Ot - klr 650

[Bob Hancock]

I just got back from the local UJM dealer in Blairsville and they have this 2008 KLR650 with 3500 miles on it. Bought and serviced by this dealership and looks brand new. The bike is stock and they want $3900.00.

Comments?

Thanks.

[cageyar]

The idler shaft tensioner lever, part of the engine balancer system, has been a weak link in that engine forever. Kawasaki purportedly "improved" the parts in 2008 models and forward, however the design is essentially the same.
There are better made after-market parts available for not a great expense but the whole setup is a poor design, IMO.

[shreddr]

bikes don't get much uglier than the KLR 650

[Corky]

Good deal!
I rented a 2008 KLR for a couple days over in Hawaii and had a blast on it. Very comfortable for my 6'3" frame and was fun in the twisties. Rode a bit offroad too and it wasn't bad for a heavy dual sport.

[roger albert]

That tensioner has been improved about 1/2 dozen times.

The 08 was a major engine tweak, and totally different chassis and suspension and bodywork.
First of the 2nd gen KLRs. The cam chain itself is of a lighter design and with different routing, which along with a yet-again changed mechanism, should no longer be an issue. It's essentially a different motor at this point.

Also a greatly improved suspension (have a shock for one sitting on the shelf waiting for a slow day to dissect and tweak) and brakes.


That's a good bike at a good price if you like the more-bodywork approach (more GS-ish now, and less minimalist)

If you prefer minimalist, then the Suzi DR650 is probably more your choice now. It is unexciting, but works well, and the fork is WAY better than the old KLRs, and a bit nicer than the new one.

hth
good luck
r

[Bob Hancock]

Thanks for the words, guys. I may give it a test ride tomorrow if it warms up some.
Hey shreddr....I'm gettin' uglier as the days go by so maybe this is a perfect match?

[onekiwi]

A couple of months ago I bumped into an Aussie travelling around the world on a KLR,He was shipping it across to NZ to do the last leg of the trip.Had no trouble with it at all just consumables like chains, sprokets and brakes.I had a KLX years ago great bike but just a little heavy for the trails

[smddanny]

I owned a KLR 650 last year. I was holding onto it for a trip to central / south america. It is a competent if not distinguished bike for its intended uses. I perceive the Honda 650 as a better and more expensive machine and would be my first choice but a KLR is alot of fun and very reliable. Build quality of these is not really first class and yes the idler gear lovingly called the "doohickey can be easily upgraded to an aftermarket quality piece without a lot of trouble. Sounds like a good price to me.

[1100s nut]

I agree with the above comments. People seem very loyal to the KLR, so that normally means good things in my book. I just bought a g650x same kind of game, and love it a lot more than I though I would. I ride it all the time. I have had about everything above and below the 650 zsize and it is a good/fun size bike.

Lane

[signit98]

Along with BMW's, that was the single most dominant bike up in Alaska and Canada I saw during my trip, Bob.
The '08 models seem to have a bit of an issue (from what I gathered talking to folks) with the valve train, but overall, nothing but happy campers. Reliable, bulletproof bike that may not offer a jolt but much rather a continuous trickle that keeps you going.
I have considered one myself but then made the decision to keep the GS and get the DR-Z...

I am sure I would have been happy either way.

[shreddr]

Originally Posted by Bob Hancock

Thanks for the words, guys. I may give it a test ride tomorrow if it warms up some.
Hey shreddr....I'm gettin' uglier as the days go by so maybe this is a perfect match?

if you put it that way, then i ought to have 2!

I prefer the style of the DRZ much more, but if the price is right it ought to get the job done. I am actually considering a dual sport to do some back road exploring here in NJ, maybe somethign like this:

[Guest24]

Get it Bob. Then I'll have someone to run the fire roads with.

[BumbleBeemer36]

Spend a few more thousand and get an F650GS. From our past OT discussion you know that I like them well enough to have two. There are several reviews out there comparing the two on the web. They usually pick the KLR if they are doing more dirt than street and the F650 if they are doing more street than dirt. Some argue that the price difference allows for more farkle purchasing. I don't think the KLR's are fuel injected which is enough of a reason not to buy one. Also I hear they get much crappier gas mileage (the F650 gets up to 70mpg and always gets at least 55mpg) and aren't good at freeway speeds (my F650 has no problem doing a ton).

[squall_line]

Originally Posted by BumbleBeemer36

I don't think the KLR's are fuel injected which is enough of a reason not to buy one.

I humbly disagree on this point. I had a carbureted 650ST for 3 years, and led test rides on plenty of injected F650GSs. They didn't have nearly the same throttle response or fun factor as my carbureted bike.

They may, in fact, get better gas mileage, but I would imagine that off-road, KISS would mean that carburetors beat computerized ignition and fuel delivery in terms of reliability or fixability (I'm not sure, though).

Only reason I don't still have the 650ST is because I was going back to school, so two bikes, without a garage, wasn't feasible any more. I traded it on my R1100S, and, while I don't regret buying the S, I still regret getting rid of my 650ST.

The BMW 450s have more of the fun and responsiveness that I enjoyed in my 650ST, but the injected F650GSs (at least, the thumpers) are too sluggish and pedestrian, IMHO. I haven't ridden them since they changed the designation to G650, though, so maybe they finally caught back up?

[ckcarr]

$13,825 for a loaded F800GS.

Just fork over the $9,925.00 difference and be done with it! Well, along with the $3,900.00 you haven't spent yet...


Actually, the KLR's are just fine. I think they are not as "refined" as the F650 bikes, and I never liked the colors, but they seem quite popular. Just get some rhino guard bed liner and spray the bike. They are all over out here. Coming and going in the desert. Grizzled people without homes...

[Bob Hancock]

Originally Posted by ckcarr

Grizzled people without homes...

I kinda like the sound of that for some reason. If it's nice tomorrow I may take a test ride.

[1100s nut]

This day and age I don`t think there is a bad bike out there but I do agree with bumblebeemer. I have a bunch of bikes and don`t need any but will give it to bmw they do a lot of good things. Their 650 line is great. Their rotax motors are great made by a company that makes a lot of engines for aviation...so I trust them. As far as fuel injection....all I can say is I have a old volvo in storage with the orignal fuel injectors and F/I system and it has 575,000 miles. I changed out 2-3 pumps during that time. I still like an old carb though. So I guess I think they are both good. For narly single track that I ride where the bike ends up on top of me and we both go falling down the hill I like a carb.

lane

[markjenn]

KLR's are the Jeep Wranglers of the motorcycle world. A bit crude, definitely built to a price point, but they're versatile, will shoulder a load, cheap, reliable, simple to work on, cheap to maintain. For the money, there's no better deal in an adventure touring single. My only beef with the couple I've rode is that they've got a loose and flexy feel to them that doesn't inspire anything but a modest pace. I think the main problem is the cheap/flexy fork. Perhaps suspension upgrades and a fork brace would help. My DRZ feels much tighter and handles much more crisply. But DRZ's have nowhere near the touring capability.

There have been reports of bad oil consumption issues across the years, and especially with the latest model. If buying used, I'd try to take a long enough ride to get a handle on this.

I like FI, but an F650 is not enough more bike to be worth anywhere near the price differential and F650's look/feel about as cheap, IMHO. And the Kawasaki will be more reliable and cheaper to service.

I like the DR650 too. Definitely worth a look too. But the KLR has the big tank and a rack so it is ready to tour right out of the box. The DR is more of an all-around playbike while the KLR is the adventure tourer.

Honda 650's are solid bikes, but extremely old tech. They're a better dirt bike perhaps, but no where near as good a road bike or adventure bike. And they've got ridiculously short range.

Dunno about the price - sounds Okay to me, but not an expert on KLR values.

- Mark

[ckcarr]

A quick look at NADA, give you this:

		Low Retail		Average Retail
TOTAL PRICE		$2,980		$3,920
Suggested List: $5,349

They might deal due to the economy, but then again it's spring, and the bike isn't that much anyway...

[Bob Hancock]

I guess if I like it after I ride it, I can offer them their $3900 out the door and beat the GA 7% sales tax. We'll see. I really haven't been looking for anything like this lately but it was there and kinda cheap and...well....you know.