Is it worth it - KLR 650 Upgrading?

You buy a new 06 KLR 650 for $5500 OTD give or take a few bucks depending on which state you live in. The question is how much money do you throw at this bike to get it right, or do you like it just the way it came?

I figured by the time you get the aftermarket stuff, i.e. (doohickey, crash bars, carb, pegs, bars, braided cables, rotor, brake bracket, brake guard, stainless bolt replacements galore, and the list goes on, etc.) the bike screams for, you can easily drop another $1500-$2500 (depending on how far you go) and in doing so you would now have a very capable dual sport bike. So now it's perfect and you've dropped $8000. :eek1

Would you have been better off with a KTM 640 Adventure right out of the box or a BMW 650 Dakar, or?

You can buy a used klr with lots of goodies and < 5000 miles for ~$3000

The orange crowd have a lot of down time on there hands. I wonder why?

Sooo true!!:eek1

You can spend as much on it as you wish - straight out the box it's very capable for very little dollars. obviously the more you do to it the better it will be but thats the same with anything.......You could not do the doo and it will last fore the entirity of it's life with you as the owner. no big deal. If it fails during warranty it will be replaced. Will it fail? unlikely.

If you want one - get one then make up your mind about it

The KLR is good to go right out of the box.
Once you've ridden it a while and decide it's a keeper, you add extras to make it more comfortable for you.
I personaly don't see the need for most of the items you mentioned, but it is nice to have all those options.
If I had to do it over again I would probably get a nice used one already equiped, as a previous poster mentioned.
You could try it to see if you liked it, and if not, sell it with little or no loss.

Yup, if you've got the KTM 640 in the garage, there's nothing left to do but post here. I guess the KLR guys always have some upgrade waiting to be done

Hey, you started it

It's a valid question and the answer is obvious: if you're trying to make a KLR into a KTM, just buy a KTM in the first place and be done with it. The KLR is a different bike. Lotsa' guys buy them and upgrade as they go, only doing the mods they like or want.

They are very different motorcycles both before and after modification. The KTM is a kick-ass dirtbike with street instruments and a big tank. The KLR is a plush street thumper and trail bike.

• You can turn the KLR into a comfortable adventure touring bike.
• You can turn the KTM into capable adventure touring bike

You have to decide what you're looking for. If you plan to do lots of road miles with the occasional dirt expedition, you'll probably be happier with the softer KLR. If you tend to override your bikes, beating them at their limits and expect to get into some hairy offroad conditions, the KTM LC4 is probably your better choice.

Then again, there are guys on here like CaStu and Esteban who seem to take their KLR's just about anywhere. Check out some of the LA Barstow to Vegas threads for CaStu's pics of his outings. He rides that KLR places I wouldn't dream of taking it.

Edit: I just read your profile. You already have a KLR and a KTM 950?!? :huh

Major 'flight envelope' overlap there IMO. I can't imagine ever walking out to the garage and taking the KLR instead of the 950 unless you're inseam challenged. Did you buy the KLR to have a more disposable bike (willing to scratch it up rather than the 950)?

i bought a KLR today - it's an 03 with only 1,400 miles on it - bike looks brand new - i paid 3,500 for it because of how clean it is & the low miles - tonight i ordered a skid plate - corbin seat - radiator guard - i think all of this stuff is good stuff - i did order a 80 lowering kit - not sure if thats a good thing or not - so if i;m in the bike 4 grand - not to bad - i only put about 20 miles on it today but i like the thing - it's a hi-rider for sure - but i like the feel of it better than my old airhead GS - t

here's a pic

I equate the KLR to a zippo lighter. Nothing fancy, but gets the job done. I love my KLR, and luckily I was able to put some miles on it before snow fell in this neck of the woods.

I know my KLR will never perform like a GS or a KTM950, but it's fun for what I paid for it. A few mods and some diligent maintenance, and it'll last forever.

Funny Story:

My daugher and her family came up from NC for Thanksgiving. Been a year since I seen her last. Her hubby was in the Marine Corp for 6 years as a Humvee mechanic. One of his assignments was to go to California and be part of the testing and research for the military KLRs! He saw my bike as he walked into the garage, and immediately we began chatting it up about his experiences. He said it was the best assignment he ever had, basically getting paid to go beat the shit out of a KLR all day then take it back to the shop so the techs could swap engines or make mods to it.

Man! What an assignment!

my KLR was cheaper than a pair of Jesee bags!

i've done some tinkering with it, which i enjoy, used it to commute when the Jeep was in the shop after encountering a Kamikaze Saturn SL1, and... uhh don't get to ride it as much as i'd like.

it's fugly, but i don't have an enclosed garage to keep anything shiny safe while i'm away... had too much drama with theft attempts when i had the first Katana. now i have a beater Katana for a project bike, for the moment, it's even uglier than the KLR.

anyway. the KLR had stainless front brake lines when i got it, since then, i've rebuilt the carb, fixed the doohickey, installed a kickstarter, new fork springs, slightly used Corbin seat, IMS tank, bash plate, a little electrical work and a few other goodies. i've got new alloy bars to swap to when i find time.

it's a humble beast, but does what i need it to do.

tweak my klr? i have, modding some older mags to do a dirt road-betard thing with 50/50 tires, and have an identical set of older mags ill mod the same way but put on good street rubber for playing on the tar only. i did it for fun, for the hell of it. im sure appropriate rubber on the stock rims would have worked. but it gave me the opportunity to put real knobs on the wires.

had a couple PE suz in my late 20's, had to tweak them. i thought i was faster. prolly wasnt. now im 50 and i choose the shallow line thru the mudhole on purpose. and like it that way.

had a kid in the neighborhood thought he was a shoe. fast on the fireroad for sure, never could catch me in the rocks, tho he kept tweeking. best tweek you can make is the connection between the seat and the handlebars imho. rossi on a stock klr will smoke most anyone on the road where the pure horsepower doenst come into play. im too out of the competition dirt thing to know who the shoes are now, but they could get on the klr in stock form and smoke most of the b riders. put on some knobs and smoke most of the a riders.

so the killer suits me fine. ive passed sport bikes on my dresser valk. and had a knobby tire'd gs guy hang right on my tail when i thought i was going fast. prolly i was in his way heh! the killer does road and trail just fine, including single track and rocks. if i needed to go faster in the woods, id get a 250 2 stroke. or lose 50 lbs. ill pass half of ya, the other half of ya will pass me....i did say im 50 didnt i? ill pass 1/4 of ya the other 3/4 will pass me. maybe heh. so this old klr rider is not jonesin for a 650 euro bike. like one? you betcha. now jonesin for a 950 or a gs? thats another story!

#1- Yep, that's my bike. And no, it's not perfect, and yes I plan on spending more.

#2- Nope.

DON'T BUY A NEW ONE !!!

I found an 04 KLR650 in your neck of the woods (Simi Valley) for $3,000.00. It had 10k miles but otherwise was immaculate, never off road, and with full service docs from the local Kaw dealer. It was piped and jetted too.

By the time I'm done with this bike I will have about $4,250.00 / $4,500.00 in it and expect it to serve me for back country exploring for many years.

If you are seriously considering a KLR and would like to take one for a ride, you could try mine (as long as you have a valid M-1 license and insurance).

I agree Don't buy a new one.

Not starting a KTM vs Klr battle ... just for reference:

I bought my '02 KTM 640 ADV R,w/ 5,000 miles, jetted, piped, Touratech racks(no bags), Scotts steering dampener, ralley pegs .... and some other small things for $4,700.

The way I look at it I got the bike for $4,000 and paid $700 for the extras.

If your gonna flog it ... go used. It hurts less when you drop it.

Ride it, break it in, adjust the valves. Spend some more time riding it and correct what you feel needs fixing for your style of riding.

At 270lbs, re-springing mine front and rear was the best money I've spent for practical riding purposes. Improved handling and feel dramatically for me. Replace the doohickey when you get to it as well. The rest is all about what you want from the bike.

I put Givi bags and racks on mine. Handy? Very. Do I really use them often? No. Mine came with the JC Whitney top box. Handy? Absolutely. Do I use it? It's the only place to put a helmet to keep people from screwing with it. It's ugly, but used almost every ride.

I put a bash plate on mine. Well made, solid, sure. Likely I ever ride my KLR where it will be needed? For me, no. It's not rocky here and I ain't hopping a log on this bike.

I put barkbusters and oversized deflectors on mine. The deflectors are great in the rain and cold, definitely a plus. The barkbusters have I believe saved my levers when I've found the bike dumped where parked it and have survived low speed drops while riding.

It's easy to sit on this forum and think you need to armor up for a run to Ushuaia. The reality for me is that I don't ride as much as I want to and it's generally around suburbia when I do. For the guys that make the 'real' trips, you keep me sane sitting in my office cube....someday.

In the flea market :

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108859

I like my KLR 650. Before I bought it I had the chance (on an ADV outing) to ride an F650 and a KLR 650. (no ktm to try...)

I thought the KLR was smoother and easier to ride, so I got one of those.

(I was riding a KLR 250 at the time)

In the last year I have put a corbin dished seat on it and since then I don't have a problem with zero speed tip-overs. This was a problem for me in the first 300 miles I put on the KLR 650. (32" inseam)

I will never get lowering links, or new fork springs. I don't need them. The dished seat does the trick.

I did get the klr tank bag. It's an okay bag, but the best part is being able to get gas without taking it off. The klr saddle bags are good too.


I don't have much experience off-road. A better bike, or lots of upgrades would be wasted on me. At this point as I would not know the difference between a good bike, a great bike, or a street bike with knobbies! For the riding that I do, the KLRs work good. I would not be any faster on a better bike, but I couldn't be any happier either.

If one feels the need to add all the stuff talked about in the first post, that route is available. Me, I bought a 7 month old KLR with 783 miles on it for $3600 and have added: <blank look>.

I've taken stuff off - dekalifornicated, sidestand switch and all its flanges, pseudo-windscreen, chain guard, bits o' plastic, rear subfender, etc, etc. I've got a box with something like 8lbs of misc parts from it. Otherwise all I've done is routine maintenance.

1500 miles later, 200ish being double and occasionally single track, I've decided I want the following accessories: replace the BALANCER, LEVER (pokes Glenn @ klr forum), put on real handguards, install a rad guard and get a better seat. But I haven't gotten the stuff yet. It'll set me back about $400.

Tasks I consider of value which are basically free are to grease all bearings, monitor and sometimes loctite bolts. Real Soon Now I'll put 15wt oil in forks and put in a longer preload spacer on stock springs. I may decide I "need" cartridge emulators; I am unsure if progressive springs will add value. But the front suspension is the most annoying weakness of the bike to me. And long travel on the stock seat is not to be recommended...

The KLR is what it is. For me, it's an inexpensive, practical and highly amusing widget. All bikes are a compromise with dual sports being the most so. It's not for everyone. If I were to "upscale" I'd personally get a Husky TE610 before considering a KTM or BMW. Your milage will certainly vary. Putt on.

I can't agree with much in this thread. First, IMO, you don't need to add much stuff to the KLR to have a great time. Sure you can, but why? The bike works well as it is. I rode, I dunno, like 35k miles on a stocker without worrying about chain tensioners or whatever. I had some $25 soft bags which I threw over the bike for long trips and that's that.

I don't agree that the LC4 Adv will cause you any downtime. It's a much better bike if you are peformance minded which, IMO, is you missing the whole point. BTW, today I rike a KTM and not a KLR so my bias may be orange, but I still think you just get the new KLR, leave it alone and enjoy yourself.

try to ride all that yer thinking of. the klr is prefect for many, but a caddy deville in a F-1 race for others. at minimum, get SS brakes, stock they are so bad it should be illegal, my old dr350 had waayy better,w the klr load the bitch up and stock brakes on pavement, its flat dangerous. & stiffer springs, unless your 120lbs.

the ktm lc4 is a great bike but not for everyone, shit seat, can vibrate more then many like, more work for oil change etc...

The ktm is a laser guided cruise missle, the klr a scud missle, both work in their own way.

dont forget the DR650, w/ a seat and big tank, its a hell of an alternate. the gs650 is a great bike, but a heavy pig, only a problem if your deep in dirt or wanna go fast. hey honda makes a xr650L too, just to make this harder