I've been without a DS bike now for 3 months, since I sold the KLE to topbox, but, thankfully, on Friday I picked up my brand spanking 2008 KLR 650... a green one ;D
And firstly, I must say, after a long hard (no pun intended) look at it in RL and on the photos from yesterday's ride, it is phenomenally good looking!!!
Then, riding it, the only real comparison I can make is against the KLE, but geezlike, what an improvement. The KLE was slightly smoother on the tar... but where the KLR loses out on the KLE (and only but slightly) it makes up so much in other areas that the switch was worth every penny, and every second of agonising wait! That torque! I judge the adequacy of a bike's power by a specific stretch of road... North-bound on the N1, the uphill leading to New Road. With the KLE I'd have to down gear to maintain speed... KLR has no hassles chugging up there ;D Happy Time!!!
Otherwise, on tar it's just as much fun as the KLE was, if not more... has more power, brakes are just as good, better suspension travel, wheelies easier >
Then, on dirt, WOW, it is miles ahead!! Better ground clearance (which was probably THE major issue on the KLE), better traction... it's just better in every respect. I have to get used to the handling a bit though. It felt VERY twichy in dirt, dancing across tracks and so on, alost as if the rake seems too steep, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
I also need to tinker with the suspension a bit... I bottomed out a couple of times... in fact, at one point I was a little worried that I'd broken the front somehow, it seemed every time I hit a ditch it made a THUNK noise... but it turns out it was coincidence that two or three times I was paying attention, a stone was flicked up against the engine guard... so I just need to learn all the new sounds as well But I need to set the rear preload up...
And speaking of needing, it needs some mods ASAP:
Proper hand guards
Crash bars
Nevermind the doohickey and loctite!
And I'd also like to change the rear end. IMO it looks crap. FIRST and foremost I'm going to rip out the number plate hanger... that's only going to get chewed up by the wheel anyway... and mount the number plate on the little beak thing that sticks out under the carrier rack...
But yea - Happy as a pig in $hit, I am ;D
And firstly, I must say, after a long hard (no pun intended) look at it in RL and on the photos from yesterday's ride, it is phenomenally good looking!!!
Then, riding it, the only real comparison I can make is against the KLE, but geezlike, what an improvement. The KLE was slightly smoother on the tar... but where the KLR loses out on the KLE (and only but slightly) it makes up so much in other areas that the switch was worth every penny, and every second of agonising wait! That torque! I judge the adequacy of a bike's power by a specific stretch of road... North-bound on the N1, the uphill leading to New Road. With the KLE I'd have to down gear to maintain speed... KLR has no hassles chugging up there ;D Happy Time!!!
Otherwise, on tar it's just as much fun as the KLE was, if not more... has more power, brakes are just as good, better suspension travel, wheelies easier >
Then, on dirt, WOW, it is miles ahead!! Better ground clearance (which was probably THE major issue on the KLE), better traction... it's just better in every respect. I have to get used to the handling a bit though. It felt VERY twichy in dirt, dancing across tracks and so on, alost as if the rake seems too steep, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
I also need to tinker with the suspension a bit... I bottomed out a couple of times... in fact, at one point I was a little worried that I'd broken the front somehow, it seemed every time I hit a ditch it made a THUNK noise... but it turns out it was coincidence that two or three times I was paying attention, a stone was flicked up against the engine guard... so I just need to learn all the new sounds as well
But I need to set the rear preload up... And speaking of needing, it needs some mods ASAP:
Proper hand guards
Crash bars
Nevermind the doohickey and loctite!
And I'd also like to change the rear end. IMO it looks crap. FIRST and foremost I'm going to rip out the number plate hanger... that's only going to get chewed up by the wheel anyway... and mount the number plate on the little beak thing that sticks out under the carrier rack...
But yea - Happy as a pig in $hit, I am ;D
