I did a search and didn't find what I was looking for so, here's my question/request. I just bought a bone stock KLX-250S (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=140151009875) and would like to ride it home. However, I understand there is a 4,000 RPM limit during break-in so, I want to make sure I will cover enough ground per hour to make the trip reasonable. I should note that I think I have figured out a way to travel state roads with a nominal speed limit of 55MPH for my safety (no Interstates with 75MPH speed limits and realistic speeds of 80 to 85MPH[sm=yikesomg.gif]).

Please let me know what speeds I will do in each gear per 1,000 RPMs or, how fast I will go at a given RPM level for each gear.

Also, I will have some 100 mile stretches with no gas stations. Can I strap on some 1 liter bottles somewhere or, is a 1 gallon plastic tank from Wal-Mart on the luggage rack an option?

Thanks in Advance!

 

Well you can try and do the break in by kawi's rules, or in the real world you can just vary the rpm's up and down, or better yet read the Mototune USA break in secrets. It worked for me, and can only be done on a brand new bike. www.mototuneusa.com scroll down to break in secrets, print it out on a good printer and do some reading, you'll be amazed.

 

Completely stock in 6th gear at 4000 rpm you'll be looking at 40-45 mph tops and the trip you have by the sounds of it is not going to be good during the break in process. Ideally you vary the rpm up and down, and don't let it drone along at 1 rpm. I'd highly recommend borrowing a truck or trailer to get the bike home if you have to travel that far.

 

The RPM Kawasaki wants for as long as they wanted makes the bike unrideable IMHO. I broke in by not beating it to the ground & varying the RPM. FWIW Kawasaki tells all its sportbike riders about this tender break in etc, etc, that needs to be followedyet they take each bike to redline on a dyno before it leaves the assembly line FWIW.

 

First of all, the speedo will be 5mph faster than actual. So if the speedo says 50mph, you're doing 45mph actual. Another thing to remember is that in top gear, for each 10mph equals about 1,100rpms. So 50mph equals 5,000rpms (mines more like 50mph=5,400rpms). So to drive it home under 4,000rpms, you'll most likely be doing 35mph actual.

My thoughts for break-in. Just drive it normally, but nothing really too pushy like WOT or above 8,000rpms. Just vary the rpm's from time to time.

 

Figure about 1k RPM for every 10 MPH in 6th gear. Where in Arizona are you? Sounds like a fun first trip and I'm sure the bike will do fine. Don't worry about the break in as there is no way to keep the bike under 4000RPM and almost everyone breaks this rule. The back rack is only rated for something silly like 11 pounds so in theory it can only hold a single gallon of gas. In your shoes though I might be tempted to risk it and get a 2.5-gallon gas can for the trip. I sure would suck to run out of gas out in the middle of the desert in Utah or Arizona. Take you camera and take lots of pics and report back!!

 

Go the fast break in route (worked for me too).

You should be able to get more than 100 miles per tank, but not too many more. Maybe 120?

I would mostly recommend getting a truck, trailer, or hitch rack to get it home though. If you do the fast break in, and ride it that far, I would change the oil/filter once you get home, before riding again (as in picka filterup on the way, or from the dealership). I wouldn't ride it that far sticking below 4k rpm, per the whole varying RPM is good, and just because it will be a crappy ride.

Its also worth noting that prior to any mods (bone stock setup bike), 6th gear is pretty weak, and if you find yourself going up hill, you will be down shifting just to maintain speed, which of course, will raise those RPMs.

 

LearJetMinako is right on the money 1,100 rpm per 10 mph on the GPS and true speed is all that matters.

FYI,
I have rode my KLX250 between Salt Lake and St George Utah (335 miles) several times in under 6 hours, I avoid the Interstate and run the state highways (SLC, Eureka, Delta, Milford, Cedar City, I miss Enterprise by taking a dirt road thru Pinto that saves 30 miles) and then on into St George no problems.


At speeds over 65 mph I can only get about 85-90 miles before hitting reserve, the stretch between Delta and Milford I can hold WOT for 80 miles at 75+ mph, my bike didn't even finally break-in and run very well until after I had made this journey.

Comfort is not a big problem on this little machine, I can move my feet around on the pegs and my butt in the seat and a 5-minute break at each fuel stop and I'm good to go. I pair of good gloves are a must along with a face shield to protect from the bugs.

 

Thanks everyone!

It looks like 4K RPM on the road for ~800 miles is a deal breaker for a good break in. That would be darn near 20 hours in the saddle which is too much for a two day ride on this new to me motorcycle.

It also looks like I need to trailer this thing home, warm it up good, and then do the hard acceleration/deceleration runs for 200 miles. At least in a rented pickup, I won't have to worry about the fuel stops so much and I might have a little extra time to stop and linger along the road since I will be doing a lot more MPH.

This also gives me a chance to get that Clark tank for a little more gas capacity. Is there anything I should be aware of before I place an order for this tank? It looks very simple to install and while I would like more capacity, it seems like a reasonable option. Is it worth it to step up to the Acerbis or IMS tanks? Having read some threads on here, I'm a little confused about how hard it is to mount one of those and get the gas capacity over 3 gallons.

Best Regards,
Sid

 

Congratulations on the purchase! Looks like you got an excellant deal!
Hours of fun for not much cash!!! [sm=smiley20.gif]