2424 replies to this topic

[dataquest TT Member]

I figure I will start a dedicated thread for the new XT250 since I can't find one and I recently purchased this bike. I will report my experience attained with the bike here and I hope everyone else who has experience with the bike will also. Thanks, and happy riding.

[locopostie TT Newbie]

Cograts on your bike. I glad to see some ride info on the xt.  It's one of the bikes I have been looking at. To use exploring the west coast. This area has thousands of miles of old logging roads, and trails. I would have to ride some main roads to get to them. How do you find your bike on blacktop, and what is it's comfortable cruising speed?

[outlaw_ji TT Newbie]

ditto on the question above

[dataquest TT Member]

Hello Outlaw_ji. I got your PM the other day. Thanks. The XT250 feels fine on the road. It is extremely maneuverable because of the light weight and short wheelbase. I don't know if you have owned any bikes before or not, but this is a dual sport and they tend to make them with lower gearing than normal street bikes. So be aware that it will seem that when shifting through the gears, you will think that there are more to go, but unfortunately there are no more. Most dual sports are made this way. This bike is a 5 speed. Now it will go 65 mph if you want to or need to, but it isn't something you wanna do for very long because it will be revving very fast at that speed. But the motor seems very well capable of doing this for extended amounts of time. And it doesn't vibrate at all! I guess Yamaha figured out that nobody likes a buzzy tingling sensation in their hands and feet. Now I have my Garmin GPS mounted on it, so I know the true speed of the bike. I have had many bikes and I have found an extremely annoying problem that all of the Japanese manufacturers do on purpose to their bikes that they build. They make the speedometers read way faster than you are actually traveling!! I hate this with a passion!! It is about a 10% margin of error. So if the bike shows that you are going 60 mph, then you are really going about 53 or 54 mph! I guess they think we are idiots and can't tell the difference. But the odometers are pretty accurate and these are interconnected (speedometer and odometer), so this proves that they are doing it on purpose. Anyway I checked the top speed the other day on the bike with my gps. The bike showed that I was going around 85 or so, but my gps showed the true speed at 71.1 mph. I didnt want to hold it there for very long though, so I backed off. I just wanted to let you know of this annoyance, but remember it is the same with most Japanese bikes, I don't know about Harley's or German or Italian bikes, though.
Anyway, back to the XT250. The tires are really knobby, which I like, but I have found that these tires are Chen Sheng, or something like that. They are made in Korea. The front tire seems a little out of round. I can see it  when I ride and it tends to make the front end wobble a little bit. It is somewhat annoying. I bet if it had better quality tires on it, it would fix the problem.
Before I bought this bike, I researched it and the new Honda CRF230L. The Honda has quality brand name tires on it, though they are not as aggressive as the ones on the XT. But I would trade tires if I could. The reason I went with the Yamaha was because it seemed to fit me physically better. I sat on them both. And it also had a bigger engine, looked nicer, has the instruments with dual trip meters, a clock,  and higher handle bars. If I could change one thing on the bike by snapping my fingers, I would make the transmission a 6 speed, like the Honda. Oh, and a second thing that needs to be addressed is that the carberator is set very lean from the factory. This apparently was also the problem with the XT225. People figured out how to adjust the fuel and air screws to make it better and I  know that this will be the case with the 250 as well. When starting the engine cold, you have to use the choke for a long time compared to other bikes. But, once it is warmed up it runs great. I noticed a ticking sound coming from my bike when I came to stops. I thought it was a problem in the engine cam chain, but I really listened to where the sound was coming from and found out that it is just the muffler ticking from the heat. You know the sound that a lot of bikes make after you shut of the engine and they are cooling off, it is that sound, but it is loud enough on this bike to hear it while it is idling after it is warmed up. So, this is nothing to worry about.
This bike has really good acceleration as far as I am concerned. Now the speed at which it seems most comfortable cruising at is about 40 mph (gps speed). Nice and leisurely. But when I go to work I am usually in a hurry and travel at 55 to 60 actual speed. (The speedometer shows faster of course.) But it does it easily. It doesn't seem hard on the engine.
Oh, another good thing is the tank size. It is 2.6 gallons, so you can go a long ways on it before hitting reserve. The last tank I got 165 miles out of it before hitting reserve! This is awesome. I got 81.5 mpg!! Very good indeed. I weigh 165 lbs by the way.  
The seat is alright for a dual sport. And I like that I can stand up on the footpegs to rest my butt. That's where the tall bars come in handy.
Now, would I recommend this bike to you? Yes. But if I were you, I would consider trying to find new reviews on the new Honda CRF230l first. Why? Because I love Hondas and I hear that it starts very easily and is a blast to ride. And it DOES have a six speed and that is a very big plus for it. Yes, it has a smaller engine (230cc) but I don't think that it a big issue especially because it has the six speed. It has better quality tires, but they are not as knobby. They would probably be better on the street than the ones that come on the XT250. But my bike will rip around corners easily, even with knobbys. If I had a lot of money, I would buy both bikes. And then I could see which one is really the all around better bike for my needs. But of course, that is not gonna happen.
I have read in another forum that the Honda 230l has the widest ratio gearing out of any currently made dual sport. So I think that this translates to very good low speed and very good high speed gearing. On the street, cruising along on the Honda at 55 mph, your engine rpm's will be a little lower than riding at the same speed on the XT250. To me, that is a bonus. And it may be for you, too, I don't know.
But like I said, I really do like my bike
So, if you choose either of these bikes, you will be happy and have tons of fun, but do us a favor and give us a good review of whichever one you choose. Thanks, and happy riding.

[outlaw_ji TT Newbie]

thanks for the info. i have wore the bike out sitting on it in the showroom lol. the dealer who is a great friend of mine let me ride it behind the shop counldn't get it on the road no inspection sticker at the time. the bike fits me perfectly which is what i actually like about it. my friends have xr650l hondas and they seem too big for me. i had an 83 xt350 which i really miss sometimes. i have had several bikes in the past and right now i own 5. i have a 2001 midnight roadstar, 1998 ducati 900 monster, 1983 venture royale, 1977 xs650 standard and a 1976 triumph bonneville 750. so now i want something i can hit some dirt roads with. maybe some logging roads thrown in every now and then. so again i thank you for the reply and the very specific review

[dataquest TT Member]

outlaw_ji said:

thanks for the info. i have wore the bike out sitting on it in the showroom lol. the dealer who is a great friend of mine let me ride it behind the shop counldn't get it on the road no inspection sticker at the time. the bike fits me perfectly which is what i actually like about it. my friends have xr650l hondas and they seem too big for me. i had an 83 xt350 which i really miss sometimes. i have had several bikes in the past and right now i own 5. i have a 2001 midnight roadstar, 1998 ducati 900 monster, 1983 venture royale, 1977 xs650 standard and a 1976 triumph bonneville 750. so now i want something i can hit some dirt roads with. maybe some logging roads thrown in every now and then. so again i thank you for the reply and the very specific review

That's quite a range of bikes you have there! I just came back from a ride to town. It's about a 14 mile round trip. I really do like this bike. The transmission shifts very well up and down. I used to have a Yamaha TW200 and the transmission on it wasn't as good as this one. And the first gear on the TW200 was extremely low. The one on the XT250 is much more normal. Another thing that I forgot to mention that I like on this bike are the rear grab handles. They are very strong and come in handy not only for tying things down on the seat but also for moving the bike around. I have a shed that I put my bike in every day and it has a ramp up to it. I grab the left handlebar with my left hand and the left grab handle with my right hand and it makes it so easy to push up the ramp. And right below that grab handle is the lockable helmet holder, which I tried, and it works great, especially since you don't have to worry about melting your helmet on a muffler like some other bikes (because the muffler is on the other side.) The headlight works fine, nothing to complain about there. The other day I checked the air pressure for the first time (I know I should have done it sooner). And they were a little high, so I lowered the pressure to the required specs according to my weight: Front 18 lbs. rear 22 lbs. (0-198 lbs). And it felt a little squishier; not bad, but I think that it made the front end wobble a little more at low speeds, due to the crappy Korean tire which is not perfectly round like better tires are. I may put some more air back in it tomorrow before I go on my next ride to see if that helps. I will let you know how it goes.
By the way, this bike handles extremely well on the street driving around town. I can really zoom around much more easily than on a bigger heavier bike. It's a lot of fun. And running through the gears is easy. Oh, I almost forgot! The brakes are really breaking in nicely. The rear disc really helps. It can stop very quickly, much better than a drum brake.
And another thing that I just remembered learning the day I bought it, it takes the same oil filter as the XT225, just in case anyone was wondering. I changed it after 77 miles. Well, that's about all for now. Let me know if anyone has any more questions. I will be glad to try and answer them. Take care.
,Robert.

[dataquest TT Member]

Yesterday I went on another 100 mile ride and had a blast, though I wish I could find some offroad places to ride. That's a bad thing about central Texas, everywhere you go, you are surrounded by private land. So, you are restricted to the street. Anyway, the I got to check the gas mileage again. It is very consistent. Right at 165.1 miles, I went on reserve. That is the exact same mileage as the last tank. And I got 81.6 mpg. That is one tenth of a mile per gallon better than the last tank. I love great gas mileage. You can't do that with a big bike.
For a 250, this bike will really get up and go. I was in 4th gear and zooming around some back country roads going up a small hill, when I gunned it. In no time I was flyin'!  It's a lot of fun to be able to rip around corners. I have probably had around 13 or 14 bikes in my past and this makes the second dual sport that I have had. The first was a TW200. And I find it easier to maneuver than the sport bikes that I have had! I have had a Suzuki Katana 600 and a 2006 Suzuki SV-650. This XT 250 is more fun in my opinion.
I bet the new Honda CRF230L is a lot of fun, too. I wonder if the XT250 would beat it in a drag race? The 250 has a 5 speed and the CRF230 has a 6 speed. I am thinking that the 250 would win. But I know that isn't what they are built for.
Anyway, it's a fun little bike that only needs a few improvements:
*Some higher quality tires that are actually round.
*Some tweaking of the carburetor to make it start easier without having to use the choke for so long.
*A skid plate to protect the underside.
That's all that I can think of right now. It has a loud horn by the way. Brakes are working better and better the more I ride it. I went slowly down a very steep incline yesterday and it took very little pressure to bring it to a stop. I am really glad they put a bigger front disc on it and added a rear disc, too. (As opposed to the XT225.) It's a long overdue addition that really improves the capabilities of the bike.
I am trying to talk about all of the aspects of this new bike that I can think of because I bet anyone who is looking into buying this bike will have their questions answered before buying. I couldn't find much info at all before I purchased. So I am trying to help everyone's decision making easier.
In my opinion, there are only 2 bikes in this category to choose between, this one, and the Honda CRF230L. I am trying to cover this one, and hopefully someone who buys the Honda will cover that one. That way, everyone will have as much info they can get without actually being able to test ride them. Ok I have rambled on long enough. Thanks for reading.
,Robert.

[RickyPanecatyl TT Bronze Member]

DataQuest - good to hear someone else with mention my pet peave with speedometers ... I have a Garmin 60CSx mounted to my bars that is a reality check for my speed.

I don't know if you would know this, but I know some states in the US have different laws as to the minimum size/cc's you can ride on the freeway.  Washington (I think) says that 250 is the smallest size permited on the freeway.  I was wondering if that was the name, or the actual/technical cc size ... another words would a 250 that was technically a 248 be allowed on the freeway?

Any thoughts on how the XT would compare to the WRR or Kawasaki's KLX250?

ricky

[dataquest TT Member]

Hello RickyPanecatyl. I have heard about bikes less than 250cc not being allowed on freeways. But I am uncertain about the exact engine displacement  that would be prohibited. I think here in Texas that they are allowed. But I wouldn't want to ride mine on I-35. It could do it, but it would really be revving fast. It wouldn't be any fun. I used to have a Honda Rebel that I would ride on the highway sometimes because it was geared higher than this XT250, so it wouldn't be a big deal.
As far as your last question about how it would compare to the WR250 and the klx20s: Well, both of those bikes have dual overhead cam, watercooled, 4 valve engines and both should produce quite a few more horsepower than the XT250. And the klx250s has a 6 speed transmission, which should help keep the revs a little lower on the street, but that depends on how they geared it. I don't have first hand knowledge of these bikes, but I was interested in the 2009 klx250 because of all that it offered, but in the end, it was too expensive and probably too tall for me. (I am 5 ft 6.) But the Xt250 has plenty of power to keep me happy. Thanks for the questions.

[fendermon TT Bronze Member]

I wouldn't sweat how many gears there are too much. I did that with my dr650 for a long time because the 350 has six, and I had to be real picky on my sprocket sizes to like what I had. Someone posted the total gear spread and it turns out they are they are identical.

Sure, lots of gears are good...but that dosen't mean a bike is geared how you want it.

My friend has a klx 300 (six speed) and first is so low I have no use for it at all. A smooth, evenly spaced, five speed trumps a poorly designed six.

[jpman TT Newbie]

New 08 XT250 owner here also. I wanted a air cooled 250 to ride dirt and back roads to the trails. The previous KLR650 I had was just to much for the
trails I like to ride. At 5' 7" 145lbs the bike is great.

[dataquest TT Member]

jpman said:

New 08 XT250 owner here also. I wanted a air cooled 250 to ride dirt and back roads to the trails. The previous KLR650 I had was just to much for the
trails I like to ride. At 5' 7" 145lbs the bike is great.

Hello and welcome jpman! Glad to hear that you like your new xt250 too. Feel free to give reviews on different aspects of the bike when you can. We would love to hear more from you.

[kdtrull TT Newbie]

jpman said:

New 08 XT250 owner here also. I wanted a air cooled 250 to ride dirt and back roads to the trails. The previous KLR650 I had was just to much for the
trails I like to ride. At 5' 7" 145lbs the bike is great.

I just got mine today.  It was raining....as it always is when I get a new bike.
I put on the rain gear and clocked in a quick 5 miles on the county roads.  
4th gear felt good on the road.
The tires seemed a little squishy....maybe a combo of rain and low pressure.  Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful....I'll check the pressures and have another tour.

I love the seat height.  I always felt a little overchallenged on my KLR650.  

jpman, I live in NW Alabama and could use a buddy to hit the trails with.  I don't like to get too carried away when I'm alone on the trail.

kdtrull

[dataquest TT Member]

All right, another person to add to the slowly growing group of new XT250 owners! Welcome kdtrull, and be sure to let us here how your next ride went. Oh, and by the way, see if your front tire wobbles a little but. Mine does. Not the wheel, just the Korean made tire. I am curious to see if mine is just bad or is it more common with this tire. I checked the tire pressure and found it to be a little high for my weight (165 lbs) so I set it at 18 lbs in front, but found that it made it wobble more at slow speed. So I put 22 lbs in it and it is a little better. Have fun out there.
Robert.

[RichardU TT Bronze Member]

The tires on my wife's XT225 wobbled when we bought it in 2004. I had never ridden knobbies on the road before, and by the time we realized it wasn't normal we had nearly 1,000 miles on the bike. Still, Yamaha replaced both tires and re-laced the wheels under warranty. That contravenes some of the stories you read about how manufacturers will do anything possible to escape warranty obligations.

[kdtrull TT Newbie]

Logged another 35 miles this afternoon....not much but we've been pretty busy working on the house.  The squishy is either gone or I've already gotten used to it....I think it is gone.  I suspect it was a combo. of new tires and the rain although my tires were somewhat overpressurized....front 30psi, rear 35psi.  I lowered them to 22/25 for today's ride.

I do, however, have the "ChengShin wobble". But it is not severe and you really cant tell unless you let go of the bars and watch.  I don't like it one bit but I suppose I'll tolerate it for a while....just a little disappointed....I would expect more for my 4 grand.

I hit some old washed-out gravel roads today.  I love the suspension.

I managed to stray from the county roads onto a 2 track dirt/mud road I found on the way.  That's when I encountered the the obsessively reclusive land owner who refused to let me continue.  I had about 40 yards to go to get back on the county road but instead had to turn around and ride the 1/2 mile or so back the way I came.  I can kinda' understand folks not wanting to get their land abused but I'm a 40 year old fat man putting around at 12mph....not exactly a threat to nature.

I was relieved to see that cruising at 60mph(indicated) was not a strain on the machine.  I didn't do it for long or try to go any faster until the engine gets some more hours on it.

Vibration is much less than the KLR was at speed. But, I was surprised by the engine noise.  One thing I was really hoping for was a quiter cruise than the KLR but really it is about the same.

Overall, I am pleased.  This is my first 250 and I think I finally have a machine that I can handle comfortably.

Can't wait to hit the trails.

[jbobst TT Bronze Member]

Just brought it home this afternoon.  So far, I really like it, but I have only put 11 miles on it.  I'll be out of town the next two days, so I can't ride it again until Tuesday.  I am "down sizing" from my 2000 Suzuki DR650.  I am a good size guy...5' 11" and 210 lbs, but I am just tired of trying to man handle my 650 off road and dropping it all the time while trying to climb technical hills and things like that.  I know my new XT is not an aggressive dirt bike, but I think it will do just fine for me.  I would like a sixth gear however for street use, and I do go on the freeway about once a week...I may have to start taking surface streets completely know, but I want to wait until I break it in before I start doing highway speeds consistently.  I'll post more as I get to know it better.  Any other new owners in Arizona???

[jpman TT Newbie]

kdtrull said:

I just got mine today.  It was raining....as it always is when I get a new bike.
I put on the rain gear and clocked in a quick 5 miles on the county roads.  
4th gear felt good on the road.
The tires seemed a little squishy....maybe a combo of rain and low pressure.  Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful....I'll check the pressures and have another tour.

I love the seat height.  I always felt a little overchallenged on my KLR650.  

jpman, I live in NW Alabama and could use a buddy to hit the trails with.  I don't like to get too carried away when I'm alone on the trail.

kdtrull

Kdtroll,
My KLR650 was nice on the Interstate running 70-80mph but
was too tall and heavy in the woods or trail.
Btw: I'm in Tuscaloosa.

[jbobst TT Bronze Member]

My front wheel seems to wobble too.  I am wondering if it's worth while to take it to a motorcycle shop for a quick balance.

Does anyone know if there is a skid plate available for the new XT250?  I imagine it would have to be a 3rd party thing, but since the bike is so new, maybe there are none available yet.  I don't think I want to do the usual rides around here without one.

Does anyone know if there is any sort of rear cargo rack available?  I know the fender and tail light stalk have a sort of flat "rack" look, but I would like something that get's items off the plastic.  There are these rounded rubber "plugs" on the rear fender that look like they are covering holes designed to hold something.  Maybe some sort of rack...

This is my first NEW bike.  The owners manual says to change the oil at 600 miles.  Should I do it sooner?  I notice that someone mentioned that they changed it around 50-60 miles?

[weasel2 TT Newbie]

Hi, I just bought a xt 250 and i have 162 miles on it, i talked to the people at pro moto billet and they will have a rear rack for our bikes in a few months. im glad to have found other people who have my same bike.