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CRF250L vs KLX250S vs XT250/TW200

LDB

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Location
Friendswood
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Leo
The seats are too high on the first two and the fuel tanks are too small on all four. Otherwise they look like good suspects for a starter DS bike. What are the general opinions of them? The Honda and Yamaha XT have FI vs the Kaw and TW with a carb. Otherwise they seem fairly similar except for the TW engine being 20% smaller. Any thoughts on these specifically? Any thoughts on Honda vs Kaw vs Yamaha in the entry level DS segment? It seems like any of them could be good suspects with a sprocket change and maybe a few other small upgrades. Thanks for any and all opinions on any and all of them.
 
I think you could find a larger gas tank for any of those at Justgastanks.com. If you plan on riding at any higher elevation FI is sure nice as it adjusts to altitude. With the small engines you will need every bit of engine performance up in the mountains.
 
Buy a new Yamaha XT250. Enjoy it's low seat height, adequate fuel capacity, adequate suspension, and new reliability. Carry an extra gallon on the rack if necessary. It's the best choice for your leg length. Very important: take dirt riding lessons from Ulybrad. Otherwise you'll never know your real capabilities in the dirt. That's more important than which bike you choose.

Edited because I didn't realize the XT was now fuel injected.
 
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Consider that the Kawi can be turned into a 330 big bore kit. Somebody around here had this upgrade and I recall reading something about pulling arm out of socket or something.
 
The seats are too high on the first two and the fuel tanks are too small on all four. Otherwise they look like good suspects for a starter DS bike. What are the general opinions of them? The Honda and Yamaha XT have FI vs the Kaw and TW with a carb. Otherwise they seem fairly similar except for the TW engine being 20% smaller. Any thoughts on these specifically? Any thoughts on Honda vs Kaw vs Yamaha in the entry level DS segment? It seems like any of them could be good suspects with a sprocket change and maybe a few other small upgrades. Thanks for any and all opinions on any and all of them.

They're not the same. Recommend you ride them before you decide. The XT has a low seat to footpeg relationship that has my knees up too high and Im only 5'8". The KLX feels like more of an off-road bike compared to the new Honda(I own a 2007 KLX and have ridden the new Honda). The Honda is very, very smooth, like a sewing machine, but does not have the lively feel of the KLX,(particulary since I had my suspension reworked by MotoPro in Washington State). They are different motorcycles.
 
For more and harder dirt riding the KLX is the way to go as the suspension is pretty darn good and has a lot of adjust-ability. The CRF would be my choice for a citybike, and it will do fine on dirt roads and fireroads. Don't plan on going to fast offroad on the crf as you will find the limits of it's suspension very quickly.
 
Not trying to be an :moon: but didn`t you just start a thread about this same thing and get a bunch of replies :huh:
 
I started one very general that I might want to try DS riding and yes I got a lot of good input. This time I asked about specific bikes and got a lot more good input to combine with what I had before. I look forward to getting two or three or more times as much input really, as it's all good and all helpful. I started out with my information thimble completely empty so I need as much as I can get.
 
All are great bikes with very different characters.

For you: TW. It best suits your performance goals as expressed in your other thread.

There is a bolt-on 2.9 gallon tank available from Clarke, and a 4-gallon tank for the XT350/650 from Clarke can be made to fit with a bit of easy fabrication. This I know from experience. Tdub and Tdub2 both have the 4-gallon option. Tdub2 also carries a 4-gallon reserve under her custom rear rack and 2 gallons behind her headlights, with no loss of conventional cargo volume. None of the other bikes you listed have adequate weight carrying capacity for such a load of fuel when loaded for extended tripping. Tdub2 is intended for Trans-Am and Al-Can rides, and with her EFI returning 100+mpg consistently in dirt road cruising mode her range exceeds 1000 miles. The TW's fuel issues are easily resolved. Much more so than resolving the lack of carrying capacity of the other bikes should you ever want to do some moto-camping or small displacement wilderness touring.
 
TW-Tdub-Tdub2,,,,huh? Jargon sure can confuse the issue sometimes, especially with someone new to the scene.
 
The longer I look the more a TW seems to come to the front. It costs less to buy and seems to hold better resale value as well. I won't be doing anything epic with it, just riding during the day. I might want a larger main tank but wouldn't need any auxiliaries. I doubt I'd need much upgrades at all although I've seen some larger pegs that look like a good idea. Anyway, the TW is a strong suspect.
 
Ken has owned a few TW200s and covered a ton of miles on them so they got named (or numbered).

Out of the 4 bikes listed TW is the heaviest by far. KLX has the best stock suspension in the group and while the CRF lacks in comparison it is still plenty good as a beginner DS bike. I have yet to personally meet a CRF owner that is unhappy with their choice. XT is one more step down in suspension and TW is shorter yet on those fat tires. Shorter travel suspension eventually limits the fun factor off pavement. Whlie a TW can go just about anywhere a mountain goat can go it is a special ride so very different than the other three on the list.

test ride friend's bikes if you can swing it. Specs on paper don't really tell the story.

Get that training mentioned too as dirt skills involve some things that are counter intuitive to a street rider.
 
I have a 450cc dirt bike.
Borrowed a TW200 from my neighbor on a ride in Waco (Crooked Creek). It was awesome !! Gets 75 MPG too.
I had lots of fun staying on the fancy KTM riders butts, they attempted to get away but couldn't.

TW200 gets my vote unless you are a really big guy :rider:

Once you get the basics of riding dirt down, you can move up to something else. I want one for my wife so I can secretly take it out on rides, it was that much fun.
 
I'm not a big guy but unfortunately I'm a big guy. I'm 5'9" and 240. The two Yamahas have better seat height for me.
 
I'm 5'8 and 140 but I have long legs and the klx wasn't bad for me. The issue I had after a year of riding it I HAD to have more power. Ride some and pick one, if you are like the rest of us lunatics you will upgrade or add to the collection soon enough anyway!


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I'm 5'8 and 140 but I have long legs and the klx wasn't bad for me. The issue I had after a year of riding it I HAD to have more power. Ride some and pick one, if you are like the rest of us lunatics you will upgrade or add to the collection soon enough anyway!


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What he said. I bet your TWT family would let you ride all three of them and see what you think of them.
 
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