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Downsizing, how far will you go?

klaviator said:
I get 70 MPG pretty consistently on my KLX. Ridden conservatively I can get high 70s but I rarely do that. If I really flog it gas mileage sometimes drops into the high 60s. I ride the KLX for fun. I almost never use it as a commuter because my 150cc scooters are so much more convenient and they get around 85 MPG.
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That seems almost unbelievable. My KLX never got more than about 52 when stock. It only went down from there. Off road at a fast pace was mid 20's.

I kept the CV carb as it had better mileage and the power gain from the edelbrock was negligible. A dyno jet kit and it was good to go, started first kick every time.
 
BDKW1 said:
That seems almost unbelievable. My KLX never got more than about 52 when stock. It only went down from there. Off road at a fast pace was mid 20's.

I kept the CV carb as it had better mileage and the power gain from the edelbrock was negligible. A dyno jet kit and it was good to go, started first kick every time.
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Mine's fuel injected. My buddy who has a 2010 model gets around 60 MPG. Are you sure we are talking about the same bike? The KLX250 doesn't have a kick starter. Maybe the pre 2009 version did.

I had a 2001 KDX200 which had a kick start and got terrible gas mileage around 20-30 MPG.
 
klaviator said:
Mine's fuel injected. My buddy who has a 2010 model gets around 60 MPG. Are you sure we are talking about the same bike? The KLX250 doesn't have a kick starter. Maybe the pre 2009 version did.

I had a 2001 KDX200 which had a kick start and got terrible gas mileage around 20-30 MPG.
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My 2021 fuel injected KLX300 gets 65-70 mpg hauling my 6’4” 220lb self around at a moderate to brisk pace. I owned a DRZ400S for several years and spent quite a bit of time searching for the missing 6th gear. The KLX300 has perfect gearing for what it is intended for…..now, if it had just come with fuel tank with a useable 2.5 gallons of fuel.
 
klaviator said:
Mine's fuel injected. My buddy who has a 2010 model gets around 60 MPG. Are you sure we are talking about the same bike? The KLX250 doesn't have a kick starter. Maybe the pre 2009 version did.

I had a 2001 KDX200 which had a kick start and got terrible gas mileage around 20-30 MPG.
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2000 KLX300.

KDX is 2 stroke, 20-30 was good for those.

I would be willing to bet even on the FI ones I would get worse mileage.

Take my T700 for example. Everybody "it gets low 50's" My average mileage over 9K miles was about 38. Low side was 30mpg. It took 7 gallons each way from coldfoot to Prudhoe bay. That's 242 miles each way and 34.5mpg.
 
BDKW1 said:
That seems almost unbelievable. My KLX never got more than about 52 when stock. It only went down from there. Off road at a fast pace was mid 20's.

I kept the CV carb as it had better mileage and the power gain from the edelbrock was negligible. A dyno jet kit and it was good to go, started first kick every time.
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It does seem unbelievable, but thumpers seem to get great fuel mileage. My XR400 and XL500 both stayed in the 60-65mpg range with me hanging on the throttle. Never tagged my 520 EXC, but it gets like 35mpg riding tight eastern trails and ripping around turn courses. Really surprising how long I can rip around in the woods on that thing on a tank of fuel. But that engine is crazy and just doesn't require the throttle to be opened very far. Power wheelies in fifth with like a quarter turn of grip.

The 300 EXC, however, is a thirsty thing. Two tanks a day is about it's norm.
 
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BDKW1 said:
2000 KLX300.

KDX is 2 stroke, 20-30 was good for those.

I would be willing to bet even on the FI ones I would get worse mileage.

Take my T700 for example. Everybody "it gets low 50's" My average mileage over 9K miles was about 38. Low side was 30mpg. It took 7 gallons each way from coldfoot to Prudhoe bay. That's 242 miles each way and 34.5mpg.
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Kinda glad I went with the 2022klr. I get 62mpg.
 
BDKW1 said:
2000 KLX300.

KDX is 2 stroke, 20-30 was good for those.

I would be willing to bet even on the FI ones I would get worse mileage.

Take my T700 for example. Everybody "it gets low 50's" My average mileage over 9K miles was about 38. Low side was 30mpg. It took 7 gallons each way from coldfoot to Prudhoe bay. That's 242 miles each way and 34.5mpg.
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Wasn't the 2000 KLX300 a dirt bike, not a street legal dual sport? They were tuned much richer since they didn't have to meet emissions. The later KLX 250s were tuned very lean so they got better mileage.

I rode with someone who had put a big bore kit on a KLX250 and I think a bigger carb tuned for performance not emissions. We had stop at about every gas station so he could fill up.

Of course how you ride affects mileage. On most of my bikes I get around average mileage compared to what I read others get on the forums. On the other hand I wear out tires much faster than what most people post.
 
klaviator said:
Wasn't the 2000 KLX300 a dirt bike, not a street legal dual sport? They were tuned much richer since they didn't have to meet emissions. The later KLX 250s were tuned very lean so they got better mileage.

I rode with someone who had put a big bore kit on a KLX250 and I think a bigger carb tuned for performance not emissions. We had stop at about every gas station so he could fill up.

Of course how you ride affects mileage. On most of my bikes I get around average mileage compared to what I read others get on the forums. On the other hand I wear out tires much faster than what most people post.
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Correct, not even remotely the same bike.
 
The Dyna sort of ruined a lot of bikes for me. I rode a WR250 around and that thing had nothing to it. Like riding a chainsaw. I don't think I can do anything under 650 ever again. Even my GSXF and DR feel limp.
 
Torque ruins you for sure.

Important to distinguish between WR 250 R and F models.

The F's are way lighter than the R's and with YZ cams in a F model it'll rip. But it still suffers on the highway.

I went on a trip with a close buddy a few years back. Me on a XR400 and him on a stock aluminum framed WR250F. Both with light luggage. Anything above 45mph the 250 would fall behind the pack. I would fall back behind him and put my boot and on his muffler, lock my knee and push him with my 400. We'd pick up 5 or more mph depending on the grade 😁

I FINALLY got him to ride my 520 in the woods after him being intimidated by it forever. "It's too much bike for me". No, it's not. You just don't have to ride it hard because there's an excess of power available. One lap around the loop and he came back with his mouth open. "This thing is so easy to ride. It can't stall and it'll take off anywhere". I tried to tell ya!
 
Craig Vetters last big project was modifying a 250 cc Honda Helix scooter with the aim of reaching 70 mph,, with 30 mph headwind. All while getting nearly 100 mpg. That little thing is/was his favorite ride.

Meanwhile a friend of mine has bought a Goldwing for "adventure riding". :rofl

Just goes to show that no two people are the same.
 
Well my DL1000 is kinda cool to ride to work. But 3in of rain in an hr and getting smacked by some big oak slabs makes me wish I rode the tw by the end of the day. I guess riding out of a swamped logging yard on a beast strom would make great pics though. A gs would be great if I wasnt racked up from work. My vstar1300 which smacks down every harley I have owned or ridden..over 300 hogs easily is a useless bike to me.. I am tempted to trade it in on a vstar 250, a burg 200 or a 300x.

I have a revtec 100 engine and 6 speed trans for a wide tire chassis. I should buy a standard rigid frame and sell the wide tire frame. A 450lb rigid with jap forks and sumo wheels would be down sizing. The vstar weighs 670lb but is easier to push around than the strom. A low center of gravity hides weight. And great ergos makes riding easier. Basically scooters and dual sports win in this game! I see the bdr pics of fallen trees and think my tw would ride over or be dragged under that mess. Same for my old cpi 50cc 2 stroke scooter. I find it comical until it is not funny. My xt landed on top of me once. It was everything I could do to unpin myself. A gs...I might have been found days or weeks later.
 
Simmons1 said:
Correct, not even remotely the same bike.
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They are extremely closely related. All motor parts swap. The newer ones are just heavier due to all the luxury items like electric start.

Yes, 2000 was sold as a dirt bike. Up until 04 you could get plates for them in Komifornia it you added lights and a horn.

I kinda filled out the brake and light inspection paper work myself and turned it in. The DMV never actually looks at the bike. Or checks to see if the paperwork is legit. :lol2

But riding style has the biggest impact on mileage. There's no denying I drive like an asshole.
 
I think some riders get the appeal of small "underpowered" bikes and some don't. It has nothing to do with specs like power or weight or power to weight ratio. Small bikes like the Grom are just fun in a very different way from a high powered liter bike. The Grom Was Honda's best selling street bike in the USA since it was introduced. That's not just because is was inexpensive. Honda's other mini motos have been good sellers as well, especially the Trail Cub. I've been following an ride report on another forum of a couple on an epic trip two up on a trail cub. They started in Oklahoma, rode west and then north to Alaska, then to Tuk, then back to Alaska. They're still riding. That's not something I would or could do but I see the appeal.

I also see the appeal of a really powerful bike. If we didn't have speed limits I'd probably own one but I want to keep my license.
 
Storage...can be a good reason for small bikes. I have a small shed stuffed full of small bikes. Bigger bikes need bigger garages..if you collect bikes. It is easier to own one bagger and a bunch of minis and dualsports. But a bunch of baggers and big adv bikes is going to take up some space. Even a klr is a big bike for garage foot print space. About the same as a strom. Both take up more space than the wifes sportster. I have hung lightweights from the rafters.

There are multiple forms of dowsizing. My biggest mistake was collecting too many bikes that require batteries and paperwork. I would rather have speedway and trials bikes collecting dust. No batteries and no title/tax issues. If I titled all my bikes to my current state the yearly tax bill would be way over $1000 till sold. In ohio I could rotate plated bikes on prorated plates and no property taxes. All the bikes were cycled year to year. Now 3 plated bikes is a pain. I have to get all 3 inspected yearly. Not a big deal but a major sap on valuable time. I also tip who ever does the inspection because most places are too busy...which sucks up more time and money. I use to cycle through 10-12 bikes year to year in ohio. Basically I was influenced to downsize by moving to different state with higher costs to bike ownership. Kinda miss riding what I want when I want with a few dollars and a phone call. One bmv trip and I would keep one plate and get 3 different.

If I sold everything with paperwork and rode a new 1050 strom or even a gs1300 would that be downsizing? There is more than just the weight of a bike.
 
Its comical. I would change bikes by the day or switch at lunch. 1983 flht shovel in the morning and 1985 golden bullet coming back from lunch. I upsized and downsized daily in ohio. Even funnier at 0°F...a vino125 and A55 fired but were terrible snow bikes. My xt had a blanket to hold in yesterdays heat after those days.
 
Danno said:
Storage...can be a good reason for small bikes. I have a small shed stuffed full of small bikes. Bigger bikes need bigger garages..if you collect bikes. It is easier to own one bagger and a bunch of minis and dualsports. But a bunch of baggers and big adv bikes is going to take up some space. Even a klr is a big bike for garage foot print space. About the same as a strom. Both take up more space than the wifes sportster. I have hung lightweights from the rafters.

There are multiple forms of dowsizing. My biggest mistake was collecting too many bikes that require batteries and paperwork. I would rather have speedway and trials bikes collecting dust. No batteries and no title/tax issues. If I titled all my bikes to my current state the yearly tax bill would be way over $1000 till sold. In ohio I could rotate plated bikes on prorated plates and no property taxes. All the bikes were cycled year to year. Now 3 plated bikes is a pain. I have to get all 3 inspected yearly. Not a big deal but a major sap on valuable time. I also tip who ever does the inspection because most places are too busy...which sucks up more time and money. I use to cycle through 10-12 bikes year to year in ohio. Basically I was influenced to downsize by moving to different state with higher costs to bike ownership. Kinda miss riding what I want when I want with a few dollars and a phone call. One bmv trip and I would keep one plate and get 3 different.

If I sold everything with paperwork and rode a new 1050 strom or even a gs1300 would that be downsizing? There is more than just the weight of a bike.
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I have 5 bikes, a truck and my wife's SUV. Tags are relatively cheap in Alabama but we also pay an annual Ad Velorum tax. I paid all that a couple of weeks ago and the total for all those vehicles was around 450 bucks. My Kymco scooter was under $20 for tag and tax. Small inexpensive bikes don't have much tax. My truck is old so the tax on that is under $5. We don't have inspections here so that save a lot of time and money.

Insurance on my small bikes is also dirt cheap. I'm pretty sure the insurance on all 5 bikes is less than it would be on one high performance motorcycle.

The cost of tires is also much less for my small bikes. I can replace the tires on all of my three smallest bikes for less than one set of tires for my Versys.
 
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