I am not what I would call a diehard motorcycle guy. But have had a Honda 500 shawdow years ago, A Honda XR250R and a Suzuki DR650 most recently but have been without for a few years. Hold a current endorsement.

I see a new Kaw. can be had in different configurations for about $6500 up to about $7400 for a pretty decked out one.

That seems pretty reasonable. I would like to get your thoughts on them.

Used prices on bikes with 10-25k miles on them are ridiculous compared to the cost of new.


How easy or hard would it be to cover 500+ miles in one 11-12 hour day on one?


Thanks guys. I know how you love to talk motorcycles

I had a KLR for quite a few years and rode it to death! It nearly cost me my right leg when I flopped over and its full weight crushed my leg. Durable, reliable but heavy off road. Good power and handling if you set it up right. I would buy it again!
500 miles in one day might be a stretch, comfort wise. But everyone's endurance and comfort levels vary. And shorter people may have trouble resting both feet on the ground when stopped. The most I ever did on it in one day was 300 miles with numerous breaks and lunch.
This may factor into considering comfort. But it may be bullshit, too. Years ago, a motorcycle dealer told me that designers of motorcycles set bikes up for a male rider who is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. I am 6 foot 4 and dress out about 245. I have owned many bikes and none have been truly comfortable. When I bought my BMW F 850 GS, the first thing I bought was a taller windshield. The stock one put the wind blast right at my upper chest and then up under my helmet. I was too tall for the stock windshield. So the "fit" of the bike may factor into comfort and the mileage you can do in a day.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: YooperSigs,

A rider I know rode his KLR 650 from upstate NY to Alaska and back.

The KLR 650 is a very tall seat. It has a very small wind deflector. The single cylinder engine is called a thumper for its characteristic forces. The tires are 80 / 20. So, on road comfort is lower than typical tires.

The fuel tank is 6 gallons. At 40 mpg, you could in theory travel half your target distance on one tank.

But, having ridden a similar machine only for 60 miles one day, I cannot imagine 500 miles in one 12 hour day. I can’t imagine 500 miles on my K1600GT sport touring machine in one 12 hour day. The wind blast, the vibration, the thumping, the tire noise, the constant small motion of the bike from outside wind forces of passing cars, I tell you what, I couldn’t ride it that far.

Do I want a KLR 650? I do. It is classic. It is the Glock of motorcycles, with incredible aftermarket support. Does it do everything? Yes. But, for now, I am a one motorcycle pilot.

The 2008 KLR650 had well known and documented oil consumption issues but that was sorted out by the following year. A guy I used to work out with had a 2008. The oil issue is how he got his so cheap and then had the engine completely rebuilt. When he was finished it was a fantastic moto.

I think of the KLR650 as the pick up truck of the motorcycle world. The KLR is rugged, simple to maintain and able to carry lots of gear basically anywhere.

For a dual sport you intend to take on longer road trips a BMW GS would probably do better on the street compared to the single cylinder KLR but when the pavement changes to dirt I’d prefer to have a KLR. There really isn’t a bike that is perfect at road trips and off road fun but the KLR is one of the best at handling both conditions without too much compromise.

A KLR650 should be able to handle a long ride like that with relative comfort. I’m not sure any bike will be loads of fun on a long ride like that but the KLR can be a comfy bike. A taller windscreen will do wonders on longer rides. I have one on my BMW 1150GS and love how it minimizes wind blast.

If your looking to do 500 mile days it's not the best tool for that job. I was really into MC's at one time and had a 2002 KLR at one point. I sold it after less than 500 miles. To me it was heavy, slow and had a marginal suspension. I just didn't enjoy riding it the way I did other MC's. I know many love the "glock" of the MC world. To me it was just too boring with no soul.
If you're looking to do 500 mile days I'd look more in the direction of the Suzuki Vstrom. Very fun v twin on a better platform for that type of riding.

Thanks guys. My Suzuki DR650 was a good bike. A single thumper too. Not one to ride all day unless having too. I am past the have too. But Making a trip like 500 miles in one day I do occasionally and was just inquiring as it would not be a reason to purchase one as I have other rigs for that. But doing it in the summer might be a fun trip. As far as having no soul and boring, etc. doesn't apply to me. The Swiss Army knife aspect is more my style and the dirt or gravel road capability is also something that I would need. As would being able to haul a big load.

I think part has to be what kind of riding you plan, lots of miles a day usually means streets or roads.

I’ve owned several Enduros over the years, 100, 250, most recent a Suzuki DR-650. The Enduro is great once you move towards gravel roads or more off roading, to ride there with a plated bike.

Since It’s more paved roads & Hwy here, a dedicated street bike works better. I now have a CB-1100, maybe not ideal, but very reliable, simple maintenance.

Before buying any bike it would be wise to ride it and as many as possible that are similar to it. Your comfort after the first hour will quickly tell you if you and the bike work together.

As Stickman noted, there are probably better bikes for a 500 mile ride. His BMW 1150GS is one of those. I have the same model, a 2003, and it will allow you to do that kind of mileage, on a perfect day, in some comfort. It is also a “dual purpose” bike in that it can also go off road. The issue is how much off road do you want to do with a 500 pound bike.
The Beemer bikes are incredibly smooth running, comfortable bikes. Personally I wouldn’t take anything else for a LONG ride. If you wanted a long distance machine the BMW GS is the big seller for that purpose. Older Beemers that do distance well are the R100RT and/or any BMW RT (T for Touring). They have a comfortable riding position and good protection from wind and even rain.
As far as costs, my R1150 is, to me, my newest bike. It came with just under 12k miles and last summer it cost me $3,500. For a bike like that, that was a steal. Still, they can be had for $4 - 6k in good shape.
I find mine affordable to maintain because I do most of the wrenching myself. Be aware, shops around here charge something like $70/hr. to work on them. Other areas are likely to charge more, I expect few will charge less.
In a nutshell I am biased. I have 5 Beemers. Smooth, powerful, comfortable, quiet - that is how I would describe them.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:

How easy or hard would it be to cover 500+ miles in one 11-12 hour day

Back in the mid 1980s I was assigned to a project in the Denver area. My wife was in graduate school and it was not practical for her to relocate from the Chicago area, so for a year or so we had a long-distance marriage.

Sometimes we would ride our BMW motorcycles, me leaving Denver on my R100RS and my wife leaving Chicago on her R65, and meet for the weekend in Omaha. Just about 500 miles one-way for each of us.

IMO the KLR is a *very* comfortable motorcycle to ride so I see no reason whatsoever why you couldn't ride one 500+ miles per day. It has lots of leg room plus with the flat seat you can slide around to change position. The little fairing and shield on my 2008 did a wonderful job of diverting most of the wind blast, I think the new version might be even a little better. It's really a more comfortable motorcycle to ride than most bikes out there, certainly a DR650, but it'll be heavier. So with about the same HP as a DR650 you'll notice it being a little slower taking off, or on the highway riding up grades loaded down, especially trying to pass. But other than that it'll be fine. Both of mine (1998 and 2008) burned a little oil and that roller bearing engine is hard on it as well. By 1,000 miles it was black and by 2,000 the shifting was getting notchy, so I simply changed mine every 2,500 miles which is no big deal, IIRC it only took 2.5 qts. For a $7,000 msrp new motorcycle the KLR is not a bad deal, of course set money aside for farkles!
A similar type of bike, only more capable on the road, you might look at is Suzuki's DL650 V-Strom. They offer it in at least two versions; a base and one outfitted with center stand, panniers, taller shield, and maybe extra lights. The local dealer has had one of these loaded versions sitting on the floor for over a year so there are probably some out there.

I'll add this though..... I have a friend here who bought a new KLR650 in 2008 or 2009, farkled it out including large Givi panniers (which he painted blue to match the bike) and at 73 years old started riding that bike all over the country including one trip from WV up to Alaska then back across Canada. After around 8 years and 77,000 miles he finally sold it and at the urging of a number of us bought a new V-Strom 650 which we all thought would better serve him given the kind of riding he was doing. He didn't like the V-Srom nearly as well, said it was too heavy and not as comfortable, and the extra power wasn't really useful to him so after a year he sold it and bought another new KLR 650 which he's still riding.

I have two first-gen KLR650s. Not much has changed with the engine even up to the current 2022 model, with the exception of being updated to fuel injection. Otherwise each subsequent generation has generally moved more in the direction of longer distance touring comfort, with improvements to wind protection, better seat, brakes, and suspension and other comforts. Weight has gone up too, with a general tradeoff toward being less off-road friendly. Which is not to say they were ever dirt bikes. But if your goal is long distance mileage, go with a later-model Gen 2 or the new version.

I also agree that a KLR would not be many riders first choice in a long-distance freeway bomber.

Not a bad review and the guy spent a lot of time in the seat in 4 days covering varied terrain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVTjgZGBiZk

I have always wanted one.

Been a lot of years since I had a KLR650 they have done some improvements since then. Around 2013 the klr650 got the badly needed stiffer springs. I also think the fuel injection on the 2022 is another big step in the right direction. I would not buy a new bike without fuel injection these days.

I've had a number of big single dual sports over the years in my 47 years of riding, just never could warm up to them because of their weight. Because on dual sports I do a fair amount of single track riding. Bike weight is a killer on single track riding. But is sounds like that is not what you have in mind? If you are going to do mostly road and dirt roads and some jeep trails you will most likely be fine.

This guy on youtube seems to have a fairly good take on the lastest 2022 KLR650, you might check this out and perhaps other youtubers on the 2022 KLR650.

If I was younger than my current 74 years I'd look for a used Yamaha Super Tenere 1200. They are discontinued for 2022. I have a friend that has one and takes some long trips with it. Personally the only bike I would be comfortable with for 500 mile day trips would be a Honda Goldwing 1800, but of course they are 3 times the amount you are talking about.

Jim

I rode a 2012 KLR 650 for 6 years and loved it.

The longest rode trip was 350 miles and then back a few days later. The ride up was below 20 deg. so I had to get off and walk around a few times to warm up.

I wish I had purchased an aftermarket saddle that was more comfortable as the stock saddle will wear on you after a few hours.

I've done a couple of 700 mile days on my 2009 KLR650.

A better windshield would make this far more comfortable for me, at 6'4", the wind buffet from the windscreen hits me in the helmet and is annoying.

The stock seat isn't overly comfortable.

The transmission only has five gears, so the sprocket ratio (15 : 43) they picked is a compromise between on and off road. I've gone with a 16 tooth front and 39 tooth rear to dramatically lower highway engine speed at the cost of a bit of acceleration and low speed maneuvers without feathering the clutch.

My 2009 likes to burn oil at sustained engine speeds above 5,000rpm, which you'll exceed on the slab with the stock sprockets. Not a huge issue, just check the sight glass at every fuel stop with the bike held upright and keep the oil level in the upper half of the glass.

The tank holds nearly six gallons of gas, so you won't need terribly frequent refueling. Over the 36,500 miles I've had mine, the lifetime average fuel mileage is 52.5mpg, with a low of about 35 (80mph, stock ratios, hilly terrain and a nasty headwind) and a high of 64.578 (commuting, mostly 55mph state highway with a small amount of city but with a 56L Givi top case on the bike).

The handlebars and foot pegs are rubber mounted on the third generation and ABS is available although with no provision to deactivate the ABS either just the rear or the entire system for off road.

The only thing the KLR650 really excels at is the ability to handle nearly anything "satisfactorily".

You won't get there the fastest, for example, if someone on a real dirtbike or real street bike wants to outpace you, they'll have little problem doing that in their respective environments.

If you just want an affordable, reasonably bulletproof bike with reasonably long maintenance intervals which will take you practically anyplace you want to go and you understand the limitations and work arounds, they're good bikes.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: the_sandman_454,

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
I am not what I would call a diehard motorcycle guy. But have had a Honda 500 shawdow years ago, A Honda XR250R and a Suzuki DR650 most recently but have been without for a few years. Hold a current endorsement.

I see a new Kaw. can be had in different configurations for about $6500 up to about $7400 for a pretty decked out one.

That seems pretty reasonable. I would like to get your thoughts on them.

Used prices on bikes with 10-25k miles on them are ridiculous compared to the cost of new.


How easy or hard would it be to cover 500+ miles in one 11-12 hour day on one?


Thanks guys. I know how you love to talk motorcycles

There are much better bikes to ride that will provide more comfort than a KLR if you're riding 500 miles and up to 12 hours a day. The KLR is a competent bike but for the type of riding you describe I'd look at something more road oriented like the Kawasaki Versys 650 or Suzuki V-Strom. Both are better bikes for riding paved roads but can handle gravel and dirt, both also provide better performance than the KLR and both should be more comfortable for long days in the saddle.

Thanks sandman 454 and sw sig. Really good first hand info. I know it is not a road bike. But is a capable all around bike that is $8k brand new and is completely outfitted. Besides that it has proven itself for 35 years. The updates in this model are a welcome update. Wished it had a tach. But other than that I do not feel it needs much.