Who had to lay it down? Hopefully not you!
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Do You Have “Riding Rules”?
- Thread starter DJ_MI
- Start date
Madmx
Well-known member
As a 1st adv bike and basically a truck on 2 wheels. The klr works but I will always recommend a v strom with tires. The stroms are about the most impressive jap bikes I messed with.
You have to be half crazy to get anything out of a klr. Especially 460lb gen3. A v strom 650 will be better on the highway. And an xr/dr 650 will be be better off road
Madmx
Well-known member
Go sit on an interceptor 650. Air cooled twin and S&S makes engine parts for more power. And maybe the RE dealer is is easier to "deal" with Tires and skid plate..maybe taller handlebars.
Adv bikes have too high of center of gravity. T7 is a bad one. The klr is easier to pick up. Both are unrealistic designs. A dr650l would be a smarter choice. Or from watching your speed wobble video...man that klx is winding out! Throw a 15/16 tooth sprocket and wind deflector on your klx and ride!
Too much hype in the adv bike world. A rigid mount 883 with tires and taller shocks can do anything my klr or strom can do. I am saving a 1981 xj550 maxim to build my dream machine when I retire. Sub 400lbs and 50 plus hp. Will pull any hill 2up in 6th gear at 33mph. Klaviator said it best "a step backwards" Compare an early model airhead gs specs to the modern gs. Well over 100lbs of "improvements" The ideal klr is a gen1 with gen3 cams and maybe the efi.
But to compete with what China is releasing...get a drzsm. Buy the mx wheels. Install the rally fairing kit and larger gas tank. Send the engine off to the "dude" for the offset crank pin, porting, cams and BBK. This would be half the cost of a kove 450. But a kove 450 could be in your garage in 5 days at a set price! The same price for everyone. What kind of business model is that? Answering telephones and set pricing with no bs. No ....that business tactic will never survive.
Madmx
Well-known member
Man..I think I just tried to justify....another bike!
Why do scooters work so well...dammit!
Why do scooters work so well...dammit!
I remember watching that happen live.I like bungees because they keep me on my toes and let me know I’m still alive.
"Oh fuck, he threw a grenade or something!!...wait...was that a shoe?!...he threw his shoe?!" That was wild 😂
Soggy Biscuit
Well-known member
Not I. It was some discussion in a YT video. I made a remark about the morons who "had to lay it down" and called them some names. Of course it started a comment thread with the idiots attempting to justify their shitty lack of situational awareness, skills, and common sense.
Uh-oh, we've got ourselves a future scooter hooligan!
Soggy Biscuit
Well-known member
There were quite a few KLR fanatics at the bike gathering on Tuesday evening. They had theirs all kitted up. I held back the chuckles when they were talking about those bikes being the best. Maybe for some off-road use but no thanks otherwise.
I put XR650R forks on my KLR. Having actually working suspension and a proper front brake made the bike hugely more usable and feel way lighter than it was.
There's no practical use for all the steel framework holding the windshield and rear taillight, so swapped those out for DR650 pieces. Fabbed up a mid pipe to run an aftermarket muffler. If I remember correctly, just swapping out the taillight and it's mahoosive mount was worth like 7lbs of up high weight.
A weekends worth of work and $250 in eBay parts gave me a 370ish lb bike with good handling and brakes. There's no reason Kawasaki couldn't keep the bike grandfathered but still upgrade the suspension or shed weight off the bike. That's what pisses me off about the KLR. They could be so much better, but Kawi doesn't give a shit. And the cult that owns them will spend $3k "modding" a KLR to prove how affordable it is 😅
The stock luggage rack is great but unnecessarily heavily. I dropped I think another 3 or 4 lbs off by replacing it with a folded aluminum rack that weighed ounces. Kawasaki would've saved money on materials by producing lighter, simpler bodywork but they kept pumping out the same thing for 40 years. They never cared about building a better bike for us, just the minimum effort from them to sell us something. That's annoying.
The engine was the nail in the coffin for me. Perfectly reliable and good power. But why does an engine with FOUR counterbalancers weigh SO much more than my 280lb XL500S that has gobs more torque and doesn't need radiators or a battery to run.
Don't get me started. This was a bike I loved, hated, wanted to love. I almost went down the rabbit hole on this one
The first gen KLR weighed 400 pounds wet and was fairly top heavy. The latest KLR is 460 pounds. The new KLR does feel smoother and more refined than my first gen but it also feels boring to me. I also don't like the tiny digital dash which doesn't even have a tach.
My 2005:
I had no regrets about buying this bike in 2005 and no regrets when I sold it in 2019.
My 2005:
I had no regrets about buying this bike in 2005 and no regrets when I sold it in 2019.
Madmx
Well-known member
A perfect example how bikes have evolved to crap. The only good thing is the sprung unsprung ratioI put XR650R forks on my KLR. Having actually working suspension and a proper front brake made the bike hugely more usable and feel way lighter than it was.
There's no practical use for all the steel framework holding the windshield and rear taillight, so swapped those out for DR650 pieces. Fabbed up a mid pipe to run an aftermarket muffler. If I remember correctly, just swapping out the taillight and it's mahoosive mount was worth like 7lbs of up high weight.
A weekends worth of work and $250 in eBay parts gave me a 370ish lb bike with good handling and brakes. There's no reason Kawasaki couldn't keep the bike grandfathered but still upgrade the suspension or shed weight off the bike. That's what pisses me off about the KLR. They could be so much better, but Kawi doesn't give a shit. And the cult that owns them will spend $3k "modding" a KLR to prove how affordable it is 😅
The stock luggage rack is great but unnecessarily heavily. I dropped I think another 3 or 4 lbs off by replacing it with a folded aluminum rack that weighed ounces. Kawasaki would've saved money on materials by producing lighter, simpler bodywork but they kept pumping out the same thing for 40 years. They never cared about building a better bike for us, just the minimum effort from them to sell us something. That's annoying.
The engine was the nail in the coffin for me. Perfectly reliable and good power. But why does an engine with FOUR counterbalancers weigh SO much more than my 280lb XL500S that has gobs more torque and doesn't need radiators or a battery to run.
Don't get me started. This was a bike I loved, hated, wanted to love. I almost went down the rabbit hole on this one
Madmx
Well-known member
I still say my gen3 has a great 50-58mph ride. And that is the speed I ride. The strom is a 3rd or 4th gear bike at that speed. If Zook would update the drz for power, distance and comfort kawi would have a tough time. Klr is just an off the shelf cheap adv bike nothing more or less. My back up plan is to install a sidecar one day. Because the new cradle frame is legit for the stress. I have not ridden my hack for a few years and miss it
My KLR was a pretty good all around bike. I did everything from single track to highways. I toured on it and I led sportbike rides on it. It could do just about everything but it wasn't great at anything....except for range. With 60 MPG and a 6.1 Gal tank it could go a long ways.
I bought it to fill in the gap between my XT350 and my R1100GS.
I bought it to fill in the gap between my XT350 and my R1100GS.
Madmx
Well-known member
The xt350 was a great bike. I only have a few hrs on one. My xt225 was not bad at all. And racked up more commuting miles than 5 of my other bikes combined. I never have found the perfect bike. Each one has a quirk or something annoying. Apples to oranges...the fruit of life
Majority of my riding is under 50-60mph. KLR was fine. Up on the interstate was no fun and carry a quart of oil with you. That's not really an issue, but a 2005 Japanese bike that's needed oil added every other tank of fuel just got on my damn nerves 😁
Those Shinko 700's? Those tires don't get enough respect. They are WAY better in dirt than you'd ever think and don't scream or scallop on the road. I love those things.
My KLR was fine running along at 70 on the interstate and only used a small amount of oil.
Madmx
Well-known member
My klr only rocks
6 or 9 percent of the time......
Woo hoo cut downs on a klr poor beautiful bike is the best 2 up thumper tour bike ever ...and shames some of my HD bikes
Woo hoo cut downs on a klr poor beautiful bike is the best 2 up thumper tour bike ever ...and shames some of my HD bikes
Madmx
Well-known member
I just rocked the klr vs my tse250r on a local fire road. 90kpm plus for the tse250r beating the crap out of me vs 64mph klr holy heck I am riding a missle....unsprung vs sprung heavy bikes suck Both bikes kick serious dast!. But my former boss said it best after racing a bultaco at Daytona and other races then moved to a heavy it400...sprung vs unsprung
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Soggy Biscuit
Well-known member
Dress for the slide. Very few riding accident videos make my skin crawl. This one managed to do it.
Madmx
Well-known member
Well any thing over walking speed. Do not hit a hard object...motorcycle or not. I have seen two mailbox strikes on bicycles. One was crazy and I got covered in blood as a teenager. The neighbor girl was OK with a bunch of stitches. Our other buddy that was invincible knocked the post and the concrete out of the ground and kept riding. I have eaten a few hard objects and never want to on moto...