coming soon - 61 for 61 ride report

[Chris]

Is the 250 a good companion bike for a 650?? I have a 650, my girlfriend is looking for her first bike I'm 200 lbs she is 120 lbs Can a 250 do OK on highway?? ie 65 to 75 mph?? Chris

[LDHunter]

I have a 2006 KLX250S and even with my 235 pounds it has no trouble making 70 MPH and staying there. If she get's one like mine you'll probably have to lower it though. They're every bit as tall as a KLR. The Suzuki DR200SE is better suited for the "little people" right out of the box. http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/DR200SEK9 Note that they're only $3949.00 MSRP so you can get her a new one and they're sweet little dual sports and easy to handle for small riders. Someone else will have tell you if they cruise the highways well though. $bob$ _____ From: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of chris Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2008 1:07 PM To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_KLR650] KLR250 and KLR650 Is the 250 a good companion bike for a 650?? I have a 650, my girlfriend is looking for her first bike I'm 200 lbs she is 120 lbs Can a 250 do OK on highway?? ie 65 to 75 mph?? Chris [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jim Douglas]

LDHunter wrote:

> > I have a 2006 KLX250S and even with my 235 pounds it has no trouble making > 70 MPH and staying there. > > If she get's one like mine you'll probably have to lower it though. > They're > every bit as tall as a KLR. > > The Suzuki DR200SE is better suited for the "little people" right out > of the > box. > > http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/DR200SEK9 > http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/DR200SEK9> > > Note that they're only $3949.00 MSRP so you can get her a new one and > they're sweet little dual sports and easy to handle for small riders. > > Someone else will have tell you if they cruise the highways well though. > > $bob$ > > _____ > > From: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com > [mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com > ] On > Behalf Of chris > Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2008 1:07 PM > To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [DSN_KLR650] KLR250 and KLR650 > > Is the 250 a good companion bike for a 650?? I have a 650, my > girlfriend is > looking for her > first bike I'm 200 lbs she is 120 lbs Can a 250 do OK on highway?? ie > 65 to > 75 mph?? > Chris > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > >

Dang, I didn't know the KLX had (6) speed! What kind of milage do you get on yours? Thanks!

[Mike Frey]

I ride my KLR with my wife on her 250 Super Sherpa - which Kawasaki is bringing back for 2009 after not selling it in the USA since 2003. (Yay!). She has no trouble keeping up with me, but at 65-70 mph, the bike is really humming along, but it will do it. Might be hard to find, they are scarce and people want them. But since they are bringing it back, you can buy a new one. If she's tall, the KLX-250 is probably best. But the Super Sherpa is best for someone under 5'6" or so. Here are your choices for bikes in the 250 class from the big 4 along with my commentary on each (all are good, so I won't be saying much about which is "best"): Kawasaki KLX-250 - best if you are going to ride it off road, fine on the street. Good reputation, bike is based on the off road only KLX-300. Engine is actually identical except for displacement. (you can turn your KLX-250 into a 300 or even more) Kawasaki 250 Super Sherpa - good for shorter riders, has a very loyal following. Very reliable, no known issues like the doohickey. Yamaha XT-225 or (new) XT-250 - another excellent choice for shorter riders. Compares to the Sherpa. The 225 is a 6-speed, the 250 is 5-speed. I'd look for a 225. Yamaha WR-250R - new last year, similar to the KLX-250. Probably faster, since it's based on the off-road only WR-250. Tall. Honda CRF-230L - another newcomer, based on their highly successful CRF-230F. Similar in features to the Sherpa and XT Suzuki DR-200 - good bike, easy to ride, but least power of all the ones listed above. Happy hunting! Mike

----- Original Message ----- From: chris To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2008 1:07 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] KLR250 and KLR650 Is the 250 a good companion bike for a 650?? I have a 650, my girlfriend is looking for her first bike I'm 200 lbs she is 120 lbs Can a 250 do OK on highway?? ie 65 to 75 mph?? Chris

[Jud Jones]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "chris" wrote:

> > Is the 250 a good companion bike for a 650?? I have a 650, my girlfriend is looking for

her

> first bike I'm 200 lbs she is 120 lbs Can a 250 do OK on highway?? ie 65 to 75 mph?? > Chris >

Whether she can keep up is going to depend on how fast you need to ride. 65 should be ok, but 75 (a real 75) will be a lot of work for it. On a fairly recent trip to mexico, the KLR250 and DR350 kept up ok with the 650s. That means, we didn't all ride in tight pack, but we all got to the same destination within a reasonable time. That was on the highway. In the canyons, the 250 was always right there, in some respects better than the bigger bikes. If the two of you ride together, it should be ok as long as you are willing to relax a bit so that she does not have to go WFO to keep up. If you are an inveterate hard charger, she will lag behind, and probably won't have too much fun.

[Ross Lindberg]

Well guys, I'll have a very exciting ride report for you in a day or two. Chills, spills and a meeting with one of our very own members! I'm off for the final long ride of the season today, but I'll get to it as soon as I can. The report should be worth the wait! Ross Lindberg Fertile, MN [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]