KLR 650 Page
I'm a BMW guy.........have been for years. When I decided to get back in to motorcycling, I looked at the prices of new BMWs and used ones. Decided to go with a cruiser until I had a visit with my late friend Ca$h. His quote to me was "If I could only have one bike to ride (he has at least 6-8 BMWs in his shop along with a new FJR1300....(update, Ca$h sold the FJR because he was riding the KLR instead), it would be my KLR". I bought my 2003 KLR in December '02 and have been very pleased with the bike. While the overall finish and detail is not to the standards that my 1982 R100RT was, or any of my earlier BMWs, I am very pleased with the way the bike has performed so far. From what I have read on the internet, Kawasaki has been successful in building a bike that will provide many miles of enjoyment to it's owner.
I added aluminum saddle bags and after about 500 miles, I decided that hard bags on the KLR was not for me. They catch too much wind and they can also catch your leg when making short turns in tight places. Ca$h has had good luck with the GIVIs and they seem to mount high enough not cause the problems that I saw with the aluminum bags. The Ortliebs have served me well and I can not think of any other soft saddlebag that offers the storage space and is 100% waterproof that I would rather use. I have not noticed the handle bar buzz that a lot of people talk about, however, the mirrors show that there is some vibration. I've only had a handful of bikes in the past that did not have mirror buzz (my RT BMWs because the mirrors were fairing mounted, my GoldWing at certain RPMs, and my KZ1300 6 cyl which was smooth from idle to full rpm). Then there was my '78 Z1R Turbo .....didn't need mirrors because there was not anything on the road that was going to pass you and unless you were cruising, there was no time to watch anything except the tach.
I added the 16 tooth sprocket and noticed I dropped
about 400 rpm in 5th gear. After about 9,000 miles with the 16,
I've gone back to the stock 15. Having read some of Eldon Carl's thoughts on
gearing, I think I'll live with the higher rpms. When it came time for a new
chain (15,500 miles), I replaced both sprockets and went with a 15/44
combination. I'm getting better fuel mileage with this setup and I feel the bike
is better geared for me. My trip to Big Bend included several miles of slab
riding at 75 mph+ and I had no problems with the increased rpms. Ca$h was
running a 14/43 combo and his fuel mileage was close to mine. Ca$h has changed
to the 15/44 and we both continue to use it for highway. For strictly
off-road, we use 14/44 and this combo works great for both of us.
I'll update as I make what I hope to be "Improvements" as I go. 63000+ miles so far and having fun. I changed the Doohickey (Eagle) at 4000 miles along with the spring (Eagle) that I purchased from Fred at Arrowhead Motorsports Arrowhead Motorsports and did the replacement with the instructions from http://www.klr650.marknet.us/ . I changed to the Eagle Mike torsion spring at 40,000 miles. Easy to install and I'm sure it will be good until I retire the bike at 100,000 miles.
As far as oil goes, I know owners have a lot of opinions what oil you should or should not use..............I use Castrol GTX 10W40 and have not had any problems of any kind. Using a motorcycle specific oil is of no concern for me...........bottom line.......use whatever you like.
Ca$h and I changed the spring and doohickey on his '99 with 14,600 miles. Got lucky and found the missing piece in the oil screen.
www.hippohands.com from Dan are my choice for cold weather hand protection and I have to say these work better than the original ones did that Vetter had back in the 70s. I've been able to ride in the winter using my vented Joe Rocket summer gloves. When you order for the KLR, make sure you tell Dan if you are using aftermarket handguards so he can make adjustments for the left side. This guy worked with me via e-mails and pics to make a set that are a perfect fit. I have to rate his customer service right up there with Fred at Arrowhead.
Finally got to take my first "real trip" on the KLR in Nov '05. I've done 400 mile days but only on weekend rides so this was a real treat to get to take a whole week to ride and enjoy the KLR.
KLR Rides:
Nov '05 Big Bend
Sept '06 Route 66 - New Mexico-Colorado .
Nov '06 2nd Annual Big Bend
Aug '07 Route 66 -New Mexico-Colorado
Nov '07 Ca$h's 75th Birthday Bash (A.K.A. Copper Canyon Nov '07)
Sept '08 Route 66 - Colorado
Nov '08 Big Bend Nov '08.
Sept '09 Colorado Ride
Nov '09 Arkansas Weekend
HERE to see pics of mods I have made to my KLR.
As most of you know, there are a lot of good links with info on the KLR, here are some of the best links I have found. I was able to do my 500 mile service using these sites without a service manual. Special thanks to http://www.klr650.marknet.us/ for his COMPLETE procedure on valve adjustment and other info.
Maxey's Honda-Yamaha-Victory Oklahoma City
Cyclepedia Press Online Service Guide
Eldon Carl Multi Surface Motorcycling
I've read where several KLR owners seem to be worried that the stock bike does not have enough horsepower. This guy below did not seem to have any problems! Ca$h was there on one of his BMWs, which by the way, he got stuck twice in the tundra and soon noticed how heavy a fully loaded dual sport BMW really is. This riders comment to him was "Who needs it? I rode the same roads today without any problems".
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