As I type this, I've been the proud owner of a brand new 2008 Kawasaki KLR650 for just over four days. I spent several months planning my purchase of a second bike, but I only spent about 48 hours making the decision to get the KLR. Actually, it was more like 30 seconds. Once I saw the thing in...
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As I type this, I've been the proud owner of a brand new 2008 Kawasaki KLR650 for just over four days. I spent several months planning my purchase of a second bike, but I only spent about 48 hours making the decision to get the KLR. Actually, it was more like 30 seconds. Once I saw the thing in person at the dealership I knew this bike would be mine. Oh yes. It would be mine... For me, the excitement in a new purchase isn't actually buying the thing, but the hunt to find the thing. Actually going into the shop with cash in hand and forking it over to a merchant, well, that's always a bit anticlimactic. In this case I was feeling a combination of anticlimax and trepidation. The anticlimax was because the hunt was over. The trepidation I felt was because I'd never even ridden a dual sport bike, let alone this KLR. I was about to plunk down a good chucnk of money on a bike I'd only sat on in the showroom and gone 'vroom, vroom' as I imagined myself tearing through the tundra of Labrador or some other rugged, God forsaken landscape. I was oh-so-cool (and thinner) in my imaginary trek, but now standing beside the real deal perched on it's side stand in the loose gravel parking area on a hot July afternoon... I'll tell you, I was a little nervous. The first thing I noticed about the KLR was its 35 inch seat height. This is ginormous in motorcycle terms. It's also a bit of an acrobatic challenge for my seventeen stone and 31 inch inseam to swing a leg over this beastie. Do I leave the side stand down? Do I take it off the side stand and pitch it down a little? Does this thing come with stirrups? The first few times I attempted this maneuver it was a bit awkward. By the third or fourth time I mounted and dismounted the bike I found my groove. I had a sense of how the bike felt and how it would respond. It'll never be as simple an affair as mounting a cruiser, or even my BMW R1150RS, but I'm comfortable with it now. Once on the bike I immediately felt as though I was riding in the cab of an pickup. Not in a bad way, just that I was up high and sitting perfectly upright; back straight and feet on the pegs slightly in front of me. On the Beemer I'm much lower to the ground, leaning forward slightly, and the foot pegs are directly under my butt, putting me in a forward pitched squatting position as I ride. The differences aren't bad, but it is a world of difference. One reason I'm ill at ease on loose gravel (dirt) with the Beemer is that I feel as though my center of gravity is too high. Riding my wife's cruiser-style Kawasaki (Vulcan 500 LTD), or even the Triumph Bonneville, gives me a much greater sense of control because I'm lower to the ground. So what's the deal with the KLR putting me a meter off the ground? This is going to really make things hairy on dirt, right? Turns out, no. After a little tentativeness on my part the first time I hit dirt -- and by hit I mean rode on, not fell on -- I found the KLR to be just as sure-footed there as it was on pavement. The height, seating position, rake and trail all work together to make a very, very enjoyable experience. I could transition from pavement to crappy gravel, back to pavement again, without missing a beat or raising my pulse. Well, my pulse may have risen, but out of exhilaration not fear for once. I'm used to the sleek, near-luxurious comfort of a BMW sport-touring machine. The KLR is NOT a sport touring machine. But neither is it a dirt bike, at least not in the trail riding, motocross sense. It's exactly what it claims to be: a bike that is equally at home on paved roads and rugged dirt paths. Given that, my expectations of comfort were that it wouldn't exist. I would, I expected, be riding a jackhammer. And once again I was emphatically wrong. The KLR lacks some of the refinements of the BMW, but I firmly believe it's actually MORE comfortable than the Triumph Bonneville/Scrambler and my wife's little scoot. The '08 KLR represents a giant step forward in modern refinement for Kawasaki. The reviews I read made a big deal about improvements in the saddle and wind protection. But these were reviews by hard-core off-roaders with countless miles in the saddle of older KLRs and other dual-sports. Would their experiences match my hopeful expectations? I don't have the benefit of having ridden older KLRs, but this new one is just A-OK in my book. The wind protection is phenomenal, and the saddle is very comfortable despite it's Spartan appearance. Of the 280-odd miles I've put on the bike so far, I guess the longest non-stop stretch I spent in the saddle was about 35 miles. In that time I don't recall being unreasonably uncomfortable. As far as padding goes, I think it's just fine -- firm and supportive. The instrument cluster on the KLR is well placed. Speedo in center, tach to the left, and temp gage to the right. All the gauges are analog, which may be old fashioned, but is by far my preference. However, I find the lenses covering the gauges to be too reflective, making them difficult to read. Often when I look down all I see is a reflection of my ugly head and treetops by. In full shade and when lit at night the gauges are easy to read at a glance. The BMW I ride is a boxer model, or simply a boxer. The two pistons point directly out the side of the bike, one to the left and one to the right, parallel to the road. As such, they're exposed to the rush of oncoming air which dissipates the heat and carries it away from the rider. The KLR is a different animal. It has a single, massive, 650cc cylinder sitting right between your legs. There is virtually no cooling effect from oncoming air, and although it has a liquid cooling system, I found it to be a bit of a space heater. I wouldn't say I ever felt uncomfortably hot -- as in a burning kind of way -- but it was kind of like wearing electric socks in August (or July, as the case may be). I also find the seat get pretty warm -- hot even. At times this is uncomfortable and I have to lift off the saddle and let a bit of fresh air move between butt and bike. I'm hoping a simple sheepskin pad will help this. The last thing that was a mystery to me was what it would be like to ride a single cylinder motorcycle. As I said I was expecting to ride a jackhammer. The weird thing was, although it SOUNDS like a jackhammer sometimes -- particularly when throttling up a hill at low rev -- the ride is surprisingly smooth. A little buzzing in the handlebar mounted rear view mirrors, but not bad. I know they can do all sort of engineering magic with counter balances and shafts and who-knows-what, but I wasn't expecting all that much. Turns out Kawasaki knows what they're doing. I guess after twenty years of refining a design you get to learn a thing or two. The sound is serious, but not rude, and the ride is smooth but not cushy. I realize 280 miles and no experience on dual-sports make pretty slim credentials for passing judgment on the new KLR650. But given that Kawasaki went through this extensive and well researched exercise to attract people in my exact demographic, I'd say my opinions are exactly what the people at Kawasaki what to hear. I may not be heading for Labrador any time soon, but this new ride is my ticket for entry into the world of adventure travel.
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