Yak_KLR650
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RanKLR wrote:
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RanKLR wrote:
It looks like a blue KTM fender!:clap:
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KLR gets a makeover for 2008 model year
- Thread starter Yak_KLR650
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RanKLR
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I can only speak for myself, but I think you nailed it for me. Price. Bought my '01 used in '03, with a Corbin seat, lowered suspension (soon reverted to stock), Kaw saddlebags and tank bag, Dual Star guards and only 1900 miles for $2500 US. The guy I bought it from was too short for it, fall down go boom, too much. No damage done to bike. He should check out the '08.
Monye talks....it just doesn't talk to me very much
I got an '88 ATK 250 MX/Endurothat's beggin to be converted to a DS.........Randy
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I can only speak for myself, but I think you nailed it for me. Price. Bought my '01 used in '03, with a Corbin seat, lowered suspension (soon reverted to stock), Kaw saddlebags and tank bag, Dual Star guards and only 1900 miles for $2500 US. The guy I bought it from was too short for it, fall down go boom, too much. No damage done to bike. He should check out the '08.
Monye talks....it just doesn't talk to me very much
I got an '88 ATK 250 MX/Endurothat's beggin to be converted to a DS.........Randy
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I was hoping they would do the mods and charge around $8,000 to $9,000 or even
better, make a special edition KLR for all of us who love our KLR's. Like a limited edition with everything Kawasaki knows many of us want. Even if they charged $12,000, I know they could create something that would blow the doors of the Competition yet still be a great street adventure tourer. The KLX 650 had a small tank and didn't feel right but I know they could do it. It all boils down to money. They won't see a fast enough return on their investment so why even bother.
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I was hoping they would do the mods and charge around $8,000 to $9,000 or even
better, make a special edition KLR for all of us who love our KLR's. Like a limited edition with everything Kawasaki knows many of us want. Even if they charged $12,000, I know they could create something that would blow the doors of the Competition yet still be a great street adventure tourer. The KLX 650 had a small tank and didn't feel right but I know they could do it. It all boils down to money. They won't see a fast enough return on their investment so why even bother.
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klr jason
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After careful ogling and consideration, I have come to a conclusion.
KLR vs DL vs Buell.
They are not looking to keep selling to the same guys (us) that bought, and continue to buy the "original" KLR. They are going the same way the other manufacturers are. The original was "good" on the road, "good" on the dirt. I think they are wanting to be "better" on road, and not worry too much about the dirt side of the coin. How many DL's do we see out on the trails? How about the gravel? I think they are designing a bike for the older riders that want the comfortable seating, not tooagressive power, andease of use. The most complaining/negativity will likely come from the riders that have done the doohickey, suspension, brake lines, seat and exhaust mods on their own bikes.
I think the only mods they have done to the bike are the ones WE would have done if we hung up the dirt boots, and focused on paved roads. For a pavement oriented bike, I like it. When the knees and back give out, and I want a street-type, I'll probably look at this model.
I love the Big K, the reliability, the ease of use. I think it'll do well in North America.
(This coming from a guy that wants a 950!!)
But I still love my KLR!
ps, I wonder if we can just get some of the parts off this bad-boy. Some of them look quite tatsy!
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After careful ogling and consideration, I have come to a conclusion.
KLR vs DL vs Buell.
They are not looking to keep selling to the same guys (us) that bought, and continue to buy the "original" KLR. They are going the same way the other manufacturers are. The original was "good" on the road, "good" on the dirt. I think they are wanting to be "better" on road, and not worry too much about the dirt side of the coin. How many DL's do we see out on the trails? How about the gravel? I think they are designing a bike for the older riders that want the comfortable seating, not tooagressive power, andease of use. The most complaining/negativity will likely come from the riders that have done the doohickey, suspension, brake lines, seat and exhaust mods on their own bikes.
I think the only mods they have done to the bike are the ones WE would have done if we hung up the dirt boots, and focused on paved roads. For a pavement oriented bike, I like it. When the knees and back give out, and I want a street-type, I'll probably look at this model.
I love the Big K, the reliability, the ease of use. I think it'll do well in North America.
(This coming from a guy that wants a 950!!
)But I still love my KLR!
ps, I wonder if we can just get some of the parts off this bad-boy. Some of them look quite tatsy!
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You made a good point. Kawasaki is not looking to appease the 'Doohickey" crowd. I wonder if they addressed that issue by the way? Would be a shame to redo many things and still leave that outstanding. I chatted the other day with the former owner of the Kawasaki dealership here in Salmon Arm and he never had problems with the tensioner as he said he just regularly kept it tight. He did tell me though that many people who don't regurlarly keep it torqued end up destroying their engine as he has seen it many many times.
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You made a good point. Kawasaki is not looking to appease the 'Doohickey" crowd. I wonder if they addressed that issue by the way? Would be a shame to redo many things and still leave that outstanding. I chatted the other day with the former owner of the Kawasaki dealership here in Salmon Arm and he never had problems with the tensioner as he said he just regularly kept it tight. He did tell me though that many people who don't regurlarly keep it torqued end up destroying their engine as he has seen it many many times.
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I think it's sad not because of what they changed... but that they CHANGED it.
I mean, here's a bike that used the same plastic and steel molds for decades. Decades - and it's still a decent bike. What, they changed a few emission-carb bits and the way they attached the countershaft sprocket, maybe a few other minor tweaks here and there. A 20+ year run is amazing; even more amazing that the bike is still so good.
Gawd... I'm starting to sound like an old Harley rider. But, it's a good analogy. Harley found a sweet-spot where lots of people wanted the same bike, year after year - because it was right for them. The KLR was right for a whole lot of people. I don't think any significant change - besided incremental improvement - is going to make it better for a larger group. For every buyer going "wow, that's just what I'm looking for" they'll lose 2 going "damn, why did they do that." They lost me.
Next year, my '90 KLR will finally be old. It won't be just the same as the new one except a different colour. Now I'm depressed; I'll stop writing and go spend some qualitly shop time with my CLASSIC KLR.
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I think it's sad
not because of what they changed... but that they CHANGED it.I mean, here's a bike that used the same plastic and steel molds for decades. Decades - and it's still a decent bike. What, they changed a few emission-carb bits and the way they attached the countershaft sprocket, maybe a few other minor tweaks here and there. A 20+ year run is amazing; even more amazing that the bike is still so good.
Gawd... I'm starting to sound like an old Harley rider. But, it's a good analogy. Harley found a sweet-spot where lots of people wanted the same bike, year after year - because it was right for them. The KLR was right for a whole lot of people. I don't think any significant change - besided incremental improvement - is going to make it better for a larger group. For every buyer going "wow, that's just what I'm looking for" they'll lose 2 going "damn, why did they do that." They lost me.
Next year, my '90 KLR will finally be old. It won't be just the same as the new one except a different colour. Now I'm depressed; I'll stop writing and go spend some qualitly shop time with my CLASSIC KLR.
D
dooveman
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If they made it so "street worthy" they missed the v-twin with 6th gear. Street guys are as technical as the dirt guys and they won't want a thumper that can't relax in 6th gear. I think they are searching for a quick fix to capture the US baby boom market. And that market wants a 1200gs with heated coffee holders. Ah, never thought of that one, hmmmm.
My friend is a DL650 owner and loves his bike. And he was not impressed with this smoke and mirror trick. If they expect more money they will find themselves out of a market. The DL650 is much more refined from a street perspective.
I personally like the dirt bike look. It looks lite and sporty and mean. Well compared to the way it looks in 2008.
I guarentee they never fixed the doohickey either, from what I heard from them they claim it was fixed already.
ohwell, more plastic to scratch.
Brian
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If they made it so "street worthy" they missed the v-twin with 6th gear. Street guys are as technical as the dirt guys and they won't want a thumper that can't relax in 6th gear. I think they are searching for a quick fix to capture the US baby boom market. And that market wants a 1200gs with heated coffee holders. Ah, never thought of that one, hmmmm.
My friend is a DL650 owner and loves his bike. And he was not impressed with this smoke and mirror trick. If they expect more money they will find themselves out of a market. The DL650 is much more refined from a street perspective.
I personally like the dirt bike look. It looks lite and sporty and mean. Well compared to the way it looks in 2008.
I guarentee they never fixed the doohickey either, from what I heard from them they claim it was fixed already.
ohwell, more plastic to scratch.
Brian
VIMike
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Yak thank-you. Hands down this has been one of the most entertaining rank I have seen since you started this chain of responses.
I look forward to it's release and the reactions we will see. I for one am still looking to a chance to see and ride one.
VIMike
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Yak thank-you. Hands down this has been one of the most entertaining rank I have seen since you started this chain of responses.
I look forward to it's release and the reactions we will see. I for one am still looking to a chance to see and ride one.
VIMike
Yak_KLR650
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VIMike wrote:
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VIMike wrote:
You're welcome. Some people can't handle change, some people embrace it. It's still just a machine, it's the rider that puts the soul into whatever brand/model.
Yak_KLR650
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scotty905 wrote:
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scotty905 wrote:
Salmon?
Yak_KLR650
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klrman wrote:
Wasn't that the sequel to Barbarella?
Crap! I just hijacked my own thread!:shoot:
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klrman wrote:
Wasn't that the sequel to Barbarella?
Crap! I just hijacked my own thread!:shoot:
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Haha
Below is another reason why the Manufactures don't put out too much with the Dual Sport Bikes.... 2006 sales in the US show DS bikes sell less than 5% of their markets, so it makes sense to them I guess to develop the street bikes and everything for the street. But those dirt bike numbers look pretty good. BTW I think this thread may be close to setting a record with over 1,000 views!!! At least Kawasaki got a reaction good or bad.
...
[align=left]Second Quarter 2006 Motorcycle Sales[/align] [align=left]Motorcycle and scooter sales experienced a robust growth of 7.7% in the second quarter of 2006 when compared to the second quarter of 2005, with 380,436 sold. That makes 590,296 motorcycles and scooters sold so far this year.[/align] [align=left]29,900 scooters have been sold in the first 6 months of 2006, an increase of 19.7% over 2005. Many dealers report very strong scooter sales, probably attributed to the increase in U.S. fuel prices. 410,421 on-road bikes have been sold so far this year (increase of 9.9% over 2005); 20,742 dual-purpose (up 36.5%) and 129,233 off-road bikes (decrease of 3.9%).[/align] [align=left]The total number of motorcycles sold so far this year included these major categories: 202,953 cruisers; 116,392 sportbikes; 82,627 touring bikes; and 8,449 "traditional" types. (Source: Motorcycle Industry Council).[/align]
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Haha
Below is another reason why the Manufactures don't put out too much with the Dual Sport Bikes.... 2006 sales in the US show DS bikes sell less than 5% of their markets, so it makes sense to them I guess to develop the street bikes and everything for the street. But those dirt bike numbers look pretty good. BTW I think this thread may be close to setting a record with over 1,000 views!!! At least Kawasaki got a reaction good or bad.
...
[align=left]Second Quarter 2006 Motorcycle Sales[/align] [align=left]Motorcycle and scooter sales experienced a robust growth of 7.7% in the second quarter of 2006 when compared to the second quarter of 2005, with 380,436 sold. That makes 590,296 motorcycles and scooters sold so far this year.[/align] [align=left]29,900 scooters have been sold in the first 6 months of 2006, an increase of 19.7% over 2005. Many dealers report very strong scooter sales, probably attributed to the increase in U.S. fuel prices. 410,421 on-road bikes have been sold so far this year (increase of 9.9% over 2005); 20,742 dual-purpose (up 36.5%) and 129,233 off-road bikes (decrease of 3.9%).[/align] [align=left]The total number of motorcycles sold so far this year included these major categories: 202,953 cruisers; 116,392 sportbikes; 82,627 touring bikes; and 8,449 "traditional" types. (Source: Motorcycle Industry Council).[/align]
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gordbull
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joker650 wrote:
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joker650 wrote:
Well that's just plain mean Jokerdstone wrote:
GEEK!
Just searching the web and found another nice pic of the 2008KLR
D
dooveman
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With the headlight and those Red 'Z' paint marks, maybe it should be call the Dragonball Z 650. For anyone who doesn't have boys that watch it or play it, it's a kids Japanese Cartoon that fits this bike.
When a company thinks about dualsport they should think about a range rover. Design a bike that can handle any terrain around the world and be comfortable enough to do marathon rides. Forget the looks, just make a bike that is like a swiss army knife. Make it so you can swap tires and sprockets fast, tuck spare parts away into hidden places like an emergency shifter. Build in an intercom system that plugs into a gps and even a sat phone. Even fog lights. I think there is a huge market in the baby boom explorer crowd. And this generation is smart enough to maintain their own bikes in the field if it is easy. But the focus still needs to be tough and issue free, like an AK47. Not that I own an AK or that I have one attached to my KLR.
Brian
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With the headlight and those Red 'Z' paint marks, maybe it should be call the Dragonball Z 650. For anyone who doesn't have boys that watch it or play it, it's a kids Japanese Cartoon that fits this bike.
When a company thinks about dualsport they should think about a range rover. Design a bike that can handle any terrain around the world and be comfortable enough to do marathon rides. Forget the looks, just make a bike that is like a swiss army knife. Make it so you can swap tires and sprockets fast, tuck spare parts away into hidden places like an emergency shifter. Build in an intercom system that plugs into a gps and even a sat phone. Even fog lights. I think there is a huge market in the baby boom explorer crowd. And this generation is smart enough to maintain their own bikes in the field if it is easy. But the focus still needs to be tough and issue free, like an AK47. Not that I own an AK or that I have one attached to my KLR.
Brian
Yak_KLR650
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dooveman wrote:
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dooveman wrote:
Brian, I think you nailed it with this. For the dirt bike end of the dualsport spectrum, maybe not, but for the adventure touring/sunday ride group the Range Rover comparision is bang on. IMHO.