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KLR gets a makeover for 2008 model year
- Thread starter Yak_KLR650
- Start date
malachi
Member
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to me it looks like they decided to throw a 500 Ninja fairing on the bike:ted:
..for an 85% street bike I like it....but the KLR is legendary for what it CAN do offroad. I don't see it staying this way with less suspension travel, as well as thedurability issue. That fairing will break real quick:hr:
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to me it looks like they decided to throw a 500 Ninja fairing on the bike:ted:
..for an 85% street bike I like it....but the KLR is legendary for what it CAN do offroad. I don't see it staying this way with less suspension travel, as well as thedurability issue. That fairing will break real quick:hr:
joker650
Active member
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I keep hearing about this 6th gear thing.Is this to get a lower 1st or a higher top gear?
On my 99 DR650 with the stock gearing at 80-85kph it's always left in 4th.5th seems too low rpm for my liking on the hwy unless I'm atleast up to 90 or so.At 100-110kph the enging sunds just right. Not sure what the rpm's are though...no tach.
Maybe the tach gives a kinda 'bad feeling'. Disconnect the tach and ride the bike for a week as to not visually pay any attention to what the eng rpm is..feel and listen to the engine and ride it that way. I know that with the DR a tach is not needed...I ride it the way it needs to be riden. U can tell if ur lugging it or when it's time to shift by how the eng is performing.
Maybe it's like those oil pressure gauges and eng temp gauges that some of the auto industry uses. The operator can see the needles move therefor some people get worried that something is wrong when the temp needle gets up high or the oil pressure needle drops a little. I feel that the idiot light is best. It will come on when there is a problem. I have delt with people that were sure there was a problem when all it was was that everything was operating the way it should.
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I keep hearing about this 6th gear thing.Is this to get a lower 1st or a higher top gear?
On my 99 DR650 with the stock gearing at 80-85kph it's always left in 4th.5th seems too low rpm for my liking on the hwy unless I'm atleast up to 90 or so.At 100-110kph the enging sunds just right. Not sure what the rpm's are though...no tach.
Maybe the tach gives a kinda 'bad feeling'. Disconnect the tach and ride the bike for a week as to not visually pay any attention to what the eng rpm is..feel and listen to the engine and ride it that way. I know that with the DR a tach is not needed...I ride it the way it needs to be riden. U can tell if ur lugging it or when it's time to shift by how the eng is performing.
Maybe it's like those oil pressure gauges and eng temp gauges that some of the auto industry uses. The operator can see the needles move therefor some people get worried that something is wrong when the temp needle gets up high or the oil pressure needle drops a little. I feel that the idiot light is best. It will come on when there is a problem. I have delt with people that were sure there was a problem when all it was was that everything was operating the way it should.
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00Buck wrote:
You mean like when they brought out "new" Coke and everyone stock piled "old" Coke?
I'm sure after a few years we'd start to hear stories of a warehouse full of "old KLR's still in the crates, never been used!". Or maybe they'd be "army surplus".
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00Buck wrote:
You mean like when they brought out "new" Coke and everyone stock piled "old" Coke?
I'm sure after a few years we'd start to hear stories of a warehouse full of "old KLR's still in the crates, never been used!". Or maybe they'd be "army surplus".
VIMike
New member
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BMWNut wrote:
VI.
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BMWNut wrote:
Ouch. Brian Brian Brian!!! 'army surplus':shock: I mean KLR's are built like a swiss 'army' knife, but that's as far as the 'army ' referrence should go.I'm sure after a few years we'd start to hear stories of a warehouse full of "old KLR's still in the crates, never been used!". Or maybe they'd be "army surplus".
VI.
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Pirate
Guest
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Seems like everyone is out to give the new model a bad rap. If you haven't ridden it, then your not qualified to knock it.........Remember, sometimes less is more.I guess it's trendy to put down KLR's, simply because a large percentage of ownersaren't interested in taking them offroad, therefore the assumption isthat they are inadaquate offroad. An easy target maybe.But then this all boils back down to what your idea of dual sporting is in the first place........ and don't forget, we all know what assume makes....:ted:
PIRATE...........(KLR pilot)
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Seems like everyone is out to give the new model a bad rap. If you haven't ridden it, then your not qualified to knock it.........Remember, sometimes less is more.I guess it's trendy to put down KLR's, simply because a large percentage of ownersaren't interested in taking them offroad, therefore the assumption isthat they are inadaquate offroad. An easy target maybe.But then this all boils back down to what your idea of dual sporting is in the first place........ and don't forget, we all know what assume makes....:ted:
PIRATE...........(KLR pilot)
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We want 6th gear so the KLR can sit around 3000-3500rpm at 140k instead of 5000rpm.
I have talked to some friends in Europe and Australia and they all feel there will be many KLR's left in crates too! It definately did not appeal to any of the Europeans and Aussies so far that had a glimpes. It's not about riding it, it's just that it looks like a high class paper weight now and it feels like the fun factor is gone.
As one guy put it...."Looks like the Mighty KLR will finally fall". It seems like they shortchanged most people. There are much better road bikes out there, so most feel it was useless to try and make it more streety. All they really needed was a 6th gear as it was fine on the road. I feel the pre 2008 models will be in hot demand as it seems the KLR has wondered away from it's roots. Just my 2 cents. A company can only BS us for so long about how great their new bike is, but I'm sorry...it sucks!
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We want 6th gear so the KLR can sit around 3000-3500rpm at 140k instead of 5000rpm.
I have talked to some friends in Europe and Australia and they all feel there will be many KLR's left in crates too! It definately did not appeal to any of the Europeans and Aussies so far that had a glimpes. It's not about riding it, it's just that it looks like a high class paper weight now and it feels like the fun factor is gone.
As one guy put it...."Looks like the Mighty KLR will finally fall". It seems like they shortchanged most people. There are much better road bikes out there, so most feel it was useless to try and make it more streety. All they really needed was a 6th gear as it was fine on the road. I feel the pre 2008 models will be in hot demand as it seems the KLR has wondered away from it's roots. Just my 2 cents. A company can only BS us for so long about how great their new bike is, but I'm sorry...it sucks!
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RanKLR
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I'm very disappointed. I expected something to compete with the KTM LCs. They've got a bike to compete with the Suzuki DL650. It's the new parrallel twin 650R Ninja. You guys gettin that model up north? It looks like they may have used the new cowling off the Ninja on the KLR....Randy
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I'm very disappointed. I expected something to compete with the KTM LCs. They've got a bike to compete with the Suzuki DL650. It's the new parrallel twin 650R Ninja. You guys gettin that model up north? It looks like they may have used the new cowling off the Ninja on the KLR....Randy
Island Hopper
New member
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It looks like the head pipe is shiney, could it be stainless? I think Kawasaki will sell quite a few of these bikes: #1 probably will not have much of a price increase over the old KLR, #2 looks a little more sporty than the old KLR, looks sell, #3 A lot of peoples idea of "off road" is graveled tracks and this bike should be a top notch backroads burner. Hopefully that new bash plate is awfully thick because in the picture it looks to be lacking ground clearance, mix that with a few boulders and it could be costly. Be interesting to see what the opinions are after a test ride,#4 more power is always a good feature.
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It looks like the head pipe is shiney, could it be stainless? I think Kawasaki will sell quite a few of these bikes: #1 probably will not have much of a price increase over the old KLR, #2 looks a little more sporty than the old KLR, looks sell, #3 A lot of peoples idea of "off road" is graveled tracks and this bike should be a top notch backroads burner. Hopefully that new bash plate is awfully thick because in the picture it looks to be lacking ground clearance, mix that with a few boulders and it could be costly. Be interesting to see what the opinions are after a test ride,#4 more power is always a good feature.
VIMike
New member
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For my style of street/off roading and like Islandhopper described this new unit has growing appeal to me. The more I look at it the more I like it. I would like to take mine on a few trips, but not theSouth America type more like up north to Alaska and through-out the interior. This new modellooks even better suited for trips like this and side excurions, or some exploring with our buddies from our other chapters in the interior. Hmmm maybe in two years I might just trade mine in...........
VIMike
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For my style of street/off roading and like Islandhopper described this new unit has growing appeal to me. The more I look at it the more I like it. I would like to take mine on a few trips, but not theSouth America type more like up north to Alaska and through-out the interior. This new modellooks even better suited for trips like this and side excurions, or some exploring with our buddies from our other chapters in the interior. Hmmm maybe in two years I might just trade mine in...........
VIMike
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I think the guys like me who give the new KLR a "Bad Rap" is because we know Kawasaki could have done much more after basically 21 years of little to no improvements, but looks like the street guys here admire it so who knows. I really like the idea now of a DR 650 as a second bike with a tank and seat swap.
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I think the guys like me who give the new KLR a "Bad Rap" is because we know Kawasaki could have done much more after basically 21 years of little to no improvements, but looks like the street guys here admire it so who knows. I really like the idea now of a DR 650 as a second bike with a tank and seat swap.
scotty905
Member
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I have to agree with Pirate don't knock it untill you've tried it. Andwhat blows me away iswhy some people bought the KLR in the first place! It's seems that all they want to do is make it something it's not. The KLR is a great bike that's cheap andwill do almost anything but usually not gracefully and that is why it has such a huge following. If you want a bike to go fast get a street bike and if you want to hill climb.....you know what I mean. I love my KLR and I take it places it probably shouldn't go but I look after it and it hasn't let me down yet. And with that said quit wasting your time bitchin about your bike and get out there and ride it:tup:
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I have to agree with Pirate don't knock it untill you've tried it. Andwhat blows me away iswhy some people bought the KLR in the first place! It's seems that all they want to do is make it something it's not. The KLR is a great bike that's cheap andwill do almost anything but usually not gracefully and that is why it has such a huge following. If you want a bike to go fast get a street bike and if you want to hill climb.....you know what I mean. I love my KLR and I take it places it probably shouldn't go but I look after it and it hasn't let me down yet. And with that said quit wasting your time bitchin about your bike and get out there and ride it:tup:
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I feel I have to right to knock a bike that sucks in my opinion. No use getting upset over it though. I love my 06. I stand by my feeling that Kawasaki dissapointed a lot of us that were hoping for something more after nearly a quarter of a century.
Look at the Aprillia 650 at the top of this picture that came out 12 years ago or longer. If Kawasaki could give us something dated about 12 years old like that, it would still be much more welcomed. Anyway, I'm going to ride my KLR so leave me alone
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I feel I have to right to knock a bike that sucks in my opinion. No use getting upset over it though. I love my 06. I stand by my feeling that Kawasaki dissapointed a lot of us that were hoping for something more after nearly a quarter of a century.
Look at the Aprillia 650 at the top of this picture that came out 12 years ago or longer. If Kawasaki could give us something dated about 12 years old like that, it would still be much more welcomed. Anyway, I'm going to ride my KLR so leave me alone
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RanKLR
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I'm gonna play somewhat of a devil's advocate. This is a KLRS (street) version, based on the old platform (cost effective)and mildy revised motor, built for the more street oriented riders.
Next year will be the all new KLRDS (dual sport) version with a mild steel or aluminum perimeter frame, a flatter seating position, a breathed on motor, 45 mm upside down forks, 9-10 inches of quality suspension front and back, 40 lbs less weight and some reasonably serious anchors on the front. Maybe a nice shade of forest green............
I can dream, can't I? Or maybe it's the contact cement I'm using to laminate my counter tops in the kitchen.
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I'm gonna play somewhat of a devil's advocate. This is a KLRS (street) version, based on the old platform (cost effective)and mildy revised motor, built for the more street oriented riders.
Next year will be the all new KLRDS (dual sport) version with a mild steel or aluminum perimeter frame, a flatter seating position, a breathed on motor, 45 mm upside down forks, 9-10 inches of quality suspension front and back, 40 lbs less weight and some reasonably serious anchors on the front. Maybe a nice shade of forest green............
I can dream, can't I? Or maybe it's the contact cement I'm using to laminate my counter tops in the kitchen.
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RanKLR
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.............and a 6 speed!!!!
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.............and a 6 speed!!!!
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RanKLR
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Dirt Bike magazine said there is a rumor that the KTM EXC line might come to the US with street legal equipment. A 525 with a bigger tank would be a hot ticket. Doubt the motor would have the longevity compared to the KLR 650. It's probably in a relatively high stress state of tune. The new KTM 950 Super Enduro looks ut interesting, but it is said to "come in at under 400lbs". Thems scary words. Now if it came in at under 325 lbs, we'd be talkin.
Since this is a thread about the new KLR 650, I think I probably should, in all fairness,reserve any further judgement till I ride one. Especially since my calls to the Kawasaki Whiner Complaint Hot-line have not been returned. My '77 RM250 had about the same amount of suspension travel. Did just fine as a MX'er, although it only weighed about 225 lb.
Now about that plastic. Who was the dope smokin', artsy-fart at Kaw that stuck the cow tongue on the front fender and painted it blue?
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Dirt Bike magazine said there is a rumor that the KTM EXC line might come to the US with street legal equipment. A 525 with a bigger tank would be a hot ticket. Doubt the motor would have the longevity compared to the KLR 650. It's probably in a relatively high stress state of tune. The new KTM 950 Super Enduro looks ut interesting, but it is said to "come in at under 400lbs". Thems scary words. Now if it came in at under 325 lbs, we'd be talkin.
Since this is a thread about the new KLR 650, I think I probably should, in all fairness,reserve any further judgement till I ride one. Especially since my calls to the Kawasaki Whiner Complaint Hot-line have not been returned. My '77 RM250 had about the same amount of suspension travel. Did just fine as a MX'er, although it only weighed about 225 lb.
Now about that plastic. Who was the dope smokin', artsy-fart at Kaw that stuck the cow tongue on the front fender and painted it blue?
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Pirate
Guest
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Hey, I dream too you know andmy wish listis probably as long as anybodies. There is a bike out there thatRanKlr just described and I don't understand why many of you are not riding it. It has your complete critieria,or could it be the price factor that's holding everyone back,cause you ain't gonna get what you want from Kawasaki for and extra $1500. Sure this new model may or maynot beany better, but the fact remains, we just don't know yet.The styling is fair game, no one has to own or ride oneto see that.If it's too streety do the mods you do now and if the price is right you won't have too much to complain about.
Cat'o' Nine Tails........
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Hey, I dream too you know andmy wish listis probably as long as anybodies. There is a bike out there thatRanKlr just described and I don't understand why many of you are not riding it. It has your complete critieria,or could it be the price factor that's holding everyone back,cause you ain't gonna get what you want from Kawasaki for and extra $1500. Sure this new model may or maynot beany better, but the fact remains, we just don't know yet.The styling is fair game, no one has to own or ride oneto see that.If it's too streety do the mods you do now and if the price is right you won't have too much to complain about.
Cat'o' Nine Tails........