Yeah, I had a speedo like that once....Originally Posted by kiwiklr
Curmudgeon
Yeah, I had a speedo like that once....
L-Plate Rider
Sounds like something you Auckland boys get up to in your glad wrap shorts, none of that down here in the south..are you suffering from KLR envy? It happens a lot when a KLR flys by some one and disappears off into the distance and an hour so later they see the KLR rider with a big grin on his face haveing a cuppa...
Forum whore
Fixed!
Mate, Invercargill is my home town, so I know southern B/S when I hear it.
Did about 18,000 km in outback Oz last year and only saw one KLR. The guy aboard it was complaining about falling off lots, at the slightest hint of moisture. Maybe that's why you prefer a cuppa while the rest of us are out riding, eh?
Aw shit..... I really shouldn't troll like that. It's just too easy..... something about fish, barrels and firearms comes to mind.
Sorry mate. I'll try and behave in future.
I may not be as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I always was.
Generic Soft Cock
I wonder, with similar preparation, if the KLR would be a little happier than the DR with your 50kg luggage strapped to its back.
The KLR seems like a slightly longer and definitely heavier bike with (I believe) a more front end weight bias - all things that I would have thought would make it a big more settled with the big piles of crap you and Jamie had strapped to the back.
umm yeah sure .... we really believe you....
Forum whore
Dunno, maybe. Would have thought that the forward bias would be a disadvantage in deep sand etc however. Steering damper may be next.
Anyway, it was the total weight that swung the decision finally. Figured that I would be picking it up fairly often. As it turned out, not nearly as often as I first thought.
Jamie recently did the top of the S.I. on his farkled DR with 2 mates, one on a KLR and one on a standard DR. He wound up riding all 3 machines out of one particular obstacle and had nothing complementary to say about either of the other 2, especially the KLR.
However, it was more than a little knarly and the concensus in here (as I read it anyway) is that the Kwaka is aimed a bit more at the road than the trail - so horses for courses I guess
More B/S, eh? Behaving's no fun anyway - on that I'm sure we can agreeumm yeah sure .... we really believe you....
I may not be as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I always was.
Generic Soft Cock
comparing a well farkled anything to an unfarkled anything is a bit unfair. A few simple mods can make a massive difference to DR/KLR's etc.
you are right that the klr is more road biased - which is why I like it.
Curmudgeon
Hmmm....KLR v. DR............I wonder, with similar preparation, if the KLR would be a little happier than the DR with your 50kg luggage strapped to its back.
The KLR seems like a slightly longer and definitely heavier bike with (I believe) a more front end weight bias - all things that I would have thought would make it a big more settled with the big piles of crap you and Jamie had strapped to the back.
umm yeah sure .... we really believe you....
Cripple Fight!!!!
I aint bovvered
Out of interest what were the most popular bikes ou saw over there. Reading the TBAM it seems everything is either vstroms or KTMs over there.
Where's the ride?
If you can't be good, UPLOAD PHOTOS or it didn't happen...
Cheers,
Colin
Forum whore
We really didn't see that many other bikers to be honest, but then as places go, it's kinda large.
Having said that, Beemers come to mind. We are talking a small sample though.
I may not be as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I always was.
L-Plate Rider
Ouch.... we might be cheap but we are cheap, good luck negotiating with your bank manager if you ever fall off your hun machine
Forum whore
Exactly right and also the point I was making in a roundabout way. That's why I allowed the comparason between stock and farkled.
I actually think that both the KLR and the DR are good value for money, but that to some extent, you get what you pay for. In both cases, if you want knarly off road performance, some extra cash is required. (Some concessions to Oscar here.)
I believe that the KLR has a BIG following in the States but when I was making a choice, we were heading for some really rough territory and it was a bit too heavy and with too much vulnerable stuff hanging out in the breeze.
Remember, I said that I expected to fall off pretty often?
So far, I have no regrets at all. (And I do fall off pretty often)
I may not be as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I always was.
Where's the ride?
KLRs are more popular in the states, but that's probably because they have lots of motorways. I read somewhere that KLRs were being made/assembled in the USA, which would help local sales. Haven't been able to track that down again.
Here's a wild theory. I reckon the likes of advrider have influenced the market here, and increased the sales of KLRs in recent years. For years and years I'd only ever seen one KLR in the flesh, whereas DRs of all flavours were rife. Nowadays they're like opinions and arseholes: everyone's got one.
Suzukis of all types are very popular here, they have a much stronger marketing machine and atypically high market share. Kawasaki's marketing has been pretty rubbish in comparison. Aussie mags often complained about lack of test bikes and media support etc. I'm sure that has some bearing on the long-term popularity of the two bikes.
Cheers,
Colin
Curmudgeon
I'd agree with that - KLR's are very popular on ADVRider.com and the like (although the term "KLR Rider" is used to describe cheap bastids). I think that up until recently, I'd seen more KLE600's and KLX650R's than KLR's.KLRs are more popular in the states, but that's probably because they have lots of motorways. I read somewhere that KLRs were being made/assembled in the USA, which would help local sales. Haven't been able to track that down again.
Here's a wild theory. I reckon the likes of advrider have influenced the market here, and increased the sales of KLRs in recent years. For years and years I'd only ever seen one KLR in the flesh, whereas DRs of all flavours were rife. Nowadays they're like opinions and arseholes: everyone's got one.
Suzukis of all types are very popular here, they have a much stronger marketing machine and atypically high market share. Kawasaki's marketing has been pretty rubbish in comparison. Aussie mags often complained about lack of test bikes and media support etc. I'm sure that has some bearing on the long-term popularity of the two bikes.
Forum whore
Marketing of the "new" ('08) KLR was totally non existant here. Motorad didn't know they existed until I showed them the pictures, web links and so on.
Long after I got my one Kawasaki NZ (Lyntech) were still advertising the previous model only.
In all the NZ mags there has been, as far as I can find, one rather brief article on the '08 (Bike Rider magazine).
If the stories on Advrider are to be believed, the KLR is in the top four of all Kawasakis sold in the US over the last 20 odd years. And the huge following they have in the states is not only because they are perceived a highway cruiser, there are plenty of ride reports of KLRs going to and returning from very gnarly out of the way places.
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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