Just FYI, here's the source for the tool bag front fork bracket and Mini Cargo Deck shown: http://www.klr-250.com/products.htm
Thanks for the thread info fellas. I found a 1880mi. 04 for $1700 that I'm going to check out tomorrow. I really wanted a bigger bike but the banker says "nada-nuf$". Anyway, after having a XT350 this should be similar in power and handling.
I checked it out and its a very nice bike for a very nice price. It also has a FMF can. I passed because I really need a bigger DS. Check out the GR Mich Craigs.
With all the KLR250s that were made over the years you'd think this thread would be a little more lively. Here is my '87 KLR. I bought it around October from a guy on ebay. I got a good deal on it but it had been sitting for a while and wasn't in running condition. Since buying it I've stripped the paint off the tank and used electrolysis to get rid of the rust. Then I painted it flat black to hopefully hide some of the dents and dings. To get it running I had to strip the carb down twice and adjust the valves. Then I gave everything a once over including new mobil 1 synthetic oil and filter, new fork oil, flushed/bled brake fluid, new Uni air filter, high temp flat black paint on the exhaust silencer, fixed the zillion electrical bugs it had, etc etc etc. It came with a beat up spare seat that I cut down slightly and recovered with a cheap vinyl. I'm probably going to take the seat that was on it and recover it with a better vinyl at some point. Anyway here she is after all the work... Rear... ...and finally my custom made vinyl number plates. I wasn't sure if I wanted to put the bike name on here or what so I decided to just leave them plain black. Considering the shape this bike was in when I got her I think she looks great. Stupidly I didn't take any photos of it before all the work. Future mods/work? It really needs new handlebars, and chain so those will probably be the next upgrades. Then I'd like to get a stainless brake line for it and in the long run I'd love to do a klr650 front brake conversion. I tend to do the usual jet kit and aftermarket exhaust mods on all my bikes/quads but I don't think I'm going to mess with this one...or at least that's the current plan...LOL
I am working on my "new to me" '86 250. Here is a shot of the swingarm inverted. there appears to be a large amount of play in the linkage. None of the fiche or manuals show a missing spacer, anybody care to take a look at their linkage for a comparison?
Hey, I just joined this site. It's great. Last fall I bought an '04 KLR 250 with only 1,500 miles on it. It's a friggin brand new bike! Looks fantastic and runs even better. I've been wanting a little dual sport for some time and when I found this one, originally on Ebay but bought after the seller did not get his minimum bid, I jumped on it. Anyway, the bike is parked until spring (Vermont aint too condusive to winter riding). I'll be looking for a tank bag and some sort of rear rack to carry stuff. Any suggestions for these things. Thanks, and I can't wait to get back on that little two-fiddy.
I just looked at my '87 and it seems to have the same space as the one you posted, maybe a little less. However I can't say whether that is just normal or that both of our bikes linkages are worn in some way. With it on the bike with everything in place it has no noticable play when trying to rock it back and forth.
Thanks for checking, I have a guy in town who has one and I am checking with him as well. I have it all disassembled to check bearings (all fine btw) and I have tried to reassemble it differently and I cant get it to work so maybe "they all do that"
Unfortunately, I thought I had it figured out too. when reassembling I tried flipping them around and it did not work. Here is a friends bike, although he doesn't clean his bike much, you can see the orientation of the dog bones and the gap, although his looks smaller.If you'd like to put up a pic of yours, I would appreciate it.
I just picked up an 03 KLR 250, which has only minor tweaks to get on the trails. First thing I gotta get is a real skid plate. I saw this one: http://69.94.125.252/store/page145.html ...but kinda expected/hoped to get a little more over the water pump area. Suggestions?
I'm new to motorcycle riding and recently bought a 2000 KLR250 with 1600 miles. It's in pretty good shape with the original tires. I would appreciate any recommendations for accessories and maintenance. Regards.
I rode a 2001 KLR250 for something over 10,000 miles. It was a fine dual sport. I commuted and took it off road.I never modded it at all. I carried stuff in a tank bag and enjoyed the heck out of the bike. Oil changes were quite easy as I recall. I checked and adjusted the valves a few times. It wasn't too tough having screw type adjusters. I had a service manual, and I remember it left out a few things in describing the procedure. As I recall, I had to unbolt a cooling fan and let it dangle by the wires. And there was a kind of a double triangle shaped bracket with three bolt holes in each half that had to be removed-no big deal. I bought the KLR250 specifically because it had a kick starter.I gad owned quite a few dual sports over many years and they all had kick starters. The 250 started so easily that I never regretted it.My KLR250 could sit for six weeks in the winter, and fire off with a single kick as long as I used the starting procedure that the bike liked. jon
Thanks for the reply. I'm going to look for a service manual and see if I can do some of the maintenance myself. I'm just getting the hang of the kick starter. I had a hard time starting it today, but after re-reading the owners manual and giving it full throttle as it stated, it started right up. When it runs low on gas, will the engine cut out and require turning the fuel lever to the reserve position? I have to get some new tires as it still has the original tires. Thanks again. Have a good evening.
I never used full throttle on mine. Here's my starting procedure when the bike sat at least overnight or even for six weeks. Since both my KLR250 and later KLR650 both had the problem of the clutch plates sticking together every time it sat overnight or longer, I would first free them up by putting the bike in 1st gear, holding the clutch lever in and then sitting on the bike and push it slightly forwards and backwards until the clutch plates would unstick.then: 1.Leave the key turned off. 2.Turn on the gas petcock. 3.Give it full choke. 4.With no throttle and key still turned off, give it 3-4 kicks just to get the fuel flowing. 5.Turn key on. 6.With no throttle, give it a kick. This is when mine would always fire off for me. Yes, you want to ride with the fuel valve in the "on" position.It will start to sputter when it's time to go to reserve. But I almost never run any bike that far before filling up. I would caution you to try to run the bike on reserve first before you rely on this system, because sometimes a bike might have a problem and reserve may not function. You want to test it and find out beforehand rather than running the main tank out, turning it to reserve and finding out on some dark lonely road that tour reserve doesn't work. You can also check into replacing your own tires in your garage rather than paying a shop to do it. I replaced both tires on my KLR650 by myself in my garage with three tire irons, some Windex and talcum powder. It's a good skill to acquire, especially if you are going off road, or planning on taking some longer trips on your KLR.Somehow I've never pinched a tube when I've replaced my own tires, or fixed a flat. And don't let anyone tell you that you can't take camping trips riding your KLR250!! If you plan your route using back roads (they are more fun anyway) that bike can take you a long way.A tank bag,some bungy cords,maybe some soft throw over saddlebags, a tent, sleeping bag, etc, and your good to go.The gas mileage is great too.But make sure you rack up some miles closer to home to see how your butt gets along with the seat, and check the comfort on all day rides. My dual sport right now is a Yamaha XT225, and I'm planning on some 2-4 day trips later when the weather gets better.My XT gets better gas mileage than my KLR250 did, but the KLR was faster. Take care, Jon on Puyallup, Wa.
I appreciate the tips on starting, tire changing, gas, and camping with a KLR. I'm going to try your starting technique next time I go riding. It rained today, and I couldn't got riding. I'm going on short trips as I'm getting the hang of riding little by little. I'll probably take the motorcycle safety course later this month. Thanks again and have a good evening. Regards
It turns out that the last time I had a hard time starting our KLR250 was because the valves needed to be adjusted. They were closed up tight. Had them adjusted and it started easily. If you're going to do some maintenance . . . . . you might want to check your valves.
I've had the KLR250 for 2 years with over 7500 miles +1 on the checking valves- it is not a major deal but DO IT! If this bike has a weak link the valves are it. Check em regularly and you will have very few problems - don't and you will not be happy. Tank bag, saddle bags and a home made luggage rack and I can go away for a week. The seat is the limiting factor I really need to do something to make it better for all day riding. Welcome and enjoy your new ride!
Surplus store-$20.00 Drill 4 holes and there you go. provides a ton of storage and a platform to carry other stuff. <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->__________________
Thanks for the tips regarding the adjusting the valves. How difficult is it for a novice? The bike has 1600 miles on it and is in very good condition. The starting issue is probably due to my lack of experience as I'm new to this bike and riding in general. Have often does it have to be done? Thanks again.
