Old-School Is Cool: The Kawasaki KLR650 Dual Sport Motorcycle
The Kawasaki KLR 650 has been around since '87 and is still a popular choice for inexpensive dual-sports bike riding.
In fact, the US military uses modified KLR 650s and are considered as the two-wheeled version of an army jeep.
Kawasaki's formula of simple performance and reliability proved its worth making the KLR 650 as the top selling "dualie" for years.
The latest version of this model is not much different in terms of its performance and design.
The new model sports a Keihin CVK-40 constant velocity carburetor fed 651cc, four-stroke engine with 4-valves and DOHC.
That's right, carb! No complex electronic fuel injection here.
Despite the somewhat ancient setup, the engine starts and warms up with ease.
There is more than enough low-end torque to pull you through tough terrain as well as adequate power to propel you to highway speeds.
A large, 6.
1-gallon tank holds the go juice and with a consumption of 55 mpg, you'll cover more ground between filling up.
A 41mm telescopic fork up front provides 7.
9 inches of travel while the rear Uni-Trak system, which has a 5-way adjustable pre-load and step-less rebound adjustment gives 7.
3 inches.
A two-piston caliper with 280mm petal disc (front) and a 240mm single-piston caliper (rear) give you stopping power in case Bambi decides to cross the street without looking.
The alternator has an output of 17 amps and provides a 36-watt capacity for high output headlamps, GPS or any other electronic device that you might need in long rides.
The rack space at the back can carry a sizeable amount of load.
The fairings do a great job to protect against wind at highway speeds while the mud flaps does keep you clean.
On the road, the KLR650 handles well (it is an all-terrain bike after all).
The weight of a full tank does affect the handling a bit and improves as it goes halfway.
The seat and ergonomics are comfortable for long journeys and the suspension absorbs bumps well.
Off the road however, some people might find the suspension too soft and under-damped (mainly because of the sheer weight), a problem that can be easily fixed by the aftermarket.
Aggressive trailing might reveal some flexing of the fork, but then again, the aftermarket segment can also address this.
Regardless, the KLR650 is still a bargain considering its price.
Even with all the modifications to address the things that were mentioned above, it still is great value.
The best thing about this particular model is the ease of maintenance.
Kawasaki has done a great job of keeping the KLR simple and not introducing too much technical innovations that would make things more complicated than it should be.
In this case, old school truly is cool.
In fact, the US military uses modified KLR 650s and are considered as the two-wheeled version of an army jeep.
Kawasaki's formula of simple performance and reliability proved its worth making the KLR 650 as the top selling "dualie" for years.
The latest version of this model is not much different in terms of its performance and design.
The new model sports a Keihin CVK-40 constant velocity carburetor fed 651cc, four-stroke engine with 4-valves and DOHC.
That's right, carb! No complex electronic fuel injection here.
Despite the somewhat ancient setup, the engine starts and warms up with ease.
There is more than enough low-end torque to pull you through tough terrain as well as adequate power to propel you to highway speeds.
A large, 6.
1-gallon tank holds the go juice and with a consumption of 55 mpg, you'll cover more ground between filling up.
A 41mm telescopic fork up front provides 7.
9 inches of travel while the rear Uni-Trak system, which has a 5-way adjustable pre-load and step-less rebound adjustment gives 7.
3 inches.
A two-piston caliper with 280mm petal disc (front) and a 240mm single-piston caliper (rear) give you stopping power in case Bambi decides to cross the street without looking.
The alternator has an output of 17 amps and provides a 36-watt capacity for high output headlamps, GPS or any other electronic device that you might need in long rides.
The rack space at the back can carry a sizeable amount of load.
The fairings do a great job to protect against wind at highway speeds while the mud flaps does keep you clean.
On the road, the KLR650 handles well (it is an all-terrain bike after all).
The weight of a full tank does affect the handling a bit and improves as it goes halfway.
The seat and ergonomics are comfortable for long journeys and the suspension absorbs bumps well.
Off the road however, some people might find the suspension too soft and under-damped (mainly because of the sheer weight), a problem that can be easily fixed by the aftermarket.
Aggressive trailing might reveal some flexing of the fork, but then again, the aftermarket segment can also address this.
Regardless, the KLR650 is still a bargain considering its price.
Even with all the modifications to address the things that were mentioned above, it still is great value.
The best thing about this particular model is the ease of maintenance.
Kawasaki has done a great job of keeping the KLR simple and not introducing too much technical innovations that would make things more complicated than it should be.
In this case, old school truly is cool.
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