I'm thinking that it's because it's much harder to keep emissions under control with an air cooled engine. If you can keep the temp under tighter control (ala water cooled with thermostat and fan), it's much easier to keep the emisions in compliance.

 

If they brought the Honda 250 DS to the states I am afraid I would be trading in my bike. I hear racers and guys that have been around Honda bikes and motors that swear that they are the best built. I hope they don't bring it here I don't want to have to choose.[&:]

 

Relax boys.
We have a version of it here in Aus.

http://www.hondamotorcycles.com.au/w.../Introduction/

I checked out before I "chose" the KLX.

The XR is a much softer bike. And no Honda marketing blurb will convince me otherwise.
Even the Honda dealers here don't pretend otherwise.
Of course they have the CRF250x which can be registered for on road use.

It seems here that anything short of a mx bike is able to be registered for road use.
I take it your market is much tougher.

I think what you refer to as a dual sport is what we would call a trail bike.
Bikes that are more hard core we call an Enduro bike.
But they are all able to ridden on the road without issue.

 

Heh Dean, you may be right there.

The other thing is that noise levels from aircooled bikes is usually higher.
Drive by noise is a big issue here.
As time goes by the push is for less and less noise.

What is odd here in my part of Australia is that it is simply not policed.
No one bothers about it.
You don't even have to get any vehicle checked over. EVER.
As lomg as it's got the right compliance plate your OK.

The police can stop and check your bike but they don't unless you are riding dangerously.

As a result just about every bike of every type is modded up to the hilt.

Loud exhausts are the norm.
(Don't ask what I have on my Ducati)

I know it's different on the east coast but here.. no problems.
It won't last I guess.

 

Some of the bikes they have outside are quite interesting. I have ridden both bikes mentioned here, the street legal XR 250 and the Honda CRM two stroke. Funnily enough i looked at both of these bikes and the KLX before choosing the KLX. If I was looking for a dirt bike (or 80% dirt bike)only it would be the CRM. Hands down a lot lighter and a lot more power. The cylinder and carb plumbing were Hondas effort at cleaning up two strokes and therefore there is a lot of plumbing and exhaust funneling (read nightmare)that is not normally used on two strokes. However since my bike was going to be my main ride over in Thailand it would also need to deal with city commuting, kicking (with tennies)combined with carrying oil lost out to the ease of the fourstroke. Even though I am a two stroker at heart.

Here's the XR250. Flash flood rains had us running out of the mountains via jeep trails.


here filling up out of drums in a back woods village on a multi day off road trip.


The XR is a wheezer (as is the KLX)but reliable and the suspension was well suited to Thailand trails. i would need to hop up either the KLX or XR so chose the KLX. I was worried boring out the XR too much combined with air/oil cooling on the snotty tight slow speed trails we frequent might overheat the XR's barrel too much. i figured bolt on the 300 cylinder on the KLX (watercooled)with a pumper and that should tide me over for a season with the option of boring the cylinder to 331 later. We'll see.

 

Thanks for sharing that info Team FTB, I think that had i had an option for the CR dual sport, Id have been on it... BUT, that is NOT LIKELY to be comming our way any time soon due to Emissions controls...

Im happy with the opened up KLX, but that big bore and pumper carb combo is DEFINATELY calling.....