BMW X-country is my fave of all of them - except for the price tag.
The motard however I didn't like much at all. You couldn't turn off the ABS - on a motard?
Depends if were talking brand new or not too?
I'd need more spring on the rear, but even the cheapie suspenders are reasonably good - till they emulsify.
Cheaper they are the less it takes till they paste up and go off and need upgrading. Nothing I'd be in a screamin' hurry to replace on the KLR. Fullness of time though.
Hi Morcs. I have an 08 KLR & have taken it 14K on & off road for the past year.
I was in the same boat as you when I bought mine & after much toing & froing if I was faced with the decision again I would buy the same bike.
I don't do naked bikes very well - the wind just bugs me, I'm approx 6ft & the wind hits me right in the eyes with the std screen so I have the ugly handmade screen attached to front of mine (& recently have a offroad setup I can change for the forest). There are 'nice' screens you can add on
The shocks are ok but Ricor are doing great things with them for a reasonable price compared to other flasher brands.
Comfort is great & they have enough power for me. Get rid of the tyres & put on some better ones. If you intend doing anythng off road some engine bars are a must - Most people have dropped them & without the bars they are up for hundreds for the plastic fairings. I find mine very top heavy & manoeuvreing them in awkward situations can lead to photo opportunities.
The only bad thing I would say about the bike personally is the gear ratios are too far between 1st & 2nd. Often I'm either ringing it out in 1st up a hill or chugging & slipping the clutch in 2nd. I usually ride with a 14 tooth as the standard 15 is too tall.
All in all a good bike.
I also have an '08 KLR. 17000km, including near 1000 put on over the past weekend. I really like it, despite an oil use issue. It may be resolved under warranty, if not I'll put a Schnitz racing 685 piston , which apparently fixes the oil burning permanently, adds a wee bit of HP and quite a bit more torque (Ask MarkS, his 09 has a 685). Very easy to ride off road, the torque curve is virtually dead flat from less than 3000 rpm to redline, so it doesn't really matter what revs the engine is doing, it will just chug through anything. Road handling, even on stock Dunlop D705(?) is impressive, brakes are vastly improved over previous models, as are the lights. Seat is comfortable, was getting a bit sore at the end of 400km days. Wind protection is good. Standard luggage rack is big. Fuel range on a full tank is about 280 - 300 depending on how you're riding.
Its not a hard core trail bike, so not in the same league as KTMS - neither is the price. However it is surprisingly capable off road. Last weekend I was in company of two DR650s, a KTM950 and an XR650R - it went everywhere they did and it got further through the snow than everything except a D606 shod DR650.(KLR has a Metz Sahara on the back).
There is a vast aftermarket range of accessories available in the US.
You could do a whole lot worse for a lot more money
it's not a bad thing till you throw a KLR into the mix.
those cheap ass bitches can do anything with ductape.
(PostalDave on ADVrider)
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