On the other hand even tho I have ridden 1300's, turbo 750's and many other powerful bikes I am perfectly happy with my KLX250 it has more than enough power for my usage. And thats the trick ..... you need to decide exactly what you want it for and certainly if you can test ride it. I didn't test mine but I'm quite happy.

Good luck with your decision

 

Sorry about not getting back sooner, but I was hammered today in work, and well when at work, that takes priority.


Rusty, you asked the question . . . .

"ok marty how much of an improvement is the KLX over that KLR for off-road riding?

About as much difference as night and day.

The KLR650 is a great street bike that you can take off road. The KLX250S is a good dirt bike that you can take on road.

I have taken the KLR650 into areas that I now wish I had not. At the end of the day I felt like I had drained the swamp and had to wrestle every aligator that was in the swamp. Someone mentioned the KLR weighs almost double of what you do. That's probably the "Japanese Dry Weight" listed for the bike. In riding trim with oil in the crankcase, coolant in the radiator and a full tank of gas, I'll bet the bike weighs just north of 400 pounds! I have dead lifted almost 600 pounds in my day, but getting he KLR650 back up after a fall to the ground is no picnic. You had better be ready to give a "GRUNT!" to right it.

The KLR650 has taken me on 600 mile plus days where I've left my place, ridden about 250 miles to where I'm going, about 100 miles of off road exploring and then brought me back home again - with a single fill up! It has a lot of range to it and on the road, pretty decent comfort. If you take it into deep sand, you will be picking the bike up - that is all there is to it. Hard packed roads, gravel and such are where it really shines! However, I am not saying that you can't ride it quickly off road - a friend has a KDX220 that I've chased all over the woods on. Of course the next day I was looking for a bathtub full of Ben-Gay to crawl into for muscle pain relief!

My KLX250S is a real off road rocket! I was at a gathering with a lot of guys on KLR650's where we were running fire roads in North Carolina, up around Mt. Pisgah. The bike is just so nimble that you can ride it deep into the corners and be back on the power long before the guys on the bigger bikes can be. One of my good friends kept looking to the inside as I crept up on each and every corner. Even though I would never do it, I could have easily passed him anytime I wanted to. The little bike is just quick in the corners, tight turns - both paved and unpaved - of the mountains and it's just fun.

Now, I have taken the KLX250 to places where I have had problems with the KLR650 and even the KLR250 that I also own. The KLX250 is just so much more off road oriented that it's like a night and day difference in riding it and either KLR.

Of course this is just my opinion.

 

Yea marty I guess i agree with you there, i have screwed around with my dads, KLR before(under his supervision of Course) and that thing is difficult to just even lift up off of the concrete. I am pretty set on the KLX after reading up on all of the other model reveiws.

and yea that largest machine I have ever gone "***** to the wall" on was my Bayou 220, so i am sure that the KLX will keeo me busy for a few monthes. the only reason i was mentioning the mods so much is all of my current and past machines had absolutely NO moddablity and I really dont want that to happen again but after reading some more i see that is not likely.