KLR 650 is dead

[junglejim]

Looks like the KLR 650 is dead. This thing has been around for. a very long time (30 years???). And at about $5,000 it is a great value if that is the kind of bike you want. I'll bet its replacement won't last anywhere near that long or be as popular.

 

[Warren]

Maybe its the prelude to the end of the adventure touring craze

 

[ARKNT]

There are a lot of them out there. I doubt it's replacement will last as long.

Brad

 

[coaster]

I have been riding one since 96, great bike.

 

[Miairhead]

Professional motorcycle adventurer Dr. Gregory W. Frazier is the only motorcyclist in the world to have four times circumnavigated the globe solo by motorcycle. No stranger to danger, his adventures around the earth include having been shot at by rebels, jailed by unfriendly authorities, bitten by snakes, run over by Pamplona bulls and smitten by a product of Adam’s rib. Frazier’s two wheel travels have taken him over 1,000,000 miles and he has literally “ridden a motorcycle to the ends of the earth:” Dead Horse, Alaska; Ushuaia, Argentina; North Cape, Norway; Cape Agulhaus, South Africa; and Bluff, New Zealand. Frazier’s work as a motorcycle journalist and photographer appears widely throughout the international motorcycling press. He is a regular columnist for ROAD BIKE and DUAL SPORT NEWS and contributes to RIDER, MOTORCYCLE CONSUMER NEWS, MOTORCYCLIST, and AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST in the United States. Internationally his work has appeared in BMW BIKES (Japan), TOURENFAHRER (Germany), MOTORRAD (Germany) and MOTORCYCLE TRADER AND NEWS (New Zealand). He has been featured in other foreign publications such as MOTOR CYCLE NEWS (Great Britain) and MOTO (Russia). Known for his travel articles, he also enjoys a solid reputation for motorcycle and product evaluations. Dr. Gregory W. Frazier has donated us his 2001 KLR650 Kawasaki motorcycle that he rode around the world in 2002.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Dr. Gregory W. Frazier has donated us his 2001 KLR650 Kawasaki motorcycle that he rode around the world in 2002.

Who's the "us" that Greg has donated the KLR to?

In 2005, the Concours Owners Group held their National Rally in Centralia, WA, and Dr Frazier was out Thursday night banquet speaker. At that time he was partway through his 3rd RTW trip, which he was doing with an woman who had MS. They'd ride till her health started to fail and then sell the bike, fly home for a recovery period, then fly back and buy a used bike on the local economy and ride some more.

IIRC, he had done RTW #1 on a BMW, maybe an R100GS. He had been ready to leave on trip # 2 when he had a mechanical failure with the BMW he had prepared to ride on the trip and a KLR fit his budget for a last-minute replacement. He shared (with all of us Kawasaki riders) his amazement with the KLR. He never had ANY mechanical problems -- not even a flat tire. He raved about KLRs. I really wanted one, but at that point, I figured my 3rd and 4th knee replacements probably wouldn't be the best physical equipment for riding off-road. Oh, well...

RIP, KLR650!

 

[Miairhead]

National Museum in Anamosa, IA has the motorcycle, I guess I forgot to lift that part of the quote.

 

[Brillot2000]

Well, it was bound to happen. All good things must come to an end. 30 years, not too shabby.

Anyone that can remember the career of this bike knows there were some terrible color schemes and graphics that wore the KLR badge.

Here's a fine example.

A few more honorable mentions can be found here - Kawsaki KLR250 Paint and Plastic Color Combinationsl

 

[karl]

May be ugly but still ready for a good time.

 

[DirtFlier]

31 years total in two steps: the first time frame as an air-cooled engine then the second and final step with a liquid-cooled engine plus other upgrades. I'm not sure what's happened to cause them to end its term because the KLR was popular for a long time with people who ride long distances in the dirt. And a real bargain to boot!

 

[Warren]

I would guess whats happened is poor sales. Motorcycle sale in the US are pretty bleak with no sign of improving anytime soon. I assume the KLR650 was mostly sold in the US.

 

[ARKNT]

For some reason now that they will stop making them I want one. I better wait and see if this idea fades.
There are a lot of them around, if I want one bad enough I could look for a used one.

Brad