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Original Article:
2009 Kawasaki KLX250S Review

Please discuss the Motorcycle.com article 2009 Kawasaki KLX250S Review in our Motorcycle Forums below. Use the reply button to let others know your comments or feedback on the article. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, along with your thoughts and personal opinions on the bikes and products we have tested.

 

[Dr_Sprocket]

Fonz, great write up... makes me want to buy one! If I only weren't in love with my Ulysses. Really great pics, too! Still, I can't understand why the little 250 only gets 50 mpg. That seems a little low to me, as I get 48-49 on the Uly.

 

[Duken4evr]

450cc version please.

A good dual sport bike represents the essence of motorcyling. I have a DRZ400S and it can take me down the street, and also to places like this. Gotta love that in a motorcycle. Fun bike to modify too, with a bit of engine and suspension work it may not be a racer, but it is a credible "serious trailbike". A 450cc version of Yamaha's WR250X would tempt me to sell my DRZ.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v32/duken4evr/Motorcycke shots/Wherewegoing2.jpg

 

[seruzawa]

Seems weird to see a 250 that costs nearly as much as a DR650.

My concern on these new DP bikes is the durability. If the engine is based on the old Sherpa generation than all well and good. But if it is based on the new 4 stroke works-style MXers then I wouldn't touch one with a ten foot pole. I'll stick with the lower output engines that go longer than a summer before needing a rebuild.

 

[The_AirHawk]

Bike'd be GREAT if it only had like 125-more HP, and cost $4500 less..............

 

[mscuddy]

Neat, but nothing was said about the motor configuration, valve adjustment intervals, if the motor spawns from the KX250 motorcross variant, or anything close. I hope Kawasaki chose to over-engineer things like con rods, upper and lower end bearings, crankshafts and such, at the sacrifice of power vs. reliability, since 4 striker MX bikes are on the ragged edge of exploding at the least provocation. Looks good though. Ah, to ride again...

 

[Dr_Sprocket]

Confusion abounds...

Something still keeps bothering me. Can someone please explain how a 250cc bike get barely more gas mileage as my much larger 1200cc bike? Why doesn't this bike get 65-70mpg like the Ninja 250?

 

[Duken4evr]

Judging by the tank like weight, I am guessing this Kawi 250 has low maintenance requirements and that it will be bombproof. My DRZ400 is that way - it has a change the oil, clean the air filter and ride some more maintenance schedule. It also weighs a ton compared to a competition thumper. Still, with a pipe and some carb jetting, it even makes decent power and with a little tweaking (revalve, springs) the suspension is very good for it's serious trail bike but not a racer mission.

Given that bikes like this are gonna weight a lot for off road, a 450 with the amount and quality of power that goes with that displacement, plus decent tunable suspension would be nice. You would be amazed how effective my DRZ 400 is off road. A 450cc modernized update along the same vein would turn my head, big time

 

[bbtowns]

I'm curious how this thing stacks up to the new Yamaha 250 dual sport, which I heard has a wonderful motor. I'm seriously considering a small dual sport for trail work, the KLR is a bit portly for that kind of thing, and the Strom doesn't consider it.

 

[34895]

Something still keeps bothering me. Can someone please explain how a 250cc bike get barely more gas mileage as my much larger 1200cc bike? Why doesn't this bike get 65-70mpg like the Ninja 250?

From the article I deem that most of the riding was done off-road, which means they were probably wringing the little bike's neck. Even so, it probably wouldn't do better than the little Ninja mpg-wise despite making less power. It will have a higher drag coefficient, and knobby tires contribute a considerable amount of rolling resistance. It will also be geared much shorter than a bike like the Ninja 250 to make it appropriate for off-road use. So you may not get better than 60 mpg with street use, but you can climb a rock wall with it.

 

[Kevin_Duke]

If you keep speeds down below 70 mph and ride it at a typical automobile pace, I'll bet you could squeeze out 70 mpg. You won't get that while wringing its neck in the desert sand.

Also, the KLX motor is not nearly as high-strung as the KX-F engines. The durability testing on street-legal bikes is way more stringent than pure off-road bikes.

 

[sachiwilson]

If you keep speeds down below 70 mph and ride it at a typical automobile pace, I'll bet you could squeeze out 70 mpg.

Yeah, yeah, right. Who rides like that?

 

[Kevin_Duke]

Yeah, yeah, right. Who rides like that?

I certainly don't! I ride motorcycles to put a smile on my face, so fuel-efficiency runs don't do it for me.