Well, Martin, I still have my 2009 KLR, which is the year after the big 2008 model upgrade, and I think of it as the Swiss Army knife of motorcycles. I don't think of it as a "heavy pig" at all.
Some years ago, one of the motorcycle magazines did a comparison of the KLR and similar dual sports, and the writers picked the KLR for that very reason. It doesn't do anything particularly well, like some of the other bikes, but it does everything reasonably well, which none of the other bikes did. And it has a six-gallon tank, runs on regular, gets 60 mpg and there's a huge aftermarket supply of items to outfit the bike for adventure riding.
I am 6-2 tall and weigh 195 pounds and it suits me just fine. I bought it for riding the county dirt/gravel roads and the National Forest roads, not for single-track, dirt-bike trails. It's also relatively easy for me to pick up, having dropped it once.
I rode it several years ago to Taos for the Triumphs in Taos Rally, and it did just fine off-pavement as well as on I-25, zipping along at 75-80 mph. It's certainly not a rocket-ship in terms of acceleration like KTMs, BMW, etc., but I don't need that from the KLR.
It's actually my favorite bike for urban riding because I'm sitting up high with great visibility and the long-travel suspension soaks up the bumps and potholes, plus it's agile at getting through traffic.
Given that Kawasaki has introduced a new, fuel-injected, updated version, there should be plenty of used and well-outfitted KLRs on the market. Here's today's listing from Craig's List.
My suggestion is to rent the bikes that interest you and take them for a spin up in the mountains and along the Front Range. I think Mr. Graves actually rented a KLR one time to try out . .
Cheers,
Dan
On 08/24/2021 9:14 AM Bullet Bob <rlinmor@comcast.net> wrote:
Have had an F650GS for some years and it's good for highway plus dirt road exploring. Handles 75 mph decently and enough suspension travel for some moderately lumpy dirt roads such as Rollins Pass. Too big for enjoying real dirt/single track like Rampart, so if that's what you intend, the 250-400 class much better as you'll be picking it up more often. KTMs are great, but likely budget busters for a starter experience. I'd jump on TK's offer and do a little exploring and see what appeals.
BB
On Monday, August 23, 2021 at 5:50:34 PM UTC-6 martina...@gmail.com wrote:
Rats: After 39 years of exclusively riding on the street, I've decided to start looking for a dual sport so I can ride on mild trails and dirt roads. Any recommendations for a beginner? Any of you planning on any trail rides that I could tag along on and maybe take a turn on a bike to see if it's something i'd like before I go out and buy one?
About the only requirements for me are (1) has to be street legal because I don't want to have to trailer it to the trailhead, (2) Would strongly prefer an electric starter because I'm not sure my old knees can take a kick starter and (3) would like to stay under $3k used.
I know the KLR is the "go to" for a lot of people but looking at the specs it seems like a heavy pig and I'd like to avoid a bike that's excessively heavy. I'm also concerned that something too small (200 - 250 class) might not be enough power wise. I'm fairly tall (6'1") so a taller bike is OK.
I know Kawasaki has the KLR/KLX in a 400 class, Honda and Suzuki have 400 class (XR and DR) but I'm not sure what Yamaha has in that class.
Thanks in advance and if anybody has a bike for sale or knows of one that might work for me, shoot me a message.
Thanks!--
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