[dsn_klr650] klr pre and post '96

[Verle Nelson]

> From: "Dustin McCarty" > Just purchased my KLR650 about a month ago. Now I have read your > reviews on the dualsport.org website. Possibly made a bad choice for > the dual sport of my dreams???? Maybe the KTM?

In my opinion, whether or not you made the right choice probably rests entirely on what you intend to do with your KLR. I have a '99 KLR650. I spent last weekend riding with two hard-charging vintage motocross riders, mounted for this trip on a late model KTM 640 LC4 and a twelve year old Yamaha XT600. We covered about 250 miles or more of primitive roads and 4WD trails is southeastern Utah, including Canyonlands well-known White Rim Trail, and about an equal number of paved miles. We did deep sand in the San Rafael desert. We rode hard on the rough stuff and really fast on the better roads and pavement. Fast enough on the pavement that the Yamaha burned a full tank of fuel in 77 miles. The KLR worked well for me in this demanding situation. I bashed the bash-plate pitifully and ripped off the license plate (relocated but obviously not far enough) but otherwise did no damage. Both other riders were impressed with the KLR, especially considering it had Avon Gripsters and they had knobbies. Was the KLR as good as the other bikes? Well, maybe as good as the Yamaha but even that is hard to say. I didn't ride the Yamaha. I did ride the KTM for several miles on the White Rim. I thought it was the best handling dirt bike I had ever ridden. I immediately went fast and felt like I had been riding it for years. However: if the owner were to suddenly offer to trade me even up, I would have to consider carefully. I need the big tank (he bought a bigger factory-made tank from the KTM distributor for this ride and it cost $475) yet still holds only 4 1/2 gallons. The seat would undoubtedly be miserable after a few hours (the owner says it is). As for engine performance, they seemed more evenly matched than they should have been. On the pavement, I could accelerate with the KTM and match it's top speed. We were both running 14 tooth countershaft sprockets. The KTM owner knows how to maintain such a bike -- he used to be a Penton dealer and still races a 400 Penton in vintage motocross. Given the range of my riding and the amount of pavement I ride getting to trails, the KLR is probably the better choice. The KTM owner thinks so also. Of course, that doesn't mean that he wants a KLR or that I won't buy a KTM. I'm just saying the KLR held it's own in this company and earned the other rider's respect. We are doing another couple hundred off-pavement miles in the same general area but south of the Colorado River next weekend. These roads have three or four really nasty spots. If I change my mind about the KLR's capabilities, I'll post again. Verle Nelson (whimsy@...) '97 R1100R '99 KLR650 Cedaredge, CO USA

[k650dsn@aol.com]

In a message dated 04/07/2000 11:05:35 PM Mountain Daylight Time, dust1972@... writes: > Yikes, what a question. I would have to send a 20 page document to fully answer it. I must admit that I become over zealous when talking about bikes I own, so I must first say up front that you need to determine what your riding needs are and compare them to my description. With that said, I generally look for motorcycles that are versatile, reliable, good value, and fun to ride. Every bike in my garage must be capable of commuting, taking a 600 mile a day trip and serve as general transportation just like any other vehicle. Hanger queens need not apply for residence in my garage which is why only Japanese bikes are allowed To me, the KLR presented exceptional value, good off road manners, durability, riding comfort, and long distance capability. With a little modification, it can be made to work well off road as well as on the highway. In my opinion, it strikes the perfect balance of utility and fun for my style of riding. One thing I should say is that I like all types of riding and all aspects of motorcycling. I love street riding, dual sport riding, sport riding, sport touring and even cruising on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I like customizing and wrenching. Is the KLR the right bike for you? Only you can answer that. But I can say you could have done a lot worse. It is an excellent platform to begin molding a machine to fit your needs, to a point. It will never be the capable dirt oriented dual sport like a KTM or Honda XR650R. But if it is a "Jack of All Trades" bike you are looking for, you bought the best bike money could buy. Gino

[Verle Nelson]

From: "Bogdan Swider"

> I don't have Verle's off road expertise of experience...

I have the experience, but claim no special expertise.

> ...but I make a point of doing all my riding with the gripsters. The

reason

> I own a klr is to be able to instantly change from high speed touring to > exploring an arroyo bed. Sometimes circumstance forces the change; > other times it's my own fickle nature. I don't want to be spoiled by more > dirt worthy tires. I do want to be prepared for what the Gripsters can and > can't do. Bogdan

Good point. I recently rode a 610 Husqvarna. It was not a DOT approved dual sport, but the dealer hung a plate on it and I rode it in town in heavy traffic on the way out of town. It had full knobbies. I was astonished at how easily I locked the rear wheel in what I would call normal stopping. Of course it had Brembo brakes -- perhaps that was a factor. I was back in southeastern Utah Wednesday on my R1100R. I rode 70 miles of graded dirt and loose gravel at speeds up to 70MPH. That's on a Metzeler MEZ1 front tire and MEZ2 rear tire; wide, tubeless radial sport tires. I thought the bike was as stable as the KLR, maybe even more so. I just don't feel a need for special tires for non-competitive riding. And I love graveled roads. Verle Nelson (whimsy@...) '97 R1100R '99 KLR650 Cedaredge, CO USA

[k650dsn@aol.com]

In a message dated Mon, 10 Apr 2000 4:22:34 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Tumu Rock writes:

> > On Sat, 8 Apr 2000 07:51:31 -0600, DSN_klr650@egroups.com wrote: > > > > > > In my opinion, whether or not you made the right choice probably rests > > entirely on what you intend to do with your KLR. I have a '99 KLR650. > > > > > I'm just saying the KLR held it's own in this company and earned the > other rider's respect. > > > > > > Verle Nelson (whimsy@...) > > '97 R1100R > > '99 KLR650 > > Cedaredge, CO USA > > > > I hereby nominate Verle as the SpeaKLR of the House > and Gino as the Minority Whip (his proclivity for camels prevents him from > going any further politically ;^) > > dat brooklyn bum >>

NEWS FLASH! I have just learned that the Branding Iron (hosting our Karoake night during the Get-Together) will not allow camels or seals on the premises. You'll have to leave them a Fred's place. Gino

[Stuart Heaslet]

At 10:41 AM 4/10/00 -0600, Bogdan Swider wrote:

>> NEWS FLASH! I have just learned that the Branding Iron (hosting our >> Karoake night during the Get-Together) will not allow camels or seals on >> the premises. You'll have to leave them a Fred's place. >> Gino >> >If I was romantically involved with a camel or seal, I wouldn't leave it >with Fred. He was brought up on a farm, you know. Bogdan

How do you guys get all this inside information? Fireball

[Russell Scott]

By George I think he's got it. But it isn't going to stop me from picking a XR650R this summer for serious dirt bike riding. That hill climb Toby (slide) showed us, along with the Sherman Pass jeep road, MUST be conquered! Russel'r DSN_klr650@egroups.com Subject: Re: [DSN_klr650] Gino's Reviews Ok folks, my e-mail server just crashed so you only got the second message. Wasn't my fault after all. Woo Hoo So here goes again... In the northern part of SC we have access to the Blue Ridge parkway, loads of powerline trails if you can find them unmarked and great 'mountain' roads. I've had my A13 for a few months and also have an 83 XR 350 purchased to let my friends without bikes ride with me on the trails. Yesterday we rode about 15 miles out into nowhere SC along a power line. We stopped when both of our skill levels were overmatched by a 1/4 mile downhill of about 75 degrees with two ruts mid way down. I don't mind laying my bikes down but I hate being upside down. After we got back to the road we realized we left a bit of trash a little ways in so I took the XR back to get it just to have some fun with a 'real' dirt bike. If my XR is anything like the newer XR's I now have an opinion about my KLR v/s the XR. Some of the good overlaps the bad but this is life... KLR Sucks: - Front brakes (no surprise) - Front springs (anyone care to go diving?) - Width (feels huge when you have to maneuver over big rocks etc.) - Weight (I had to have help picking it up after a small fall on a BIG hill) - Gearing (need a taller sprocket for the street and a shorter one for the woods. Still want two sets of wheels) - Brush guards (first trip with the new Acerbis guards. Love 'em) All minor stuff in my opinion and stuff that can be fixed by aftermarket goodies and lots more experience. KLR Rules: - Range (gave Mark a gallon of gas and still had plenty) - Smoothness (surprised at how violent the XR ride was) - Speed (he was in third when I was getting out of first) - Highway (at the end of the day I went back to the Jeep for more water and brought him some cause it was so far back...) (I went from 15 to 75 in 4 seconds) - Power (every bit as strong as any other bike out there where it counts) - Price (looked at the Beemer.. ouch) - Adventure Touring (can't wait to get up on the Parkway for an extended weekend) - Quick removal of windshield (I've got a tall and a short Kawi models and I take both off for serious riding. Feels more like a dirt bike that way) In the end my opinion is that if you have the stones to ride the KLR in the rough stuff it can take it. Then you can ride it all the way home. Unbeatable. KLR Wins. Game Over. Just bring a buddy to help you pick the monster up or practice dead lifting 350+ pounds on a 60 degree incline. Drive safe. Wear your helmet. Keep your wits about you. Come home fully assembled. Jim Jackson II A13 South Carolina ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Save 75% on Products! Find incredible deals on overstocked items with Free shipping! http://click.egroups.com/1/2711/3/_/_/_/955378795/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Visit the KLR650 archives at http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 Support Dual Sport News... dsneditor@... Let's keep this list SPAM free! Visit our site at http://www.egroups.com/group/DSN_klr650 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@egroups.com

[InWoods13@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/8/00 9:15:34 AM Eastern Daylight Time, mjv2@... writes: SO, tell me, why should I have chosen the KLR? Why do you ride one when you

>have such fine things to say about the other bikes? Convince me I made the >right choice. That KTM sure does look like a fine bike.

Because with the KLR: 1) you can invest the money you saved into other things like luggage, or your Roth IRA 2) you can ride for 300 miles straight without needing tailbone surgery 3) one minute your doing 90 mph on an interstate, the next you're on old jeep trail headed to the top of a mountain 4) you never worry about running out of gas 5) it might be old-tech, but it sure is reliable 6) if you beat the hell out of it, you can make it look like new for $500 or less from DualStar 7) the Dakar look is still in >> Sums it up well Mark! All best Scott A14(No regrets) Sorrento

[Tom Simpson]

Yahoo wrote:

> Hello,I am new to the list. I own the F650 but it's too heavy for > off-road and very expensive if dropped so and I am actively seeking > for the KLR650 bike so I can abuse it. One question: what is a real > different between Pre'96 and Post'96 version of the bike in all area > beside the color. > > There are some useful changes to some engine internals that are > supposed to improve reliability (mostly in the clutch assembly and > counterballancer adjuster) and rideability (increased flywheel mass). > For the most part, these improvements are thought to be only a minor > factor in deciding which to purchase. > > -Tom > '96 KLR 650