I didn't say that it pulls as just as hard I said almost as hard. Example me and a guy that has a 2006 kx 250f both ride at the same track do mock racing when ever we are there we do starts and race around the whole track the track has two long straits in wich he usually pulls me by a half of bike length. At the starts he pulls me buy about a bike length or less. He gets me threw the whoops because of the klx's soft suspension. But I pull him out of the corners due to the bikes heavy weight causes better rear tire grip. He has MX soft terain knobbys up intill a week ago I still had the stock tires. I also beat him threw the rythem sections because the klx's soft suspention absorbs more of the jump wich means you can go faster and stay lower in the air.

Me riding the klx is a pretty ugly site with the way I have to muscle the bike around the track but Im starting to get back some of the skills that I had lost over so many years of not being on a track.

 

You dont have to equalize the air before you adjust your clicker but you are supose to get the front wheel of the ground but some times you have to make adjustments on the fly. it still works, its just one of those things thats supose to happen but doesn't always.

 

So I keep hearing why doesn't this thing have a power band? Well I may be the new guy with getting a bike after years, but I thought only 2 strokes had a power band. I had a RM 80 when I was 14 and when the power band kicked in it was like nitrous. Travis let me tell you that I am 6-1 and weigh 230-240 and this bike for me is fast. I added the 13 tooth and it made a great gear range difference. Incabiker hit it on the head when he said you have to get to the right rpm numbers to really feel this bike's potential. The first thing I did when I got the bike was to remove the break-in sticker on the tachometer and do the Mototune break in, and have not looked back with any regrets. I really think to beat this bike as far as power to weight ratio you would have to buy a Honda XR 650 R or the 650 L both are really nice bikes but here is a breakdown of the comparison.

Honda XR 650 L
MSRP $5799.00
Weight 324 lbs

Honda XR 650 R
MSRP $6299.00
Weight 262

Kawasaki KLX 250S
MSRP $4699.00
Weight 262 lbs

By the way I almost wish I had got the Honda XR 650 R model just because of my weight, but I say almost because this bike continues to amaze me. I still might look around for a used KLR 250 or a Honda 650 as a back up bike in order to keep the Kawasaki looking good. I know I'm **** that way.

 

It was baught this bike for the fun of bringing it out anywhere I wanted to to have fun weather it be trails, the street or the track. It was the right price easy to hop up and It really chaps the other guys asses when I pass them on a dual sport. Other than that I was going to take a loan on a 36,000 $ chopper but you can't bring the chopper off road. I ended up on the Track kinda by chance I was driving back from Charlotte in my car and I saw signs for a track and I figured why not. Then the old MX juices started flowing and next thing I know I wanted to race so on the 30th I will be entering the Carolina extreme summer series race 1. And why don't I have a full out MX bike easy answer is my wife is already pissed about how much time I spend on this bike. And I conned her in to letting me buy this bike because its street legal.

 

Power band refers to the pull of the bike under load threwout the throttle and RPM range. There is a huge difference in haveing a strong power band or a usable power band if the bike is too torqey you get to much wheel spin and unpredictable handling. But with a usable power band you get less wheel spin more traction, more responsive handling, and good predictability. A good comparison would be the old KX 500 2 stroke(crazy fast hard to learn to handle) or a old YZ 125 2-stroke(very pridictable) I always had better lap times on the 125 because my friends 500 was just way too much for me at that age. And I didn't understand how to let the 500 do all the work. instead I tryed to ride it like the highly reliable power band of the 125 and the 500 came out from under me. Those where some of the worst laps I have ever had because of so much torque underneeth a 145lbs 15 year old kid. Now I can ride a 500 no problem but a bike like that has so much pull under load its hard to get used to.

 

I too had mx-ers when I had my 125s, they way I would ride them was throttle wide open and regulate the power to the rear wheel with the clutch. When a 2 stroke fall off the pipe (the power band) it has no torque, thus no power. This bike in stock form has a pretty good mid range 5000 and up, it pulls pretty good but not like a 2 stroke but the trick here is to get use to the smooth torque and not the explosive power band of a 2 stroke. when I hit a berm I have to fight the urge to hold it wide open and beat the sh-t out of the clutch like on a 2 stroke. I have to learn to let that 4 stroke torque take me threw the turn. but I do agree this bike dose lack in the low end range but with the carb,
pipe, gearing, mods we can wake the sleeping giant in this bike..

p.s. a guy i knew also had an KX500 and that think was sick!! too much power for the dirt!! ( If their is such a thing as too much power) LOL...

 

Old habits die hard. I finally broke my habit of using the compression braking to slide the rear tire, feather the clutch, and keep the throttle open. With the way that I have my bike set up now, I hold in the clutch, I slide the rear with the brake, get over the tank light front brake into the corner, then rip out of the corner. It feels so much different.

 

Seth
glad for your experience & r&d contributions.
I have a cr500 & xr650r. We ride ocala or southern east coast woods or hare scramble style.
My cr is bigger power than I need as my buds ride cr250's but my question is with the klx's suspension as it is can I clicker & change oil (weigh @ 185) & get to handle at least as good as late 90's cr in the woods?
I can confuse this question better if it's not messed up enough :-)

Steve F