Took my KLX250S on my typical summer "beach commute" last Friday from Seattle to Moclips. I wanted to test out the new gas tank (acerbis) and meet the wife at the coast. Worked until midnight, up at 8am to flat rear tire. OK, swap out tube, on road in half hour, roll onto ferry as the dockworkers are releasing the lines. Whew. Cut through Port Orchard, stop in Belfair for gas, ride along Hood Canal, cross 101 and up the Skokomish river road, then hit the gravel. The front end of the bike feels heavy with all that gas but handles great on the pavement, doesn't feel like I can loft the front end at all on the dirt but the back end kicks out nice and I'm screaming along the rutted gravel road having ablast when I hit deep sloppy snow. Wrestle the bike through the first few patches, then get stuck on some uphill snow and am wishing my buddy Len hadn't broken his wrist Mtn Biking so we could team up on the pushing. Cross a couple of big slides, finally can't push uphill in the snow anymore. I try to walk alongside the bike on the sand bank below the road and end up losing the bike down the embankment about 15 feet. Three and a half hours of pushing , dragging, swearing and cutting a sidehill trail I am back on the logging road, 100 feet from where I lost the bike. The only damage is the stock handguards are in bits and I have lost the soles off both boots. I get my gear on and slosh through two more downhill snow sections and am back on clear fire road and feeling lucky. The surface is damp and tacky so I am hitting 70-80 mph in the straights and backing the bike through the corners, a total adrenaline rush. Hit the 1-lane paved section wide open, going absolutely mad. Hit the highway, stop to breathe, put the mirrors back on and head for the Moclips highway. This is a 20 mile fairly straight stretch of roadwhere you never see a car. I have seen some discussion about top speeds etc. so I do a little research. In sixth I can get the bike to indicated 85 or 90, but in fifth I see 95 with 100 possible with a tiny amount of downhill. Ihave a lot of experience coaxing speed out of little bikes and I think the Kawi has a great engine with an idealspread of power in just the right places for dirt and pavement roads. Where on big streetbikes you are asking to go to jail if you ride the bike to it's limit, you can wind the 250 up to max and get agiant goofy grin and still hope for just a fine if you are caught.
Anyway, ride to the local bar, order a shot of good whiskey "because Ithink I deserve one", and stand there in mymuddy leathers and ruined boots with my filthy sockshanging out and realize that I have had a perfect day ona great machine that is absolutely suited to having huge fun. No amount of extra horsepower would have made the ride any better and the light weight made the whole thing possible. I average 66 mpg on it and I can go over 200 miles on the new tank. If I ever wear it out, I might put the 331 top end on it, though.
If anybody wants to make the trip, wait a few weeks until the snow is gone. If you come the weekend of July 26th, there is a big Harley ride going on and there will be free camping at the Seagate. It would be fun to have a few dualsport riders humbling those posers who truck their bike to the beach and ride a few miles to the bar to show it off.

[IMG]local://upfiles/5394/165DBCD1B9A5473E990FF4CD6332E243.jpg[/IMG]

 

Hey Jeff,

Glad you love the bike. Here is the ADV link, sign on to the Pacific NorthWet. I would love to get over to the coast.

 

Unless you have the 2009 KLX with the digital speedo, the 'indicated' speed is not very accurate. It usually reads high, and the error is even bigger atfaster speeds. In the speed range you were in, I wouldn't be suprised if the analog gaugewas reading 10mph high.

 

Sure, I'm talking about INDICATED speeds. The only bike I've ever owned that was accurate is my Moto Guzzi. Even the tachs are inflated on some new bikes to make you think you're more badass than you are. Face it, falling at over 40 on gravel is going to hurt bad so it's kind of academic to worry about the actual speed. Anything over 80 could get you jail time depending on the cop's mood. My goal is to have fun on a bike and 80 on a road posted for 25 is fast even if the speedo says 90. My buddy on his 550 KTM has the good sense tokeep it less than 20 over the limit. Sometimes I don't...maybe it's goodto see those inflated numbers after all.

 

Yeah, I hear ya! Over here in Japan, it's a tall order to stay near the speed limit and most people don't even pay attention to it. If you are not taking a toll road, the speed limit is either 40kph(25mph) or 50kph(31mph). It's just excruciating for me to stay anywhere near those speeds...so I don't most of the time. Besides,it's waste ofgood side rubbertostay that slow.

I think dirt bikes and scooters tend to fly below the radar, so to speak. I had similar luck on my liter bikes, but there aren't many motorcycle cops in area where I live, so that's probably what makes the difference. Very difficult to follow bikes in a cage when lane splitting is the norm.