Attention KLX Owners.

Ian Bungy

Ian Bungy

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Sep 19, 2006
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www.chiangmai-xcentre.com
Here is Something New KLX250 Owners may want to be aware of to Save themselves some Money and Hassles :wink: What at first Seems Simple may well end up a Real Pain!!!
When i picked up My New KLX I thought i would be a Smart Arse and get Alloy Bars and Hand Guards for it straight away :D Kawasaki had some Nice "ZETA" Alloy Bars and they had a Large range of Hand Guards, I Chose a Nice Set of White "ACERBIS" ones! Beautiful so off back to the X-Centre to fit them. This is when the Problems Started :oops:
#1, Both Left & Right Switch Gears have a Pin to Locate them which goes into a Hole on the Bars. I filed the Pins off but be careful as if you File To Much they will Turn on the Bars :x
#2, The Bars were about 10 to 20 Millimetres Higher than the Original which meant that the Clutch Cable which doesn't have any Spare length to it was too Short and on Full left Lock would Creak and actually pull in the Clutch which made using it when Turning Left an inconsistent affair!!!
#3, Once i had fitted the Hand Guards and been riding around i noticed the Front Brake Hose was Rubbing on the Hand Guard Mount and wearing through, Bugger!!!
I decide to Get New Bars to Remedy these Multiple Problems!!! So brought a Set of "PAZZAZ" Bars from Chiangmai Motocross which were near to the Original Size as Possible. I fitted them at the Rossi Residence with Help from Mark, Ben and even Pikey made a Guest appearance so at least we got a lot of Laughs with what turned out to be another Drama :twisted: First Off the Bars seemed to Fit Well and Solved the Clutch Problem, Yeah :lol: Then we went to Fit the Hand Guards and the Bloody Bolts wouldn't Fit in the End of the bars!!! Oh I forgot to Tell you Said Pikey, I had the same Problem with these bars on My XR, Thanks Mate!!! So off to get them Drilled out and we were away again, But Alas the Same Problem with the Front Brake Hose so it had to be Re-Routed in front of the Clutch Cable and Outside the Hand Guards! This doesn't look as perfect as the Hose is now at an Angle slightly Obstructing the Perfect View of the Dash and Not Parallel to the Bars :x I added an Extra layer of Clear Hose over the Contact area at the Top of the Tube to Prevent further Abrasion so Finally I was Finished thanks to some Help from some Mates and alot of Cursing & Swearing. Not as Pretty as i Normally Prefer but i can accept the Trade Off with Looks for the Added Security of Alloy Bars and Good Hand Guards 8)
The Moral of the Story: "Nothing is as easy as it Looks" Be Warned :shock:
 
Hi Ian,
Apart from the obvious, looks new and beautiful, how do you rate the KLX against your old Raid, for the daily trips into town and the off road stuff.
I sorted the horn, new starter solenoid, now first push every time. New nobbly Dunlops and the Raid is going fine, got me around thro 40cm of water in Khon kaen last week. Still struggling with the reg, but otherwise great, so I will not be upgrading in the near future, but would like to hear your thoughts. Cheers, John
 
Hi John,
Hard to Call really. I loved the Raid and it was a Perfect Bike and never let me down once :D I haven't done any Real Off-Road on the KLX yet so can't compare that area. The Obvious thing is the KLX feels Small. Light and is very Smooth. The Raid felt Physically Bigger and Heavier. Once i get the first 1000km Service done i will Try out the Top Speed as i am Guessing the KLX may be Faster? 110kmh is 7000rpm and Red Line is at 10500rpm so will be interested to see how far it will Pull in Top Gear? One Nice thing about the Raid is the Big Fuel Tank which gave a good Range but the Injected KLX is quite economical so range is better than i thought with such a Small Tank. All in All Apples for Apples so depends What Makes You Happy :wink:
On another Note regarding the KLX I have No Doubt we will all find out soon regarding Reliability as Yesterday there was two Young Welsh Guys came to the X-Centre on Two New KLX they had Rented from POP Rental for 800 Baht per day. They said they had 4 kmh on the Clock when they Got them so Obvious only delivery from the Kawasaki Shop! Anyway they were Thrashing the Hell Out of these Bikes :shock: I can Tell You they can Certainly pull High Revs!!! So with the Multitude of these Bikes Sold to rental Companies here in Chiang Mai which are being Thrashed from Day one it will be interesting to hear how they Hold Up :?: All the Best.
 
Thanks for the reply Ian.
will be interesting to see how they hold up. There are those who say that the conventional running in at low revs is not that good for the engine, but I do not suppose that thrashing it is either.
I have been thinking quite a bit about fitness for purpose, of my bikes, because there is a big temptation over here to change for the sake of it, but as I said I will hold on to the Raid for now because it is doing a good job. When I am older and infirm and a lighter smaller model makes sense, maybe the KLX will fit the bill. Cheers, John
 
Ian, Thanks for the advice on the handguards.......I will wait for an easier option.

John, the KLX is like a mountain bike with an engine, very light and nimble. It has very plush suspension too.
 
Ian Bungy wrote: Added Security of Alloy Bars
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Ian, can you please explain to an ignorant sod like me how alloy bars give you added security? It seems that if the new bars are about the same shape as the original ones then fitting the handguards to them would do the trick. I think I'm ignorant of something here.

On a slightly different subject: I took Su's KLX for a short ride for the first time today and noticed that at low revs there is a knocking sound. She put 91 in the tank (the sticker says so) and I have had bad experiences with 91 here in my DR. Is the fuel here that bad? The bike has FI, it shouldn't knock at all. FI has a knock sensor and should retard the ignition to compensate, no? Does anybody else have that on their KLX/D-T? I'm talking about below about 5000 rpm and under load.

Hmm, I don't agree with the comment about the suspension. My DR is a sofa compared to the KLX. I felt every little bump in the road.
 
mine will knock if I am in too low a gear........the klx engine likes to be revved

have you checked the rear suspension settings?.......it could be set too hard.
 
beddhist, The Security of Alloy Bars and Decent Hand-guards is if you are Off Road and Fall off! The Standard Steel Bars Bend very easily which isn't much fun to ride with after that?
The main reason i fit Hand Guards is to Save the Levers if you happen to Fall off. No fun trying to Ride out of the Jungle with No Clutch or Front Brake??? Others fit them to protect Their Hands from Trees and Thorns etc? The Engines in the New KLX are definitely Noisy and Rattley compared to My Raid but seems to Go OK, Can't Explain the Suspension Mine is Great although another Guy Rex claims His is a Bit Hard? He is slightly Heavier than Me so as Happy Feet explained it Maybe that the Shock is To Soft and Working Past it's operating Best??? For the Record i am 86kgs and Rex is about 90kgs which i would have thought 4 kgs wouldn't make much difference but it may also be just what an Individual Prefers or is used to more that the Bike being different???
 
Yes, the KLX sure likes revs. Dunno how you are supposed to run them in below 4000 rpm. The engine doesn't seem to like it at all.

Thanks for the explanation, Ian.

No, the suspension is not bottoming out, but yes, there is a damper adjusting screw at the bottom end that we haven't touched yet. Also, a lighter bike will always be a harder ride, as the wheels are about the same weight as on the DR (unsprung weight), but the bike is substantially lighter. Well, I know how to fix that one for our trip...

Yesterday we filled up with 95 and the noise is the same, so it's not engine knock. She will have to live with it.

Mileage on the first tank full was about 3l/100km which gave us about 150km until 'reserve'. We will need to carry fuel in some countries.

Does this bike have to rev at 2000 at idle?

I'm still looking for a workshop manual. So far I have only found manuals for similar bikes with carbs and light switches. I'm happy to go halves on a printed version: you get the paper version and I get a scan. Any takers?

Cheers,
Peter.
 
The most advanced upgrade to the KLX is Kawasaki's innovative "GTRMR" system.

This unique ergonomically designed system shows the commitment Kawasaki has to the riding experience.
The "GTRMR" or Golden Triangle Rider Map Restrainer, allows the rider to easily obtain the map without searching
bags or pockets, and will stay secure no matter the conductions.
With the aid of the "GTRMR" the words,..."were did I put that #&@%# map," are now eliminated from the riders vocabulary.
But the "GTRMR" has limitations, it not prevent you from saying..."were the #%@# am I now."
It also doubles as a headlight shroud and number plate......ingenuous.

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KLX rider here in Manila saw your post and so happy to see how your bike performs

Guys, where could i find a motard style rear fender since mines hold by tie wraps.... my friend is currently in Thailand now.. and what other model bike fender will fit our KLX 250... thanks

Mobs from manila







Thanks in advance Guys Mobs..... Safe riding.....

All I could say is Ride hard Guys it will gradually wake up... mines stock sprockets and after market pipes Tops at 150Kph.....
 
Hello Mobs,
The KLX & D-Tracker use the Same Plastics only Different Colours so You will want the KLX Rear Fender as it is Green. You can Buy it at Any Kawasaki Shop in Thailand that is selling the Big Bike Range? So Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket and some in Easarn but not sure where? Shouldn't be to hard to Fit New Plastics to Your Bike? Specially just the Guards. Front Guard costs 400 baht not sure of the Back. Good Luck.
 
Ian Bungy wrote: Hello Mobs,
The KLX & D-Tracker use the Same Plastics only Different Colours so You will want the KLX Rear Fender as it is Green. You can Buy it at Any Kawasaki Shop in Thailand that is selling the Big Bike Range? So Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket and some in Easarn but not sure where? Shouldn't be to hard to Fit New Plastics to Your Bike? Specially just the Guards. Front Guard costs 400 baht not sure of the Back. Good Luck.
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Thank you Sir I'll ask my friend to visit a dealer in Thailand.....
 
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