Pretty boring without mollydog here....

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Andy Tiegs
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/ts...lsouth-america

Over breakfast with (Twowheels03) Paul & Angie we stumbled upon the later part of this thread. Haven't laughed for so hard in quite a while, brilliant course of action!

THANKS

I have been follow this thread with interest having recently bought a 2013 KLR.

I am new to this adventure riding stuff at a ripe old age of 67 but loving it. Been on the mountain section of the TCAT and the HUBB meeting in Nakusp this year plus other smaller rides.

The KLR was priced right for me at a hair under CD$6000.00 plus of course all the add ons but most (not every) person adds these to any bike they buy to make it adventure ready.

Anyway back to business. Is not the reality that maybe percentages come into play with this discussion? I do not have figures to hand but I just wonder how many KLR's have been sold in the World vs any other model?
Then I start to wonder what percentage of those models have been reported to have broken down (has to be defined) and that could be key too, vs those that were sold.

I would hazard a guess that the KLR percentage would be relatively small. That is not to say any other bike model sales vs break down percentage may be small also.

Remember "It's not what you did for me but what you did not do for me that I will remember".
Someone said that I'm fairly sure.............
Hope all that makes some sense.

Howard.

I don't have EXACT figures either, but if you contact Kawasaki USA I bet they would tell you!

I DO know that according to KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries) spokespeople the KLR650 is ... and has been ... one of their VERY best sellers over the long haul, maybe THE best seller for them. Call them, ask. They won't bite.

If I had to guess, for USA/Canada sales? I'd GUESS 8,000 to 10,000 units per year. If you go back to say, around 1990, that's a good number of bikes sold. Remember, Kawi have about 1200 dealers in US/Canada. (used to be more!)

My question would be ... how many KLR650's are still on the road?

The Big Four used to disclose warranty claim information and break down stats. They no longer do this, AFAIK. But the Japanese always try for a LESS than 3% failure rate. Fact is, they usually do BETTER than 3%. Not bad.

When working as a Moto Journo (20 years) and having attended dozens of
product launches, you hear these sorts of stats touted at those events. But they don't usually publish them now.

Back when OEM's did reveal this sort of info, BMW would typically be around 10% to 12% a year failure rate. The Japanese, (as mentioned) under 3%. But that was over ten years ago. They ALL track, analyze and store this data but don't reveal it as they once did.

Motorcycle Dealer News (USA) used to publish this sort of info along with tons of other stats regards sales, marketing and more. Since I was in the industry, I used to read Dealer News. Now, the OEM's are very tight lipped with this info.

"Now, the OEM's are very tight lipped with this info."

I wonder why?

If the percentage was so good say still 3% wouldn't you want to shout that from the roof tops? If of course you had other brands to compare it to.

Maybe they are tight lipped because the percentage has risen in all brands. Something that would not be good for the manufacturer or us.

Sorry I cannot be more helpful really.
Just at the moment I would trust this KLR to just about go anywhere (maybe not "anywhere" in my hands though!) but I have only about 5000 kms on it.

Maybe I should report back after another zero is added on the end and see how happy I am by then.
Of course there is always the possibility of getting a different bike before then and starting this all over again!

DO NOT anyone tell my wife I said that!

Come on 'ol boy, 50,000 kms would only be 30,000 miles. You can find many KLR's out there with over 160,000 kms showing.

I'm quite sure you will be able to top 50K kms in a couple good Summers of riding. I've done it and I'm just 2 years behind you. Not ready for the chair quite yet.

On my second Gen I KLR. First, '01 has over 100,000 miles and still runs great but looks like hell. Second one, '07, is fixin' to go to Ushuaia.

Looks like I'll be riding my KLR for a long time to come! I hope so anyway.

By the sound of what I am hearing it will probably have to be handed down to one of the kids!

That's great news!
!que le via bien!

How is oil consumption on your '07? I know some early "new gen" KLR's used oil and that KHI replaced some cylinders/pistons. My buddies' '09 uses some oil but he's fine with it. Only uses oil when stuck on 70-75 mph, hours at at a time. Normal modest riding = little or no oil use.

On long multi-day rides he checks oil level everyday, tops up maybe every 3rd day or so? To me, that is just not a big deal. I check my oil daily anyway ... we all do, right? Carrying a pint of oil along is no burden ... in a way ... it's good as you continually introduce FRESH oil into your system.

Here's part of our gang on a day ride. KLR's, DR's, XR-L's and big bikes too.
Buddy on the KLR rode up from SoCal, then onto Crater Lake. 3 more DR650's not shown on this ride.

The KLR 650 is the best Motorcycle for long trips to remote places for riders in a budget.

The good
It is very un-expensive
It does everything good. It is not great in any area.
Does not brake as often as some more expensive ones
Repairs are 1/4 of the cost of German Motorcycles.
You not need an specialized shop with computers to repair it.
Any one with some mechanical abilities the KLR 650 Clymer manual and a basic set of tools can fix anything.
Parts are non expensive and easy to find
50 Miles per gallon about 20 Km per L.

The bad
Only the new 2014 does not need springs update.about $200
All need replacement of the infamous Doohikey about $250.
If you are buying a KLR 650 with less than 2500 Miles install a Termo bob to keep your oil consumption in a normal level. It keep the temperature of the engine at 209 F no matter how warmo or how cold it is. $ 118
Frame bolts need to be upgraded when you plan to ride with the motorcycle fully loaded off road. About $20

There are lots of very un-expensive upgrades but you can go around the world without any of those upgrades. It iss not uncommon to find KLR 650 with over 100.000 miles without an overhaul. The KTMs or the new B&Ws have mayor issues before 80.000 miles. If you add the cost of the maintenance you will be close to the cost of a new B&W or KTM.
The real issue here is If you are looking for a motorcycle with outstanding performance you will pay a lot more in initial cost, and frequent maintenance witch translates in higher total ownership cost by a lot.
Final comment:
If you are looking for performance and to you, cost is not an issue I agree the KTMs and B&W is a better bike.
The KLR 650 is a Motorcycle for the low budget nomads. With $600 in upgrades plus all the typical maintenance, brake pads, chain oil etc. you can go around the world without braking the bank.

Interesting thread but people quoting google search results to back their arguments is the funniest thing I've ever seen.

400,000 results for KLR faults? I got 5,500,000 results for "Why Hitler was right" Guess the wrong side won on that basis?