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Kawasaki KLR650 - check that price!January 4, 2005
By Dave Abrahams The Kawasaki KLR 650 is a fine example of "It it ain't broke, don't fix it". It's been around almost unchanged since 1992 with all the benefits of a big single in a competent dual-purpose package. The bike comes with an English-specification speedo (MPH on the outside scale, metric on the inner). It also has old-fashioned rotating switches for the indicators and the kill button, the first I've seen in many years.
There's some secondary vibration, particularly on overrun, which in itself is a measure of how far singles have come. On the old thumpers you'd have been so busy surviving the primary shaking you'd never notice the higher-frequency vibes. The test bike topped out – after quite a long run – at 162km/h (similar to the Beemer) with the rev-counter a needle's width below the power peak at 6 800rpm but the motor's real strength lies around the torque peak at 5000rpm. Anywhere from four to six-five it'll pull hard enough to get the steering distinctly light in first and second. It'll cruise quite happily up to about 140km/h - above that the seating position becomes a bit too much of an upper body workout. The clutch is the weak point of the power train; it takes very suddenly, rather close to the bar, so much so that throughout the 10 days I had the bike I was prone to stalling it. The gearbox, by contrast, is a honey; the change is slick and positive with a commendably short throw. The CV carb is a little sensitive at low speed but I was soon getting seamless upshifts without the clutch above second. There's surpisingly little lash in the final drive despite the long swing-arm and chain typical of dirt bike architecture, which is a big factor in the KLR's civilised power delivery. The Kawasaki returned 6.02 litres/100km during the review period, good enough for close to 380km from the 23-litre tank. The silver-painted tubular steel frame is built around a rectagular steel backbone; it shows a few rough edges, especially at the mounting points for the detachable rear sub-frame (makes routine maintenance so much easier) but its sturdiness is never in doubt – it's built like a bridge. The front wheel is entrusted to a pair of 41mm leading-axle forks, air-adjustable for preload. Commendably supple, they soaked up everything I threw at them without ever bottoming – although they dived extravagantly under braking. The rear monoshock has a Uni-Trak linkage to lower the bike's centre of gravity and provide a progressive spring rate. It's adjustable for preload and rebound damping and on the factory's recommended median settings for solo riding it's noticeably firmer than the front end, but not enough to upset the bike's composure on even the roughest tar roads. On dirt the it just encourages the rider to stand on the footpegs and turn it on – a little pattering at the rear can be converted to readily controllable powerslides with a twist of the wrist. The bike handles well on tar; it's stable at low speeds, with very quick steering – thanks to the wide handlebars - to cut through workday traffic. The narrow front tyre puts the bike exactly where you point it on fast corners and the bike holds its line well. It's steady up to its cruising speed of about 140km/h but above that has a slight tendency to shake its head typical of dirt bikes on tar. It won't spit you off but it repays a light touch on the grips. Kawasaki's publicity material says the KLR 650 comes with a twin-piston floating calliper front disc brake; a quick look at the photos will confirm that the test bike has a basic single-piston calliper at each end – as did other examples of this model I checked. The front brake is seriously underpowered for road work. A couple of times during the review I had to gear down and use both brakes to stop the bike under not very extreme circumstances; with a passenger, the brakes are marginal. The point is made that you're unlikely to lock up the front wheel in the dirt; for a dual-purpose bike like this I'd prefer stronger brakes and accept having to be careful on gravel. If the bike were mine a trip to a bike scrapyard for a suitable opposed-piston calliper and master cylinder would be in order. The bike's ergonomics are plain and a bit low-rent but the basics are there and everything looks very durable. The seat is long, flat and deeply padded with plenty of room for pilot and navigator to move around on a long trip and the KLR is comfortable for a couple of hours at a time. There's sturdy, cast-alloy carrier with a flat, rubber-faced top suitable for either a top box or soft luggage – although I was little surprised to see the tool kit strapped into a recess in the carrier rather than locked away under the saddle. I don't think it'll stay there very long in the Land of Affirmative Shopping. The instruments are simple and clear – once you get used to thinking in MPH; the metric numbers on the speedo are small and difficult to read in a hurry. My wife Jenni rode the bike a couple of times in the suburbs and enjoyed the strong mid-range and instant response of the big single as well as its quick steering – while deploring the brakes. Trying to follow her through the traffic it was obvious that this thing is an absolute hooligan tool in the right hands. Kawasaki's KLR650 may not be as well finished as the best in its class but you can forgive it a few rough edges for its willing heart and transparent honesty – and its price! |
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