Adios amigos…
Hi folks sorry to say I just sold my KLR. A change in my work situation made it clear I needed the money more than I needed a motorcycle this summer. I’ve had lots of good times on KLRs the last 20yrs or so, but I suspect when I get another moto it will be something different. It’s time for something fresh. 🙂
Thanks for reading. I’ll leave this blog up in case it’s useful to folks farkling their KLRs.
![35L [~8.3 gal] and room for more!](https://klr650blog.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/klr-tank.jpg)
35L [~8.3 gal] and room for more!
So it’s been about 3 months riding my modified KLR650 with a Safari Tank. I thought I would share my thoughts to this point. I’ve been commuting with the bike between 2-4 times/week. I haven’t done any dirt or any touring in this time.
What I like:
…side view
What I don’t like:
Front-side view…
All in all I’m happy with the big tank. The extra fuel capacity turns the KLR into a long-haul machine with little downside on the handling front. As a commuter I’m down to 1 fill up/month or so which is nice.
I’ve seen folks carry their surfboards on their motos, but I’ve never seen anyone surf their moto! A bit light on the actual wave riding and probably costs you a new moto every session from salt water damage, but cool as a stunt nevertheless. 🙂
Bike napping problems…
Just bookmarking this so I can find it later – Offroad Adventure Academy.
Mobile!
It’s so nice to be rolling again on the KLR. Not having a moto during the summer sucks. I may have to re-evaluate my 1 bike policy in light of this downtime. 😉
Done for now…
Glad to announce my bike is rolling again! 🙂 Got everything I need to done – for now.
Back end…
I’ll swap out those rear turn signals next time I have a free wrenching day.
35L [~8.3 gal] and room for more!
I did a sort test ride, The bike feels way different with that much fuel on board and sounds different with the plastic tank.
Seat and side guards back on…
Got a lot done on the KLR today:
Tomorrow should be the last day of work:
I’m going to also swap in matching small flexy rear turn signals, but I’ll tackle that another weekend. I just want to get the KLR back on the road.
Turn signals installed…
Got a little further today. Mostly wiring which you can’t see.
Front view…
But I got everything fitted so I can see what it will look like.
Front side view…
One of the things I love about the KLR is the ergonomics. The bike fits me very well.
…standing and sitting.
Everything in its place – more or less!
I’m trucking away at the install of the Britannia Composites fairing and Safari Tank on my KLR650. Not done yet, but at least it’s starting to look like a new machine.
Probably 2 more weeks until I am done as I can only work on it sporadically.
A bit of a side view…
Just unboxed…
Here is a sneak peak of my Britannia Composites Lynx R fairing that’s going on my KLR650. Two features I am stoked about are the powerful dual lights and adjustable screen.
THe stock 2008+ KLR lights are fine, but nothing amazing when it gets dark. Couple that with my aging eyes and I’ve been wanting more lumens on the road. Accessory lights are a cheap and cheerful way to add brightness to your lights, but I hate having extra stuff hanging off the bike that’s most likely going to be ripped off first time the bike takes a nap. With powerful main lights they are clean, simple and protected from all, but the worst crashes.
No single fairing will work for everyone so it’s a total crapshoot if you buy a fairing whether it will be better or worse than what you currently have. At least with an adjustable fairing you can find the sweet spot that works best for protection and reduction in wind noise. For a dualsport it’s also great that you can lower it out of the way for offroad riding.
I’m hoping to get this installed in the next couple weeks.
Icon in red…
My local Ducati dealer finally got their first few Ducati Scramblers in so I went down to test sit on them. The fit wasn’t as small as I feared it might be. I think with a bit of work to the seat foam to raise the riding position I could be comfortable on one of these.
Icon in yellow…
They only had the Icon model in stock and no test rides yet so the jury is still out on the important details, but the fit and finish is what you’d expect from a $9K bike. It feels quite light and nimble unlike the Triumph Scrambler.
Urban Enduro…
If I were to spend any money on one of these bikes it would be on the Urban Enduro model. So far those haven’t shown up at any North American dealers. I guess my bank account is still safe for a while. 😉
Brand new out of the box from OZ…
I just rec’d a 8.2 gal Safari Tank for my 2010 KLR650 as part of an overhaul I’m planning. Since it’s taking a while longer to get everything together for this project and fit the wrenching work into my schedule I’ll post about the major components I’m adding to the bike to fill the dead air on this blog.
Safari Tank Specs
I ordered this tank from Safari Tanks USA. They took my money and dropped shipped the tank from Australia. From payment to receiving the tank was ~6 weeks. Initially getting updates on my order was a bit slow, but after I called and followed up with some emails they took care of me. I wouldn’t hesitate to order another tank from them.
The tank arrived in Canada from OZ with no taxes or duty owing. It just was delivered by Canada Post to my office like a domestic parcel.
The tank is very large and feels quite robust. All the parts and instructions seem to be included although I have to confirm this when I do the install.
Two issues with this tank you should be aware of:
The AIS system is not required and removing it is fairly simple, but it’s an extra step you need to do before you install the tank.
The placement of the petcocks is driven by the location of the carb vs. the tank. Safari says they’ve tested it and the normal riding motion of the bike sloshes fuel around and gets the gas to the carb. I’ll have to test that out and see how well it works.
I’ll take a picture of all the parts and add it to this post when I am doing the install. I may not get to it for a couple weeks and I don’t want to misplace anything in the meantime.
Checkout a KLR650 riding real singletrack! 🙂
Good thing I don’t have $3K burning a hole in my pocket or I’d be GromADVenturing! 😉
Busted BMW gets shipped home…
Nice to see a KLR rider helping out another motorcyclist in a crisis. 🙂
http://kodyrossspencer.blogspot.ca/2015/03/trans-labrador-highway-part-3.html
Click to jump to product page…
I’m just leaving this on my blog so I can find it later when I need new signal lights.
Michelin T63…
I installed Michelin T63 tires on my KLR650 in the summer of 2012 because I wanted better handling on the dirt and deep gravel of the forest service roads I was using to get out to Lake Nihtnat kiteboarding. These tires have proven to work very well for that purpose and doing great on pavement as well. My rear tire has over 10,000kms on it with at lest 7,000kms of paved riding and it still has 30%-40% of the tread left.
That is pretty amazing.
I wasn’t sure how these knobbies would do on pavement, but I’ve been riding them pretty hard wet and dry with no issues at all.
I paid under $100 per tire back in 2012.
When these tires wear out I’ll be buying more. 🙂
T63 Front Tire…
Britania Composites Lynx R on a BMW…
I’ve decided to upgrade the KLR650 a little. I’m getting a Britania Composites Lynx R fairing like the one shown above.
Safari Tank…
I’ll be replacing the stock tank with a 31L Safari Tank.
Trail Tech Vapor Dash…
The stock instrument cluster will be replaced by a Trail Tech Vapor dash.
Current configuration…
Once I get the new parts installed I’ll be selling all the bits that come off for 50% of their cost:
21 Feb and it’s warm and sunny on the coast!
I went Ducati shopping with my friend this weekend that resulted in a new Hypermotard getting a deposit. Sweet bike! I was able to resist the temptation to trade in my KLR. The most interesting looking bike was a Triumph 800 XC. I’m sure it would be amazing, but I’m not buying any bike I can’t pay cash for and the XC would probably be $15K out the door.
Triumph 800 XC…
The KLR may not be the latest greatest wunder bike. On the other hand it’s paid for! =)
The KLR650 Blog 