Moekazi
0
The Marines use them because they were the cheapest, simplest proposal offered when they went looking for a motorcycle. A military KLR isn't a stock KLR. They throw most of the engine in the garbage along with the stock suspension. They then add hand guards and an even bigger tank. So, the real question is "Why does the contractor who builds the Marine KLR throw away most major components?"
Statements like "What the KLR provides is a value in an all-purpose motorcycle that's cheap and easy to work on and fix, with great ergonomics and a standard seating position." and extended trip reports to exotic destinations don't mean anything. You could say the same things about a DR or XRL and travel all over the world on just about any bike.
On top of that, look at all the mods the guy had to prep it for Baja. The weak front brakes = replaced. That wonderful air screen making highway travel so much better than other DS bikes = guess he needs a bigger one. Those handy stock handguards = replaced for some that actually work. That comfy seat KLR owners say is better than other bikes = replaced for a custom one. Those wonderful radiator fins that like to rip off in a crash = get some beefy crash bars to protect them. That's stuff i can see was changed just by looking at the picture. Who knows what's buried underneath. Prolly RaceTech or Progressive in the forks and a new shock. Implying that the Baja trip was done on a stock KLR is BS. If that wasn't implied, then it's still BS because you could do Baja on many bikes given similar mods.
A stock KLR works for a lot of people and they enjoy them. What bothers me is when people say how they're great for everything. If anything they're just adequate for everything.
DFW_Warrior, i don't appreciate trolling. I have to assume you're doing this because you claim to have all three bikes, yet you didn't know a Versys has upside down forks. Then you mention aluminum frames and don't know that the Versys has a steel one. Either you don't own one, or you don't know your own bikes.
I also wonder about your suspension knowledge because you dismiss the inherent benefits of upside down forks. You also don't seem to understand what effect fork size and length has on a bike even if the internals are the same. You also fail to mention the KLR's glaring suspension advantage over the Versys. The KLR's rear suspension has linkage while the Versys does not.
Troll less, prz. K, thnx.
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Statements like "What the KLR provides is a value in an all-purpose motorcycle that's cheap and easy to work on and fix, with great ergonomics and a standard seating position." and extended trip reports to exotic destinations don't mean anything. You could say the same things about a DR or XRL and travel all over the world on just about any bike.
On top of that, look at all the mods the guy had to prep it for Baja. The weak front brakes = replaced. That wonderful air screen making highway travel so much better than other DS bikes = guess he needs a bigger one. Those handy stock handguards = replaced for some that actually work. That comfy seat KLR owners say is better than other bikes = replaced for a custom one. Those wonderful radiator fins that like to rip off in a crash = get some beefy crash bars to protect them. That's stuff i can see was changed just by looking at the picture. Who knows what's buried underneath. Prolly RaceTech or Progressive in the forks and a new shock. Implying that the Baja trip was done on a stock KLR is BS. If that wasn't implied, then it's still BS because you could do Baja on many bikes given similar mods.
A stock KLR works for a lot of people and they enjoy them. What bothers me is when people say how they're great for everything. If anything they're just adequate for everything.
DFW_Warrior, i don't appreciate trolling. I have to assume you're doing this because you claim to have all three bikes, yet you didn't know a Versys has upside down forks. Then you mention aluminum frames and don't know that the Versys has a steel one. Either you don't own one, or you don't know your own bikes.
I also wonder about your suspension knowledge because you dismiss the inherent benefits of upside down forks. You also don't seem to understand what effect fork size and length has on a bike even if the internals are the same. You also fail to mention the KLR's glaring suspension advantage over the Versys. The KLR's rear suspension has linkage while the Versys does not.
Troll less, prz. K, thnx.
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