KX250 Street legal Long shot???

[trailrider894]

Ha ha i had a crazy thought, what if you slapped the works on a kx250. Would it be able to be street legal??? I am sure it would NEVER pass an emission's test, but i don't think they do that in missouri on bikes. They don't even do it on cars unless you live in the city.

I know its a long shot and a crazy idea, so i don't need to be told i am an idiot.

[yellow02400ex]

there are older 2stroke on/off bikes that were street legal

[trailrider894]

Originally posted by yellow02400ex
there are older 2stroke on/off bikes that were street legal

Really? hmmm.... looks like i'll call the dmv and see what the law is.

[fastredrider44]

It can be done, it's just not really feesible. I converted my 525EXC to legal and got it licensed and swore the next time I would just buy one already done.

[CJM]

Whats so involved in doing it, you need headlights, blinkers and the stop lights? What else could you possibly need to make it street legal?

[fastredrider44]

Originally posted by CJM
Whats so involved in doing it, you need headlights, blinkers and the stop lights? What else could you possibly need to make it street legal?

Don't forget horn and mirrors. lol. You walk into your courthouse and tell them you are there to license a dirtbike and you will know exactly what I'm talking about.

[CJM]

Originally posted by fastredrider44
Don't forget horn and mirrors. lol. You walk into your courthouse and tell them you are there to license a dirtbike and you will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Ah I understand what you mean now.

[smr]

Originally posted by fastredrider44
Don't forget horn and mirrors. lol. You walk into your courthouse and tell them you are there to license a dirtbike and you will know exactly what I'm talking about.

hey chase, I'm doing that with my wr450. did they really check everything out?

I was just gonna mount some turn signals and break light. Then mount a GPS for a speed O.

I have a drv400s now that is street legal, lots of fun on the back roads at LBL.

[fastredrider44]

The problem wasn't the "inspection". That was a breeze. The problem I ran into was licensing an 04 model bike that had never been licensed. I had to apply for a title first, as all I had was the C/O. That wasn't too bad, but then the rig-a-ma-role began and I had to make several trips to the courthouse. Luckily I have friends up there and they helped me out. But it was definatley a hassle. As far as the speedo. I installed a Trail-Tech vapor and it's the peaches. It can do a lot of cool stuff, and was pretty cheap considering what all it does. My KTM overheats in traffic with no fan, so the temp gauge saves me.

[snacob14]

a cop that used to work at S&S Kawasaki in Festus,MO made his kx500 street legal.

[rooster300ex]

U would have to putt that 2 stroke around if it was street legal. I don't think 2 strokes are meant to putt around. just my .02.

[buck440]

when trying to register it say your putting lights, horn, signals, speedo, ect... on it to sound good to them and when you slap the plate on it take whatever you don't need off.

the biggest problem is lubrication. going 60mph and letting off the gas the motor is spinning pretty fast and not that much fuel/oil to lube it so that can cause problems. as someone said before, 2 strokes aren't meant to put around. i always fouled plugs putting around on my cr. if you live outside of town almost when you get in town you have to fill up just to make it home depending where you live. in theory it uses twice as much as fuel as a 4 stroke. idk if you ever had a 2 stroke in 5th gear high but it doesn't sound healthy leaving it there for long periods.

[Tommy Warren]

on my old drag sled if you didn't keep blipping the throttle after you crossed the finish line it would seize or blow due to lack of fuel and oil

[slightlybent47]

Besides the obvious things like turn signals, horn lights and so on, is the gas tank. A street legal bike has to have a steal gas tank.

Oh and dont forget DOT approved tires.

[fastredrider44]

As for the DOT tires, that's a good idea anyway really. Dirtbike tires don't grip and wear really really quick. As for the steel gas tank, Well, I didn't follow that one.:devil:

[slightlybent47]

DOT approved tires are basically the same as off road tires. You can get DOT approved tires that are 10% on and 90% off road or 20-80% or 30-70% and so on till you get to 100% street. The main thing I have found with any knobby tire, is on wet roads, they do not stop well at all, in fact just making a turn on wet roads with knobby’s is suicide.
Trust me I have ridden duel sport bike for years and I still have a KLX250 duel sport that I ride now. If it’s wet or raining and you run knobby’s please stay off the road till it dries or you’ll regret it.


Also I found that even on dry roads you have to run at least a 50-50 tire on the rear or it won’t stop very well even on dry roads.
I run a 50-50 on the rear and an 20% - 80% on the front.
Also the knobby tire is a little tricky to ride on pavement as they tend to drift around and feel slippery even on dry roads. They do grip in corners when it’s dry but you have to get used to them walking around on pavement.

[slightlybent47]

I get about 3000 miles out of a 80-20 tires and about 10,000 on 50-50 tires. Now the front tire will last 3 times longer then the rear.

[buck440]

Originally posted by slightlybent47
A street legal bike has to have a steal gas tank.



nope, many sportbikes have plastic tanks and most cars now days do to. it has to be a DOT approved tank. if the stock one isn't, some aftermarket plastic tanks say they are.

[slightlybent47]

Could be deferent states have deferent requirements. I was told it had to be steal, but it may have changed or the guy may have been wrong. My point is to not overlook the tank when converting a dirt bike into a duel sport.

[ProspectorJim]

Here are the requirements for PA as of 2008 or whenever they changed the laws around a few years ago. I'd imagine its not too far off of other states and can at least give you an idea of what you need. You're looking at around $600 for everything.

http://www.rorr.org/Subsite/Legalize_It.html

I've actually been looking into dual sporting/ supermotoing my 2008 ktm 250sxf that I've been trying to sell for months.
Having trouble finding a high output stator for it, so I might just go with a battery set up.Thing would be so fun on the windy backrounds that I live on.

[krt400ex]

it depends on the VIN. there is a letter in the VIN that will tell if the vehicle is for off road use only, competition use only, etc. with a kx250 it would be hard to do because of that unless there was a way to get a title from kawi saying that it was for road use as well. as far as emissions, i know here i jersey they dont do emissions on bikes(or at least they never used to), so that wouldnt be a problem. i wanted to make he quad legal but the title was the only issue because it states the quad is for off road competition only

[kfx400rider03]

Originally posted by krt400ex
it depends on the VIN. there is a letter in the VIN that will tell if the vehicle is for off road use only, competition use only, etc. with a kx250 it would be hard to do because of that unless there was a way to get a title from kawi saying that it was for road use as well. as far as emissions, i know here i jersey they dont do emissions on bikes(or at least they never used to), so that wouldnt be a problem. i wanted to make he quad legal but the title was the only issue because it states the quad is for off road competition only

no inspection on bikes in jersey anymore. they did away with it last august.
and i do believe you need a steal gas tank. my friend has a drz400 and everything on it is the same as a dirtbike besides a metal gas tank

[ProspectorJim]

Originally posted by kfx400rider03
no inspection on bikes in jersey anymore. they did away with it last august.
and i do believe you need a steal gas tank. my friend has a drz400 and everything on it is the same as a dirtbike besides a metal gas tank

check the KTM's. NO steel tank to be found and still road legal. There are also plenty of Bikes made street legal with no steel gas tank.

Never call the bike a dirtbike when youre asking the dmv questions as dirtbike means illegal on the street. They'll shut you down in seconds. Refer to it as a motorcycle.

[250R-Dee]

Too bad you aren't in Japan because we have all kinds of 2-smokes over here that are street legal.

Info for those people who think 2-strokes are not street legal. Many of the bikes listed below were actually sold in the US. Some of them are V2, V3 and inline 4.

Dual purpose:
Honda CRM250AR is an ECM controlled 2-stroke that runs cleaner than many 4 strokes.
Suzuki RMX250 - I have the off road version that has a plastic tank.
Kawasaki KDX250/KDX500

Street:
Honda NSR250/NSR400/ (NS250/NS500/NSR500 were race only)
Suzuki RGV250/RGV350/RGV500
Yamaha RZ250/RZ350/RZ500R (US version uses the RD moniker)
Kawasaki KR250/KR350/KR500

[fastredrider44]

My VIN shows up as 2004 KTM525EXC-G Racing. That's a fun one to explain and get insurance for. liability is $84, a year. Full coverage is over three times that, per month.:eek2:

[slightlybent47]

Just buy a duel sport and be done with it. I was going to convert one but in Texas you have to have a steal tank. Plus adding everything else would make it more expensive then a duel sport bike. I agree that it’s not the same animal but the duel sport bikes out there are pretty fast and are fairly close to a dirt bike. Basically they have taken a dirt bike and made it street legal for you.
I will admit it is a blast to ride down the road till I see a trail and to see where it goes. Then hop back on the street and find another one. It also makes those little runs where you don’t need a car a lot more affordable.
My KLX duel sport gets 75 mpg and will run 70mph down the highway all day long.
I’ve put over 45 k on it already and she still runs great.

[ProspectorJim]

Originally posted by slightlybent47
Just buy a duel sport and be done with it. I was going to convert one but in Texas you have to have a steal tank. Plus adding everything else would make it more expensive then a duel sport bike. I agree that it’s not the same animal but the duel sport bikes out there are pretty fast and are fairly close to a dirt bike. Basically they have taken a dirt bike and made it street legal for you.
I will admit it is a blast to ride down the road till I see a trail and to see where it goes. Then hop back on the street and find another one. It also makes those little runs where you don’t need a car a lot more affordable.
My KLX duel sport gets 75 mpg and will run 70mph down the highway all day long.
I’ve put over 45 k on it already and she still runs great.

If you already have the bike its not cheaper. But I agree buying a dualsport from the beginning is usually the best option especially if the bikes Orange and has 3 letters on the side.


Originally posted by fastredrider44
My VIN shows up as 2004 KTM525EXC-G Racing. That's a fun one to explain and get insurance for. liability is $84, a year. Full coverage is over three times that, per month.:eek2:

Yea, I'm hoping if I make mine a dual sport/eventual supermoto, the fact that its a 250 will help me.

[fastredrider44]

I put the Sumo wheels on mine to make it a little more road friendly. I still have the dirt setup though. With a dirtbike, it will be a blast on country roads, town, and curvy roads, but straight stretches suck. I literally get bored if I go over a mile on a straight. It's just not comfortable enough to be fun. If I get another dual sport, it will be a factory KTM dual sport. I will not convert another one unless it's too good of a deal to pass up.

[slightlybent47]

My KLX 250 is a little under powered but I think it’s been detuned quite a bit though. I have a friend that has the same bike and he did some work to it and his is way faster then mine. My next duel sport will be a 450 that is if I can find one.lol both Honda and Kawasaki don’t offer a 450 duel sport. I haven’t really looked at the KTM’s yet.
The KLX is fun and easy to ride.

[ProspectorJim]

Originally posted by slightlybent47
My KLX 250 is a little under powered but I think it’s been detuned quite a bit though. I have a friend that has the same bike and he did some work to it and his is way faster then mine. My next duel sport will be a 450 that is if I can find one.lol both Honda and Kawasaki don’t offer a 450 duel sport. I haven’t really looked at the KTM’s yet.
The KLX is fun and easy to ride.

KTM doesn't offer a 250 dual sport, mines an 08 250sxf that I've been thinking about turning supermoto. KTM's the way to go though. Way nicer than the jap bikes.

[buck440]

i think he wants to make HIS bike street legal so he can ride a 2 stroke on the street, not buy a dual sport.

if i'm correct the frame decides what is and isn't legal. if you wanted to you could get a street legal frame and put your motor and parts in it.

[ProspectorJim]

Originally posted by buck440
i think he wants to make HIS bike street legal so he can ride a 2 stroke on the street, not buy a dual sport.

if i'm correct the frame decides what is and isn't legal. if you wanted to you could get a street legal frame and put your motor and parts in it.

it actually depends on the state. In Most the frame doesn't have anything to do with it. The big thing is the title. You have to put all the street legal stuff on the bike, get it inspected by a certain "enhanced inspection station" , take pictures of all 4 sides of the bike and have the inspection station sign them, then get insured and have proof of it. Then and only then can you apply to have the title switched from Off road to "modified" or "reconstructed". Its nearly the same process that custom chopper builders have to go through.