Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Now is a good time to shop for a KLR 650

Scarce as hen’s teeth around here, might be finally going out of production after all these years. Still carbureted, they never fuel injected it like the KLR which does not augur well for the future. Already unavailable in Australia.

Quicker and lighter than a KLR, better suspension, better in the dirt. One thing I really like about the KLR is its water cooled. Stalled in traffic that fan kicks in and blows hot air all over your knee, so it overheats your knee and not so much the motor.

had a KLX 650R that was one bad SOB . A guy really needed some pretty serious inseam to reach the ground I was fine but most people were not..


https://ridermagazine.com/2013/10/04/retrospectve-kawasaki-klx650-1993-1996/

I've owned a couple in the past, I just wish they could shave a hundred pounds off them.

My 2016 Isle of Man TT t-shirt is the real deal, so is my son’s 😎

Only problem is most people over here have no clue what it means.

Maybe we should get Harley t-shirts.

I still have my KLR 650 but it needs a big bore kit and a different carb. Saet is too soft and is one of the worst seats I have ridden on. The new ones are much better. I have a KLX 250 which is a decent little bike and a Suzuki V Strom which is a very good road bike. I'll probably not buy another new bike. I can't warm up to all the electronic gimmickry. GD

Nah, stick with the TT shirt, or even a straight jacket - I like to know who the crazy people are.

That was the ac unit.

I got the camo version. Love it, just don’t have time to ride as much as I want to.

I should put the battery back in tomorrow.

I almost entered the TT in 88. Couldn't get our hands on a TZ-500. Damn... That was a long time ago.

Hahaha!

If I was a smart man, I’d hop on one right now. I’d just be using it to get to gravel forest service roads, then on to fishing spots or camping. no serious dirt.

But, I have been reading/watching too much content on the Aprillia Tuareg 660.

Fuggin’ Iteys go and make some in incredible s—t, with the some of the worst reliability in the world… Oh and heaven help you if you need a part shipped from Italy…

Rear window defroster finally get you?

Christ, an old XR500 will mor'n get it done, with Honda reliability.

ac? water heater?…… who does that?

“Desmodromic valves”, the answer to a question nobody asked 🙂

You’ll love the fuel injection.

I’m 6’4-6’5 and the the KLR was a good fit me.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away the Harley crowd used to rag on Japanese bikes as being “disposable”. Back in the ‘80’s the Evo motor was a revelation. In the forty years since however HD saw fit to make continual engine modifications and changes, incidentally making the bikes less and less rebuildable. Egad, the latest Sportster replacement, the water-cooled “Nightster”, has a big fake gas tank with the real gas tank under the seat.

Meanwhile Kawasaki has been making the 652cc KLR motor mostly unchanged since they bumped it up from a 600 in 1987. I believe the KLR is the oldest streetbike design currently in production in the US.

Indeed, I was stunned to find the classic dual purpose version had been taken out of production some time back when I wasn’t paying attention.

I had no idea you raced motorcycles at one time Bart, tho I ain’t surprised to hear it.

Most folks here are prob’ly aware of the TT and what it is, but if they ain’t here’s a link. If it didn’t actually happen you wouldn’t believe it possible.


IOM TT

My son and I went in 2016. The hardest part is getting on the island, we got two of the last slots on a ferry for even pedestrians with no vehicle when we reserved the summer before.

Once on the island….

Taxi to a campground-$10
Cost of campground just 100 yards from the pits/start-finish line - $18 per person per night.
The public can wander freely through the pits during race prep.
The racing as shown, right there on the street in front of you.
The Chief of Police was running the breakfast kiosk at the campground.
He was also the head Track Marshall, he invited my son along as he drove the 37 mile loop to check it right before the races started (the roads close at 10am on race days).
You can leave anything laying out, the theft rate is almost nonexistent.
Great conversations with people from all over the world.
Thousands of motorcycles of all descriptions.

It’s like nothing else of earth 😎

Yeah, mine's fine except for the oil burning. That is why it needs the kit. The carburetor sux. The great thing about it is that it is torquey and hooks up real well. The down side is the weight and brakes which are just slightly better than dragging your feet. They are the perfect anti-lock brake however; they won't lock-up on gravel. The new ones are much better in the brake department and the fuel injection takes care of the carb issue. GD