Elsewhere I posted a summary of my experience with a Kawasaki KLX250s during a ride of several thousand km. in the Yukon and Alaska this past summer. My usual ride, a 750 cc. ZR7-S stayed home for that experimental trip.

My conclusion was that the economic virtues of a bike of this size (well, at least of the KLX250s) for serious travelling are a tad oversold. Price wise (in Canada) it does not cost that much less than a KLR 650. And although, as you might expect, the 250 is extremely fuel efficient to start, after you load it up with tools and luggage, attach a decent size wind screen, stash the absolutely necessary 10 extra litres of gas (tiny fuel tank) and start moving at real highway speeds, the fuel efficiency drops precipitously into the range of nothing special. My impression is that a small engine working very hard can be less efficient than a larger one loafing along.

Had I purchased and ridden a KLR 650 instead I strongly suspect the trip would have cost me no more than it did on the 250. And a KLR has a more comfortable seat.

Of course the KLX weighs about 100 lb. less than the 650 and there is an agility/fun factor which I thoroughly enjoyed. The KLX also felt safer to me than a larger bike simply because it seemed more controllable in all circumstances.

So some of these things are not quite what they initially appear.

Good luck.

Norm