Shims are a pain dude, most people with shims shouldn't try to adjust their own valves. Not only do you have to unbolt your cams if a valve is out of spec, you need to take vernier calipers or a micrometer and measure the shim and then figure out the size you need to get. Plus if someone who doesn't know better pulls out a bucket and can't get it to slide back in smoothly and creates burrs? Just saying, no worries with a Bandit lol.

 

agreed, shims under buckets is a pain and not a walmart parking lot job.

 

The one thing I love about HD - hydraulic lifters!

 

Just tell her its a safety issue. Tell her that with the big bore kit you would be able to outrun the zombies, and that you won't run out of power carrying her big but around too.....wait that's probably not gonna help is it? LOL J/K

Disclaimer: If your wife has a large rear end, then it was just a coincidence LOL

 

I must do one of those "Hey look at me" posts.

I have three awards in my garage with only two bikes.
The KLX250S took Best DS
The F800GS took Best Adventure Bike and Motorcycle of the Year.... WhoooHoo!

 

At least the bucket shims on the KLX are not too bad. I've done mine so many times, it is easy practice. Maybe on something with more cylinders, then it could be a bit of pain. But 4 buckets shims, easy.

Then again, I'm a bit of an engineer. I build rockets without the manual. And people still duck and cover when I launch them.

 

I too have a major award in my shop. It's a fishnet clad leg lamp.

Surely someone will get that one, especially at this time of the year...LOL! Award hoopla aside, the KLX really does a fit a nice niche. With bikes in this category you get the low end with the Honda XR230L and the higher end Yamaha WR250R. The Yamaha is probably truthfully the best 250 dual purpose bike made, but not without some issues. Price is noticeably higher. There's only one aftermarket tank...and probably at a noticeably higher price. The carb on the KLX is mundane but it will work under most all conditions and can be fixed under most all conditions. I'm not a fuel injection scaredy cat, but fuel pumps and computers do throw a potential wild card into the mix...and again, the possibility of higher priced maintenance.

I was able to get a fully modded...short of a big bore kit...'06 KLX250 for a very decent price. It's a proven design via the KLX300. The suspension is every bit as good as the Yamaha, and they weigh about the same. The KLX is easy to work on...I'll take bucket shim reliability any day over rocker arm designs. I'm not surprised at the KLX getting some props on a deal like this, but I wouldn't wear out my arm patting myself on the back if someone gave me a free WR250.

I just did a 10-day desert trip with a guy who had a modded WR250X motard version with huge dual purpose tires mounted. The rougher the terrain got, the better my KLX worked over his X model, but when flat-out speed runs were involved, his X had nearly 20 mph on me. He had a stock pipe but had airbox mods and a Power Commander computer tweaker. There's some outstanding potential in that motor.

 

LOL look at those tires he has got, do you know what kind they are and what size? My neighbor has a Husky SM and he could use some tires like that to ride with me in the sand.

 

That looks like a *rear* tire on the front of that WR. I'm not surprised the handling wasn't all that great. That'd be sketchy as hell. lol

 

At first glance, some took his X model as a TW200 with those huge tires...LOL! Those are Kenda 270's. Nobrakes, on the handling it actually was pretty good...not as good as a more "normal" 21/18 setup, but it wasn't weird...and definitely not sketchy. I was surprised. Where it was actually superior was in sand and gravely dry river beds. On dirt roads it was a slot car. I kid you not, the bike would rail dirt roads like a rally car compared to knobby clad dirt bikes. I would definitely go with the WR250R, but this guy is an older, very short fellow, so the motard model allowed him to touch the ground. Those tires sizes were two different 17" rear Kenda 270's...wider on back. I would have thought this bike and tire choice for desert off roading would be a joke. It did pretty darned well.

All that said, my KLX with full Muzzy exhaust and all airbox mods was great. My 14/47 gearing was about right for desert riding and even the tight stuff. My suspension is next on the list for serious tweaking, as that was the only shortcoming. I already have some parts coming and am still debating whether I'll be doing the innards of the rear shock or sending it off. I like the 11" of the older version KLX.