Okay... the stock gearing of the KLX250SF sucks.

First gear is too low... so I find myself slipping clutch a little in second
Second gear is tad too high

What is a good compromise for gearing? I will be ordering 351 kit soon and know that the first gear will be even more worthless.

What do you recommend as far as gearing? One down in front? A few up in rear? What have you guys found as the best compromise to make first gear useful?

 

If first gear is too low for you I'm assuming you only road ride? Most people gear their KLX's down for off road. I ended up with 13/45 which in my opinion is great off road. If your going for the 351 wait till you do that before worrying about gearing.

 

God I hate the first gear. I don't use it often anymore when I'm riding on the road. I just start from second now. However it works great for the trails

 

Yeah... I have the supermoto version, so yes, I only ride on road. If I do go on dirt it is hard packed dirt road... no trails.

So no one has advice on a specific gear setup?

 

i havent tryed this yet, but i know how you feel so i let you in on my idea. 2 down on the rear, then juggle a stock 14 (street, or long trips) and a 13 (when it gets tight ). it wont be as big as going with a 15, but it will help some. i ride some tight trails also, so having a 13 will just be to put a bigger smile on my face. some one know if this would work with the stock chain or not?

 

This website may help you
http://www.gearingcommander.com/
As for a specific setup I dont know but you obviously want to go up in teeth not down. Play around with settings on the website, you can compare multiple teeth setups side by side. you'll have to add your bike, tires and current gear ratio but then it does all of the math for you.

 

I either want to go up on the front sprocket or down on the rear sprocket... or a combination of both.

 

So, I counted teeth today... the KLX250SF comes stock with 14/39... definitely taller than the dual sport version... but with smaller diameter tires.

Does anyone know if a 15 tooth sprocket will fit the front? When looking at it today, I am not sure if there is enough space to the front of the sprocket.... Has anyone put a 15 tooth on?

 

Don't know who but I'm sure a couple of people have put 15's on, maybe Tremor38 would know.

 

I am completely lost for words. It just goes to show how different people are. This is the first time I have EVER, in over a year of being around these bikes, heard someone say 1st gear is too low.

Everyone I have ever talked to, including myself says the gearing is too high (in 1st gear). Now there is some debate on 6th gear, some say its more of an overdrive, espeically in the 07 and previous models, but most say they are looking for an extra gear. I personally think first gear should be lower for creeping and 6th gear should be higher, a true overdrive. This is a dual sport after all. Most people are satisfied with keeping a happy medium of putting a 13T on the front and leaving it at that, which is what I'm doing now. I also have a 14T and a 12T. I must say, if your doing offraod only, the 12T is the way to go. Its niiice and slow, like a true offroad bike. The 14T is fine, providing the trails are somewhat open. If its super slow creeper stuff,...forget it. Your stalling and chugging the bike. The 13T works out real well. Its just not as open in 6th gear out on the road, however it has the power to better pull it along. Its win/lose.

And I think its a bit......I don't know what,....silly, to say the gearing "sucks". It sucks for you maybe, but to say it sucks in general means it does so for most, if not everyone...and thats just downright not true, if anything, your in the minority. The only people to deploy 15T front sprockets seem to be either the big bore kit guys, because they got so much extra grunt now....or the guys who have the 09 models and do mostly, if not all, road riding, because they geared down 6th gear in the 09 and new models.