KLX250 advice needed

[yychow0812]

Noobie seeking help and advice. I just got a brand new KLX250 a few days ago and itching to go off road (having never done it before). Inevitably, I will be taking lots of tumbles so looking for advice on how to accessorize to protect key and expensive parts.

Hand guards
Understand that it's not quite a simple matter to fit hand guards as there is a steel bar that needs to be drilled out? Does that mean it would be easier to fit those hand guards than only connects to the handlebars and not the bar ends? Are these good enough to prevent the levers from breaking in the event of a fall?

Skid plate
Is this necessary to protect the soft underbelly or overkill?

Crash bars
Is there even such a thing for the KLX?

Radiator guard - same as crash bars

Risers
I am 5'11" so I'm thinking that having risers would make standing up on the pegs a bit easier.

Anything else I should put on my bike? I have not done off road before so the tumbles are going to be fast and furious. Body wise, I'm geared up with protection from top to bottom but nothing on the bike yet so would very much appreciate advise on what to put and where to buy. Does Dirt Shop in Bangkok stock most of the stuff needed?

 

[KTMphil]

Get hand guards, make sure they are metal under the plastic coating, if you go name brand they will be twice the price. They will save your hand levers. One trick from the pro's is to put PTFE (pipe) tape under the hand lever fastenings on the handlebars and tighten them only so much so that you can only move them with some hand force, that way in a crash there is no shock loading on the hand levers, which would snap them and they will just move instead.



Get a skid plate, over fallen trees and some nasty rocks it will save you.


Radiator guard ...good for stopping sharp bamboo, carry epoxy you can fix the radiator with epoxy


Risers make riding standing up much more comfortable

Hand guards
Understand that it's not quite a simple matter to fit hand guards as there is a steel bar that needs to be drilled out? Does that mean it would be easier to fit those hand guards than only connects to the handlebars and not the bar ends? Are these good enough to prevent the levers from breaking in the event of a fall?

Skid plate
Is this necessary to protect the soft underbelly or overkill?

Crash bars
Is there even such a thing for the KLX?

Radiator guard - same as crash bars

Risers
I am 5'11" so I'm thinking that having risers would make standing up on the pegs a bit easier.

 

[Matt]

I'd get a decent set of bars if I were you. The standard bars are made of cheese and will bend the first time you drop it.

You should also do the airbox mod, wire snip, 13T front sprocket, etc, to get a bit more power. Have fun!

 

[lakota]

Definetely Hand Guards. There are some really cheap and nasty Acerbis like Copy's around that will bend when you drop the bike so don't protect the levers at all.
Real Acerbis are expensive.
Zeta brand seem to be widely available here , not too expensive and strong. The Shops should be able to fit them (drill then ends)

The Handlebars on the newer Model KLX's seem to be quite tough to me. I've dropped mine many times and although they have moved a bit from time to time, they haven't bent.

The KLX does have some underbelly protection built in already, it may or may not be enough for you

 

[KTMphil]

I know of about 7 klx s that have had the rear subframe fail below the luggage rack. If you re planning on carrying a lot of luggage offroad its a potential problem.

 

[yychow0812]

Thanks for all the advice guys. Will head on down to Dirt Shop this weekend when I'm back in Bkk to fix all the necessary. Better to spend a few thousand baht now on protection rather than tens of thousands later on repairs. No, I don't sell insurance but I'm a good customer for quite a few of them 55