Ooohhhh Honey

[.paul]

What's the draw with KLRs? I must be missing something.

Then again, I like super moto's so it must be the same idea of a go anywhere bike for the street.

 

[exskibum]

What's the draw with KLRs? I must be missing something.
Then again, I like super moto's so it must be the same idea of a go anywhere bike for the street.

Well, speaking for the California Gold Country contingent:

We have LOTS of dirt roads in the foothills and mountains out here. In the Gold Rush, and later in the Comstock Lode silver era, miners were all over these hills and mountains, and there remain many of the roads they initially blazed, as well as Forest Service Roads and logging roads. Lots of lakes, rivers and streams to go to, as well as sites of disappeared gold rush towns.

What the KLR is particularly good at is getting you to those roads (ones many of us got to on FJRs and wished we could explore), carrying enough gas to do that and still get in a long ways without need for a fill up (6.1 gal), and it does a great job of exploring those roads. It also makes a good platform for carrying enough stuff to do that and camp out in that country. It's not a motocross bike, so it's not particularly well suited to hill climbs and ripping up off road areas, but that's not what I want it for anyway. It's a really decent compromise between street capabilities and dirt capabilities if you use it in the way I've described -- kinda like a 2 wheeled Jeep.

 

[painman]

What's the draw with KLRs? I must be missing something.
Then again, I like super moto's so it must be the same idea of a go anywhere bike for the street.

Well, speaking for the California Gold Country contingent:

We have LOTS of dirt roads in the foothills and mountains out here. In the Gold Rush, and later in the Comstock Lode silver era, miners were all over these hills and mountains, and there remain many of the roads they initially blazed, as well as Forest Service Roads and logging roads. Lots of lakes, rivers and streams to go to, as well as sites of disappeared gold rush towns.

What the KLR is particularly good at is getting you to those roads (ones many of us got to on FJRs and wished we could explore), carrying enough gas to do that and still get in a long ways without need for a fill up (6.1 gal), and it does a great job of exploring those roads. It also makes a good platform for carrying enough stuff to do that and camp out in that country. It's not a motocross bike, so it's not particularly well suited to hill climbs and ripping up off road areas, but that's not what I want it for anyway. It's a really decent compromise between street capabilities and dirt capabilities if you use it in the way I've described -- kinda like a 2 wheeled Jeep.

Ah, kinda like a two wheeled Jeep....that is the very reason I got into dirt biking. Exploring alot of back roads in the great Sierra's in the Jeep for many years with our base camp in Grizzly Flats, Ca. and coming upon those trails not wide enough for the Jeep made me go out and get the bike to go even deeper into those great woods. If my body could take it I would be on a dual-sport today but not to be. Rock on dual-sport dudes and be safe will ya. PM. <><

 

[SockMonkey]

The '08 KLR is high, high, high on the list of "My Next Bike". An outstanding bike for the money - particularly useful up here in the NW. I'm partial to the silver/black/green combo myself...

 

[KSFJR]

Wise choice. Make it Red and I got one this past Saturday. I also have a green 02 with 31,000 miles and will keep it for a while. If I could have but one bike it would be the KLR.

As for the fascination, does nothing great but everything well. For a commuter it does a great job and on the twisties it can run with the big boys until the straight aways. There was a video of a guy on a KLR at the Dragon who passed some sport bikes. Took a spill on one corner, got up, ran to the bike picked it up and took off again. Try that on your FJR.

My biggest complaint so far is that the damned sidestand is too long. When you are sitting on the bike and put it down, it almost pushes the bike over to the right. It also comes up too easily. I was taking it out of the garage and barely bumped the sidestand and I had supspicioned that it had gone up so I slowly lowered the bike and it just kept on going. I'm big enough that I greatly reduced the rate of fall and it got no scratches or dings that I can see. It did come to rest with my foot under the sidestand making a nice depression on my foot but nothing broken. So I had to get my foot unpinched, go around and pick it up. 15 miles on the odometer. Damn.

The sidestand needs to be shortened a 1/2" or so. This problem does not exist on the 02.

Chester

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

:

:dribble: I'm having nightmares about this stuff

You might want to print some articles up about the attrocities of the diamond industry and out of good conscience, recommend these as a way to support our fellow man:

https://www.diamondnexuslabs.com/?gclid=COX...CFQ3YggodshvmFA

 

[Ric in Sac]

Very nice! :clapping: I sat on a KLR recently thinking about adding it to my stable. The only problem -- my feet could not touch the ground! Minor details. I am looking for one both Karen and I can ride.

Too bad they don't make 350cc+ dual purpose bikes for short shi_s.

 

[FJRay]

It only takes a few minutes to lower one.