I've got an 09, 1400 miles. Starting to lookin into adventure touring along with some more slab time. Thinking and hoping the klx can handle some slab. Anyhow, i've got the basics.... skid plate, rim locks etc..... Now thinking my current list of gotta get. A gps to download tracks and VVmapping trails. Thinking the 3 gal gas tank cause you never know when your gonna find gas. I hate thinking about 260 bucks for one extra gallon of gas. Rad guards are on the list soon, jet kit, exhaust and someday when the miles stack up the 351. Thinking i want 10,000 miles before i put the 351 in. I'm seeing some people with 10000+ on these bikes, but is that something that can be expected. I'd hate to invest all this money into this bike and get less than 10,000 miles outa it. I change oil and air filters often. normally don't beat on it. I've been looking at a XR 650L those seem to last forever. But the klx is in the shed, only owe 3k on it lol. Can i expect this bike to last long enough to be worth putting all this money into it. I do alright with the power or lack of it. Has anyone ever rebuilt this motor top and bottom. Wondering what a complete rebuild would cost. I haven't found any articles on people rebuilding these motors. Don't find many 06 models around, there out there yes, but i'm thinking that has more to do with popularity than reliability. Am i overthinking this bikes reliability.

 

I would kill to get a 3 gal tank but in Thailand we only get the fuel injection KLX model here & it has the fuel pump in the tank & IMS aint made a tank for us yet!! I got at least a year to wait to see if IMS can afford to invest money to develop a bigboy tank for us...

 

Either there are very few blown motors, or folks around hear don't post it up. I think the former is the case. Doing 351 now with over 7K miles and am not worried a bit. I see very little wear in there.

If you like the Acerbis 3.7 gal tank, it adds a lot of radiator protection. Not very many add rad guards with this tank. I did, but I ride through a lot of sticks.

 

I purchased my bike just for adv touring and I'm very happy with the KLX. Read some of my threads for my setup. I will eventually do the IMS tank and 351.


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12,800 miles and still short of completing 1 year that I bought my bike (brand new). It runs better than before. Granted I have a D-Tracker (SF w/ EFI) which is a road machine.

 

I have an 09s. I put the IMS tank on it. I saved a bit of money by calling Justgastanks.com FIRST and asked for a discount code. They were more than happy to provide me with one. I saved a little bit of $, not much, but every bit helps.

I always ask for a discount code before placing an order. More often than not, one is found online or provided via phone by a sales associate who seems more than happy to oblige.

Just installed a skid plate this weekend. Purchased at Happy-trails. Same plate as sold elsewhere on the net for 100+ bucks.

Jet kit, No-Toil, bar risers, Motion-pro extended cables, ebay footpegs, Big-Gun exhaust system have all been done by me. My list of 'wants' still include: Seat concepts foam/cover, Barkbuster VPS guards, Roto-pax extra fuel tank, Pro Moto billet rack, Giant-Loop Coyote bag, rim locks and camping/adventure gear!

If the motor EVER needs rebuilt, Just buy another low miles KLX and swap the motor out and still have alot of spares! I believe the bike will last a very long time with basic care and maintenance.

 

+1
completely agree. I also hope that miracle.

 

Whenever I buy a bike, I ask myself "what do I want the bike to do?" One of the things I always looked in a bike for touring, adventure or otherwise, is how well does it fit me in stock trim. Reason being, everybody stocks parts for a stock bike. When you're 1000 miles away from home, it's good to know that standard parts are available through a well established world wide distribution system. If you have to work on it on the open road, you'll appreciate that. Try and find aftermarket engine parts while stranded in the outback or rejetting for altitude change on the fly in a campsite. End game for most of us mere mortals.
You also need to define "adventure" riding for yourself, in your own terms. That's what really determines if your bike will work. I see lots of bench jockeys build bikes for every possible ride, spending tons of money for "just in case" crap they'll never use. Most of them never really go anywhere at that point and sell the bike for a loss or park it in front of the office with obligatory dirt marks or low tire pressure chicken strips.
If you are doing the "Long Way Around" deal, you will need serious off road capability, open road stability with a loaded bike and world class range from your fuel tank. 3 gallons at 60mpg is not world class. 2 gallons is laughable. While the KLX seems to be a great bike for that type of riding, it better suited for the weekend "enduro" with friends or start to finish rides.There are probably people at this forum who have done remarkable journeys with one of these bikes. Most don't just pull the bike out of a shed and go, they develop their skills through trail and error. You may already have the perfect bike to start your real "adventure" riding lifestyle, and a cheap way a telling you if you need a GS1200 with a 7 gallon tank or a super moto with knobbies.
If you intend to do a lot of riding on the open road, you may want to think of something better suited for it.
I've had great "adventure touring" going 100 miles on a bike. You have to figure what percentage street/trial your life will be like.
I have money down on a 2012 KLX250S. My personal need for the bike is moderate street and trail like 50/50 with the road part being winter riding. Being away from dirt riding for a few decades, I didn't want to invest a ton of dough in a more advanced dirt ready duel purpose bike until I see where I'm at in a couple of years. I plan to leave the bike stock for ease of maintenance and reliability, except for suspension.
The big thing is to enjoy the bike you have, pay it off instead of dumping more junk into it and ride the hell out of it. Then if you want to go big time, trade it in well worn and ready to move up. Best of luck to you.

 

Very well done!! This bike looks like a friend for life. Thanks for the info link!!!