Now that is what I was looking for!!!
Since this state seems to be more about generating money than to take care of its citizens I will be moving to Tennessee for my education. This bike would be used for long trips, 2 to 3 hours riding at the most, to get to and from school and other things since it is so wide-open in the country. A 6-Speed would be grand!
I've riden a set of Honda 250XR's?, 4-stroke trail bikes, since I was 11 years old or so with my unc. We trailed them.. jumped them.. and just trashed out there in the open. I wouldn't say I am the best rider in the world, but I would say I am confident on a 250.. with plenty of room to learn!
--can I ask why so stuck on the 250cc? With experience riding off-road like that and those goals for riding especially with the trips and mild off-roading life would be easier with something common like the klr. It just makes the trips between school and home a ton easier and if a girl ever wants a ride on the back the 250 will be lacking
Would it be advantageous to bore the engine to around a 300cc?
I'd have to start looking into engine options to see if I might just get a frame and piece it together as I do not need to get a bike right out when I move there. I'm looking for power on-demand, similar to the difference of a V8 and a B16. If I get on the throttle I want to go, I just don't need a really high top end.
--depends on the bike with the big overbores. In general it reduces reliability and some other work is often needed like a new cam, exhaust or carb to actually make the most of it. It most likely won't be as problem free as if you left it stock. Heat is often an issue with overbores and tons of motorwork. There really isn't a 250cc out there that offers power on demand.....they have to be wound out all the time and since they're all singles they all have some torque and don't have to be revved out like a 4cyl street bike. I'd compare a 250 to the 22re 4cyl in engines in the toyotas or the 2.4l in the little nissan trucks. For that "V8" only a 650 will really deliver
We do a lot of hunting out there and chasing down a deer, checking traps, or just getting out to our grounds is what the off-road would be. I just need some thing capable to handle what mother nature will throw at it given the suspension, brakes, tires, ect.
--thats pretty easy to do. Dual sports are all made for this kind of stuff
Also, this would be a purpose-built bike.. nothing off-the-shelf for me. Saddle bags on both sides for tools to repair out in the open as I will be camping out there a lot with nothing more than what I can carry. A few shotguns/rifles along with a pistol or two would be necessary. So a bike that has room for some type of McGuyver-ized rack or saddle back set-up is what I will be looking for. My main talent is making the best of what is at hand.. I hate going out and buying needless shit.
--check out advrider. Lots of people with nice stuff but a ton of people that made their own stuff or found a cheap alternative that works great. There's a specific thread on 250cc touring
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201349 that shows you what people do on them. The amount of crap they put on the bikes and the rides they do is often pretty impressive. Take some of it with a grain of salt because a lot of those guys have been riding for a long time and have a lot of off-road experience so they make it look easy. A ton of their trips would have been much easier and arguably more fun with a better bike. Most of those people have them as 2nd or 3rd bikes. The klr250 seems to be one of the more popular
I'm looking for the bike that is/was is highest production with the most amount of OEM and aftermarket support at the chepeast price.. kinda like the Acura I have (some one buy it!).
--klr650...simple as that. Every 3rd person advrider has owned one and its the most popular dual sport on there. People are downright fanatical about them. You can also really rack up the mileage on them. More people buy them than anything else. The model has been about the same for 20 years and parts are as cheap and plentiful as they come. The aftermarket on them is one of the strongest there is and you can get anything for them from racks to suspension to motorwork to supermoto kits. They're the easiest to find and are usually at decent prices because they were cheap to begin with. People have ridden them around the world many times and all over south america and are the perfect low buck adventure tourer. Also heard they do some decent wheelies
That's why I pointed out that klr650 to you
Thanks again!
Enigma