johnny3174
Parking Attendant
Posts: 4
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posted February 14, 2006 01:26 PM
klr 650 "some assembly required"
i go out shopping for motorcycles recently and i'm blown away at the inadequate, overpriced, poorly designed excuses that are currently being offered. i sold bikes for 3 years in the early eightys. at that time you could walk out the door with the baddest thing on 2 wheels for less than four grand. multiply that by 3 to 4 times to get the same thing now. (don't recall my paycheck increasing that much during the same time period, but that's another subject) i'm 44 years old and like many other guys who get the urge to do it again at this age i find myself dissapointed with the low slung harley wanna bees, crotch rockets from hell, and even scooters for gods sake. i once had a ke 175 street trail bike when i was young (along with 10 other bikes including a v4 1100) and i had a blast on it. not enough ponies to carry my big a*@ around now days so i have to consider a much bigger bike. i want a big tank, straight up riding position, easy maint, good gas mileage, etc... the obvious choice is a 650 dual purpose go anywhere motorcycle. narrowed it down to the klr 650 and the dr 650. dr has too small of a tank and the wrong seating position for my 5' 11"
frame. the klr just feels better when i sit on it. ok, sounds like the klr is for me. so i get to reading about this thing. how it is the greatest thing next to sliced bread. what a following! so much info and parts available! what more could i want? i know, how 'bout somebody explain to me how a 650cc dual purpose bike that costs as much as a small used car could have so much stuff wrong with it right off the showroom floor. the front brake sucks, the suspension is too weak, the jetting is too lean, the safety switches on the kick stand and kill switch leave you stranded, no center stand, the seat puts your butt to sleep, the headlight is too dim, the tires don't get the job done off road, god help you if you drop it, the mirrors are useless, the bars need to be swapped out, the rear break master cyl is succeptable to damage, the rear brake light is'nt bright enough, the "doo hickey" needs replacement almost immediately, the fuses are old style problems waiting to happen, the battery could use an upgrade, bla, bla, bla. r u kidding me??? for this much $$$ the damn thing should run to the store for me. r people really accepting this crap as a fun bargain do it all motorcycle now days? i rember the gs, kz, and cb series bikes (to name a few). good size tanks, good brakes, good looks, straight up seating positions. those were the good old days. and who are the manufacturers trying to sell to? last time i looked the majority of people who have enough money or credit to buy one of these overpriced excuses for a good time were not in their twenties. the insurance alone for a yong man to ride one of these should be considered a crime against humanity. i'd love to buy another bike, but if this is the best they can do i think i will sit home on the couch and figure out another way to feel young again. now that i have vented can anyone tell me the truth about the klr 650? all i want is a fun, easy to maintain bike with good range and power. does this thing really need to have all these corrections just to get it down the road? that's why i say they should put a label on this bike "some assembly required." i am 5' 11" 230 lbs. thanks for whatever input you can offer.
  
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MadMike
Moderator
FEAR THE BLACK FLAG!!!!!!!!
Posts: 6579
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posted February 14, 2006 02:39 PM
Ok.. here is what you, need to do. buy a used ZRX1200....
You will be happy.... I have "never" spoke with anyone who did not like it. no dirt for it but for the street I think you will be very very happy....
I have thought about getting one just to run around town on.....
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200-MPH CLUB MEMBER!
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johnny3174
Parking Attendant
Posts: 4
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posted February 14, 2006 03:36 PM
well, you figured me out. not looking to ride in the dirt at all unless i need to cut thru the grass to get around a traffic jam or if i go to my sister's house and the driveway is full. the 1200 sounds nice up to the insurance and weight. i think this klr is what i'm looking for, but my god can it really have all these issues after being in production for this long? how many of these problems apply to the street ability of this bike? when i read that the suspension is weak, weak for what? the street with my 230 lbs and a little luggage or for someone wanting to pretend it's a xr 650 while jumping off a cliff with it? they say the front brake is weak yet i saw a picture of a guy doin a stoppie with a stock front brake. i'm just not sure if the bike is really this under constructed or if the people posting all of these problems and required upgrades should have bought something more along the lines of what they needed to begin with. hard to believe this bike was one on cw's best 10 bikes and has sold more than 20 years if it is in need of such dire upgrades. by the way, i contacted kawasaki about this "doo hickey" thing. they said just keep the balancer chain in adjustment and you should never have a problem. is this true?
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MadMike
Moderator
FEAR THE BLACK FLAG!!!!!!!!
Posts: 6579
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posted February 14, 2006 06:05 PM
serious dude... take one for a test ride!! and insurance through State Farm is not expensive at all on the ZRX's. do some research... I dont think you will be satisfied with the KLR...
Mad Mike
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200-MPH CLUB MEMBER!
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johnny3174
Parking Attendant
Posts: 4
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posted February 14, 2006 06:12 PM
wanting a new bike. this is in my price range, though i sure hate spending that much on a bike. talk about sticker shock!
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sagot
Zone Head
Posts: 779
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posted February 15, 2006 01:39 PM
The problem with the KLR is that it IS from the 80's! You can just hop on and ride it just like one of those old bikes. It's cheap! Not to Dis anyone who ones one cause they are great bikes but like any thing fromm the 80's it need a little updateing, thats all.
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Blank
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spam
Expert Class
Posts: 343
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posted February 15, 2006 05:04 PM
The reason why there is so much to read about KLR mods is because there are SO MANY KLRs out there, including one in my garage. There are websites upon website of people who talk about the mods they've done to their KLR. And every person who owns one rides different terrain than the next guy (or gal). You don't NEED to do all the mods- I took mine to South America for 3 months pretty much stock (except for the doohickey and some homemade rear luggage racks) b/c I didn't have the $$ to mod it any further. But why does anyone spend time improving any vehicle, old or new? Because it becomes a hobby. And yeah, the KLR is old technology- the bike hasn't changed since forever, but as a result, the chances of finding spare parts in the middle of nowhere are significantly increased.
But if you don't want to ride dirt, you don't really need a dual sport such as a KLR or DR. You must be able to get the same seating position from some other street bike. Consider a used bike, just trust your gut when you are looking at them. There are plenty of people out there who abuse their bikes but also lots of people who like their bikes and take care of them....even make hobbies out of over-taking care of them and there's thousands of modded-out KLRs out there that will attest to that.
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junior s
Pro
?
Posts: 1644
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posted February 16, 2006 06:56 AM
Yeah what she said . Besides , all of the mods to these things are pretty minor ...... Ive had to put springs into almost every bike I've ever owned , and all of my bikes have gone under the wrenches for something ..... haven't found a totally perfect one yet .....
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Get up off your ass and ride !!
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Toomanykaws
Parking Attendant
Posts: 9
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posted March 07, 2006 08:53 AM
I have an 04 KLR650, with 06 green plastic and an IMS tank. Modded up brakes front and rear, pipe, jet kit, filter, gearing. Dunlop 606's. Underpowered. Yes. Fun and able to take a beating all day long on and off road. Yes. I just bought a Husky TE-510 for more real hardcore off-road days. Mainly as its street legal too. Won't be running it 200-300 miles in a day like the KLR. Its nice to have some choices in the garage though.
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Too many Kaw's. Became more than an addiction. 12 and counting.
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