I'm mildly excited...

**Padmei** · 15th July 2008, 19:59

OK I'm not I'm really really stoked

My brand spanking new hot off the boat 08 KLR650 was delivered this morning & it was only fitting I took an afternoon off from crawling around in ceilings & basements to bond with it.

It is all I dreamed it would be & more

I am running it in nicely so did 50kms over the whangamoas then got the dealer to replace the oil & filter. I then went & showed it off to my mates (who made appropriate ooh & aah noises as expected with a new baby)

First impressions:

A lot smoother & more power than I expected (& I know they aren't up to much powerwise in comparison).

Very easy to ride & good turning circle. Large tank - took so long to fill I thought it was running out the bottom...

Seat is a tad hard but I guess I will get used to it & is easy to stand up to relieve the stiffness (teeheehee)

A lot of wind noise vs my lil naked bike but very warm behind the fairing & hand protectors.

All in all I am very very happy with my purchase & am looking forward to many cool trips

And KLRs pull cool chicks

**merv** · 15th July 2008, 20:04

A three seater - cool

**Crisis management** · 15th July 2008, 20:13

Looks good, try and keep it that way for at least a week then get it all muddy....

Watch them chicks tho, let them have it for too long and they won't give it back!

**pete376403** · 15th July 2008, 20:14

It's a proper green one!
Oxford heated grips are a worthwhile addition. Make sure the muffler mounting bolts are tight - there was a recall on those. I have also re-routed the wiring loom in the vicinity of the horn as it was getting pinched pretty tightly between the bottom of the tank and the fairing frame (awkward to explain but you'll see when you look at it.
I've blanked off half the radiator with duct tape to help it run a bit warmer more . The lights are aimed a bit high out of the box, unless the dealer picked this up as part of the WOF check.
The seat might feel a bit firm but it's still good after a 500km day.
Once run in 120-130 is a good cruising spped but anything over that and oil consumption can become an issue - lots of noise about this on advrider.com, klr650.net, etc

**sels1** · 15th July 2008, 20:16

Nice machine - you will have a lot of fun on that. Congrats on the new baby.

**Quasievil** · 15th July 2008, 20:20

Originally Posted by Padmei

OK I'm not I'm really really stoked

My brand spanking new hot off the boat 08 KLR650 was delivered this morning & it was only fitting I took an afternoon off from crawling around in ceilings & basements to bond with it.

It is all I dreamed it would be & more

I am running it in nicely so did 50kms over the whangamoas then got the dealer to replace the oil & filter. I then went & showed it off to my mates (who made appropriate ooh & aah noises as expected with a new baby)

First impressions:

A lot smoother & more power than I expected (& I know they aren't up to much powerwise in comparison).

Very easy to ride & good turning circle. Large tank - took so long to fill I thought it was running out the bottom...

Seat is a tad hard but I guess I will get used to it & is easy to stand up to relieve the stiffness (teeheehee)

A lot of wind noise vs my lil naked bike but very warm behind the fairing & hand protectors.

All in all I am very very happy with my purchase & am looking forward to many cool trips

And KLRs pull cool chicks

Nice one mate, ive had mine for a year, only a couple of things that have had issues with, one being the seat. Its actually not hard, its to soft, and its crippling, I have a custom seat on mine and WOW what a difference, photo below I can ride on it all day without a problem.
http://www.trimit.co.nz/

the other issue I had was a vacumm problem in the tank, the bike would run rought like starving of fuel, fix was to remove the non return valves out of the fuel cap, not a major, and now its sweet.

I would jump on it and ride to invercargill without blinking about it.

Other stuff, watch the oil level, they do burn oil

look up KLR on googel for some great KLR sites.

its a great bike and very capable, you will love it dude

cheers

Quasi

**Cruisin' Craig** · 15th July 2008, 20:20

Congratulations! The bike looks great :-)

**Padmei** · 15th July 2008, 20:33

thanks guys for the info.

I am aware of the probs with the 08s as I have been cruising the KLR sites for a while. I tried to follow the breaking in procedure off KLR650net but KAWA told the dealer they wouldn't honour the warantee if I put in the Rotella oil as recommended by their site. So anyone want to buy 20litres of Rotella?

I managed to get it in some dirt today - even a tad sideways:innocent

My engine bars hould be arriving anyday now before I take it on some gravel

**JATZ** · 15th July 2008, 21:12

ooh ooh, looks SHIIINEY, better go and find some mud aye

**mbazza** · 15th July 2008, 21:24

Congrats on the new bike!

Looks good, plenty of advice here too!
My advice is to watch those co-pilots! Before the bike is 10 yrs old one of them will have their name on it!

Ride happy. Cheers.

**fridayflash** · 15th July 2008, 21:32

congrats! i want one too

**pete376403** · 15th July 2008, 22:57

Originally Posted by Padmei

thanks guys for the info.

I am aware of the probs with the 08s as I have been cruising the KLR sites for a while. I tried to follow the breaking in procedure off KLR650net but KAWA told the dealer they wouldn't honour the warantee if I put in the Rotella oil as recommended by their site. So anyone want to buy 20litres of Rotella?

What grade Rotella? The owners manual page 87 lists the recommended oil types: API SE, SF or SG 10W40, with a note "although 10W-40 is recommended for most conditions oil viscosity may need to be changed to accomodate conditions in your riding area" - nothing there about voiding the warranty.
Anyway, oil keeps. Wait till the warranty expires, then use it.

Also something really worth doing - pull the rear suspension apart and grease all the uni-trak bearings. There's a tiny smear of white grease that the factory put in each bearing, they need a lot more. Also the swingarm pivot bolt needs a coat of grease to stop corrosion. There's a couple of vent holes in the frame that let water in. Once the bolt gets a good coating of corrosion it's extremely difficult to remove. Instructions here:
http://www.klr650.marknet.us/swingarm.html.
The pic shows the hole where the water gets in

**Stampy** · 16th July 2008, 06:21

Originally Posted by pete376403

What grade Rotella? The owners manual page 87 lists the recommended oil types: API SE, SF or SG 10W40, with a note "although 10W-40 is recommended for most conditions oil viscosity may need to be changed to accomodate conditions in your riding area" - nothing there about voiding the warranty.
Anyway, oil keeps. Wait till the warranty expires, then use it.

Also something really worth doing - pull the rear suspension apart and grease all the uni-trak bearings. There's a tiny smear of white grease that the factory put in each bearing, they need a lot more. Also the swingarm pivot bolt needs a coat of grease to stop corrosion. There's a couple of vent holes in the frame that let water in. Once the bolt gets a good coating of corrosion it's extremely difficult to remove. Instructions here:
http://www.klr650.marknet.us/swingarm.html.
The pic shows the hole where the water gets in

You got far too much time on your hands Jonesy!!!