KLR250 VS Super Sherpa?

Yes, I did do some searching so please forgive my laziness. I currently own a nicely farkled 2000 KLR 650 and am considering dropping down to a smaller bike. For the all knowing, what are the differences between the KLR250 and the Super Sherpa? Any potential traders out there?

I've been riding my 94 klr250 for almost 2 years now. Its a great little bike, kick start only, decent range with between 170 to 190 miles on a tank. It has a 6 speed gear box, so 55 mph is in my opinion a great cruising speed. Anything above 65 or so it gets a little buzzy. My bike always starts on the first or second kick, even in the winter. Sherpa is E-start. The klr250 is water cooled vs sherpa air cooled. The klr250 has 11.1 compression ratio vs 9.3 for the sherpa, I believe the klr is a little bit more peppy. I've ran mine up to the 9,500 rpm many times and it pulls just fine from 6k to 9.5k. I've never riden a super sherpa so I can't say much about it other than what i've read.

I have the KLR250. I love the thing ! You are best to keep it below 60mph or it'll be wound out; but sprints up to 75 are possible. My guess is that it's heavier than the Sherpa (given its water cooling), so in pure off-road use the Sherpa 'prolly better. I MUCH prefer the 250 over the 650 when offroad. The 650 is so heavy; you must be a really good rider to use it's full capability. I don't think you can go wrong with either; and I strongly suspect the KLR would cost way less than the a Shepa of the same age.

There's a KLR250 thread here in Thumpers somewhere...haven't seen it for a while.

Just buy one and run the bejesus out've it. You'll like it.

Outwardbound is correct that the Sherpa is lighter. At 312-314 lbs. with a full tank, the KLR is one of the heaviest dual sport 250s ever sold. Still more than a hundred pounds lighter than a KLR650, however.

Valve adjustments a little trickier on the Sherpa, requiring shim replacement.

I've owned both bikes. The KLR250 weighs more at 312 lbs with a full tank vs 282 lbs for the Sherpa with a full tank. The KLR250 has a rear drum brake vs the Sherpa rear disc. The KLR250 has screw adjust valves and the Sherpa shim adjust. The KLR250 has analog speedo, tach, & temp gauges vs LCD digital speedo, odo, clock, and dual trip meters on the Sherpa. I'm 6ft 180lbs and both bikes are comfortable to ride but the Sherpa is smaller. Both bikes averaged a little over 70 mpg and the KLR250 tank holds 2.9 gals vs the Sherpa 2.4 gals. Performance wise the Sherpa has more low end torque and the KLR250 has a better top end. The Sherpa also runs much better at higher altitude where the KLR250 probably would have benefitted from a jetting change. Both bikes are really good but in my case the better low end torque of the Sherpa makes it a lot nicer to ride in terrain where the KLR250 might require clutch action to keep the revs up to prevent bogging down. So right now I'm pretty happy to have the Sherpa and a KLR650.

the siamesed valves on the 250 are kinda fiddly.

i've never been into the valves on a Sherpa, but swapping shims just means buying shims... nothing "tricky" about that. just gotta have the parts.

KLR 250 is kick only. Sherpa has the magic button and a stainless exhaust.

The Sherpa is a sweet little bike & will do 65 for long periods no problem. I got one for my wife, but I like riding it and it packs along on the camper.... better than a spare tire! Great bike, it's a blast. I'm 6' & 230.

This is good timing, I am thinking about a KLR 250 that a Buddy has near here. I past on it last year as I had not yet sold the XR 400R, still haven't actually but that is another story...

I kinda - sorta thought I wanted t trade the XR for a CRF 230 but that did not work out and I keep thinking about the KLR...

I don't know if I want to looking for a Sherpa but I may poke around CR just to do it, the E button would be nice... The KLR 250 is very reasonably priced.
Good info here,
Thanks Guys...
Rob

I've had a trials bike for several years and have decided to "update" my equipment. The Super Sherpa is not unlike the early trials bike in the sitting and standing position and the feel in general. The disc brakes and the stainless exhaust are a big plus and the cross over tires will be better than the trials tires we've all been riding since enduro days.

I'm 5'8" and 170 pounds. Just back from the dealer and I didn't grab up the Super Sherpa I went in for. Some of the other BIGGER displacement bikes were on sale and I could ride home on a 400 or 650 for about the same price as the KL250 Super Sherpa - which is MSRP at $4499 + $400 destination charge.

Will someone please tell me that the little sherpa is just as good if not better than some of the big bikes. It weighs in at about 300 lbs so I can tuck on on the back of my truck and NOT pull a trailer. Less weight means it will be just a nimble off road as my old Honda TLR 200 from 1986.

Bigger is not always better? Will I be happy with the Sherpa?

Thanks. Brian.

You can buy a nice little reliable Japanese dual sport with crappy suspension like the Sherpa or for a little more money you can buy a great big monster Queen Mary reliable Japanese dual sport with crappy suspension. If your ego is measured in cubic centimeters, you'll have to buy the Queen Mary and then you can tell us all how much you love riding it in tough single track to justify your decision. Or you can buy a 250 and actually have fun riding off road.

I would rather ride a Sherpa on the freeway than a DR650 off road. I think the XL650 and DR650 are not just too heavy, they're way too heavy. To me the 650 class bikes are two in-between to be useful, unless all you want is cheap transportation. My brother sold his DR650 and bought a used BMW GS1100. He figured if he couldn't have any fun off road anyway, he might as well be comfortable on the highway.

Was at the dealer a couple days ago checking out the two new klx-250 one with the super moto package. They also had the new sherpa's. Sweet bike. The price wasn't too bad but I think if I were going to pike either a klx-250 and the new sherpa I would go with the sherpa. Neither would be my first pick in a dual sport bike. I think for the money I would buy a used bike of better quality.

With nearly a foot of suspension travel and ground clearence, the KLX 250 is far superior to either the KLR250 or Sherpa for off road but at the expense of a tiny tank and a high seat height.

I have the cash to buy new and this will be project for me. I've had way more time around an enduro/trials bike than my current road bike - Honda VFR800. For a while there the 250 seemed like the gold standard for off road travel and I guess that still holds true for trials bikes.

I'm not the Queen Mary type and the Super Sherpa has a loyal following.

A nice little bike would be a BLAST off road and I'm hoping the six speed transmission will keep me going on the road. I guess they make all that extra hardware and crash bars because the giant dual purpose boats crash so hard so often when taken off road. Born to be mild - I'm a gentle off road type.

The Super Sherpa might just be fine for me.

I've been hankering after a Sherpa for the past few years...so I keep doing research and wondering what else is out that that would fit MY riding needs.

While I really like the suspension advances in the KLX bikes, I don't think I need a bike quite so dirt oriented. They also feel tall for me (yes, they could be lowered, but when the KLR 250 and Sherpa are fine out of the box...).

I keep coming back to wanting the Sherpa.

Usually I see a LOT more KLR 250s on Craigslist than Sherpas...so I started wondering if maybe I should consider one of them. I've sat on them both, and I have to say that I felt that the Sherpa was a bit more comfortable.

From what I can tell, the price difference between Sherpas and KLR 250s, for the same year, seems to be pretty much negligible. This might be a regional thing though.

I bought a new Sherpa in 2003. Excellent bike for low speed trail riding, turns nice and tight like a trials bike but will actually cruise nicely at 55mph. Motor was nice and torquey and very smooth. It's set up for shorter riders but I was comfy on it and I'm 6'1". Only problem I had with it in 4 yrs. of ownership was a small oil leak from the countershaft seal. They are bringing them back for 2009, some dealers have them already- they are unchanged from the 2003 model.

I wouldn't look twice at a KLR250 (I have one) or a Ssherpa if I could get a KLX 250. Absolutely no question bout it. Much better bike in all respects. The KLR250 and SS suspensions are crap.

From my off-road experience with my Sherpa, it sounds like it is exactly what you want. You get an incredibly low first gear on the Sherpa, and you've got the 6th gear up top. You might want to put a high fender and some more aggressive tires on it if you're taking it into the mud.

If you're going to put a set of _real_ trials tires on, you'll need rimlocks (rim should already have the holes), and you'll probably have to lengthen the rear chain to get clearance for the back tire. If you stick with more of a dual-sport tire or even a knobby in the back, there are plenty of choices that fit without modification. A real dirt knobby on the front will require a high fender. The front fender for a KLR 250 is a bolt-on replacement, and you can even reuse the screws that hold the stock Sherpa fender.

I've had a KLX650C, several XT350's, and currently have a Sherpa and an XT225.

For me the Sherpa is just the right size for an all around dual sport bike for back road rambling and dirt gravel road exploring.

fried okra

I'm looking at a Yamaha XT 225 ,anyone have any input on this bike compared to the Sherpa,or the KLR,KLX