1996 KLR 650?

[cragwl]

Looks like she's ready to go. Your going to have fun with it as long as you remember, it's not your KDX. Get her on the road and your going to smile. I like the blue. Mine is blue too. I wanted green, cause Kawi's are supposed to be... green, but the one I have was too nice to pass up.
Mahalo

[rbates9]

I agree, Kawasakis should be green. They claim that this color is green but it seems to have a lot of blueish tint to it.

Hopefully I will be able to get it on the road tomorrow and see how it goes.

And for what I paid for it with 6189 miles on it I figured I couldn't go wrong.

[KDXGarage]

Wow. That looks cool!

Enjoy your new bike and all the good times.

[cragwl]

And for what I paid for it with 6189 miles on it I figured I couldn't go wrong.

That's a smoken deal with low miles for a klr. I bought mine with 1800 but its an 09. There are klr's out there with 80k.
I really like mine on the roads. Paved or gravel/dirt, feels solid. This is the first road bike I have owned, well, other than my plated kdx. :-)

[rbates9]

Today Cletus had his first trip out. Keep in mind that I have done nothing but a battery and bled the brakes so there is room for improvement.

The ride was a 45 mile trip that consisted of about 10 miles of blacktop and the rest was trails and un maintained dirt roads. These things are f%#@!ng heavy! Like the kind of heavy that makes you think, Wow my KDX is light! It has Perelli knobbys that are getting toward the end of their life so the road manners were.... not smooth. Off road was fair. I was actually surprised at how fast a KLR can go from moving to stopped sideways in the trail. Ground clearance is more of a novelty that a standard feature but it does have an aftermarket center stand so that isn't helping the cause. Gearing leaves a bit to be desired. First is WAY too fast when things get tight and rough. Some of the sections of "road" that we were on had 2'-3' deep trenches from the rain we have had lately. But when back on a faster road it didn't seem to be too high geared over all so I will have to play with some gearing options and see what can be done with first gear. Or get the auto clutch.

Over all I am very happy with the KLR keeping in mind that it is not a dirt bike, or a street bike, but a bit of both. Also I am new to the whole road riding thing so I have some learning to do there as well and a new bike to get used to while doing it.

Oh, and one more thing, if you use the "off,run,off" switch on the right side of the bars to kill the engine and leave it in the off position the bike will not start. Won't even crank. Weird, right?

[rbates9]

Well I have put about 4 miles on the bike since the last post so I am starting to really think about parting ways with it... Come to find out riding on the road kinda sucks. A bit too boring for me. I guess if I am going to be on the road I need a radio to listen to.

[cragwl]

Well I have put about 4 miles on the bike since the last post so I am starting to really think about parting ways with it... Come to find out riding on the road kinda sucks. A bit too boring for me. I guess if I am going to be on the road I need a radio to listen to.

Lol Boring? Yep, road riding sure is. I was thinking of ditching my klr but after an all day out in the backcountry( 225 miles ) most of it gravel with views galore, I'll keep it. It helps to have 5 or 6 good friends along with ya. It's not as fun or intense as trail riding my kdx but I find it relaxing.

Sorry it's not working out for you.

Adventure riding will be second fiddle to me. For now. But it is growing on me a bit.

[Goofaroo]

Well I have put about 4 miles on the bike since the last post so I am starting to really think about parting ways with it... Come to find out riding on the road kinda sucks. A bit too boring for me. I guess if I am going to be on the road I need a radio to listen to.

Fortynine miles and you're ready to jump ship? It sounds like you got a great deal on a great bike but haven't given it a chance. The KLR is a fantastic bike and much more capable than people on here seem to want to give it credit for. It won't replace your KDX but in the right hands it's more than capable of a pretty quick pace on some very gnarly single track but the beauty of the KLR is that you can carry a load with you and do some serious off-road exploring.

There's probably a dualsport club in your area that organizes rides on a regular basis. You should poke around online and see what you can find . Every state has a lot of dirt roads and jeep trails that lead to interesting places that you would never see if you didn't have the KLR. I would also guess that you have a lot of twisty roads just a short distance from where you live. Throw a set of dualsport tires on that bike and it'll be a blast through the twisties and still be capable of hauling you and all of your camping gear through any kind of terrain you choose to tackle. The only limitation this bike has is the skill of the person twisting the throttle.

Why don't you at least give it a chance before you get rid of it? Some of the best times I've had on a motorcycle has been riding the San Juan mountains in Colorado on my KTM 640 Adventure. Sure I could have gone a little quicker in the really nasty stuff on my XR but the KTM could haul me over the 13,000 ft. passes without even coughing. I could also carry all my gear, ride comfortably when the dirt turned to pavement, and ride into town when I needed a beer and some grub.

The KLR is capable of expanding your motorcycling horizons but it ain't gonna happen if you don't give at least ride it.

[rbates9]

I'm still on the fence as to what to do with it. I mentioned to my brother that I am think about selling it and he started saying that he would buy it. But then if he had one I would need one too so that won't work.

It can get through the woods ok for the tank that it is but they seem to be geared way too fast in first gear. If I end up keeping it, it will need a gearing change. Well, time will tell.

[cragwl]

I know some riders can trail ride there klr's. I wouldn't do it with mine but then again, I have my kdx for that. The gearing is great for the roads, paved or gravel. I see my plated kdx as a dual sport bike. That meaning trails and forest roads. I see my klr as an adventure bike. That meaning forest roads and highways.

Your brother getting a adv bike could make all the difference.

Trails still rule.

[6 Riders]

Man, if you think about it......you could install a trailer hitch and tow your KDX to the trails...ride the "tight stuff" with the KDX and then load up and ride home... sounds like a good day to me...
Don't get rid of it just yet. Street riding will grow on you. Really think about it, you don't "have time" to take your KDX out and ride, blow off steam, get out your "itch"...jump on the KLR, blast up the highway, find ANY dirt road...blast down that, throwing up some wheelies, spitting gravel/rocks all over the place and then heading home. IF all else fails, you can ride it to work. I find riding my bike to work makes going to work MUCH MUCH more pleasurable!

[KDXohio]

get rid of it and get another KDX