Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Small dual sport motorcycle

I have a shot at a 2011 KLR650 that a good friend crashed for not much money, I am thinking less than 1,200.

To be original it needs a front fairing, side fairings, one crash bar, headlight, cluster, turn signals and a carb rebuild.

I was thinking it may be a decent and cheap ride with just a headlight and turn signals and use it for commuting and keep some mileage off my Ninja 1000.

I have no experience with dual sports, only moto-x bikes from 50 years ago.

What do ya'll think?

No need to buy a crashed bike IMO. Buy something cherry.

Bullshit..... these low horsepower bikes don't eat chains or sprockets.....

Son crashed my 2011 KLR a couple of times.Things will get bent beside things getting broken. With carb issues then the tank is suspect as well. It's been sitting I would guess.

Cheapasser tip part duex.

For example. 122 links ready to go. $77.94
https://www.amazon.com/DID-X-Ring-428x122-Yamaha-1995-2018/dp/B0787DP6Y8/ref=sr_1_2?crid=XJ06SPTUN2KN&dchild=1&keywords=428+x+ring+chain&qid=1590203359&sprefix=428+x+ring+chain%2Caps%2C896&sr=8-2


A few seconds on a grinder, 126 links, $68.68
https://www.amazon.com/chain-428-VX-126-links-Open-Ring/dp/B0081HRN0E/ref=sr_1_4?crid=XJ06SPTUN2KN&dchild=1&keywords=428+x+ring+chain&qid=1590203520&sprefix=428+x+ring+chain%2Caps%2C896&sr=8-4

Yes, two years.

They should have got a TW!

wow , talk about needing new parts .
Never saw that vid before .

I grew up just a few miles from Devils Staircase in Oregonia , Ohio .
Old farmer named Noelly Powell owned it - i use to help him bail hay for pocket money .

These hills are way steeper than they look on camera .

Jim, good purchase for you it reads like. Better suspension on those larger bikes which makes a long ride less tiresome. I'd suggest a GPS in your kit somewhere if you plan to get pretty far back into the hinterland. You aren't lost until you are out of gas and the only direction that you know is up and down. On the carrier. Get the best set of tire-downs that you can find. You are not going to have a lot of angle on a bumper rack to secure a bike real well. If your Honda has a roof rack, maybe a safety rope or two over the back end to the bars and rack. I welded some rings onto the hinges of my K5 Blazer for upper tie points when I carried my 250 Bultaco on a bumper rack. I'm reminded of my buddy when he bought a new Lazy Boy recliner. Heavy enough not to need to tie it down in the bed of his pickup, right? Nope. Looking in the rear view mirror seeing it bouncing down the highway behind him depreciated it some.

Crashing was the reason that I got off my fast bikes and onto slower ones. I was having a great time on the forest roads up north on my full race Husqvarna until one day I was doing one of those all crossed up skid turns on a dirt corner when it turned into blacktop halfway through the turn. High sided it down the hill and into the woods. The bike was on top of me and there was warm blood I thought from a head wound running down my face. This must be the way it feels to die I remember thinking to myself. Nope, not yet. It was gear oil from when I punched a hole in the gear case when I'd hit a rock. Brought it home, fixed it and sold it for a third of what I'd bought it for.

They are the AK-47 of motorcycles. The plastics will cost more than it's worth. I ought an '08 with the 685 kit already installed for $2,400 with good side and tank bags.
Stay away from the '08 and early '09 unless you're a sharp mechanic. The early Gen II bikes had wiring and piston issues.
I put around 8,000 miles on mine in 3 weeks when I went to Tuktoyaktuk.
Great bikes for long legs but price plastic before considering the purchase.

I'm not in a big hurry to buy my carrier, I think I'll wait and see how you like the aluminum one you are looking at.
The ramp on the steel one I been reading up on is a foot shorter coming in at 5ft.
I like the idea of the lighter aluminum and if it pans out well for you I might get one, keep us posted on the loading thing..



Be sure someone is videoing when you do this the first time....we'll all wanna see that maneuver too!

Thanks, stories like this give me a warm feeling of confidence.

Got a standard issue license plate yesterday but am really thinking of getting a vanity plate for it that reads EZDZIT (easy does it) or TKITEZ (take it easy). Had a Greeves Griffon for a very short period of time in the early 70's and I could hurt myself on that faster than you could say Jack Robinson, so now it's definitely going to be slow and easy going. I'll break it in as ol_mike recommended - some other folks on youtube have recommend that as well - but after that this bike will probably spend most of its life chugging along in 2nd or 3rd gear.

Versahaul for the win. The extendable four point tie down really holds the bike on. I use mine to haul my Rokon around.

Do you ride it up there or push it?

About how far away from your toppers window is that handle bar?

JLimbo,

Nice sticker!

LOL.

And awesome rig.

You should ask your wife for one.....

Since you mentioned it. While watching your vid the other day, I was pretty sure I heard a tired chain or sprocket(s). It just seemed to speak above all the other sounds.

To do what?

Attend PTA meetings and get groceries?

The end of the bars are about 8-10 inches from the window. After affixing the ramp back on the carrier-in between the ramp and the rear bumper I can shimmy my fat arse between the bike and the shell. There's enough room to get the right door open and be able to access the bed.

As to loading I'll walk it up the ramp in low gear and bump the kill switch. First time I just pushed it up. No fun. Rokons are a bitch to push.

Thanks. That sucker is slow but it'll go places my quad or side by side have no chance to access.