Klr 650

perterra

Adventurer
upcruiser said:
Yeah, I'd be using it for exploring all of the dirt backroads around the Upper Peninsula here, for buzzing around town, and I'd like to do some longer trips. I dream of doing a cross country ride via highway 2 like in Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maint. :jumping: I'm thinking my uses would probably cover the entire spectrum. I'm fine compromising the offroad ability in order to do it all. Like I said before, for me, I'm not looking to go blasting off doubles and skipping across whoopdees. A nice tourer is more of my syle these days. I think that for a dirt focused vehicle, that is streetable for short durations, your plan sounds pretty spot on.


KLR should do that admirably. Others you see pulling double duty are the Suzuki DR650, the Suzuki V-Strom 650 and the KTM Adventure 640. The DR650 needs moe fuel capicity but thats doable.
 

RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

OG Portal Member #183
I just did a 150 mile trip with a guy on a KLR today! Very nice bike! He had a cool cage protector thing around the front of it that protected the radiator in the event of a crash and the cage had some highway pegs mounted to it. Pretty cool setup indeed! It even had an electric fan to aid in the cooling! I wish i had given the big KLR a closer look when i was shopping! :(

They are BIG bikes and when the trail got twisty/tighter he was having a hard time with it (cant hold it against him though, since it was his FIRST time in the dirt :D. Other then that, it was most impressive and looked much more comfortable on the freeway then mine did! It also comes with a 5+ gallon tank stock! :D They are very capable bikes!

perterra said:
KLR should do that admirably. Others you see pulling double duty are the Suzuki DR650, the Suzuki V-Strom 650 and the KTM Adventure 640. The DR650 needs moe fuel capicity but thats doable.

Dont forget the Honda XR650L! :D
 
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RAM5500 CAMPERTHING

OG Portal Member #183
Evans said:
Here'a link to pics of my 07' Blackie.... I love the bike !!!


Nice bike Evans! Where ya at? I am in San Diego and have been riding every weekend. If your local, gimme a shout!

My new riding partner has a KLR and i wish i had looked more closely at them when i was shopping! Now that he has knobbies on it, it is super capable on and off road and a very well thought out design!

ride.gif
 

ChuckB

Expedition Leader
I know this is a semi-old thread but it I felt I should resurrect it instead of start a new thread.

I am looking at a KLR 650 for my FIRST bike. I found it literally across the street from where I live last night. Its an '06 w/ 2200 miles. The guy is offering a helmet and jacket with it for $4500.
Based on reading this thread it sounds like this would be a good first bike as I don't plan on doing technical trails and want to just focus on learning how to ride first.


(edit)
I guess that I should add that this would be mostly an island cruiser and weekend toy, with occasional communting to work about 20 miles. I would love to get a BMW but I think this is a good place to start. Just wanted to make sure I'm not crazy...

(edit edit)
After reading some other threads, I would also like the wife to come along as well from time to time.
 
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Hltoppr

El Gringo Spectacular!
That would make an excellent first bike for that purpose! Price is good too. Helmets are kinda like climb equipment though....I'd only use a used helmet as a spare....but it's definitely better than no helmet at all...

-H-
 

ChuckB

Expedition Leader
I agree about the helmet. I also need to research about riding gear, as I want to be as safe as possible and I don't want to be frugal in that department...
 

upcruiser

Perpetual Transient
Wow, the new KLR is really calling my name. I'm thinking about swinging by the local Kaw dealer tomorrow to see what the 411 is on them.

ride1.jpg

ride4.jpg

ride3.jpg
 

upcruiser

Perpetual Transient
Took a peak at the local bike shop today. They had a red '08 in stock. Damn. I shouldn't have done that. $5,400 out the door. From what I've read online, there are a lot of folks who had to order their bikes and are waiting. Hmmm. The wheels are turning.
 

Colorado Ron

Explorer
if you look closely at the last pic, the clearance isnt all that great. He is not leaning over that far, but looks to be scraping already. Even though the 08 is sweet looking, there have been complaints that its 40 lbs heavier but has the same drivetrain. Just a heads up.
 

ChuckB

Expedition Leader
I just got back from looking at them...Man the '08s look sweet in person!!!

It does look like his foot is scraping the ground though in the last pic. I'm holding off for now, need to sell the LX first. But, I was really close to signing on the dotted line!!
 

sobiloff

New member
Actual weighing of the 2008 vs. the earlier models shows only a 17 lb increase in weight, not 40. :) Also, Big K massaged the head and promises a little more horsepower, but we're still waiting for dyno results.

As for ground clearance, the effective ground clearance is about the same between 2007 and 2008 models as well. The earlier bikes had very soft suspensions, the '08s lost a little travel but have stiffer springs so the static sag isn't as great as before. The net result is a wash.

The biggest bummer about the new model is that it uses sportbike-style painted plastic for the bodywork. We're already seeing reports where this stuff is breaking quite badly in very low-speed falls. The old stuff was color-impregnated PU and could bend like crazy without breaking or looking too bad. This doesn't matter much if you're a pavement-only rider, but off-pavement folks tend to fall down a bit more often.

Oh, and 20K isn't the lifespan of the engine--it's closer to 60 or 80K if you change the oil every 2,000 miles. The bike is very hard on its oil (mechanical shearing reduces the viscosity quite rapidly).

If my '99 KLR died tomorrow I'd probably get in line for an '08, but I'd also really hope that someone would come out with aftermarket PU bodywork ASAP, too.
 

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