, but Chris is also an amputee...he has no right leg below the knee. I wish I had his skill, not to mention his stamina. Here is the email...

"So you all know, I'm not dead and I did make it home.

Evening one was leaving Kalamazoo at 5 pm. I made it all the way to Effingham, IL on I-57 and I-70 east of St. Louis. I was astounded to see lightning flashes north of Effingham. At first I thought I was hallucinating, then a triple stalk of lightning slammed into terra firma off to my left. I mouthed, "you gotta be %^&$-ing kidding me" over and over in my helmet. Then I flew through a clouds of bugs? No, it's rain! It wasn't supposed to rain at all.

When I rolled into Effingham at midnight, I saw every hotel parking occupied by Corvettes! Uh oh. I mouth you know what in my helmet again, over and over. Not one single room available! Then upon leaving one motel the old woman came out and motioned me back in. She got a call saying they had overlooked room 222 (yes, Shem 222). I took it while several other cars stopped looking for a room. Unpacked and clothes stripped of, I walked to a Denny's and wolfed down a huge breakfast. After a sleep of the dead, I packed, fueled, and was off again at 9:00 and to and through St. Louis.

The deeper I got into the day, the more my grit built to go for it and end up in Norman, where Claire had ridden up to. 13 hours and ~720 miles to Claire and Bill & Susan's hospitality. A heck of a draw. Oh the back rub that night to un knot my back was simply glorious!

I followed an iron-butt rule to stop often and sometimes stop significantly, as in a half hour. One longer stop was spent slumped over a rest area picnic table and asleep. I had to fuel every 60 miles or so, and I'd always eat standing up. Then it was back on the road to aggressively fly as fast as I could, typically 75 to 85 mph. In one stretch in SW MO I followed a truck doing 90 to 95. Amazing. Never woulda thunk it possible on that bike.

I spent the vast majority of the trip laying against my back pack, straps slug around the radiator shrouds. My helmet floated an inch over my tach and speedo and would pop the handlebar cross bar on bumps. I usually had and one arm or the other behind my back to gain a few mph. To sit up meant being hammered by the wind blast and scrubbing 5-10 mph off my speed. It also put pressure on my tender monkey butt, so I was quite happy to hassle the neck and shoulder muscles instead. Thankfully it was cool enough to avoid the dreaded swamp *****.

I sure got a lot of looks as I'd pass people, butt hanging off one side and body splayed this way and that, a maniac in a flapping blue rain suit. I saw hundreds of the 3 or so clone-types of Harley riders with an occasional crotch rocket or BMW tourer thrown in. I'm sure I was the only person in North America doing long distance on a 250cc dual sport!

Thankfully there was no head wind until... Oklahoma (go figure). Then it got more brutal.

I'm sure beat up, but I did it. Too bad I did not pass another life milestone for my pain: 1,000 miles in 24 hours. Had it not rained that night, maybe I've done the whole thing? But I'll take 700 or so miles as accomplishment enough.

Kermie is fed, rubbed down, and resting in the garage."

-Chris

 

Chris is my HERO!

 

awsome

 

Is he a member here? If not he need to be. Awesome story!!!

 

I can bang out 700 miles in a day but thats in a car or truck no way could I ever do that on our little steed. My hats off to you the only way I could do that is when its strapped to the back of my van or suv. Good job.

 

My longest day to date is 750, but that was on my Harley, doing twisties from Kentucky to Arkansas. I burned up the last couple of hundred miles from Fort Smith to Norman on I 40. I'll bet Chris would be a good prospect for one of the new super saddles some of you guys have on your bikes.

DeeJ, Chris isn't a member yet, but he's building his KLX engine, so I'd expect you will see him on here pdq.

Bill Dragoo
Norman, Oklahoma

 

OK, Shadetree spattered me here so I might as well join the forum.

I've been around a while, and love to ride and especially love the technical stuff. So I hope to pick up on some good tech poop on my new brain stimulator, the KLX250S.

A 331 cylinder is a definite yes. Unknown is whether or not to do a cam also at this stage. Id rather not have to dive into the motor twice. I'm a long time trials rider and use lots of throttle but I don't like to use lots of revs. I rarely run 250s beyond 7,500 RPM. So, I'm wondering which cam would be better for my skinny butt:

Stock:
.325" lift both cams
.050" duration is 215 degrees intake and 212 degrees exhaust

101 Grind:
.350" both cams
.050" duration is 229 degrees both cams

293 Grind:
.360" both cams
.050" duration is 226 degrees both cams

I'm leaning toward the 293 grind as more lift and a tad less duration biases power a smidge to the mid range.

I'd go for a TM33-12 Mikuni pumper and maybe an FMF Power Bomb Q4, if it's not loud (loud pipes are bad news for our sport, and noise does not = power).

Opinions?

 

Stick with the stocker and the pumper.

 

Interested in specifically why you prefer the stock cam over the other alternatives. Please elaborate.

 

I like the physical fit of the TM36-68 pumper, and I think it's better suited to the 331 bore. I've heard people have had difficulty dialing in the TM33 with a big bore, flat spots etc.