I know this has been hashed out somewhere, but I keep looking and I can't find the information I need.

I've been throwing around the idea of selling the good ol' klx351sf and buying an xr650l...Now the problem is I really really enjoy the klx I'm comfortable on it and the ergos are great! but I do want to do a lot more dirt riding, hell I live in Vegas I can spit from my back door and hit a dirt trail.

What is all involved in transforming an sf to an s? If I do so I will be keeping the supermoto wheels because they are fun as heck, I don't want to ruin their street handling by putting balloon tires on them. How do I get the increased travel of the S? Is the suspension set up differently internally? Or can I just play with the adjusters to make the bike have softer off-road suspension? How would I go about mounting the front caliper, is there just an S version bracket I can buy online to switch inbetween?

I really think if I got some dirt wheels for this klx351, I would be one happy camper 17's just don't do it in the dirt...

 

There's gotta be someone that at least has a smart *** remark then links a thread that answers these questions :P

 

As for the SF an S model of the KLX250

The fork travel appears to be the result of the inner fork rebound cartridge. If the rebound cartridge shaft has less travel on the "sf" this would cause the fork to have less travel and require a shorter spring. The upper outer legs and the compression valve are the same part number for the "s" and "sf" model. The only difference it appears to be in the lower fork legs are the colors of the ends. The "s" model has silver and the "sf" has black. The springs in both models are different in overall length by about an inch longer on the "s" and spring rates are stiffer on the "sf".

As for the front brake the "SF" uses a different adapter plate than the "s" version . Replace the plate and I would bet a stock "s" version wheel and brake disc would fit just fine on a "sf" fork. The "sf" brake hose might need to be replaced.

On the rear of the bike we know the spring rates are different for the "s" and the "sf" from the factory. I do not have an "s" to measure the lower suspension tie rod links to see if they are longer or shorter than my bike but I have reason to believe they are being that on my "sf" the right side link is stamped "119.5" which just happens to be the preload measurement that Kawasaki lists for the "sf" model. For the "s" model they list "107.5mm" for preload. So if I had to guess the tie rod links and the spring are the difference on the rear of the two bikes.

Now as for even worrying about changing the springs and all it might not be needed if you are a person of larger mass. I am around 195lbs and had to change the stock springs on my "SF" because they were way to plush for my weight on the road. If I decide to convert my bike to an "s" model I might be able to just change back to the stock "sf" springs and a set of "s" wheels and not worry about extra travel.

 

I weigh 175lbs or so, the sf suspension seems ok in the dirt, i figure i could just soften it up a couple clicks with the adjusters and be in the ballpark, te extra travel probably isnt worth fussing over. Thanks for the info