[thefinalgamer]

i still live with my parents and have ot prove to them that i can ride a bike before i can get a real one. what do u guys think of the KLX 250SF?
http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/product-details-features.aspx?autoplay=false&id=417&scid=14
i need something that i can ride on the street but looks kinda like a dirt bike(parents rules that i start with a dirt bike first -.-).

[Gary856]

Being a supermoto (w/ 17″ wheels and street tires) it looks like a cool/fun bike mainly for pavement. If you really expect to ride a lot of dirt (which is great fun), you’re better off with the dual-sport version of that bike – 21″ front/18″ rear wheel with knobby tires.

[madjak30]

I wish I had started on something like that…would be a complete blast around town…great on fuel, light, easy to handle, upright seating (good vision)…what’s not to like…just remember, it isn’t a dirt bike…it’s meant for the urban jungle, not the single tracks in the back country…graded gravel and hard pack dirt would be okay, but street tires and off road don’t mix…

Have fun with it…

Later.

[TrialsRider]

I know you won’t believe it when I say you have wise parents and your idea just goes to show how little ‘control’ we as parents have over our offspring I’m pretty sure your folks are going to see right through your plan once they see that bike though, and what’s with this ‘before I can get a real one’ stuff You’re just lucky you’re not my kid or you’d have to ride up rocks like this before you turned 16 :i

…without putting a foot down !:o

BTW: don’t take everything I write too serious, I figure we’re here for a good time and sometimes my warped sense of humor shines through

On the serious side; It’s easier to ride (dry) pavement with full knobbies than to ride dirt with street tires as others have correctly pointed out, KLX250SF as equipped is more street than dirt and not a perfect choice if you can’t ride on pavement legally yet.

Maybe you can give us a little more info about where you intend to ride and how big of a little guy you are plus if you have any previous riding experience because KLX is a lot more motorcycle than you might think. It has a very tall saddle compared to sport bikes and suspension travel to spare.

Welcome to BBM

[thefinalgamer]

im about 6ft and 190lbs. i have driven my friends bike around(honda cbr600, idk the year) i just need something for country roads(hard dirt, pavement, some gravel). i really need something to ease my parents mind, they are worried about me getting a bike and i can understand.

[TrialsRider]

You’re a big little guy ! And quick to respond too, guess that comes with being a gamer
If you could have Any bike, what would it be ?:i

[thefinalgamer]

Maybe a ninja 650r. Nothing to powerful but something I won’t be afraid to take on the interstate

[eon]

If I were in your shoes I would get the the DS version of that bike, but that’s mainly because I hope to buy one myself this year One thing I have heard time and time again is that guys who start off riding dirt learn reflexes that will stand them in good stead on the street. On dirt you will ride beyond the limits of your traction and will fall off but hopefully it won’t hurt too much. But you will learn what it feels like to be at the limit and how to control it. Falling off on the street hurts too much to learn that skill but there will come a time when you hit gravel/sand/ice/oil when those reflexes could save you a world of pain.

From the roads around you it sounds like you would have access to places where you could really have some fun on a DS. Compare that to riding down the interstate on a Ninja 650. Honestly, there is nothing more boring than interstate riding. If you could persuade your friends to get into dirt bikes you would that would be a blast. But if not the SF model above would be a great start.

[thefinalgamer]

Eon you have a great point. It would help me buildbetter control over the bike for when i go street. I do a lot of interstate travel and its borig as hell lol

[Jeff in Kentucky]

“I think learning to ride on a dirt bike is the way to go, as far as getting used to operating a motorcycle. But like others have said, dirt and street riding are about as different as they can be as far as techniques.”
by Serial Thriller

“I have rode dirt and raced MX for 26 of my 34 years before starting street riding. I think dirt riding definitely helps you as far as the skills required to actually ride. But dirt riding also is usually more aggressive — the general mentality of my MX racing buddies is if you don’t crash occasionally you aren’t trying hard enough.

Bring that mentality to the street and you will have a short riding career.”

by johnnycrash

[TrialsRider]

“…But dirt riding also is usually more aggressive — the general mentality of my MX racing buddies is if you don’t crash occasionally you aren’t trying hard enough.”

:i …times 4 for trials, if you crash a section on the first lap, you still have three more times to get it right …positive insentive to do better.
In dirt you learn the art of front to back balance much quicker then having only ridden pavement, it’s not like you can ever learn to catwalk on a public road, how much front brake is too much, or what would it actually feel like to hop that curb in an emergency.

[Snuggles]

Look I[m hitting the big 60 and just started 2 years ago riding. Take the Course, not the dirt bike, take it twice if you have too. I did and love riding now did 5,000 last summer. I wear a lady bug helmet and proud of it. Drive a S50 and love it. Took three bikes to get there all suzuki’s. It is amazing how other drivers react to my Lade Bug, they give me the right away. My husband on his Harley doesn’t get the respect. I do believe it is the helmet. I think everyone should try their dreams. I couldn’t even look at a bike 3 years ago. It scared me. Now I ride and if God takes me, it’s ok, I had three strokes, 1 heart attack and a corodid artery. Driving is my enjoyment and riding is what the course taught me, and last practice makes almost perfect. by Snuggles

[TrialsRider]

some of us fit in between there somewhere
live long and prosper snuggles

… you must be setting some fuel economy records there!

[gitchy42]

Have you considered the S model instead of the SF model? It is aimed more towards dirt than street, might do a little better on the ‘iffy’ surface that a lot of country roads have.

Yamaha has a couple good models too, the XT250 and TW200 especially.

I’m going to second Suggles suggestion of taking a class. Don’t know if you have yet, but it is a good start, and they may have a few different models of motorcycles that you can take a look at to see if there is something else you might like.

[XRayHound]

I just skimmed the thread but if you’re still looking at a 250 SuperMoto the Yamaha WR250X is a better deal for the money than the Kawi.

[Author]

Posts