First real off road on the KLX 250 in Chiang Mai

KLX 250 in Chiang Mai

My first real off-road ride

I recently got a KLX 250 off road bike.  I'd been eyeing up various bikes over the last few months, street-bikes mainly however a combination of no access to credit here in Thailand (being a foreigner is tough here at times) and also my savings being eaten up by random events meant buying a bike in excess of 250,000THB is fairly difficult to achieve. 

Most bikes under 300cc are fairly cheap here, a few years old and you'll certainly save a bit.  I managed to come across a KLX 250cc for 90,000THB. Off-road bikes tend hold their value a lot more than road bikes, unless they are really beaten up or have a huge number of mileage on them (some do as some people tour up and down the country on them than follow trails) they won't ever decrease that much in value - such is the way in Thailand. So 90k is a pretty reasonable rate to pay for a bike here.   

I've ridden loads different bikes over the years and I rode a CRF250 (Honda's 250cc off road bike) but I never rode a KLX until I bought it. 

I read a few review that compared the KLX to the CRF, most reviewers said they were a fair comparison.  They're both dual-sports bikes in the same CC range, but the CRF is a slightly heavier and bulkier, which some people like but I ultimately dislike bulky bikes with small engines. I rode the 125cc version of the varadero in the UK but it's kinda pointless in many ways. I recently rode a rental Yamaha NXC and it was pretty crap, the read is huuuuuuge for such a small powered bike. It makes you wonder why they make them like that at all. 

I'm pleased to say the KLX 250 is not a chubby bike, which is good, because it shouldn't pretend to be something it's not. It's a field bike, adventure bike, a go anywhere bike, but it's not a highway cruiser. It weighs just over 100kgs, so it feels quite nimble on the roads. With a quick flick of the wrist and letting the clutch pop out it will easily fly up on to the back wheel.  So there is a certain "hooligan" feel to the bike.  I'm glad to live in Thailand as I don't think this bike would last five minutes outside my house in the UK. This bike is a teenage joy rider's dream!  It would be gone in the blink of an eye and around a farmer's field until the petrol ran out. 

For one of my first ride I took it around some gentle dirt roads and trails in the video above.  

I currently don't have an editing suite for my videos so it's just a plain and simple 10minute long continuous footage of me on my bike.  

I'll be back to type some more about my experiences of this bike soon.