Topic: What do you guys think about a KLR?

[fendersrule]

Well, I friggin love my old bikes. Tons. They are a hoot. A blast. Just fun.

But I'm wondering since I ride 9 months out of the year, almost every day; I'm thinking I may want something that's more "commuter/don't care about".

The KLR has sparked my eye. The brand new 2014 is $6000, and it has a stiffened front end and a better seat ("New Edition") which is improved over last year. I hear they are nearly maintenance-free. Good MPG. Great for the road, and good for off-road. Great for tall riders such as myself. I could pack bags on it. Drive it to work every day, even with some frost on the ground. I wouldn't care for it to sit out and bake in the sun. I wouldn't care if it dropped. I'm thinking the KLR is something I should seriously look into.

The thing is, how would it do on let's say some once-in awhile touring of a few hundred miles? This would be a cool camping bike too. Some people are giving me #$%* about wanting to buy a thumper.

And I've been also dying to get something that looks 100% Kawasaki. It would be my first new bike, too.

Doing some online research, it seems like every review site raves about it. One site compared it with a few others on which bike they would "Ride to the end of the world on", and most of the reviewers picked the Kawasaki.

[Terry in Australia]

Kawasaki dirt bikes have never had the same reputation for reliability or quality of finish as Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki Fenders, but any new bike should be pretty good.

While you'd like a bike with some dirt capability, the majority of your saddle-time will be commuting in traffic on paved roads, so you need to ensure that this is where the Kawasaki is best suited, and where you're most comfortable.

Big thumpers are great fun though, back in the day I commuted on a Yamaha XT500, and even rode it over 1000 miles in one weekend to attend the Bathurst Motorcycle TT in 1985, and had a ball. Cheers, Terry.    

[05c50]

A good friend of mine has one and loves it. He rides it exclusively on the road (not sure why he wanted a dual sport) and the only complaint he has is tire wear. He gets between 3 and 4 thousand miles to the tires. He's tried all the medium priced tires and hasn't bought any of the "premium" tires yet. The sprockets can easily be changed if you need a little more cruising speed.

........Paul 

[70CB750]

They are building them since 1987, there must be something right

I always liked them, and it was a bike I was going to buy in USA, but I got derailed by the 750 I was given.

People say it does road and offroad but neither of them that good.

Ofreen used one for commuting not that long ago:

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=6895.100

[eigenvector]

I commuted to work every single day on a KLR650.  Tough dependable bike.  I traded up for a Tiger 1050 because frankly the KLR wasn't able to keep up with traffic and the seat was over the top uncomfortable.  Even with a highway gear installed the best it could do was about 70 and that's just not fast enough to maintain a safe margin on the Interstate.

I'm sure my weight has something to do with that - I'm a big boy (well was), but looking back there's no comparison between that bike and a bike that will do 150 without breaking a sweat.  I did however routinely get between 60 and 65 mpg on that bike.

[fendersrule]

I've read that the KLR does everything "good" but nothing great. That's not a bad thing; that's just a good example of being an awesome swiss-army knife.

My commute is 3-5 miles of 40MPH traffic. No highway/interstate here, but I do and would plan on taking this on some small exhibitions.

But that's basically the thing that's holding me up from going down right now and putting some money down. I'm hoping it will be powerful enough for everything I want to do without feeling like I'm choking it doing 75 MPH when the time comes for it...

My friends want me to get the Tiger, but a Tiger is a different bike entirely. Firstly, I can't go buy a new bike anymore since Tigers are 2x the price of a KLR. Secondly, there's something about the basic "no-frills, easy, simple" attitude of the KLR that isn't present on the Tiger. The tiger is the better bike, but it's just more weight and money as well as the improved charactoristics.

Keep the comments a 'commin.

[goldarrow]

My commute is 3-5 miles of 40MPH traffic. No highway/interstate here, but I do and would plan on taking this on some small exhibitions.

my honest humble opinion, i'm seeing this as just an excuse to get a new bike??? our bikes will and can, more than enough, handle 5 miles commute.

[70CB750]

The Honda Transalp is very popular overseas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Transalp

and it would do everything KLR can do, only better.

[eigenvector]

I would not recommend a Tiger 1050 for a 3 to 5 mile commute.  it is a highway bike plain and simple.

For your commute I think the KLR is actually perfect.  As for extended trips - either replace your heiny with cast iron or find yourself a very comfortable seat.  I could last about 40 miles before it started to actually hurt.  100 miles and my legs were going numb.   There are claims that aftermarket seats will help that - but don't fall for that, they don't.

Actually, for that commute I would recommend the CB550 or CB750.

[fendersrule]

Nice to know the Triumph is a highway bike. I was really wanting something to replace my SL350, so that's why the KLR came to mind. Something I could drive camping and hit some trails on when the time comes, but also rely on it to get me through anything.

Keep in mind, I'm not worried about the 3-5 miles of commute. I have two very nice restorations, and I'm more worried about the 105F sun baking the #$%* out of my paint, rain soaking everything when parked outside, the frost on the ground during the winter that could cause the bike to hit the ground, rock chips, gravel, road wear, scratches, cars making left turns, and just the general "this and that" just from the effects of a commuting bike. I want to keep my bikes nice, yah know!

I love my old bikes, but should they really be ridden every day as grocery-getters and work machines when restored 9 or more months out of the year? Seems like I'd rather savor them, still ride them often, but not "rely" on them when it's snowing or raining outside.

Today is a good example. I heard that a big thunderstorm is coming in. If I had a KLR, I would have rode it. Since I have some nice restorations, I decided to drive instead.

Btw, I heard that the 2014 KLR seat is VERY nice. It has been upgraded over previous years. They also stiffened up the front end.

So the tiger (even the 955i model) is more for the road, less for off road and the KLR is more for off road, less for the road, but they both can do either?

Let me know if I'm off my rocker, but it seems the KLR is absolutely ideal for what I'm looking for.

[scrapvalue]

I have a 1988 KLR650 and use to have a 1999 one.  Love them both.  Agreed that they aren't the best bike at anything, but they do everything well.
 
Just filled mine up yesterday and took 3 gallons. I went 173 miles.

Another thing good is, they hold their value quite well.

[Duke McDukiedook]

The Honda Transalp is very popular overseas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Transalp

and it would do everything KLR can do, only better.

Or an Africa Twin (If you are OK with 2 cylinders) or an XR650R, if you can actually find one of those at reasonable prices.
For the prices people are asking you would think they were painted with gold or made out of unobtainium.

[nccb]

I have been debating myself as well about racking up miles on the 750.  Granted I just began to commute to save gas from an Explorer, I would be doing 94 miles a day, 20k a week.  I was actually looking at the 2015 cb300 for the 71mpg, although am curious about its actual abilities spec wise.  At $3,999 it seems like a pretty damn good deal.

http://powersports.honda.com/2015/cb300f.aspx

[Frankencake]

I am redesigning my garage of motorcycle to get rid of the Concours and XL350R and replaceing them both with a KLR.  I don't worry about the single cylinder or the lighter weight.  I want bags and knobbies.  I want heated grips and a GPS on the handle bars.  I'm thinking high altitude in the rockies and highway in Kansas.  Then I'll go to the beach. 

This has been a slow process but I did sell the XL last week. I'll keep the Concours through this season and wait for the right KLR to come along. 

If you want my opinion, get one.  You can always sell it and buy something you care even less about, like an 80's Nighthawk.

[goldarrow]

You might as well put your 70's sohc 4bangers in a museum and waiting one day hopefully they are worth $148000! Lol

[fendersrule]

[fendersrule]

Terry, those are some good words to heed to. Figure out where you're going to be riding, and just buy the bike to suit it.

I've already listed one out of my many guitars that I don't play on CL, and I'm already getting some people coming over to look at it. I've started to write up an ad for my SL350K0. It will be my first classic bike sell…. I knew it was going to happen, but can't hang on to everything.

Here's what got me to look at the KLR:

As many of you know, I picked up an SL350. I fixed it up real nice (could use a paint job, but who cares). Rode it to work for a week. Even with rebuilt forks and new rear shocks, it's not a great ride. I'm also a bit squished due to the saddle seat. It's just not the bike for me, but I absolutely loved the "rugged" feel of it and the upright seating position. It was going to be my bike to drive up on the trails on, but the problem is going to be the comfort level getting to the trails

So I thought, what about the KLR? It will spank the SL350 in every aspect known, and it will feel in that void that the SL350 had, but it would better suit my height and go more places with less effort.

I guess I will be driving 80% on road, but also through every condition (rain or shine), for every chore, and every errand. That 20% is going to be a hell of a lot of fun.

The KLR is intriguing to me due to its simplicity. It's an old bike with new look. 6.1 gallon gas tank tells me that it's a bike that can go long places. 35HP is probably sufficient and gets a decent MPG rating. I don't ever expect to have to work on it much, and I know it will always start, no matter what. I also like the Kawasaki look…it LOOKs like a Kawa…

I sat on one today and thought it felt great. I didn't feel squished and thought it was a great bike for a tall person. I guess I should test drive one next when my funds get closer to $6k.

[fendersrule]

I commuted to work every single day on a KLR650.  Tough dependable bike.  I traded up for a Tiger 1050 because frankly the KLR wasn't able to keep up with traffic and the seat was over the top uncomfortable.  Even with a highway gear installed the best it could do was about 70 and that's just not fast enough to maintain a safe margin on the Interstate.

I'm sure my weight has something to do with that - I'm a big boy (well was), but looking back there's no comparison between that bike and a bike that will do 150 without breaking a sweat.  I did however routinely get between 60 and 65 mpg on that bike.

It topped at 70!?

[dave500]

get a suzy v strom.

[Terry in Australia]

That KLR looks good fenders, and if it won't do the ton I'll eat my shorts.........

[trueblue]

The DR650 Zooks would do the ton back in 1990, I would be surprised if the modern equivalent, regardless of brand, wouldn't do the same.

[eigenvector]

It topped at 70!?

Naw, but I wasn't inclined to ride it at the upper end of it RPM range.  I'm sure it would have gone to at least 80, but fuel economy would have suffered greatly.

I can do 80 at 4k on the Tiger and still have another 7k left on the tach.  Not that I routinely speed, but again if I  need to go faster (dodge an idiot for instance) I can.

[fendersrule]

Yeah, but the Tiger and V-Strom and different bikes. They are made for sustained highway/interstate trips...made to eat up those miles. The KLR is meant to go anywhere and everywhere (off the beaten path), but just not sustained high speeds. It's a dual sport. I hear "70 MPH" is OK, but anything more is going to buzz a little bit.

The KLR could hit the ton, but it's going to have to have the right wind direction, low altitude, and a small rider, and WOT when enough time on a straightaway.

I'm actually kinda liking the white KLR.



I do not like Suzuki for quite a few reasons. Would never own one. 

[Frankencake]

Hitting the ton is fun but not necessary.

[Terry in Australia]

Hitting the ton is fun but not necessary.

Hitting the ton is great fun, and should be mandatory. My old 1981 XT500 would do the ton on long downhill straights, and was superb fun, even with the horrible standard "dual purpose" tyres, that didn't do either very well. If a KLR won't easily do the ton, something's terribly wrong.........