2005 kawasaki KLR650 reviews

I have owned my KLR for about a year and a half and have loved every minute of it. Maintenance is easy and other than occasionally cleaning the air filter and changing oil, there isn't much that needs done. I have done over a thousand miles off-road and the rest are on road and the bike is awesome in both areas. It can be pushed off-road through some really tough terain and it will handle it like a dream. I have taken it down the interstate a few times and it will keep with traffic without a problem. It does buffet pretty bad in the wind though. On a good country road I have ground the foot pegs many times. This bike will lean but have good tires. Show less

I've been comuting on a 2001 KLR for 3 yrs now. 4 tour rides over 1000 miles. I let my truck registration go because this bike makes me so happy. I feel out of the rat race due to its reliability and over all cost of ownership. I've done 75mph on sandy dirt roads, and 98mph on the freeway. After 95, the front fender tends to catch air. The bike is stock. Awesome - what more do I need? Anything over 100mph is fishing for tickets around here anyways. don't think this is a dirt bike cause it ain't but I knew it before I bought it. I still dream about baja or ak, but til than I'll just alpin camp on long weekends. Show less

Let me start by saying this is my third klr. I've been riding on two wheels for a long time and my klr has given me the most fun of all the 39 bikes I've had in the past. The klr only needs 2 mods to make it absolutely bulletproof, one is the infamous doohickey and the other is a comfortable seat. Those of you wondering what the doohickey is should visit klr650.net for full details. If you're in the market for a first bike, cheap transportation, or just want something different I urge you to try one. HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU!!!!!! Show less

I received my KLR650 the day after Thanksgiving 2005. I was a little leery of Kawasaki because I have owned every mfr. of bikes or four wheelers except Kawasaki. To my surprise, I like it as much and probably more than all the others. I looked at Suzuki and Honda Dual Sports, which would have been good choices, but the KLR offered more of what I wanted and was better priced. I could go on and on about what I like about the bike but it's 7:00 a.m. on Saturday and the sun is up in Florida and I need to get riding. Take my word for it, if you want a great machine, you won't go wrong with the KLR 650. Good luck and keep it between the lines. Show less

I bought my KLR new in 2002. I am continually amazed at the quality and reliability of my KLR. I ride hard and fast, and am lazy when it comes to maintenance. However, after break-in I have run Synthetic Valvoline in it and have changed it every 1000 miles. I also use a stainless micro oil filter. With a smaller counter-sprocket installed, I just returned from riding Continental Divide jeep trails all over Colorado. The KLR even better. Show less

great bike handles extremely well with alot of adversity. Highway is a cadillac and off road is a smoothy...... Happily purchased and a lot more excitement to come in many ways.... ENJOY Show less

What a great excuse to ditch the truck. I had been away from motorcycles for 10 years. I commute nearly everyday with this big red bike. Often 100 miles a day. Superb view from way up here. Real narrow for lane splitting. Could use a 6th gear and a stronger front brake though. I get a ton of use out of this utility bike. 50+ mpg is real easy here, and the big tank makes for long stretches before fillups. Way recommended. Show less

So far this has been a great bike. I previously had a ZX6 and was tired of being restricted to the pavement. It works perfectly for my 25 mile, 4 lane commute to work. Keeping up with 75+ mph traffic is no problem at all, and the 6.1 gal fuel capacity is nice. On weekends I use it to thrash the local 4 wheeler tails. It feels a little heavier than my buddies DR650 and when you catch more than a couple feet of air it tends to bottom out. (I'm sure my 210 lbs doesn't help) Other than that, I think it works great off road. It has loads of usable torque which also makes it a great wheelie machine. I only have 2 minor issues with the KLR. The seat height is compounded when you are medium height (5'8) and navigating "gnarly" terrain. Sometimes you have to reach a long way if you need to get a foot on the ground. The other issue is the plastic radiator covers take damage if the bike goes over. I laid it down on the left side in some slippery mud and one of the cover's attachment points cracked off. The same thing happened to the other side when it went over onto a sidewalk when my boy was climbing on it. I successfully used epoxy to repair them both costing about $4. I almost crapped myself when I asked how much replacements were, $80 for the cover + $40 for the little sticker! I have been doing my own maintenance including the 500 mile valve adjustment. If you are not afraid to do some wrenching, get the Clymer manual, read the MarkNet KLR valve adjustment webpage, and save yourself the $200 the dealer wants for this. All in all I am very satisfied with this bike. It's relatively inexpensive, so you're not afraid to ride it hard. And the fuel capacity, windshield, and liquid cooling make for a better commuter than either the DR650 or the XR650L. It's a great bike. Show less

I bought my KLR650 new 3 weeks ago and I just love it. It's a joy to ride! I've been on it every day (600 miles) and I frequently take it through back roads and trails as well as on the Interstate. It's the perfect height and weight for a Dual Sport and it's a great go anywhere, do everthing bike with plenty of power and speed. I'm a heavy guy and after riding for an extended period of time my butt would ache so I upgraded to a Corbin seat. Also, the stock mirrors vibrate pretty bad and cause highway driving to be tenuous at best so I added mirror vibration isolators. Both the Corbin seat and mirror vibration isolators work great and now I am riding for hours at a time with no butt ache and can see out of the mirrors just fine without them vibrating and blurring my vision. Show less

Recently bought the KLR after extensive research and looked into a good light, reliable, bike for a tall guy who likes to have his tall wife as a passenger too. Well, after dumping it in some sand/dirt deeper than I thought, I found out how easy it is to pick up. The bike is great thus far. Comfortable saddle and leg room, decent wind protection, good power (runs about 70mph at 4500 RPM and still has plenty of juice) good room for a passenger (my wife is 6'), great nimble handling, and big gas tank (300+ miles on one tank). Only complaint is the turn signals; wish Kawasaki would have invested in the push button to cancel signals versus the nudge back over. Overall I'm very pleased and man it's very pleasing to the wallet too. Show less