I've heard the are a little soft on the bottom end. I'm sure exhaust and a rejet can help. How are these bikes as far as reliability? I want to make it last so was wondering what oil I should run and are there any issues I should watch out for?

 

Not sure anyone's been able to confirm that there will be an '11 model. I see on Kawasaki's site, there's just a "TBA" in that slot...as well as many other models. I think the Kawasaki dealer show and release extravaganza is later this month in Las Vegas if I heard right.

 

The dealer here in st charles month says he has the 2011 model in, but maybe its really a 2010 but either way I'm gonna get the green one in october. I've rode dirt bikes since I was 8 and have a nice 88 cr250 now. I like the looks of the klx and it seems like a good buy also.

 

For a while there, it looked like we were not going to get a 2011 KLX. Now it looks like we will, but it is essentially the exact same as 09 or 10 model.

For future KLX rider, you will not find a more reliable bike. These things are just about bulletproof. And yes, with simple mods these bikes really wake up. Don't expect much with a stock bike, your 88 honda probably has more power.

 

Probably!! Are you kidding? A racing 2 stroke 250 has way way more HP than a conservative 250 4 stroke.

 

Yea the old cr still has some guts to it! But really can't ride it on the street...well I have but not legally. If I could get a little bit near the power I would be happy! If it will pull a wheelie and throw some roost I will be ok with it. Plus the gas mileage is good, and beats riding a scooter any day! And I get to use my metal mulisha helmet a bit more often.

 

Ha ha, didn't realize the old Honda was a 2-stroke, wasn't paying attention. Yes, the 2-stroke will have a lot more power.

If you want wheelies and roost, you are going to have to do some mods. I see a 351 big bore kit and a pumper carb in your future. Apparently after that, wheelies are childs play.

It looks like a dirt bike, it rides like a dirt bike, but it doesn't have the power of a dirt bike. We can all thank the EPA for this as it has to meet all the same requirements a car does. A kx250f ( 33 hp stock ) absolutely screams, a klx250s ( 18 hp stock ) does not.

But with about $1300 in mods, you can get the klx up to about 28 hp or so pretty easily.

 

In the interests of managing your expectations of the bike, if you're hoping of getting anywhere near the power of your CR250, then budget in all the mods - slip-on, pumper carb correctly jetted, and a big bore kit.

I bought my bike brand new and damn near took it back I was so disappointed. Why? Well, I hadn't expected it to be quite as strangled as it was in stock form, and the engine was VERY tight for the first 1000km's. Since then, I'm glad I didn't return it as she's turned out to be quite a nice well behaved bike.

Performance upgrades: I put on a PowerCore4 slip on and dynojet kit which woke her up significantly. But with the stock carb, you will find the power comes on smoothly rather than having crisp throttle response. From what I understand, a pumper carb sharpens her right up, and I suspect it'll be one of my next upgrades.
Handling: Because of the throttle response, and the general setup of the bike, you will NOT be popping a wheelie in a hurry... that's not a problem for me as I use the bike for riding to work every day of the week and only get to hit the trails on weekends. I don't want a bike that tries to put me on my bum when I drop the clutch at the lights. Budget for new springs front and read if you are any heavier than 65-75kg's. You'll find the front end dives quite badly when you ****** the front brakes. The steel frame and extra bits hake her a heavy bike too, which will obviously affect handling the tighter and slicker things get.

One seldom talked about aspect of bikes when doing the comparisons is cost of ownership. This is where the KLX250 does really well in the long run thanks to it's reliability and long service intervals - another reason why I find it's a good bike for me. But in the short run (from new) she is relatively expensive thanks to needing a whole lot of mods. I've spent on slip-on, dynojet, handlebars and grips, braided front brake line, edge2 tail light kit and indicators, 13 tooth front sprocket, kouba screw, and twinair filter - and only now do I consider her a decent bike. The up-shot of those upgrades is a sense of enjoyment watching the bike evolve and become mine, as well as learnign a lot about the bike and how it works along the way. In her future is new tyres, possibly a pumper carb, and in the very long run a big-bore kit. So as a project bike she scores 10 out of 10.

Hope that helps you mate. Those are just my opinions after getting back into biking after a long break, so possibily similar to you. Others opinions will more than likely differ, and more power to them for their opinions. The more opinions you get the more informed your decision will be. Good luck!

 

The KLX was quite disapointing for me as well, even though i had some idea of what to expect from reading peoples reviews on here.

BUT when i look at what i paid $3500 OTD for a brand new 09 even with a $500 exhaust, $400 pumper carb and a $500 BB 351 kit i'm still in less (alot less) than what it would have cost me for the "other" 250 dual sport WR250 or whatever it is. AND its a Kawi (not a big fan of Yami's).

The only other real option is the DRZ which is a bit larger and heavier and the suspension looks like it jumped right out of 1985. Sure the KLX suspenders could be better from the factory but with a little adjustment they are passable and if you upgrade the internals you will have much better suspension than all but the best conventional forks. I do want a DRZ400 Supermoto, but thats a story for another time.

 

dont discredit the little klx250 for a sumo. She is a blast!!!