The bike buckled a little as we ran across the roundabout but it was so light and narrow that I maintained control. I don't normally take the shortest route through roundabouts but the sudden convergence of a couple of cages left me with little choice. The grass was slightly damp but the knobblies held a reasonable line. We were only doing 30mph, some of that speed gradually lost as I shut off the throttle and the increased resistance of the foot high grass began to bite.
The cages were still playing silly buggers. Squealing wheels in first or second, the engines screaming so that my eardrums were threatened. I glanced over at them, not that surprised to see midget sized kids, swilling beer, barely able to see over the steering wheels. They charged out of the roundabout, going wild on the horn when they made a pensioner jump back on the pavement, falling right over and showing the world her bloomers.
As I hit terra firma again I was gobsmacked to find a plod vehicle wailing out of a side turning and trying to run me off the road. When I pointed out the antics of the car thieves, which they must've been blind not to see, they merely said it was policy not to chase such people as it could cause serious accidents. And, anyway, I could hardly talk about breaking the law, using the roundabout as a trail course, could I? I was left clutching the ticket, amazed that they had been so annoyed with my lack of tax disc when so much criminal madness was going down nearby.
Phew! Got that lot of anger off my chest! Where were we? The KLR 250's a spiffing little bike that's quite nifty off-road. I use it for shooting through the local woods, not just for kicks it's also a short cut that saves ten minutes on the tarmac alternative. Some of the trees are dying, probably the effect of acid rain, the track littered with fallen branchs and odd whole tree trunk. The KLR gets up on the back wheel with little effort and when confronted by the more massive tree can be slid sideways with a twitch of the body and touch of the rear drum brake.
The only thing to watch out for is wet leaves when the invariably worn out knobblies will try to slide in different directions. Deeply corrugated MX boots hurriedly hitting the track are usually enough to save the 260lb hack from losing it all. Most of the bike is well tucked in, hitting the earth only likely to crack the plastic around the radiator or bounce the bendy front mudguard. It doesn't like riding along river beds, though, the spray will cause the thumper engine to stutter or completely cut out.
The '87 motor still puts out most of its claimed 28 horses at 9000 revs, although it did have one serious rebuild just before 30,000 miles. The engine's quite an advanced unit, watercooled, four valves and DOHC's, it'll rev to about ten grand but run quite freely at low revs.
One thing you shouldn't do is fit a non-standard exhaust as the carburation goes to pot, with flat spots between 4000 and 7000 revs and an engine with the same kind of power as a C90 at 9000 revs. I spent a small fortune on carb jets and airfilters to no effect whatsoever. This is bad news as I found that exhausts rust through after as little as two years. Welding metal over the holes helps for about a further year but by the time the baffles have rusted right through the bike's become very poor running.
Another chronic problem is the Uni-track bearings. Off-road abuse, with all the associated gunge that attacks them, means a strip and grease every three months with new seals mandatory. Even with that care I've never had the bearings last for more than a year. It almost makes me yearn for the old fashioned twin shock set-up. Almost because despite its wear problems the back end, with damping and springing turned up high to compensate for wear, always felt secure and controllable however mad the riding. Such are the mixed blessings of progress.
The air adjustable front forks are still running on the original seals even with 48000 miles on the clock. This thanks to the bright red gaiters, although these crack up after a couple of years and can usefully be replaced with superior aftermarket items. The ten inches of travel does mean they are a bit vague at speed, with the large guard catching the air and throwing the bars about if the motor's thrashed hard enough to put more than 80mph on the clock.
The ultimate top speed's 90mph. If I went for taller gearing it might even touch the ton. Vibration's always present but it's not so bad that it makes me back off or becomes tiresome on a long ride. When the rings were worn out the vibes became frenzied. By the time I'd stripped the engine down the bore, piston, rings, camchain, tensioner and valves all needed attention. Good used bits from a breaker were available cheaply so I went that route rather than getting into serious engineering. The motor was fairly easy to tear apart and light enough to carry into the comfort of the house, although the sump full of lubricant that somehow congealed on the hall carpet didn't go down too well with she who must be obeyed.
Road work's a varied bag. In town the 34 inch seat height gives a useful view over the top of stalled cars and it's dead easy to sneak through the lines of auto's. It's certainly fast enough to roar off from junctions way ahead of the cages and the suspension makes even the most intense pothole feel like a minor surface aberration. I didn't like the front disc much, though, as it lacked feel and would howl the tyre in the wet with no warning. The resulting slides enlivened the ride to work at times but I usually tried to combine the rear drum with a bit of engine braking.
The KLR was also jolly good fun through the back roads, where it could be leant right over until the tread started to deform. Fast turning as it was, the tighter the bends the better. I had great fun annoying normal motorcyclists on big multi's who'd find me sneaking inside their line, forcing them to head for the apex of the road and an involuntary game of chicken with oncoming traffic.
Of course, any kind of straight would see just about everyone blasting off into the distance, leaving me shaking in their wake. I found the Kawasaki incredibly boring on motorways as it didn't have the guts to safely make it out of the slow lane. Braking late into bends was also a no-no, unless you actually liked a locked up front end that sent the bike way wide.
Most of my riding was either town work or off-road. The limitations were no great thing until I took the bike touring. The 120 mile range from the two gallon main tank, with fuel around 60mpg, was limiting but no more so than the uncomfortable seat. I quickly gave up the planned route, amused myself by doing 200 to 300 miles a day down winding, bumpy country roads.
The lights made night riding dangerous but after a day in the saddle I was more interested in finding a pub or disco than hustling the KLR. After a couple of years I was inspired by a Paris Dakar racer that sported three huge headlights..... these were powered by a large car battery in the top-box. With about 200 watts of power suddenly switched on it caused the cagers to scatter and gave a clear view down the road for about a mile. Brilliant, in every sense of the word! They didn't last long because the bulbs kept blowing due to the vibration. It was good while it lasted.
The KLR's very versatile, then, up to most things that don't involve licence endangering speeds. If I was buying another one I'd definitely check the engine out with a compression tester, especially if there was more than 20,000 miles on the clock. There are a few good engines in breakers so if you come across a blown one, which is quite common, then there's the possibility of doing a cheap renovation.
The chassis is generally tough, just a matter of replacing the bearings when they wear out. The electrics were solid enough if not inspiring, the caliper only needed two rebuilds and the exhaust is the only bit likely to be affected by serious corrosion.
As an alternative to the more mundane commuters they make a lot of sense. Prices start at about £200 for a rat that needs loads of attention but it's probably better to buy a good one for around a grand that will have a few years life left in it. When mine gets to 50,000 miles I'm going to fit a newish motor.
H.L.