Any trail riders here?

[nohawk]

Ive gotten the ok to ride a bunch of private land here and have found some other cool off road areas to go to so I got the boys a 02 xr100 and Im looking for me now. Ive had four Honda XRs over the years and I know what they are about but the Kawa KLX 250/300's look good too. I think one that could be plated would be cool. What says you dirt riders? Any thoughts would be nice.

 

[jphickory]

That is great you got the green on some private land riding. I've got a Yamaha TTR250 for trail riding that I like well. It is very dependable, lots of low end torque and pretty quiet. I would prefer if the riding height was not so tall - if I loose momentum on a hill climb I have to lean over too far to get a foot down and it can be hard to get re-started up the hill. My old Honda MR-250 was comfortably lower and didn't have this problem but it didn't have near the suspension travel. I am a below average off-road rider so my opinion probably don't count for much. Have fun.

 

[drlapo]

my last trail bike was a Hodaka Combat Wombat 125

 

[sweatmachine]

Sounds like a blast. I've been lusting after a dirtbike lately. I think I want to pick up a dual sport, maybe a 350-400cc, street legal.

 

[nohawk]

my last trail bike was a Hodaka Combat Wombat 125

That is the coolest name for a bike ever.

 

[nohawk]

That is great you got the green on some private land riding. I've got a Yamaha TTR250 for trail riding that I like well. It is very dependable, lots of low end torque and pretty quiet. I would prefer if the riding height was not so tall - if I loose momentum on a hill climb I have to lean over too far to get a foot down and it can be hard to get re-started up the hill. My old Honda MR-250 was comfortably lower and didn't have this problem but it didn't have near the suspension travel. I am a below average off-road rider so my opinion probably don't count for much. Have fun.

The TTR250 is one that I have not considered, Ill study up on those. You touched on a point that is very important to us, noise. There wont be any loud exhaust for me.

 

[nohawk]

Hey Jeff I told you your garage is gonna get too small

The prices on these small bore thumpers are great, the gear cost more than the bikes! Ive been asking all the long time locals around here about trails near by and apparently there are places all over, old roads connecting old oil wells and such.

I suprised myself at my ability to teach. Both these boys are already jumping over small logs on the trails behind the house and Sunday was the first time they rode:headbang2: Mama is on board too, Ive told her this would be the best thing to get em away from the xbox and keep em in line.

 

[Bonafide]

I have/ride a KLX250S. It's street legal and plated. My buddy prefers his old Honda, but it doesnt have a plate on it. I would suggest opening your search with the KTMs. They have 'dual sport' kits that can be added to their bikes. A KTM EXC400 is a very nice dual sport.

This is me/my KLX riding Coal Creek in TN back in 2006. Coal Creek is open to the public and has 72,000 acres and over 200 miles of mapped trails. My favorite place to ride.

 

[nohawk]

Leave it to you Dude...

Wanna sell? Does your buddy?

Ive had the xr250r before,plated and ridden all over AZ when I lived there. That bike screamed up and down I17 for a solid two years. No trouble ever.
How would you say the KLX250 compares? Have you had any problems? The water cooling would be different for me but no big deal, changing oil every 500 miles would. Is it too high stung to be reliable like the air cooled XRs? The bikes you and your friend are the exact two Ive been looking at the most. Thanks for your input, and that Coal Creek place sounds like paradise.

 

[sweatmachine]

I need to stop looking at this thread. It's making it hard to keep $ in my bank account. I only need like 5-6 more bikes and then I'll be ok for a bit.

 

[Bonafide]

Nope. Aint sellin it. This is one bike that will always have a purpose here at my house.

I've never owned a XR - so I really cant compare the differences in ownership. My buddy's old XR is waaay heavier than my KLX. Their power is very comparable. I dont use my bike for commuting - just trail hoppin - but I did pull it out this past winter when the Atlanta area shut down because of snow. It scoots right along and has plenty of power for me. Any more and I would just hurt myself. Where it might lack on power, it makes up for with being nimble. The KLX does have a quirk. If you let it set more than a few days without draining the carbs, it wont start. I just shut the petcock off as I get close to the house or let it idle out. You can do the same by just draining the floats. There's mods out there - and you can easily add the 300cc jug to one etc. I didnt have mine a month or so before I put a pipe, jet kit, bark busters, and more aggressive tires on it.

 

[Grassy53]

Ktm EXC 250 400/450 is the way to go, electric leg , light weight, nice suspension. Easier to pickup, recover etc
Makes you look like you can ride, even if you cant as in my case. Not entirely submersible though as seen below. This was on a ride at the Glasshouse mountains north of Brisbane last year. Not me stuck for a change.

 

[Mahart]

Funny you should say this, I picked this up Saturday to start DS'ing myself. So much for a savings account.

 

[nohawk]

Going to talk to a guy that has a 2000 KLX300 for sale today, he has a 36mm mikuni pumper carb on it and good bark busters plus other goodies. Pretty good price I think at 1500. The KTM would be very nice but they aint cheap around here and no dealers for miles. Mahart the DRZ is an option too, Ive heared nothing but good things about them.

 

[Bonafide]

We have a DRZ400 at work .. only bad critique I can give it, it's heavy. Yeah, I like my job.

 

[dmay]

Going to talk to a guy that has a 2000 KLX300 for sale today, he has a 36mm mikuni pumper carb on it and good bark busters plus other goodies. Pretty good price I think at 1500. The KTM would be very nice but they aint cheap around here and no dealers for miles. Mahart the DRZ is an option too, Ive heared nothing but good things about them.

Pumper carb is a great mod for the kawasakis that came with a CV carb,my Super Sherpa I recently bought was a slug that had to be spanked to get out of it's own way,plus had to be ethered to start when cold,swapped on a TM33 mikuni and now it fires instantly,and has right now power(not a lot more,but don't have to hammer it just to move along).Was a great fit as dimensions matched the original carb,just had to cut and weld the throttle cable bracket to clear the tank. Brand new carb on ebay < $250,jetting seems good,rich on top but I'll open up the airbox before rejetting.


But if you have access to tougher terrain than just trails,you might consider a trials bike,bought one a couple of years ago and now my skill has improved tremendously,didn't think that would be possible once past 50,but I can tell a helluva lot of difference in my bike handling,even when riding my Bonneville,I can turn and maneuver so much better.

 

[nohawk]

THe KLX was a dog. Blown fork seals, dirty oil etc..
It did feel right though. Ill keep looking.

 

[nohawk]

Got me a KLX300 with FCR35 carb, strokers head pipe and Race Tech worked over suspension for cheap!!

It had been sitting awhile and the linkage for the accelarator pump was not right but with a clean and adjusted carb this thing makes me look far better than I am! We are having a blast riding the woods around here. This is just down the street from us,

and this place is 30miles away,

 

[nohawk]

And I talked the guy into throwing this in

My very first bike was a 84 xr80 and this one is an 83. Its not gonna be original with the cr80 forks and triple clamps we are going to make fit. the forks that came off it are completly screwed along with everything drive or suspension related but the little engine is a peach. It had not been started since 1997 but with the carb cleaned and the tank cleaned and the deer corn removed from the airbox it starts first kick.

 

[sweatmachine]

Nice Scott!