RE: New KLX owner
 

Yes I do have a KLR650. I think it's a great bike. With regard to distance, I have been known to ride the KLR650 up to 600 miles a day with no complaints. I have it set up for riding like that. There is a Corbin seat, Kawasaki Plus 4 windshield and a full set of Wolfman Luggage on the bike. The great thing about the bike is it will go just about anywhere. Oh, you work your butt off in the more technical areas as it is heavy. The KLX250S is such a better bike off road, but I don't think a 600 mile day on that bike would allow me to walk very much the next day! [sm=outcold.gif]

Last year I had planned a trip to the western states, but employment issues got in the way of that. I had planned to head out along the old US highway system to Arizona, up through the northside of the Grand Canyon, through Brice Canyon, Zion and Moab in Utah, then swing back through New Mexico and Colorado, Oklahoma and perhaps a bit of the Trans America Trail. The KLR650 was the bike for that trip. I may still do that when I get the opportunity and the KLR650 is ready to go.

I keep hearing rumors about a new bike that Kawasaki might introduce this year into the United States. Obviously they know that dualsporting is not a dead issue here in "Cruiserville, USA". The hot sales of their KLX250S indicate that to them. Others have already noticed this and Honda is reported to be bringing in a 250 cc dualsport for 2007. Surprisingly, the new Honda, other than color, looks quite a bit like the KLX250S.


This new bike Kawasaki is reportedly introducing might be something I would like to have. It is supposedly going to be powered by the parallel twin 650 cc engine with 6 speed transmission that was developed for the Ninja 650-R. That would be tuned to about 55 horsepower for the dualsport model, or about 20 more than the KLR650 has. This would make an excellent dualsport bike. Yes, it does make it more of a road machine, but I think you would find many more of the BMW GS folks coming over to Kawasaki. I hope they don't make it too much like either the "V" or the "Wee" - Strom. I know a lot of folks that own them, and while they are supposedly dualsports, if you drop one off road, it does get real expensive, real quick. Too much plastic to mend. And you have the oil cooler sitting right in front in a very vulnerable position.

I personally think that the dualsport genre is finally coming of age here in the United States. In Europe, it has been that way for many years. They understand that the motorcycle is a form of transportation, not a form of recreation as we treat it here stateside. Our gas prices catching up to theirs might have something to do with it. There are a whole host of mid-size dualsport bikes coming out that might never see daylight in this country. However, the rumor mill is showing that Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki will have multiple entries in that genre this coming model year. Yamaha is also reported to be introducing some dualsport bikes. They once had the TDM, and it might reappear. This model year is going to be interesting.

Will I keep my KLR650 and have another 650 cc adventure bike? You Bet'cha, it's that good of a bike.