What To Do? A KLR Quandary.

[Gravel Guy]

There does seem to be a cult thing going on with KLRs. To me, what I kinda like about it is the idea that you can hang ammo cans on it, it can look faded and yukky, and everyone accepts it, anyway. It's the "el cheapo" dumpster diving for accessories approach. I'm cheap, you see.

Or, get you a trailer from Northern Tools and set it up to pull with a Wing. Get you a 250cc dirt bike to haul on it. Ride to your riding area, dump off the bike and ride. I've done this before with a little TTR clone, not a 250. Rode up to the Somerville riding area once on the Wing pulling that TTR clone and had a fine time once there. Of course, you have to ride BACK to the Wing, load up, and move on.

I remember coming through Gonzales one day, and I saw a nice 4 x 4 leather-interior crewcab diesel....pulling a trailer with a 4 x 4 six-passenger UTV outfitted with big tires and alloy wheels, and sitting in the bed of the UTV was an older smaller (ATV) 4-wheeler.......and I had two distinct thoughts.
1) I dearly wanted to put an R/C four wheeler on the seat of the ATV to complete the theme, and....
2) Why the heck did they need a 4 x 4 truck for anyway? Just seemed like complication for the sake of it......
And,
I've seen the Harley-painted/themed Ford truck models........How about a KLR-painted/themed Jeep?

 

[SilverBullet]

I've seen the Harley-painted/themed Ford truck models........How about a KLR-painted/themed Jeep?

A Jeep is too much of a specific use vehicle. I think a KLR painted 4x4 mini van with a roof rack and spare tire hanging off the rear door would be more appropriate. hahaha

_

 

[hizzo3]

A Jeep is too much of a specific use vehicle. I think a KLR painted 4x4 mini van with a roof rack and spare tire hanging off the rear door would be more appropriate. hahaha

_

Wasn't it the A Team that had a lifted van?

Sent from my VZW Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[M38A1]

....How about a KLR-painted/themed Jeep?

A friend of mine's KLR: (hey - there's a jeep in there too!)

 

[Drumboy]

A friend of mine's KLR: (hey - there's a jeep in there too!)

Was he trying to sell that KLR on craigslist a few months ago for like $6,000?

 

[M38A1]

Was he trying to sell that KLR on craigslist a few months ago for like $6,000?

Not that I'm aware of. He spent a good chunk of change for this one and waited quite some time as well for one to come along.

 

[DFW_Warrior]

These KLR's suck. Day before yesterday it took me down Old Ore and the only time I ever took a foot off the pegs was at a rest stop or to park and hike into the Tinaja. Then yesterday Rachel wasn't feeling up to riding so she hopped on the back and we rode up to the top of Christmas Mountain for the most impressive view of the area that I have seen so far. And then we explored some of the far north parts of the ranch on the way back. Oh yeah and both days were on the same tank of fuel.....LOL

What a crappy bike to be able to do this kind of stuff with worn out dual sport tires that have almost 5k miles on them.

 

[kojack06]

I might get a vote since I just rode with you in the Big Bend 3 days ago, and was in your group when you launched off the berm and EMS eventually made their appearance. But still, its just one vote. You have to select your dance partner.

Just add the right set of tires to your bike. Your choice of off-road tires as shown by what happened to you this past week proves it isn't giving you the footing you need to enjoy, much less handle, the dirt on your KLR. And you biffed short of the deep gravel stuff that sent the likes of riders such as Schizzman to the horizontal just a 1/4 mile ahead of you. There is no nobility to thinking your 80/20 tires will work when you realize you bank on the safety of the only brain God issues you on that "street" 80 percent of 80/20 tires when you're fully 100 percent in deep gravel and sand and all you have is the dirt 20 percent capability of your skins.

IMHO, in the situation you found yourself in you were riding nothing more than street slicks. Searching for a new bike? Bleh. You can do that for the next billion years. You have a great bike. Just add some Dunlop 606s front and rear, or a 606 rear and a TKC 80 front, and your bike will be a new beast. The classic mistake is to dump a ride in search for a better solution when what you have in front of you is all you need, plus a tweak or two. And the right grip for dirt/sand/gravel/rock heads isn't what you had on your KLR.

Sure, there always will be endless chat about this bike and that bike being the Full Monte. NO bike does all things well. NO camera does all things well. NO oil is the be all and end all of everything.

Did you expect you can ride home from Terlingua to Dallas and be comfortable on a KLR like on a Gold Wing and then expect to take that KLR into the dirt and go and do Black Gap Road? You can't buy a WR250 and have endless fun in the dirt and then expect that bike to sherpa you to Alaska with all of your luggage, coffee, and computers.

Get over trying to blend long distance comfort and total dirt penache. One end of that is always going to suffer. Give yourself a chance with a better selection of Big Bend and the like (meaning, off road) friendly tires. Sometimes the solution is the (relatively) cheapest, and right in front of you.

But hey, if you're looking for an excuse to buy a new ride, press on

Very good comments!
Small, very often inexpensive, changes(tires, tire pressure, a different seat, bar risers) can have BIG changes in handling and bike feel. Merely raising your bars can make it more relaxing and easier to shift your weight and changes your entire attitude about riding that "aquarium gravel" at Big Bend.

Were there a lot of crashes at the "Around the Bend" meet? It sounds like a crash garden from some of the comments!

 

[Gravel Guy]

These KLR's suck. Day before yesterday it took me down Old Ore and the only time I ever took a foot off the pegs was at a rest stop or to park and hike into the Tinaja. Then yesterday Rachel wasn't feeling up to riding so she hopped on the back and we rode up to the top of Christmas Mountain for the most impressive view of the area that I have seen so far. And then we explored some of the far north parts of the ranch on the way back. Oh yeah and both days were on the same tank of fuel.....LOL

What a crappy bike to be able to do this kind of stuff with worn out dual sport tires that have almost 5k miles on them.

 

[KosmicKLR]

Wow, tons of great observations here about the KLR! My 2008 KLR serves me very well, I too have been tempted by the new class of 800cc dual sport bikes - which are technically superior to the KLR. However, until my KLR dies - I won't replace it because it continues to get me places I never thought it could, lets me rack up miles of road riding, carries luggage and my wife, always runs and requires little maintenance. I run a Metzeler Karroo II rear tire and MT 21 front, which gives me an extra ability to handle most any dirt situation - with a safety margin. The KLR does wear out my upper body on technical 4X4 roads, but if I slow down and use good riding techniques - it will provide tons of adventure. To the original poster, I would give your KLR another chance, by putting knobbier tires on it and never riding it with hard luggage. Pack the bike with as little as possible and keep it light!
Cheers!

 

[TwoSmokeDS]

I had an 09 KLR. And I didn't like the ergonomic. I'm your size. 5'7", and got office worker body strength. So KLR feels very heavy, even as a road bike. A tall adult with good body strength might think a KLR is ideal, however. But as a person on the lower end of the height spectrum, I think the KLR is simply too big. It must have been designed for someone 6' tall and do a lot of physical labor. I felt the handlebar was too wide, and I had to lean forward and have my junk pushed against the fuel tank. Not ideal for long distance. Lowering the seat doesn't help that. Not even a highly modified KLR won't give short people the perfection we are looking for. I didn't realize the KLR was too big for me until I started riding small bikes. I enjoy smaller bikes 100x more than that KLR. So my opinion is that if you like the KLR enjoy it for what it is and don't bother trying to make it better. It ain't going to be much better for us shorter folks.

 

[Jack Giesecke]

I had an 09 KLR. And I didn't like the ergonomic. I'm your size. 5'7", and got office worker body strength. So KLR feels very heavy, even as a road bike. A tall adult with good body strength might think a KLR is ideal, however. But as a person on the lower end of the height spectrum, I think the KLR is simply too big. It must have been designed for someone 6' tall and do a lot of physical labor. I felt the handlebar was too wide, and I had to lean forward and have my junk pushed against the fuel tank. Not ideal for long distance. Lowering the seat doesn't help that. Not even a highly modified KLR won't give short people the perfection we are looking for. I didn't realize the KLR was too big for me until I started riding small bikes. I enjoy smaller bikes 100x more than that KLR. So my opinion is that if you like the KLR enjoy it for what it is and don't bother trying to make it better. It ain't going to be much better for us shorter folks.

Good buddy of mine rides a KLR and is short/short legged. He lowered his and cut down the seat to further lower his butt in the saddle. The guy has super motorcycle riding skills, though, was a CRRC/WERA 125GP champ back in the 70s. He's not lost many beats since then. Skills help when the bike is heavy. I'm not altitude challenged, myself. You oughta see me folded up on a NSR50 for an hour in a TMGP mini endurance. Best way to dismount in the pits is just fall over and roll off.

I've seen the Harley-painted/themed Ford truck models........How about a KLR-painted/themed Jeep?

That Jeep needs to have paint that fades in a few years to be appropriate.

 

[TwoSmokeDS]

Yeah. Bet he didn't develop his awesome skills on an unsuitable bike. It's like trying to learn Calculus before knowing Algebra.

 

[greenhornet]

I'm 5'7 and a half inches tall counting my puffy hair and I've found that the more I learn to trust having my feet on the pegs instead of going to "outrigger" mode, the better I do, especially on the difficult stuff. Usually when I experience a drop, it's when I come to a complete stop on un level or off camber ground and I put my foot down on the low side, then gravity takes over and the big heavy pig is gonna go down. I now make a conscious effort to put down my foot on the high side to avoid that problem. The other solution is don't stop unless on level ground.

 

[ed29]

greenhornet nailed it. I am inseam challenged so keeping the feet on the pegs is a must in most situations. The bike has to be leaned over pretty far before I can really plane a foot. As I shared earlier in very loose stuff you are steering by shifying weight on the pegs more than with the bar. Taking them off the pegs is giving up that control dimension.

 

[SwampFox]

Ah, sounds like the penicillin is taking effect

That Jeep needs to have paint that fades in a few years to be appropriate.

Y'all are cracking me up over here. FYI, KevlarRyder John called me a couple of days ago to tell me he purchased a green Jeep to go with his green KLR (and green KLX and green Versys).

 

[Moekazi]

After catching up on the latest posts, i'm beginning to think the KLR was secretly made in Cupertino, CA.

.

 

[bigdon55]

What Richard Said!

Except for the power the KLR will do everything the 800 gs will do and maybe some stuff better.


KLR $5000 800GS $10000
taxes $312.50 $625
front and rear suspension $850 $3000
Larger fuel tank $600 $2000
Aluminum panniers $800 $1600
Seat $400 $400
Bash Plate $ 80 $ 150

total $8042.5 $17775

Put 10,000 miles and a few character marks and the resale will be about
- $3500 - $11,000
$4542.5 $6775
Difference $2232.5

My numbers are ballpark figures off the top of my head.
Either bike with the upgrades will be awesome with the BMW getting the nod for highway cruising at hyper legal speeds.
The KLR will be much cheaper to fix if something brakes!

IMO, YMMV , etc

 

[SilverBullet]

You can easily find a brand new KLR for $5,000? That's a steep discount off MSRP. I wouldn't think dealers would go that low as the KLR is so popular.

_

 

[bigdon55]

You can easily find a brand new KLR for $5,000? That's a steep discount off MSRP. I wouldn't think dealers would go that low as the KLR is so popular.

_

I was just using $5000 as a price point. I'm sure you could get a nearly new one for that. I don't think you can buy a new 800 for $10000 either.

 

[DFW_Warrior]

True, $10000 for the GS would be around $1500 off of MSRP and if I recall that happens even more infrequently than a Japanese dealer running deals. A quick search reveals that most on ADV were paying between $12-14k for their 800's out the door. KLR owners seem to be too sheepish about what they paid for theirs.

I would cringe at tossing a $13k bike down a rock pile but wouldn't think twice about my KLR doing it.

 

[Johnf3]

What Richard Said!

Except for the power the KLR will do everything the 800 gs will do and maybe some stuff better.


KLR $5000 800GS $10000
taxes $312.50 $625
front and rear suspension $850 $3000
Larger fuel tank $600 $2000
Aluminum panniers $800 $1600
Seat $400 $400
Bash Plate $ 80 $ 150

total $8042.5 $17775

Put 10,000 miles and a few character marks and the resale will be about
- $3500 - $11,000
$4542.5 $6775
Difference $2232.5

My numbers are ballpark figures off the top of my head.
Either bike with the upgrades will be awesome with the BMW getting the nod for highway cruising at hyper legal speeds.
The KLR will be much cheaper to fix if something brakes!

IMO, YMMV , etc

Motorcycles are supposed to be fun. They are basically toys for most of us. If I was in the unfortunate situation of using the above logic, I'd probably end up on a chinese bike. Then there is always the old ...it'll do everything that other bike does. So will an ugly woman, but having to use a paper sack takes the fun out of it.

Resale, purchase price, etc. Who cares. Buy what makes you smile. That's why we ride, at least that is why I do.

 

[bigdon55]

Motorcycles are supposed to be fun. They are basically toys for most of us. If I was in the unfortunate situation of using the above logic, I'd probably end up on a chinese bike. Then there is always the old ...it'll do everything that other bike does. So will an ugly woman, but having to use a paper sack takes the fun out of it.

Resale, purchase price, etc. Who cares. Buy what makes you smile. That's why we ride, at least that is why I do.

I do not practice what I preach!
I would never add up the farkle cost on my old KLR. My Wife might find out.

 

[DFW_Warrior]

Motorcycles are supposed to be fun. They are basically toys for most of us. If I was in the unfortunate situation of using the above logic, I'd probably end up on a chinese bike. Then there is always the old ...it'll do everything that other bike does. So will an ugly woman, but having to use a paper sack takes the fun out of it.

Resale, purchase price, etc. Who cares. Buy what makes you smile. That's why we ride, at least that is why I do.

I couldn't agree more. Like I said before, for me... tossing a $13k bike down a rock pile wouldn't make me smile. But it's no big thing for a $1500 bike. Do whatever makes you smile is certainly correct on this one.

 

[Crew Chief]

........Resale, purchase price, etc. Who cares.......

I do. And so do several others it seems.