NGC Looking at getting a small enduro

[Johncolleary]

I’m looking at adding a small enduro to my stable.  Tag first thought about the Himalayan but was looking at the KLX300 Kawasaki.  A little tall for me but they have lowering kits.  Any thoughts?

[guzziart]

Your '01 DR400?

[steven c]

 I have a KLX250-351. Better then I am off road. Fun bike just to scoot around on.

[JJ]

I’m looking at adding a small enduro to my stable.  Tag first thought about the Himalayan but was looking at the KLX300 Kawasaki.  A little tall for me but they have lowering kits.  Any thoughts?

Single vs. Twin....but both capable bikes.  I too, have been studying both of these...

[kballowe]

I've also been looking at that Kawasaki KLX300.  They are very scarce.  In fact, I FINALLY saw one on Tuesday this week.

But yes, too tall.  Probably get a Seat Concepts low seat and some lowering links and run the fork tubes up in the triple tree some.  and then ya gotta shorten the sidestand. I have some amount of experience with that.

 


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[tommy2cyl]

I don't see the fascination with the Himalayan.  439 lbs  &  25 hp.   My 23 year old DR 350 weighs 305 lbs and makes 30 HP with significantly more suspension
travel.   There are so many other bikes that are lighter and more playful than the Himalayan for off road.  Yamaha XT 250 comes to mind as just one option.
 

[Alfetta]

Your '01 DR400?

I'm with guzziart...  Not knowing what you plan to do, or if there is any potential legal issues in TN.  the DR400 is an excellent enduro.   

[Johncolleary]

The dr is not street legal at this time and is pretty worn out. Am going to bring that along eventually but want something newer and use the dr for visitors. I will need to lower the klx   Seem to be lots of options for lowering it

[kballowe]

That DR400 would be a great bike for people with longer legs.  And then my sissy *** would want a much more comfortable seat.

[usedtobefast]

I assume you are also looking at the Honda CRF300L? 

And by "small" I assume you mean engine size? 

These bikes don't really click for me ... because, they are heavy, tall, skinny seat, weak power, built cheaply, so-so suspension.  But you can buy a new one, and fuel injection is nice, great gas mileage, and I guess 310lbs is lighter than other options (like a DR650, Himalayan ). 

If I wanted "cheap" I think I'd look for a DR350, find a non abused one in good shape and low ish miles, then go over it mechanically and get it all sorted out.   You would have way less money in it (compared to a new Honda or Kawasaki 300), it would be lighter, make more power, and have better suspension.

If I had plenty of money I think I'd get a KTM 690 (the Enduro R is listed as 2 lbs lighter than a CRF300L!).  Tons of power, excellent suspension and brakes, way better on roads, better offroad  ... same weight range, way better suspension & brakes & handling, and the newer ones have a "street mode" and "offroad mode"

[Cage Free]

Single vs. Twin....but both capable bikes.  I too, have been studying both of these...

Both are singles

[Dilliw]

My buddy has an XT250 and it can handle road duty you don't weigh too much.

[twowheeladdict]

I’m looking at adding a small enduro to my stable.  Tag first thought about the Himalayan but was looking at the KLX300 Kawasaki.  A little tall for me but they have lowering kits.  Any thoughts?

Having owned both a KLX250S Dual Sport and now a KLX300SM, as well as over 6000 miles on a Himalayan I will say it depends on what you want to do.

The KLX300SM will hold a true 75 mph when needed and I have personally seen 80 mph on the GPS.  It is about 300 pounds so easy to maneuver and load on the rack behind the truck or in the open bed of a truck.  Incremental improvement over the KLX250S so many aftermarket parts will fit. 

I loved the Himalayan for what it was.  I called it my gentleman's adventure bike.  Nice low seat height.  Easy to ride.  Would tractor up anything with proper rubber installed.  About 65 mph top sustained speed and would lose speed on any incline requiring a downshift and revving near redline. 

I have added accessories to the KLX to make it more adventure bike like, but the Himalayan wins in the backroads touring.

The Himalayan is more comfortable and the maintenance is much easier even if more frequent. 

The main reason I sold the Himalayan and bought the KLX300SM was because I wanted a bike that could go on a rack behind my truck so I could do some base camping and riding while working my way up to New England to visit family.  The Himalayan was the one to go because at the time they weren't many in the country and demand was good.

I do miss it when out exploring.

I will say that it took me 3 years to put over 6000 miles on the Himalayan and I have put over 5000 miles on the KLX300SM in 16 months.

I chose the KLX300SM over the KLX300 because we don't really have single track trails here and I mostly ride back roads, farm roads, gravel roads, and forest service roads.  The adventure windscreen with central mount for the GPS, rear rack, and soft luggage (tail bag, saddlebags) really make this a nice travel bike. 






Of course the Van Van 200 is a great trail bike.  Those fat tires really give it some traction and don't slide around on gravel like narro tires.

[twowheeladdict]

If I had plenty of money I think I'd get a KTM 690 (the Enduro R is listed as 2 lbs lighter than a CRF300L!).  Tons of power, excellent suspension and brakes, way better on roads, better offroad  ... same weight range, way better suspension & brakes & handling, and the newer ones have a "street mode" and "offroad mode"

I thought you "usedtobefast"?  LOL! 

That 690 is way over my skill level.  Not to mention the maintenance.  I didn't start Dual Sport riding until I was in my mid 40s.  Can't afford to crash so can't stretch my skills to improve them much.  I just like to put around and explore. 

[JJ]

Both are singles

The Kawasaki Versys is a "TWIN"...not a single...

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

The Kawasaki Versys is a "TWIN"...not a single...

Sure the Versys X-300 is a twin, but the KLX300 is a single. Two different bikes...
https://www.kawasaki.com/en-us/motorcycle/klx/dual-sport/klx300

[JJ]

Sure the Versys X-300 is a twin, but the KLX300 is a single. Two different bikes...
https://www.kawasaki.com/en-us/motorcycle/klx/dual-sport/klx300

My mistake!  

I see he was referring to the KLX300 and yes, that is a single and a different bike than the twin Kawasaki Versys 300....

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

If height is an issue, check out the KLX 230 S which comes from the factory set up for riders with a shorter inseam.
There's a review that just came out covering some of the lower features: https://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/kawasaki/2023-kawasaki-klx230-s-review-first-ride.html

[Clifton]

I’m looking at adding a small enduro to my stable.  Tag first thought about the Himalayan but was looking at the KLX300 Kawasaki.  A little tall for me but they have lowering kits.  Any thoughts?

Yamaha's XT250 is a nice street legal trail bike you might take a look at. It's light at 291 wet, has lots of ground clearance yet low seat height, FI, air cooled, WR 5-speed, and manufactured in Japan. What I like about it on trails are the combination of light weight, very low first and second gears, torquey not peaky power band, and wide angle steering from lock to lock. On the road it's happy running up to an indicated 65 mph but can do indicated 75 or so WFO. The XT holds 2.6 gallons which is more than most of the 250cc trail bikes and it gets great milage.
Suspension: travel is 7" F and 9" R and it's "ok" on trails (if taken easy) and road riding, but if I (at almost 200#) pushed it much on rough trails and especially very rocky roads, the ride got harsh. I like the bike so much though that I upgraded the rear shock and fork springs and dampers with better stuff from Cogent and this made a world of improvement.

[Guzzistajohn]

I gotta have something with some Cajones. What’s the big deal with putting both feet down anyway?

[Scout63]

I’m in the KTM camp although the 690R is pretty tall.  All of their big four stroke singles are extremely easy to ride slow or fast and make tough trails feel easy. If the 350 EXCF can be lowered, I think it would be perfect for you.

[MMRanch]

For the $$$ , the Royal Enfield "SCRAM" looks like the right choice to me .   

Don't they have a cheaper and lighter version of the 350 platform now ?

I think its called the 350 Hunter ?    https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-avast-securebrowser&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-securebrowser&hspart=avast&param1=n&param2=20211228&param3=Avast+Secure+Browser%7C105.0.18469.127&param4=17%7CUS%7C%7C&p=royal+enfield+hunter+350&type=6309#id=1&vid=1304aa529755f176a28f6008e6b0b2fd&action=click

[Johncolleary]

Thanks for all the input,  I’m going to see if I can test ride the KLX300 today to see if it would be practical to lower it a bit for my short inseam. 

[Luap McKeever]

Ok, don't laugh at me but I wanted something for running these back roads in our county. We have over 300 square miles of dirt roads in our county and I haven't explored many of them. I had a sub $2000 budget and ended up with a brand new Tao Motors TBRX 250. $1600 assembled and out the door. Street legal.  Yes, it's a Honda CG 230 clone. You can actually buy them on Amazon and put them together yourself, but I found a local dealer that already did all that for me and the price was the same. I followed all the recomendations on some of the Facebook groups before I ever even rode it. Changed all the oils, adjusted the valves and clutch, replaced the carb with a good Nibbi carb. Now I have a nice, reliable dual sport that I'm having an absolute blast on, and I'm still under budget on it.  It'll run 65mph on the highway too. They're not for everyone, but for the tightwads out there like myself, it fills the bill very nicely.

I've added a rear "trunk" from Harbor Freight, tank bag, made a windshield, hand guards and put better nobby tires on it which completely changed the game. Since doing away with the air box due to the pod filter on the Nibbi, I had to add an oil catch can which I already had laying on the shelf.  Just throwing this out there for anyone in the market and haven't heard of these Chinese knock-offs that are surprisingly good for the money. I have zero regrets buying it and am having more fun than a barrel of monkeys. I'm right at 1,000 miles in just over a month and get 90+ mpg on it. I love it most for those quick trips to town when momma needs something picked up.

[steven c]

[

I.

"I chose the KLX300SM over the KLX300 because we don't really have single track trails here and I mostly ride back roads, farm roads, gravel roads, and forest service roads.  The adventure windscreen with central mount for the GPS, rear rack, and soft luggage (tail bag, saddlebags) really make this a nice travel bike". 

 Where did you get the adventure windscreen? I'm turning my 09 KLX250. 351 into a light wight ADV. I did some gravel back road riding this fall in the Berkshires on my DL650 which did great (only one dirt nap)but there where a lot of sections I would have been happier on the KLX!

[SIR REAL ED]

Ok, don't laugh at me but I wanted something for running these back roads in our county. We have over 300 square miles of dirt roads in our county and I haven't explored many of them. I had a sub $2000 budget and ended up with a brand new Tao Motors TBRX 250. $1600 assembled and out the door. Street legal.  Yes, it's a Honda CG 230 clone. You can actually buy them on Amazon and put them together yourself, but I found a local dealer that already did all that for me and the price was the same. I followed all the recomendations on some of the Facebook groups before I ever even rode it. Changed all the oils, adjusted the valves and clutch, replaced the carb with a good Nibbi carb. Now I have a nice, reliable dual sport that I'm having an absolute blast on, and I'm still under budget on it.  It'll run 65mph on the highway too. They're not for everyone, but for the tightwads out there like myself, it fills the bill very nicely.

I've added a rear "trunk" from Harbor Freight, tank bag, made a windshield, hand guards and put better nobby tires on it which completely changed the game. Since doing away with the air box due to the pod filter on the Nibbi, I had to add an oil catch can which I already had laying on the shelf.  Just throwing this out there for anyone in the market and haven't heard of these Chinese knock-offs that are surprisingly good for the money. I have zero regrets buying it and am having more fun than a barrel of monkeys. I'm right at 1,000 miles in just over a month and get 90+ mpg on it. I love it most for those quick trips to town when momma needs something picked up.

Good for you on experimenting Luap!

People not trusting these new brands at low prices often reminds me of people not trusting Honda, Datsun, Toyota, Hyundai, etc.

Quality Control in manufacturing is becoming less a sign of skilled craftsmanship than ever before.

Very easy to imagine that the everything will be produced at approximately the same of level of quality no matter the country or company of origin.

[Johncolleary]

Went ahead and pulled the trigger.  It actually fits me pretty good.  Will get a lower seat but I think that is all I need.  Thanks for the feed back.



copy pictures

[steven c]

 

[steven c]

[tommy2cyl]

Congrats!  Good choice.