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well. almost a week after watching my bike be run over and i think i may have reached a decison about my next bike. gonna get a 650, but not one most people would expect. I think im gonna get a KLR650. I know, its a n00b bike with less power than my old ninja. Though i think its perfect. i like the look of it. and i feels great to sit on. i like the ruggedness of it. i think it will be cool to ride the fire roads in the local mtns. Plus all the addons and cool things for it are awesome. Anyone have or used to have one of these. Whats your opions and reviews of em. Thanks



JWF

A local riding buddy of mine had one. He really loved it, then it was stolen by some jerk on campus and never seen again. So he bought another one. That should tell you how much he liked the bike.

On the plus side, I hear there's a LOT of aftermarket support. The gas tank is HUGE. Ground clearance is really high, since it's a dual-sport, so you can really lean over in those corners. Single-thumper is pretty reliable, from what I hear.

Downsides: single cylinder makes a lot of vibration. I hear this can slowly back off bolts if they aren't properly torqued down. I think it's an overstated issue, but I'm just parroting what I've read about it.

All in all, I think they would make a nice second bike.

KLR's are great bikes! They go anywhere and run forever! Good UAV (Urban Assault Vehicle).

Whytegryphon is currently hammering down miles on his. Looks like a great all-around bike to me. Best part is, it can handle dirt and gravel a lot better then your ninja, if you happen to run into it.

Sevulturus wrote:Whytegryphon is currently hammering down miles on his. Looks like a great all-around bike to me. Best part is, it can handle dirt and gravel a lot better then your ninja, if you happen to run into it.

thats one thing that i do like, always was worried when i saw any sort of debrie and gravel in the road on my ninja



JWF

A KLR-650 is not a 'noob' bike, it's just a bike. And very good at what it does. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Make sure you get some off-roading in. You'd be suprised at how much fun can be had in a low gear.

whats the deal with the plastic exhaust on these suckers? how do those hold up over time, any melting problems or anything of that sort?



JWF

I doubt they'd still be selling something like that if it was prone to melting.

Second bike. Heck KLRs make good first bikes.

Sounds like the off-road bug bit ya JFW. From what I hear the KLR is about as good as it gets for off-road ability on a dual sport.

If you are short legged though you might find it a bit tall.