Adventure Bike Buildup - Dirt Rider Magazine

Gotta have a way to bring back the spoils of your adventures./></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Gotta have a way to bring back the spoils of your adventures.</p>
</div>
<p>What constitutes an adventure to you? Is it getting lost, going somewhere new or picking up a few groceries? Regardless of your definition, all adventures need to combine a few necessary ingredients. First, adventures must at least start on a dirt bike, right? Well, with a new crop of street-legal adventure bikes on showrooms this year, you should be ready to rip. Pick your favorite color and go! Hold on…there’s one problem: They’re not really dirt bikes. So we took three of these hybrids to the aftermarket to see if we could put a little dirt in their blinker fluid. Can Kawasaki’s KLX250S and Yamaha’s WR250R and XT250 stand up to the test?<strong>Yamaha WR250R</strong><br /><i>Fun-Injected Machine</i><br />By Pete Peterson<br />Photos by Chris Denison<strong>Showroom Stock</strong><br />Yamaha’s WR250R gets a racing-sounding “R” model designation, but it’s nothing at all like its true off-road brother the WR250F. If you want to hit serious trails on a blue bike, the F is your ride, and you can put your efforts into plating that machine through your local DMV (your results may vary). This street-legal R is a fun, fuel-injected traffic-dodger with a healthy dose of rev and power. For true trails, the bike is limited by its heavy feel, suspension, tires and its mild manners. But maybe there is a Superman hidden somewhere under the blue suit and glasses…<strong>Modifications, More Or Less</strong><br />My mods were minimal because I was sure I was starting with the best bike in this test and I didn’t want to lose any of the machine’s good qualities. First, I mounted up a Dr.D slip-on exhaust to increase the twist-to-giggle factor. The mod required disconnecting the Yamaha’s stock EXUP exhaust valve and tucking the cables under the sidepanel. The pipe swap shaved over two pounds but also lost the stock catalytic converter. Next, I ditched the stock rear fender overhang for a simple Ride Engineering fender elimination kit and LED taillight. The kit makes the rear end look significantly cleaner and more like a true off-road machine. It also saves about a pound and a half. Then I added a little weight and a lot of functionality with a Pro Moto Billet rack.<strong>Play Time</strong><br />The bike is really fun to ride in the dirt. So my first impression with the mods was that I missed the boat by keeping the stock, street-oriented tires. This production bike really is off-road-worthy, and the stock tires are its weakest dirt link. The rack never got in the way (one passenger footpeg hanger did, though), and the lifted plate at least gave me hope of throwing a roost. The pipe presented a problem with an aggressive roar out of this docile bike. On the street, I was careful not to rev the bike in order to avoid disturbing the peace; this is with the quiet insert installed. We complain in these pages about loud bikes closing trails, and I’m worried this pipe might close the I-5 Freeway! If I had to go back in time, I’d swap the pipe mod for better tires. The pipe is a power boost, but I’d rather trade street traction for dirt traction and still have a motorcycle my neighbors would never know about.Yamaha had a target with this bike-the guy who wants a nimble commuter bike that can provide some semi-aggressive off-road fun-and it hit the mark. The question is not how to modify this bike to hit a different bull’s-eye, but to know if you’re that original target.<strong>Yamaha WR250R</strong><br />Dubach Racing Development: <a href="" onclick="javascript:window.open(

www.dubachracing.com; 877.382.2241
WRX/WRR slip-on exhaust: $360
Quiet Core insert: $49.99Ride Engineering:
www.ride-engineering.com; 800.805.1516
Fender eliminator kit: $54.95
Taillight kit: $54.95Pro Moto Billet: www.promotobillet.com; 866.466.4762
Rack-it cargo rack: $139.95

$Even with the lower gearing, the KLX takes a little work to get the front end up in the air. Otherwise, the little bike has really good manners in the dirt at reasonable trail speeds. We tackled trails that were plenty technical./></a> Even with the lower gearing, the KLX takes a little work to get the front end up in the air. Otherwise, the little bike has really good manners in the dirt at reasonable trail speeds. We tackled trails that were plenty technical. </div> Kawasaki KLX250S Ancestry Shows Story And Photos By Karel KramerPick-Up Lines When it came time to choose a small-bore adventure bike, I grabbed the Kawasaki KLX250S. Despite the fact that this is a much-revised edition that, for one thing, is now for sale in California, I knew the basics of the bike could be traced to one of my favorite trail bikes of the mid-1990s: the KLX250R. The KLX-R was a more nimble and sophisticated Honda XR250R, and I rode trails and track on those little monsters. The high-water mark was one punched out to 365cc by Larry Roeseler’s Stroker Speed Equipment that I raced in the Tonopah 300. I knew the KLX-S would have dirt-worthy trail manners, suspension and outstanding steering. These are all good starting points.Shunning Temptation After riding the fire-breathing 365cc bullet versions, it was tempting to go hog wild, but I knew I would merely be breaking the bank and losing the vision of what the bike is designed to be. I decided to keep things simple. As I always do with dual-sport bikes, I dropped the countershaft one tooth to tighten up the ratios off-road and add snap to the power delivery at a small sacrifice in cruising speed. Next, I flouted legality and put dirt tires on the bike: a Dunlop 745 front and a Dunlop 803 Trials meat on the rear. I don’t really want to ride on the street, just creep from trail head to trail head.Not wanting to boost sound, I left the pipe alone and concentrated on comfort. A Renthal aluminum CR-bend handlebar added comfort, and Tusk aluminum hand guards protect the levers, grips, bar and fingers. I’ll tell you, getting hand guards and the handlebar on were not effortless tasks. The aluminum bar is fractionally smaller in diameter than the stock steel bar, and the switchgear-which includes the throttle-never clamps tight to the new bar. The hand guards caused some drama with brake hose routing, and to really do things right, I’d have to relocate the front turn signals.Trail Truth I intended this project to be a fun little trail companion that could zip between trails on the street or pick up a gallon of milk. Compared to a dedicated dirt model the ground clearance is limited so don’t be silly enough to look for whoops, but we handled some serious trails on the KLX. We used the bike to mark trails for an event, where we spent the morning chasing Malcolm Smith on his KTM and the afternoon with the ribbon. The little bike never missed a beat and rode with the “real” dirt bikes all day. Best of all, I didn’t bust the bank. Any rider who is considering a 50-mpg econo-cruiser like the KLX isn’t looking to race, and decking it out until the price tag was eye-to-eye with a 530 KTM doesn’t make sense. This mildly modded bike makes smiles and sense.Kawasaki KLX250S Dunlop: <a href="" onclick="javascript:window.open($ www.dunloptires.com
745 90/100-21 front: $100.51
803 Trials rear: $121.13Renthal: www.renthal.com
971-bend 7/8″ handlebar: $74.95
KLX300 countershaft sprocket: $25.95Tusk: www.rockymountainmc.com; 800.336.5437
Tusk aluminum hand guards: $29.99
Tusk D-Flex spoilers: $9.99Spider Grips: www.spidergrips.com; see your dealer
M1 grips: $16.95

This Yamaha is little, mellow and different, but that’s exactly what makes it so cool.

Yamaha XT250
Grocery Getter Gone Wild!
By Chris Denison
Photos by Jesse ZieglerSquare One
When we originally tested the XT250 for the Adventure Bike Roundup in the 2009 Dirt Rider Buyer’s Guide, we found that the little Yamaha had a handful of redeeming qualities that were overshadowed by several blatant flaws in the bike’s dirt ability. Sure, the roll-on power produced by the motor is perhaps the best in its category, and the XT is one of the more asphalt-capable adventure bikes (130+ miles per tank is tough to beat) on the market. But for dirt something had to be done about the squishy suspension and street-inspired ergos. Essentially, we wanted to preserve the easy-to-ride character and solid street skills of the XT while making it more capable off-road.The Mods
The first thing I did was attack the XT with Allen wrenches. Ten minutes later, the bike weighed 14 pounds less without its mirrors, buddy pegs, helmet hanger, smog unit and a host of other goodies. This diet didn’t last long, though, as I then bolted on Turbo City’s overbuilt skid plate and engine guards to help protect the bike’s low, wide motor. Next came new rubber from Kenda, Moose Racing’s lowest-priced handlebar with grips and hand guards, and a much more practical Acerbis mirror. Finally, I turned the machine over to Race Tech for a complete (and expensive) rebuild of the fork and shock using new springs and more capable valving. Motorwise, I left the XT completely stock to retain its quiet, decently powered personality. With that, the newly-modded XT was ready to rip.On The Trail
After several outings aboard the modified XT250, it was clear that the Race Tech suspension mods are the single best thing that one can do to improve an XT250. The rejuvenated fork and shock transformed this bike from a substandard off-road bike into a fun-to-ride, almost capable dirt machine that comfortably completed every obstacle on the hard enduro course at the DR Torture Test. Additionally, the Kenda tires gave the bike a much-needed boost in traction without altering the dual-sport-ability of the machine. The improvements to the controls, frame and engine guards were likewise put to good use. In short, everything we did to the XT250 was advantageous in making the thing a better enduro bike.However, in my dead honest opinion, this bike isn’t worth modifying in the first place. When you combine the XT’s $4690 price tag with the $1000+ in mods we threw at the Yamaha, you’re essentially looking at the cost of a solid, used off-road machine. The XT definitely has its place-anything street-legal with a lower seat height than an 85cc is going to be perfect for someone-but overall this Yamaha is an archaic, under-equipped little bike. If you already have an XT, by all means consider following the path of simple, functional modifications. Otherwise, I suggest you spend your hard-earned dough on something with a lot more bite.Yamaha XT250
Turbo City: www.turbocity.com; 714.639.4933
XT250 skid plate with engine guards: $229.95Moose Racing: www.mooseoffroad.com
Carbon steel handlebar: $19.95
Stealth grips: $7.95
Dual-sport fender pack: $24.95
Aluminum hand guards: $39.95-$55.95
Competition hand guard protectors: $24.95-$29.95Acerbis: www.acerbis.com; 208.726.4630
Rearview mirror: $19.99Kenda: www.kendausa.com; 614.866.9803
K270 dual-sport tires: Contact your local dealer for pricingRace Tech: www.racetech.com; 951.279.6655
Suspension mods, including parts, oil and labor: $789.92