Some seem sure the KLR is lost to history, extinct, part of the Dead Sea Scrolls. A "has been" that's never really "Been"!

It gets little respect from certain quarters ... yet still is THE MOST common bike we see for sale on HUBB want ads. (most of the time it seems) How can that be?

According to detractors ... they'd rather be DEAD than ride the lowly KLR anywhere. It's just NO FUN they claim. Is that true? :confused1:

Yet, we still see HUNDREDS out in the world at any given time. I even see them here in the Bay Area on the Freeways ... packed up for long Summer travel. Now why is that?

Are these KLR overlander motoqueros Sheep following along what others did 20 years ago? ...not looking out ahead at the BRAVE new Orange World! Not too bright I guess ... but who are the real Sheep here? The KLIM clad Orange Crush? .. or the dull army green KLR dullards in cheapo gear?

Funny, we rarely see the KLR guys blow their own horn or brag about their bikes. Most display a quiet confidence ... (or maybe just bought the bike from someone else ... and don't know a thing about it!)

Is the KLR still worth fixing up? Or will we see it soon disappear from the ADV landscape? KLR Gurus know it's real potential. Those who are looking for a Race Bike to go RTW ... will never get it. I do have to agree ... I'm not a fan of totally stock KLR.

But my eyes have been opened several times riding well set up ones. Details are everything it seems. Do the fixes make it fast? Uh, no. But the over bore kits really do make a substantial improvement ... and once over bored, oil burning usually goes away for good.

So how much has changed amongst travelers tastes since my 2nd HUBB meeting at Copper Canyon in 2004? It was a small event ... only 105 riders total. And guess which bike was most ridden there? Yep, the KLR. 35 of them that year. I counted. Nothing else even came close to the KLR in numbers.

So where are those guys now and what are they riding these days? Have they sent their KLR to Hell? Or ...? And what did they pick as a replacement?
And why?


Ancient KLR Skeleton