RTW on a 250? WR250/KLX/XR-L or Chinese?

I fill it up after every time I ride and never go on long trips so I have no need for a big tank myself.

I can assure you there is no rust inside of it.

The only reason I see not to get a WR is size or budgetI It is a tall bike and will set you back moneywise more than the others. Performance wise and aftermarket support is unmatched in the 250 class. I wouldn't touch a Chinese bike with a ten foot pole for extended travel. You could rack up 30,000 miles on the WR and it would be still worth at least a couple grand if not more and add to the value your farckles which you could sell seperatlely for more. You would be on your third Chinese bike and including all the repairs would probably have spent more bank even if you shipped to a country or two. Some of the WRs I see on the forums are up around 40,000 miles with nary a problem. The stator at 350 watts will allow you to carry less gear if you are headed into colder climates. If you can keep your load down to 50 or 60 lbs you probably wouldn't suffer much of a load subtraction to performance. It takes a small amount of tools to maintain properly which saves weight. People always site the performance of a 250 as a hinderance when considering long rides but as you probably know once off the interstate a smaller bike has many more pluses. People say it takes a high octane gas but if you go to the WR threads everybody that owns one says 87 is fine. If you are going to a place where the gas may be sketchy buy a couple of bottles of booster. The world is not as primitive as a lot of Americans think and it is relativly easy with a smigeon of anticipation to obtain what you need. Another thing I keep reading is outside the US a 17 inch tire is hard to find. Correct me if I am wrong but don't alot of the 125's and 250's use 17 inch rears and that is all you see in Latin America so whether you have a R or a X finding tires for a 250 would be a piece of cake. Excuse the long rant here but I have some down time this morning.

I was disappointed by my WR's mpg. With a corrected odometer I was only getting 47 mpg with virtually no load other than myself. Granted I had a full aftermarket exhaust and fuel programmer. My lightly modded DRZ400 got around 60 mpg and with the 4 gallon Clark tank it had an incredible range, was quieter, and had more torque. Lots of extended ride reports on the DRZ....

If it were me, a DR650 or KLR would be at the top of the list. Simple, good mpg, easily lowered if needed, and ample power for loaded cruising. Wringing out a 250 all day adds to the fatigue, and that is just on my typical 4-5 hour day trip. The 400 can be set up well too but isn't quite as versatile as the 650s.

EXACTLY! like I said above if you are not tall enough or have the bank for a WR you should settle on another Japenese 250. I just think the WR is the best IMHO. I am really liking the X with the 244 knobbies. Check out the WR forum X tire threads Sweet!

Dude when outside of the US and in the so called Thirdworld you are not going to be wringing the bike out all day. Speeds are going to be somewhat slower and it is just a lot safer to take it easy and enjoy the scenery.

I bought a 2012 KLX250S on March 31, it now has 11xxx miles on it. It's been through mud, streams, rain, winter salt, and thrown down many times in the rocks. It's like a Timex, takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
There are good aftermarket parts available to protect the bike and for racks as well.
With some good prep on the bike, it would be stone cold reliable. Mine started this morning in 0ºF. :huh
My only trouble has been clogged jets, so I added a filter between tank and carb. Been good ever since.
I'm riding studded tires for the winter. It's my daily commuter and trail bike.
It's always gotten me home or to the next town.
It definitely needs a bigger tank for adventure riding though and maybe a comfier seat.

If you are just riding around South America you could choose one of the small (possibly Chinese made) bikes that are popular there, parts will be available and people will know how to fix them.

I've actually been having great fun riding my wife's 125 cc Chinese bike over Xmas but I wouldn't ride that RTW.

Some good points in there!
Plus one on keeping the load light. This is a constant struggle and I'm forever editing my gear/tools/clothing doo dads. Given how small and narrow the WR and KLX are ... you don't have much choice.

I've heard of several hi mileage WR's but also heard of some engine problems when reading through the BIG WR250R thread. They are NOT perfect. The KLX? Have not heard of any serious probs but have not read as much. Also, I had a KLX to ride for a couple months. Felt gutless at first ... but so did my 125's in Thailand. After a week ... you adapt and all is OK!

True about fuel in S. America ... larger towns higher octane is sometimes available but $$$$ in certain countries. Good point on tires ... 17's are everywhere. I thought the WR used an 18" rear? 18" are tough to find according to recent travelers reports I've read.

For those worrying about lack of highway cruising speed or doing long distance, well once you ride one these little monsters for a while, you sort of get used to it.

I do have some experience on a variety of small bikes. I rode all over Northern Thailand and Cambodia on 125's on two 2 week trips. Also rode my XR250R and WR250F around Baja on 15 day rides. Went as far South as Mulege' on those rides. The WR was better off road ... the little XR with its wide ratio box, was quite good on highway. Mind you, we trucked these bikes down to Mexico ... then rode unescorted from there for two weeks. I also rode a step through Honda 50 across Guatemala and to El Salvador when I lived there in the 70's. You just have to watch your mirrors and STAY OUT OF THE WAY! Heavy rain was my biggest problem. Man, it hurts with open face helmet.

So I think I could adapt to the tiddlers. And on slick, muddy, rutted dirt roads in pouring rain ... I'll take the 250 over my DR650 every time!

From what I have seen in Brazil and CR the Chinese bikes are not popular they are an affordable alternative (cheap). As soon as they are able to afford it believe me a rider would upgrade to a 250 honda in a minute.

!7 or 18 inch for a 250 should be no problem in latin America. When I was in CR this Oct I noticed a very visiable number of super moto riders on tricked out 250's in San Jose. I also noticed a lot of them had mufflers like a Zard cross on said 250's. There must be a custom exhaust fabricator somewhere or some company makes them. I have only seen them on Triumph Scramblers before.

Mornin',

firstly my comments re Chinese bikes go back to three years ago since I last had any dealings with them. I worked at a UK motorcycle dealership and we refused to do any work at all on Chinese bikes. This came from experience where we simply could not get replacement parts. We wouldn't even do a simple tyre change as the first bike we had in for new tyres, we found the chain adjusters were made of a substance that had all the properties of cheese! Things may have improved since then but I have no personal experience to back this up.

I currently own three XT's, 2 x 225's and 1 x 250. I would have no hesitation in taking any of them along but the 250 just feels that little bit more modern a ride, so given a choice I'd take the 250.

I covered 75,000 miles on a 2005 XT250 and it had no engine/clutch/transmission work done. In fact the only none service related work I performed related to accident damage!

The simplicity of an air cooled, 4 stroke single, with easy valve adjustment has a lot going for it. Add good fuel economy, light weight and a bike that doesn't look as you've got too much money and you get what I reckon is an ideal package.

By the way, just before heading off on her African trip, Lois test rode my XT250 and loved it. The only reasons she elected to take a different bike was that mine had only just been launched, so was only available new, the spares availability was a little restricted and there were no after market kit available. All these points have now been addressed.

Austin Vince also took mine for a ride and pronounced it had the agility of a 225 Serow but with the grunt of a DR350.

Hope these comments are of use to you.

Regards

Reggie

Yes, I was thinking that. I believe some of those Hondas are made in South America.

I have heard this said fairly often (it may well have been different 3 years ago) and while you can't go down to the dealer and pick up parts there are a tonne of websites with cheap parts for Chinese bikes, ebay is packed with them. Of course the quality is a bit hit and miss just like some of the bikes.

I would go for a Japanese simple aircooled bike. Carbureted and with a single camshaft for easy valve adjustments. Work on the bike before you go, study it a little. It will make things easier if (when ) something needs fixing in the middle of nowhere.

I personally would avoid FI bikes, for obvious reasons.


I don't have much experience of 250 bikes, but my ’82 XT250 had 75K KM on it when I sold it, and it never left me stranded. I have had many 400-650cc old school thumpers in my 35 years of riding. IMHO they are the best bikes money can buy when it comes to ease of maintenance and repairs.

Yep

You might check out this RR. The inmate is now in Columbia and has some really good comments. It appears this place is very MC friendly. He might have some insight and/or advice.

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=837596

Yes Brazil has some big factories where the parts are shipped in and reassembled for the South American market. I believe Manaus because it is a free trade zone or such is where the majority of hondas are built.

Thanks for your comments on Chinese bikes and XT's. The XT's reputation proceeds them ... at least in the UK. We don't get many XT's here. Speaking of Lois, I thought she DID take an XT250? No? If not, what bike was it? A TTR250? Or ... ?

And speaking of Austin ... I'm interested in using Austin's bike of choice ...
the venerable DR350SE. Sort of best of both worlds ... no? Of course one would need LOTS of upgrades and farkleing before being ADV travel ready.

I've read quite a few good reports about the bike scene in Colombia ... and it's why I thought maybe it would be a good "launching point". Fly in, buy a bike and go. Skip doing 8000 miles on Mex, Cent. America and save $1000+ by NOT doing the crossing from Panama to Colombia.

Brazil is now a huge industrial nation. Honda has had a factory there over ten years. Far as I know (not visited that factory) the CRF line (CRF150, CRF230) are manufactured in Brazil ... not just assembled there. Honda put in a lot of work to set this up and to make reliable ... but affordable bikes there. Honda get an even better tax break when they do it this way.

But Honda have had facilities in Thailand even longer ... over 20 years. Many cool bikes produced in Thailand neither the US or EU ever see. I rented a few in the early 90's. One was like a Dual sport version on the CR125. Rode the piss out of that bike ... Made in Thailand. The 2nd one I rented I got with 70 kms. on it ... Brand new.

Also, lots of Honda car parts are produced in Thailand. Honda choose Thailand to produce the new CRF250L ... NOT Brazil. I'm surprised by this as the Brazilian 230's I've ridden have been bullet proof ... and many flat track race the little CRF150 ... all good.

Thanks guys!

Suzuki DR-Z250 nice reliable basic bullet proof bike..
http://www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au/images/upload/working/80060007_DR-Z250_K7_SS.jpg




..................................

This RR author had nothing bad to say about his Chinese bike in Colombia.
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=301156&page=15