2006 Kawasaki KLX

I own a 2006 Kawasaki KLX250S, along with a supersport street bike and full-on race bike. It currently has 2400 miles on it and I use it for a combination of street and trail riding.

Dual sport bikes are ALWAYS a compromise. They are neither a full-on dirt bike nor a street bike. They must be able to handle both dirt and street situations capably. The Kawasaki KLX250S does this with ease and style.

From the factory, every bike on the road is tuned to less than it's full potential, in order to meet EPA standards. The carb is jetted too lean, the airbox is minimized to cut down on air-flow, and the exhaust is choked with emissions controls. The KLX250S suffers from all of these. And because it IS a 250cc motor, it's really apparent when you ride the bike. That DOESN'T mean that the bike is hard to ride. On the contrary, it is a very easy bike to ride. Any beginner with sufficiently long legs (the seat is 35" high) and 10 minutes of riding experience should be able to ride away with confidence. And, for the intermediate rider, the bike loves to rev to it's 10k redline and should provide plenty of thrills there.

What it DOES mean is that the power comes on smoothly, if a bit slowly. First gear is sufficiently low that you can tractor along at crawl-speed without stalling the bike and you can climb most any hill you'll encounter in 2nd gear. The bike will run at interstate speeds (75-80mph) for short periods of time. This is not something you'll want to do for more than a few minutes because of the semi-annoying buzz through the handlebars at that speed. In round figures, 75mph = 7500rpm. The stock bike will NOT pull redline in 6th gear. Top speed is probably in the neighborhood of 85mph (on flat ground).

Stock suspension is a bit soft, but unless your a SERIOUS off-roader, it will do nicely for the casual dual-sport rider, which is who this bike is intended for. The stock suspension is very adjustable, so even a 200 lb rider should be able to dial in something that will work for you.

Instrumentation is EXCELLENT for this bike, including an analog speedo and tach, turn indicators, high-low beam, and oil pressure light. The motor is liquid cooled and usually runs very cool. The only time I have heard the fan come on is when I was riding at high rpms & low speeds on trails. The upside-down front forks are very nice and work well. And, you can actually SEE objects in the rear-view mirrors.

On the road, you'll be able to run with most sedans but you'll be getting 60mpg while they're getting 20. But on the trails is where this little bike shines. Single-track trails are super easy to negotiate. It seems like the bike is always in the right gear for whatever you need.

I am completely pleased with my purchase of this bike. There are plenty of aftermarket products available to upgrade the bike if you wish. I decided to spend all of my upgrade dollars on my other bikes and leave this one stock because it works just fine for me as it is.

This was a very quick transaction. The paperwork was ready when we got there. We were in and out of there is 15 minutes. The dirtbike works great. We got a great price on this that is why we bought it.

Background: I traded up from a Kawasaki Nomad touring bike for this bike. I ride lots of miles and wanted something with a little more pep for those cross-state jaunts. I put approximately 6,100 miles on the bike in 5 months before selling the bike.

Performance: This is the smoothest, and obviously, fastest bike I've ever owned. The 1352cc inline four is incredibly powerful if a bit neutered in the bottom 5 gears up to about 4,000 RPMs. At 474 lbs dry with 175 RWHP and 105 ft-lbs at the rear wheel, the power-to-weight ratio is stellar, but still not quite as high as a liter bike. However, the longer wheelbase of the ZX-14 vs. the liter bike and the extra 100 lbs weight actually help contribute to a faster drag time in most instances (this is rider and environment-dependent). I averaged about 34 MPG overall, but I could see as high as 40 MPG riding 70 mph on the interstate in 6th gear. I routinely averaged 38 in tour mode and a lower 26-28 around town where I kept it in gears 2 or 3 because of the power that's cut below 4,000.

Reliability: Didn't really own the bike long enough. Didn't have any problems. Based upon readings and what I observed with the bike, I don't foresee any major issues in this dept.

Comfort: The most comfortable bike I've ever ridden for long-distance touring. I could easily do 300 miles per day and pushed it up to 400-450 on several days. The long wheelbase and relatively upright seating contributed to this, but great wind protection is the key factor behind the 14's touring ability. The engine is also unbelievably smooth, so fatigue is lessened.

Quality and Craftsmanship: I would put the quality on par with the other big 3 from Japan (Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha).

Overall: Very impressive. A true all-around bike (okay, you can't trail ride). Great at the dragstrip, great on the open road, can hold its own in the twisty stuff and pretty to look at. For $10500, it was a steal. I would rate this as the best bike I've owned to date.