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It blows my mind that Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Honda don't already have a FI street legal DS offering in the 450 range. Sounds like Honda is finally doing it with the CRF450L, but unlike the CRF240L, apparently its going to be $10k and you have to change the oil every 600 miles. If they'd take Rally Raid's lead and make a CB500X Adventure spec'ed the same in stock form, I suspect it would sell like hotcakes.

There's likely less demand than you think. KTM probably sells 10 sub 300 pound true dirt bikes for every street bike above 300 pounds. Even brands that have a clear in between bike don't sell that many. For example, the BMW GS800 should be right there, but I've rarely seen one in the wild whereas I see the big GS1200 all the time.

I think the reason is that most people either want to ride hard trails where they want as much of a lightweight enduro as possible or they want to be able to ride 100s of miles of highway and then do some dirt at the same time and want a bike that is good on the highway and decent on the dirt.

A bike like the 690 isn't that fun on the highway and isn't particularly good on the dirt when compared to something like a 500 EXC. It's a compromise of both dirt and street and many people feel it gives up a bit too much in both.

Along those lines, KTM supposedly is coming out with a 790 Adventure. I like the idea, but I can't say I'd actually buy one over a 500 EXC or the 1090 Adventure. I think I'd rather have the big and small bike than a big and medium sized one. I think a lot of people feel the same.

Also....on the oil change intervals....keep in mind that a 450 single has one quart of oil in it and something like your AT has around 4 quarts. You're going to have change the oil more often in a crankcase that is that small as the oil wears much quicker as it's in use much more. I suppose they could make it take an extra 3 quarts, but that adds weight and they're trying to keep the bike around 250 pounds.

I personally don't think it's much of an issue as it's going to take more time to put 600 miles on a small bike than a big bike the way most people ride them. That, and considering an oil change costs less than $20 and probably gives you 2 to 3 weekends of hard riding or 6 or 7 small trips out, I don't think the 600 mile OCI is going to really cause you much problems.

It would certainly limit you if you were going to ride it from home to the riding area. But who would want to ride a 450 or even a 690 for 400 miles to ride trails? You're going to throw it in the truck and ride when you get there. 200 miles is a pretty long day on a 690, it would be a really long day on a 450.
 
:tab Your AT will do anything a KLR can do, and probably better...

:tab I put 17K miles on my KLR and I had a blast doing it. Bang for the buck, it is a hard bike to beat, especially if you pick up a used one that has already had all the necessary upgrades/mods done to it. I am not talking about performance mods. I am talking about just stuff that fixes some glaring short comings. The KLR is inexpensive for a reason. It is built with lower quality components.

:tab First, you need to do the Doohickey. Google it. If it breaks before you upgrade it, it can nuke the motor. Some people get lucky and it never breaks. Others... not so lucky.

:tab Second, subframe bolt kit upgrade. MANY of the bolts used to hold the bike together are weak. It is common for the foot peg bolts to shear off or for the threads into which they screw to strip out. So you have to heli-coil the threads and get new bolts. It you mount a center stand and it takes a hit (like a bash plate would), it slices the bolts like a knife through hot butter... Been there, done that. The bolts that hold the subframe to the main frame and which support your weight and that of any luggage are also weak. It is common to see those fail under load. The upgrade kits have high strength stainless bolts for replacing the weak ones. Mine came apart while riding in the Gila Desert East of Phoenix and we spent the better part of the next morning cruising to different auto part stores and Action sports stores looking for parts so we could fix it.

:tab Third, the suspension just plain sucks, bad. Stock suspension is really soft and the front end of the bike dives like crazy even under moderate braking. There is NO adjustment on the front suspension and only preload/compression on the rear. I had to put in stiffer fork springs, slightly heavier oil, and change the preload spacer to get the sag right. Some people go as far as replacing the damping controls because the stock ones are so harsh and non adjustable. I had to put a stiffer spring on the rear shock as well. For reference, I weigh about 180-185 butt naked, maybe 200 with all my riding gear. If you don't upgrade the rear spring and/or do a fenderectomy there is a good chance you'll experience an unplanned fenderectomy when the back end bottoms out and the fender catches on the rear tire...

:tab Fourth, the brakes suck. If you start looking, you fill find that people have done all kinds of mods trying to improve the brakes. The easiest is simply stainless brake lines and better pads. That will make them better, but they will still suck compared to many other bikes.

:tab Fifth, the motors are jetted really lean from the factory to meet emissions standards. Google the two cent mod. That is just the start of trying to get the engine running better. Many people put JD Jet kits in them.

:tab Sixth, the stock gearing is a bit tall if you want to do anything like the K-Trail. This make you have to lug the engine at low RPMs in first gear. A common solution is to go one tooth smaller (13 teeth) on the front sprocket. This gives you about another 500 RPM, which makes hill climbs and descents MUCH easier!

:tab Seventh, there is not much extra power for running accessories. To be fair though, this is true of many carbed dual sport/dirt bikes. They just didn't need a lot of power as they expected to only be running a headlight, brake light, and signals. They weren't designed with all the electronic goodies, heated grips, heated gear, etc,... in mind. The more recent FI bikes generally have more electrical power.

:tab All that said, the bike is a great cult bike. They have been very popular with world travelers because they are reliable and simple. They are easy to work on and don't require much in the way of special tools. You don't need any kind of diagnostic computer gadgets to view codes as is the case with many FI bikes now. They don't do much of anything really well, but they will do a lot moderately well. They come with the big gas tank and decent seat compared to other bikes.

:tab There are countless threads on AdvRider, various KLR specific sites, and even here on TWT where people are trying to do everything they can to "fix" the bike and make it better. You CAN spend a good bit of money doing that. However, it will still be a top heavy KLR. If all you do is ride street and basic county/forest roads with it, you will be happy. If you start trying to do stuff like the K-Trail, then all those shortcomings will start to rear their heads and demand your attention, attention that is better spent focusing on the riding rather than compensating for the bike's lack of ability. There ARE riders out there that make KLRs do amazing things, which is true of pretty much all bikes, but most of us are not that level of rider.

:tab As was mentioned above, it is VERY common for riders to start on a big bike, like a BMW GS, V-Strom 1K, etc,... and then transition to a KLR... then to something else. The thing about the KLR though is that, for whatever reason, they make you bond with them. I think it is the shared experience of suffering through things together :lol2: My KLR and I did a lot of that kind of bonding :doh:

:tab I picked up my slightly used KTM 530 EXC for about $5500. I think it had 1700 miles on it. The previous owner had added some nice farkles. Every time I ride that bike, especially if things start getting technical, I remember how hard I had to work when riding the KLR and all I can think of is how glad I am that I am not riding my old KLR. This is REALLY true when I have to pick up the bike!! Picking up the KTM is easy, even if loaded. The KLR was WORK and I often needed help. The difference in handling, power, brakes, weight, and pretty much everything other than seat comfort is incredible. KTM needs to hire a new seat designer... I guess they expect you to be standing all the time!

:tab I agree with the other folks that say hang on to the 250 for now. Upgrade the springs, which is not expensive. Then just use that bike to really focus on developing specific riding skills. I think you will find, like so many others, that you will tend to be looking for challenging and technical riding more often than you currently think you will. Even if you don't, you will still be better at handling the unexpected challenges. Part of adventure riding is encountering the unexpected and being able to deal with it. Good skills go a LONG way in that regard! Once you have more seat time and more adventures under your belt, you will have a MUCH better idea of what you really want to do and what you need to do it. If you really only want to do the mild stuff, there's no reason to get a different bike. The AT 1000 will do all that with ease and comfort.
 
Maybe wait for the KTM 790 Adventure or the Tenere 700?

By the way, the Versys X300 has one of the worst seats I've ever sat on. Worst thing imo of this awesome little bike.
 
I completely agree with Scott on this one. He definitely hit the highlights and short comings of the KLR. I drank the coolaid and already have it in the will for my son.
The bike is a super budget friendly bike as Scott said and if you buy one right it is great. I bought mine for extremely low through a member on here. Bike had sat for a few years so it needed some work on the fuel system. All the upgrades had been done and had a whole bunch of extra components. I have about $1700 in the in total and have been riding it to work almost every day for a year and a half. They have their place and I think everyone should one in the stable. I will say they corner on paved roads really well and are a blast riding the Ozarks or the Quachita national Forest. They corner like a ninja. [emoji16][emoji16][emoji16]
Sorry for my rambling. I really do love KLRs. If you want to read more. We have a special place for us at klr650.net.

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Yeah, that man crazy :)

I didn't mean to imply there was any single track there, just that I don't have much urge to push into that type of riding right now.

That's pretty much it. Everything but the K-Trail from last weekend was about as much as I'm interested in right now. In my mind, that covers quite a bit of available roads and trails out there.

If I thought I could easily get the AT in and out of the truck safely, I'd do just that. But I suspect that wouldn't be the case. Plus its just fun to have two bikes :)

:giveup: I was trying to ride aggressive, rocks==scary!:rofl:
 
I will say they corner on paved roads really well and are a blast riding the Ozarks or the Quachita national Forest. They corner like a ninja. [emoji16][emoji16][emoji16]

:tab Oh yeah... I ran D606 tires on my KLR and it was a total blast to rail that thing through the twisties in Arkansas and Missouri. I had no trouble hanging with the sport bikes in our group until things straightened out and they could open up the throttle. In fact, I had more trouble not running up on them in the corners because I was carrying more corner speed.

Except fit easily in the back of my truck.

:tab So are you wanting a bike that fits in the back with the tail gate up? If so, that rules out a LOT of bikes. I would be willing to leave the tail gate down or even off if necessary. There is also the option of those tail gate fence things that basically follow the edges of the tail gate so nothing can slide out the back of the truck.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003Y5BKNO/?tag=twowhetex-20

:tab Do you have a real short bed on the truck?
 
I've got butterflies for you. Nothing like your first time on a KLR. [emoji16][emoji16][emoji16][emoji16]
If you can get on some dirt during your test ride, just hit your rear brake hard and make sure you like what you see. I always have to switch mentally when transitioning from road to dirt on my KLR. I have a hard time at first when I loose traction but once I get used to it it is not bad. Be careful feeding the thing today as it will probably follow you home. You can throw rocks at it and tell it you don't love it and it will not leave.

Good luck on the test ride.

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I have never had any trouble putting my KLR in the bed of a truck. I have used a ditch mostly but a 2x10 and a couple buckets works as well.

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:tab Oh yeah... I ran D606 tires on my KLR and it was a total blast to rail that thing through the twisties in Arkansas and Missouri. I had no trouble hanging with the sport bikes in our group until things straightened out and they could open up the throttle. In fact, I had more trouble not running up on them in the corners because I was carrying more corner speed

I used to live and work at McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis and the Twisties out there are a blast. I would ride with a ZRX1200r from time to time and he could not keep up in the corners.
I will not mention the straightaways.....




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I'm looking at the Gen 2/2014+ New Edition versions of the KLR. I read they got a new seat and suspension upgrade in those years and that the doohickey is not the death sentence it once was. Any chance those other issues might be addressed somewhat as well?

:ab They stiffened and shortened the suspension stroke somewhat to make it more street biased compared to the pre 2008 models. They added MORE plastic, making the bike less drop worthy in my opinion. I think they also tweaked the ignition for some reason. Other than that, they are still the same bike they started producing in 1986(?). I don't recall the doohickey getting changed as that was a big gripe when the first 2008 came out. I believe the subframe bolt issue still exists as well.

:tab Anyway you slice it, the bike has short comings. Some folks live with them and are happy. Odds are, those folks just don't know any better :-P Some folks will start dropping money in an attempt to transform the bike. Some folks are happy with the results. Some finally realize that no amount if upgrading will make a KLR a KTM. They buy a KTM, hold onto the KLR because of their emotional attachment to it, and then eventually sell the KLR because they feel guilty about how much time it spends sitting alone in the garage. It's all good though because they make someone else a great deal on a KLR and get the whole process rolling again!

My truck bed is a 5.5 foot bed. CRF250L fits in there with 3-4 inches to spare. KLR is 3.5 inches longer, so it would be a snug fit with tailgate closed.

:tab Why the need for the gate to be closed? I guess I am missing something here :scratch: And if you are only hauling one bike, you can do the diagonal thing, which works quite well.

Hopefully going to ride one in an hour to see if its of interest or not.

:tab Uh oh... :lol2:
 
Robert E. Lee (the Little General) has embarrassed a lot of liter and sport bike riders in the twistiest with a KLR. Few up us ride to his ability though. I must say that I have not have not in recent years heard of anyone "upgrading" to a KLR.


Bite the bullet. Get a 690.

Trouble maker! It is kinda becoming the modern KLR. Whoda thunk it?
 
If I can be nosey n toss in my 2 cents which may be worth half as much. I bought the 14.5 klr new and just did all the upgrades to a brand new bike that tourmiester stated are problems plus a few more. Total invested was about 8k on a bike I can ride 500 miles to big bend , play two days enjoying the dirt roads and ride home . I’ve taken my GSA on the same trip n cross my fingers n say prayers that I don’t break down in no cell phone areas. I’m no dirt bike guy, just a 250# geared up rider that feels safe trashing a cheap bike that knows its way home
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Another thing if u do go for it, maybe ntklr650 will have an opinion. I talked them into giving me a complete set of soft gear ( saddle bags, top bag, tank bag, handle bar bag ) which I like. But of course internet got the best of me and I put Tusk hard panniers on. Super extreme speed wobbles trying to pass 18 wheelers!! They came off quick as you can see in the pic
 
The power felt pretty smooth. It was an area with cops around so I didn't push it past 75 on the speedo, but it felt like it had more to go.

It maybe an old wives tail but KLRs can't be pulled over. Even at high speed they look slow to cops.

Don't quote me on that nor do I recommend trying it but it has held true a lot of miles over the years.



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Another thing if u do go for it, maybe ntklr650 will have an opinion. I talked them into giving me a complete set of soft gear ( saddle bags, top bag, tank bag, handle bar bag ) which I like. But of course internet got the best of me and I put Tusk hard panniers on. Super extreme speed wobbles trying to pass 18 wheelers!! They came off quick as you can see in the pic
I would recommend soft bags as well. Speed wobbles in the rain is never fun. Without upgrading the rear suspension, it does not handle rider plus hard boxes plus gear very well. I rode a lot of miles over the years using a military Duffle bag with a water proof liner. It was great and no issue.

Doing the doo is about the first thing I would recommend doing. After that, some acerbis handguards. If you drop it you will loose the clutch handle. While you can ride this bike without a clutch handle, it is not fun and stop lights are very hard on your starter... (I do not recommend that one at all but sometimes you got to do what you got to do) From there you can ride for a bit and get the hang of the bike. If it's not right for you it's easy to sell at that point without getting to far in financially. After that you can tackle the suspension and gearing if you feel it needs it. Then brakes, (I have the 320mm front disk and stainless brake lines on my gen 1) but you may have to ask gen 2 guys about that upgrade. I don't think the 320 mm disk is as important on the gen 2 but I don't know for sure. From there I think you just ride the thing. Unless you want to get into long distance rides I don't think you will really need to many other upgrades. Just ride and upgrade as you go.

They are super simple to work on as well and that is why I love them. It is virtually an unchanged design for 31 years that is proven. You need a handful of tools to do just about anything on it and parts are easy to find. (If your starter solenoid goes out, a Craftsmen lawn mower part can be substituted in with a zip tie. ) [emoji3][emoji3][emoji3]
That upgrade lasted 10k+ on my last KLR.

In summary, if you want to ride what Macgyver would ride. Then this is the bike for you. Go ahead, take the green pill ............

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It was a little jacked up though. Bars were bent and fairing was flapping in the wind at highway speeds, but still it was nice to ride. Felt so smooth on the highway compared to the CRF250L, jumped right up to 70 mph on the speedo which seemed to be the speed others were going.

The power felt pretty smooth. It was an area with cops around so I didn't push it past 75 on the speedo, but it felt like it had more to go. I figured it would be really buzzy in 5th gear, but it was way smoother than the CF250L in 6th.

I pulled it into the parking and got off and moved it around the parking lot like I would in the garage and it seemed easy to move. Not as easy as my CRF250L, but WAY easier than the AT and seemed easier than the NC700X. Felt like pushing it up a ramp wouldn't be much of an issue.

I don't want that one in particular, but I'm certainly interested in KLRs after that ride. Think the CRF250L is going up for sale.

Ive never seen a KLR with straight bars. The fairing might have been loose due to attachment screws rattling out. These are “features” of the bike.

In my experience, the KLR is not really capable of faster than 75. Just too dang wobbly. I don’t consider it an Interstate-capable bike.

I would also say that had you rode your AT up there instead of the 250, you wouldn’t have been so impressed with the KLR. I really like the KLR for what it is, it’d just be hard to get on 1 after riding a modern, extremely capable 1000-1200cc bike.

Having said that, if I was just bound & determined to get another KLR, I’d stay with the pre-07 original models.

By the time you fix up a KLR, you could just about buy a 690.

Either way, good luck.
 
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