mango
Race Dog
IT'S A BIKER'S LIFE: Rain over the Sani Pass turned the magical road into a giant water (and mud) feature when Denis Droppa and friends "did it" recently with our Johannesburg correspondent aboard this Kawasaki KLR 650. Picture: DENIS DROPPA
Dirty weekend on a KLR
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December 14, 2006
By Denis Droppa
Our mission was to ride Sani Pass before they tarred the legendary Drakensberg dirt road and, being of the motto "It takes no imagination to be uncomfortable", I did it on Kawasaki's faithful ole' dirt-chomping KLR650.
This is the tough, ageing rebel living on the other side of the tracks from yuppier 650 bikes such as the Honda Transalp BMW GS and Aprilia Pegaso - the last two of which have the same 652cc Rotax engine.
With its old technology and workhorse styling the KLR rates low on the poseometer on breakfast runs. With a carburettor instead of fuel injection and its basic off-the-shelf parts, you're almost surprised to find it has an electric starter
This rugged Kawa has some of the most loyal fans in motorcycling
.
But take it out for a dirty weekend and you understand why this rugged Kawa has some of the most loyal fans in motorcycling. It's a machine for what biking's all about: being out there exploring vistas such as the Sani Pass and not worrying about whether the surface is tar or dirt.
And not stressing over budget-busting repayments either; at R42 995, the KLR is the most affordable dual-purpose adventure bike in its class. Let's hope the KLR to be launched in 2007 will maintain this keen pricing.
Normally the winding, scenic road linking SA to Lesotho wouldn't be a real test of the KLR's off-road abilities and the bike unsurprisingly cruised to the top without incident. But on the way down the rain gods unleashed their bounty and turned the road into a slippery mud pit
My Kawa stayed upright and pointed in the right direction
.
Thanks to the KLR's semi-knobbly tyres descending the route was still quite easy, with just enough wheelspin to make things fun. However my fellow riders (one on a BMW GS 1150 and the other on a KTM 950) both had more road-based dual-purpose tyres and were slithering all over the place like eels - and occasionally dropping their machines.
My Kawa stayed upright and pointed in the right direction and I revelled in its nimbleness and easy controllability. There's a simple rule in the roughest off-road conditions: the lighter the better, and the KLR's 153kg dry weight makes it wieldy and nippy compared to 200kg-plus machines such as the Beemer and KTM.
It's also much easier to pick up a lighter bike...
The Kawa's a tall machine and its high ground clearance meant I could confidently tackle deep ruts and rocky sections without scraping the belly. Shorter riders won't like that skyscraper saddle too much, though.
The rear suspension's adjustable for five pre-load settings. I found it set a tad soft for some rockier and rutted sections but left it alone as adjusting it involves spanners, unlike the simple hand-twist knob found on the BMW 650.
Low-revving power
Off-road, the single-cylinder, 35.3kW/55Nm engine has enough grunt to cope with whatever the outdoors throws at you, including the steep hills on the final part of the Sani ascent. The KLR's content to crawl up rocky slopes with the engine ticking over at just over idling speed.
On the open road there's not much to get the adrenalin going. It's a low-revving power delivery with a flat, user-friendly torque curve rather than anything approaching thrust. If you hold the throttle open long enough and slit your eyes the KLR will get to 150km/h (perhaps more with a gale behind you), but it cruises comfortably at 130km/h.
The ergonomics are humane - upright riding position and comfy seat - and, with the large windscreen, it's a bike that invites long spells in the saddle. The 23-litre tank also allows lengthy stretches between pit stops.
# We don't know whether the much-publicised plans to tar the whole of Sani Pass will go ahead and some locals have their doubts.
One day those twists and turns, if tarred, might become a superbiker's dream. For now that dirt track winding along a majestic mountainside is the perfect playground for machines such as the Kawasaki KLR 650. - Star Motoring
Dirty weekend on a KLR
[ See related stories ]
December 14, 2006
By Denis Droppa
Our mission was to ride Sani Pass before they tarred the legendary Drakensberg dirt road and, being of the motto "It takes no imagination to be uncomfortable", I did it on Kawasaki's faithful ole' dirt-chomping KLR650.
This is the tough, ageing rebel living on the other side of the tracks from yuppier 650 bikes such as the Honda Transalp BMW GS and Aprilia Pegaso - the last two of which have the same 652cc Rotax engine.
With its old technology and workhorse styling the KLR rates low on the poseometer on breakfast runs. With a carburettor instead of fuel injection and its basic off-the-shelf parts, you're almost surprised to find it has an electric starter
This rugged Kawa has some of the most loyal fans in motorcycling
.
But take it out for a dirty weekend and you understand why this rugged Kawa has some of the most loyal fans in motorcycling. It's a machine for what biking's all about: being out there exploring vistas such as the Sani Pass and not worrying about whether the surface is tar or dirt.
And not stressing over budget-busting repayments either; at R42 995, the KLR is the most affordable dual-purpose adventure bike in its class. Let's hope the KLR to be launched in 2007 will maintain this keen pricing.
Normally the winding, scenic road linking SA to Lesotho wouldn't be a real test of the KLR's off-road abilities and the bike unsurprisingly cruised to the top without incident. But on the way down the rain gods unleashed their bounty and turned the road into a slippery mud pit
My Kawa stayed upright and pointed in the right direction
.
Thanks to the KLR's semi-knobbly tyres descending the route was still quite easy, with just enough wheelspin to make things fun. However my fellow riders (one on a BMW GS 1150 and the other on a KTM 950) both had more road-based dual-purpose tyres and were slithering all over the place like eels - and occasionally dropping their machines.
My Kawa stayed upright and pointed in the right direction and I revelled in its nimbleness and easy controllability. There's a simple rule in the roughest off-road conditions: the lighter the better, and the KLR's 153kg dry weight makes it wieldy and nippy compared to 200kg-plus machines such as the Beemer and KTM.
It's also much easier to pick up a lighter bike...
The Kawa's a tall machine and its high ground clearance meant I could confidently tackle deep ruts and rocky sections without scraping the belly. Shorter riders won't like that skyscraper saddle too much, though.
The rear suspension's adjustable for five pre-load settings. I found it set a tad soft for some rockier and rutted sections but left it alone as adjusting it involves spanners, unlike the simple hand-twist knob found on the BMW 650.
Low-revving power
Off-road, the single-cylinder, 35.3kW/55Nm engine has enough grunt to cope with whatever the outdoors throws at you, including the steep hills on the final part of the Sani ascent. The KLR's content to crawl up rocky slopes with the engine ticking over at just over idling speed.
On the open road there's not much to get the adrenalin going. It's a low-revving power delivery with a flat, user-friendly torque curve rather than anything approaching thrust. If you hold the throttle open long enough and slit your eyes the KLR will get to 150km/h (perhaps more with a gale behind you), but it cruises comfortably at 130km/h.
The ergonomics are humane - upright riding position and comfy seat - and, with the large windscreen, it's a bike that invites long spells in the saddle. The 23-litre tank also allows lengthy stretches between pit stops.
# We don't know whether the much-publicised plans to tar the whole of Sani Pass will go ahead and some locals have their doubts.
One day those twists and turns, if tarred, might become a superbiker's dream. For now that dirt track winding along a majestic mountainside is the perfect playground for machines such as the Kawasaki KLR 650. - Star Motoring
