2008 vs 2007

[Jake Wilson]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "David C." wrote: (a Russell on a KLR is just wrong) ~~~Sorta like tits on a bull?=:-) I've owned/ridden three different Russell seats, two of which were custom built to my specs. It is one hell of a seat no matter what you install it on but I bet if I had one on my KLR, my KLR would see far more LD miles than it is currently getting Jake Reddick Fla. > > In addition to my '88 KLR I have a 2000 Concours. I got the Concours > in 2001, to replace a succession of Airhead BMWs, as I wanted > something a little more reliable and high tech than the old > Airheads. The Concours has been a good bike, reliable, not horribly > difficult to work on, not too high tech. There's also a huge support > group in COG. However, since getting my '88 KLR two years ago, I > find myself riding the KLR more and the Concours (much) less. Today > I finished my annual and four year periodic service on the Concours, > and I noticed I only put 700 miles on it last year. In addition, the > service has eaten up most of three weekends, and a big part of that > is removing and replacing stuff (gas tanks, tupperware, bags > mufflers, brakes, etc) that have nothing to do with the actual > service. The tupperware is a particular pain to deal with. The > advantages of the Connie are it's great weather protection and > relative comfort; I've done a BBG and numerous 600+ mile days on > it. I have it set up with a Russell seat, extra lights, heated > grips, etc, and it's a great LD bike. On the other hand, it's a big, > heavy pig, it's relatively hard on tires (unless you run GL1500 > tires, and then you give up traction), and there is a lot going on > under all that plastic. > > On the other hand, the KLR seems to do about 90% of everything I need > to do with a motorcycle. The seating position is actually more > comfortable than the Concours, and I suspect if I added a flat Corbin > seat (a Russell on a KLR is just wrong) I wouldn't have any trouble > doing big miles if need be. The KLR is simple, easy to work on, gets > good mileage, and with the IMS tank I have on it, has excellent > range. If I sold the Concours I could easily afford a newer, lower > mileage KLR, and keep the '88 for a spare or sell it for more farkles. > > So, has anyone else sold a Concours or other sport/touring bike to > make the KLR their primary ride? Any regrets? Anyone want a well > maintained, relatively low mileage (26K) Concours with all the farkles? > > (The alternative is to sell them both and get a V-Strom....) > > Thanks > Dave C >

[E.L. Green]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "roncriswell@..." wrote:

> > I have an 01 Connie and love the look of the bike and the sound but > it is heavy and I did have to lower the pegs and raise the bars for > reasons others have talked about. I have 47,000 miles on it but

I couldn't lower the pegs on my Connie. I ride too hard, I tried lowering the pegs and ended up banging them on the pavement all the time.

> the same on the KLR. People who are not KLRistas think I am full of > it when I say the KLR is more comfortable on the road. I have done > 989 miles in one day on the Connie ......... but in the last 3 years > have rode the KLR from Chama New Mexico to Dallas area in one day.

Drop a KLR by an inch to make it a little more stable on the road, stiffen up the springing slightly to keep it from lurching when you brake, put a handlebar-mounted windshield and tank paniers on the sucker, and frankly I can't tell the difference between the Concours's wind protection and the KLR's wind protection -- and the seating position on the KLR is *much* more comfortable. The Connie has the advantage of having those handy dashboard cubbyholes for things like toll tokens and such, and doesn't get discombobulated as easily by heavy loads and high winds, but the KLR is surprisingly capable as a long distance tourer -- well, until it gets to be night, anyhow, at which point its pathetic headlight becomes an issue. Also not as good during winter because it doesn't have the juice to run full electric gear . Still, I haven't missed my Connie since I sold it.

> I have picked up the Connie by myself after knocking it over in the > drive probably aided by adrenaline shock. Plastic is expensive. It > took 3 of us to pick up my KLR on the White Rim last year (full tank > pointing downhill).

If you have tipover bars on your Connie it's pretty easy to get it back up. Just shove it over so its feet are on the ground, back up to it and put your butt under the seat, your left hand on the handle, your right hand on the bars, and push with your legs. It pops right back up. If a KLR has hard bags on it you can do the same basic trick, but a KLR that is flat on the ground is much harder to get up because you can't park your butt against its seat. So that had nothing to do with me selling my Connie. The fact that it practically crippled me due to the sportbike-like seating position was the big reason. It was a fun bike, but it just didn't agree with me physically. =E

[notanymoore]

I'd heard the 2008 was smoother, more powerful; but I've no direct experience with that. I upgraded my '06 with new road tires (Bridgestone TW21's), superbike chain and 16 tooth sprocket and it made a world of difference over stock in rideability. 2008 hardware and electronics appear better. And reviews state suspension and brakes are improved as well. However, I have to agree about the plastic. 2008 is too streetbike like for the dirt. Pre-2008 plastic puts up with dings better. IMO any year KLR needs Nerf Bars. I love the rideability of the KLR and it's easy to maintain, but it's got limits. The stock bike is a lot of compromise on wind protection, suspension, braking and horsepower. 2008 intro model problems aside, if I ever get to the point where I want another bike, I'll probably go with the V-Strom. Just not enough difference in the new KLR model to interest me.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "E.L. Green" wrote: > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "gust0261" > wrote: > > What is the consensus about the new 2008 KLR650. Better than the old > > one? Good changes? Bad Changes? > > My take: > > 2008: Much better headlights. Much better brakes. Stiffer suspension > for less lurching around when you hit said brakes. Much better on- road > bike. Slightly worse off-road, but if you've already lowered your bike > by 1" and stiffened your suspension (as I have) there's no difference > in off-road capability, but the fairing is crunchy so you better have > crash bars on the thing before going offroad (there are now three > venders of crash bars for the '08 KLR, that tells you a bit about how > necessary they are). Doesn't seem to be any noticable difference in > power. Does seem to be smoother. This is the first year for the '08, > and there has been a number of production problems over the course of > the year -- a problem with the rings that causes excessive oil > consumption in certain bikes, a problem with the rubber provider for > the turnsignals that causes the turnsignals to fall off when you bump > them, and a problem with a vendor of parts for the shock that causes > the shock preload adjuster to fail. KHI has fixed all three problems > (gasp!), but hasn't issued a recall on any of these problems and has > not provided a list of affected VIN's for any of the bikes currently > in the supply chain, so I'm waiting for the 2009 model before buying a > new KLR. > > 2007: Slightly better offroad. Not as good of wind protection. > Vibrates more. Stock springs are really weak and must be beefed up if > you weigh more than 140 pounds. Seat is really soggy and must be > replaced with an aftermarket seat if you weigh more than 140 pounds. > Reliable as a brick. Has tupperware plastics rather than crunchy > plastics so less likely to break something if you drop it (still, you > want a radiator guard before you drop it, because the radiator, while > not as fragile as on the '08, is still expensive). Brakes are pathetic > and must replace the front rotor with an aftermarket one to get any > kind of real braking power on the road. Front headlight is pathetic > and cannot be significantly improved, even if you re-wire the > headlight circuit and put a 100 watt bulb the square shape of the > headlight does a lousy job of putting light where you need it on the > road. > > My take: There are a number of used pre '08 KLR's on the market for > cheap. If in the market for a KLR right now, either get one of those > and upgrade to the new model once the bugs get ironed out (probably > the '09 model), or wait for the '09 model. But again, that's just my > opinion, which is worth what you paid for it (shrug). > > -E >

[oldrider25]

Short answer: The bike that most closely matches your riding style, riding preferences, and physique will be the one you think is better. I like my KLR and have no regrets selling my Concours. Stream of consciousness: I had an '86 Concours I bought a number of years back. I restored it to original and put a Givi tail box w/ the optional back rest on it for touring with my wife. We had that sucker loaded down with a weekend's worth of gear + 20 bottles of wine from the Los Olivos, CA wine country. The bike was great fun when doing the sport part of sport-touring. As soon as you got to the tour part, it became uncomfortable. I'm 6'0" and have a 32" inseam. I found the legroom too short. The bars put too much weight on my wrists (for me) even though I have a 35" sleeve length. The high freq. buzz made my fingers numb after an hour or so of fwy riding. The brakes sucked with no option to upgrade unlike the KLR that has a 320mm aftermarket offering. The plastic fit/finish sucked. But, hey, it was the 1st production year. The turning radius sucked also. I also didn't like how I kept riding up on the tank, squishing my naughty bits (as they say across the pond). The wind protection was excellent. Too excellent. On hot days, you baked. The heat from the engine cooked my legs and the lack of a breeze made summer travel too hot. The plus side was the rain protection. I rode through some hellacious rain and barely got wet. Wind protection for your pillion is another matter. My wife got *blasted* by the wind at anything over 80mph. She said she felt like she was going to get blown off the back of the bike! As for the bike's weight - it's heavy. Just as a comparison, when test riding the KLR, I initiated the turn by countersteering. I pushed so hard on the handlebar I almost wrecked the bike! I pushed about as hard as I normally had to do on my Concours to initiate a quick turn. I sold my Connie shortly after buying a KLR. The KLR is the slowest bike I've ever owned and I've had cruisers, standards, etc. It's also the most fun bike I've ever owned. It's relatively light, very comfortable to ride, and goes everywhere most street bikes only dream of going. Riding my Connie on a gravel driveway is nerve wracking. Riding my KLR on a gravel road is a piece of cake. When I see a dirt road off the beaten path, I want to take it. Riding the KLR, I can. When on the Concours, maybe. Once I bought the KLR, I found I hardly ever rode the Concours. Going downhill on tight winding roads, the KLR can keep up with most other bikes. I've surprised many a sport bike rider by keeping pace. Once the curves open up, or if there's a (not so) long straight, or the road levels off, the more powerful bikes start to walk away. No worries, I'm still going fast enough to have fun. I've ridden both my KLR and my Concours over 400 miles in one day. 400 miles is an all day affair when mixing in dirt/gravel roads on the KLR. 400 miles goes much faster on the Concours if you're sticking to pavement and going 100+ MPH the whole way like I did down US101 one very early morning. These are 2 totally different bikes - neither is better than the other. They're just different. For me, the KLR is a better fit for my riding style and personality. It does 95% of what I want a street bike to do. I commute, tour, and offroad (everything but single track), on the bike. I don't ride 2-up these days, either. For me, I have zero regrets selling my Concours and keeping my KLR. Were I to buy a bike for the other 5%, it would probably be a Honda ST1100. Hydraulic lifters, smoother power delivery, higher overall quality, etc. I like the older ST. One more thing. Working on the KLR is a breeze compared to my Concours. No need to sync carbs either! HTH, John

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "David C." wrote: > > In addition to my '88 KLR I have a 2000 Concours. I got the Concours > in 2001, to replace a succession of Airhead BMWs, as I wanted > something a little more reliable and high tech than the old > Airheads. The Concours has been a good bike, reliable, not horribly > difficult to work on, not too high tech. There's also a huge support > group in COG. However, since getting my '88 KLR two years ago, I > find myself riding the KLR more and the Concours (much) less. Today > I finished my annual and four year periodic service on the Concours, > and I noticed I only put 700 miles on it last year. In addition, the > service has eaten up most of three weekends, and a big part of that > is removing and replacing stuff (gas tanks, tupperware, bags > mufflers, brakes, etc) that have nothing to do with the actual > service. The tupperware is a particular pain to deal with. The > advantages of the Connie are it's great weather protection and > relative comfort; I've done a BBG and numerous 600+ mile days on > it. I have it set up with a Russell seat, extra lights, heated > grips, etc, and it's a great LD bike. On the other hand, it's a big, > heavy pig, it's relatively hard on tires (unless you run GL1500 > tires, and then you give up traction), and there is a lot going on > under all that plastic. > > On the other hand, the KLR seems to do about 90% of everything I need > to do with a motorcycle. The seating position is actually more > comfortable than the Concours, and I suspect if I added a flat Corbin > seat (a Russell on a KLR is just wrong) I wouldn't have any trouble > doing big miles if need be. The KLR is simple, easy to work on, gets > good mileage, and with the IMS tank I have on it, has excellent > range. If I sold the Concours I could easily afford a newer, lower > mileage KLR, and keep the '88 for a spare or sell it for more farkles. > > So, has anyone else sold a Concours or other sport/touring bike to > make the KLR their primary ride? Any regrets? Anyone want a well > maintained, relatively low mileage (26K) Concours with all the farkles? > > (The alternative is to sell them both and get a V-Strom....) > > Thanks > Dave C >