In the interests of providing accurate information to future travellers, here's some tips for dealing with issues that Vinny brought up.
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Originally Posted by vinnyt
Stock Items that performed poorly are the front and rear
shocks,the rear shock especially.Constantly bottomed out.The
front shock bottomed but not as much and is weak and mushy.
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Vinny later goes on to mention that he has the preload set to "2". With any load on the rear of the KLR, the preload must be set all the way up (on "5"). Rebound should remain on "2" though because the stock shock spring is too weak and will "pack" and bottom on rough roads. Even on "5", the rear spring is too weak to handle big loads. I purchased an aftermarket rear spring from an outfit called 'MSM.com' and now the back end of my bike is fine, I can set it at "1" if it's me, at "5" if I have a full load. The rear spring cost me around $80 including installation, and now allows usage of higher rebound damping settings without the shock "packing" and bottoming out.
The front shock has a similar problem. First, it is inadequately damped. I solved this by draining out the stock fork oil and replacing it with 15wt fork oil. This fork oil was a little harsh for the first few hundred miles, but my first dirt road travel sheared it down to around a 12.5wt oil and it was okay after that, albeit with a little less rebound damping than is necessary for comfort with stronger springing. Secondly, it is inadequately sprung. There are two solutions for that, both very cheap. When prepping the bike, pop it up on a lift and remove the stock fork spring spacers. Go to your local plumbing supply store and get a length of Schedule 40 PVC which is roughly the same diameter. Using a hacksaw, cut new spacers that are roughly 1/2" longer. This will improve performance with the stock springs. Do NOT go longer than this, because the stock springs are relatively short and can experience coil binding with too long of spacers. Progressive Suspensions has aftermarket springs which work better for around $100 and which will tolerate more preload due to being longer, but the stock spring was okay with the amount of preload I mention. Secondly, when I carry a load, I put 10 pounds of air into the forks using one of those small bicycle tire pumps ($15 from a bike shop) and using a $1 Wal-Mart tire gauge (whose cheapness is a benefit here -- it takes less air to extend than a "good" tire gauge).
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Brakes:My God how Kawasaki a manufacture of fine motorcycles
allows this bike to leave the factory with such poor
brakes is beyond me.The rear brake on this bike is virtually useless.The
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This statement puzzled me for some time, because I have the stock rear brake and can lock it up at will. Then it hit me: *HE NEVER ADJUSTED HIS BACK BRAKE!*. There is an adjustment for pedal height under the master cylinder. This should be adjusted to bring the pedal height up to the point where you can just barely start locking the back on pavement. Don't expect the dealer to do this. Kawasaki dealers are useless.
The front brake is weak but barely adequate unloaded. With a load, it is somewhat scary. I upgraded it with a 320mm EBC brake rotor, and now it's okay even with a load.
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I also
lowered the front forks a half inch and ran the rear shock
at the #2 setting.This really improved handling.
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He is apparently using spring sag as impromptu "lowering links" to get him closer to the ground (then complaining about weak springing LOL!). The "correct" solution here if you need to be lower to the ground is stronger springing combined with "real" lowering links. That is what will prevent you from bottoming out the suspension and will also deal with the "wallowing" feeling and make the bike feel a little less top-heavy. 1" lowering links can make a difference if you're on the edge. I wouldn't recommend more than that unless you intend to stay on paved roads.
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after market knockoff exhaust--Poor quality,lots of
problems.Not sure if it increased HP or not.I have gone back to the stock exhaust.
(however the stock one is very heavy)Perhaps
a genuine super trap would be the way to go.I got what I
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Nothing improves the horsepower of a KLR, it will always be a gutless wonder. The stock exhaust is heavy but durable. None of the aftermarket exhausts are as durable as the stock exhaust, thus for adventure travel, you should stick with the stock exhaust.
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This brings up an inherent problem with the KLR.The bike is
super heavy,has a high center of gravity
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"super heavy" compared to what? A 250cc dirt bike? I haven't found any bike capable of tackling both third world dirt roads and high speed expressways while hauling a full load that is any lighter. The closest I've come is the Suzuki DR650, which is about 20 pounds lighter but also shorter from front to rear and due to lack of physical length has trouble physically accomodating loads that the KLR has no problem with.
I do agree that the KLR650 is top-heavy and there's not much to be done about it. It's a tall bike. Even with lowering links, it's still a big tall bike.
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and runs very hot,even being water cooled.I
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I dealt with this by draining the stock coolant and replacing it with a mixture of 20% antifreeze, 80% distilled water, and some stuff called "Water Wetter". My KLR never gets above halfway on the dial now. Replace with 50/50 antifreeze/distilled water when going into areas where the temperature falls below around 20F. But yes, the stock cooling system on the KLR is rather... inadequate, and requires some work-arounds.
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also found that after 250 to 300 miles I was toast,because
of the vibration.If I ever make another trip thru mexico it
will be on a light multi cylinder bike,with modern brakes
and suspension.As I did very little dirt road riding the
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He is correct that the KLR vibrates. There's not much that can be done about it. Bar-end weights help. Making sure your engine mounts are all tight helps. Gel grips help. Gel-grip gloves help. But the thing still vibrates. Even with all those fixes, it vibrates more than a Suzuki DR650, about the same as a BMW F650GS, and less than a KTM 640.
Regarding light multi-cylinder bikes capable of dirt road riding, probably the Suzuki 650 V-Strom is what you're looking at. However, do note that the V-Strom is approximately 100 pounds heavier than the KLR. Adding cylinders means adding weight. It does carry the weight considerably lower than the KLR, but its suspension is even softer and more inadequate than the KLR's once you hit rough roads. I like the V-Strom, but it definitely isn't a "magic bullet". Too bad we don't get the 500cc twin "adventure bikes" sold elsewhere, those might fit your needs better. But note that they are all as heavy or heavier than the KLR. For example, the KLE500 twin sold in Europe is around 60 pounds heavier than the KLR.
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My recommendation is if you want to tour on a dual purpose
bike go with the lightest model you can ride.The guy that
rode with me was on a Suzuki DR350.He had no issues got 30%
better gas milage and had a really simple machine compared
to the water cooled KLR.His overall ride wasn’t much better
but his brakes and suspension were better and a simple light bike made for
an easier time in the towns and villiages.No problems with
power in the mountains(he had a real super trap and carb
kit).
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Unfortunately Suzuki no longer sells the DR350 in the US. A shame, it was a nice little bike, but when they brought the DRZ400 over there just wasn't room in their lineup for the bike. The DRZ400 is significantly more expensive than the KLR (or DR650), is water-cooled, and only about 40 pounds lighter than the Suzuki DR650 (which is air cooled).
It seems to me that the closest thing you'll find to the DR350 is its big brother the DR650. It is not as big a bike as the KLR650, which is both good and bad. You can't load it down like a mule like the KLR650, but it carries its weight lower than the KLR, makes as much power as the KLR, and is air cooled and thus simpler than the KLR. It is also easily lowered and has better suspension and brakes than the KLR. Think of it as the DR350 on steroids.
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process, I am happy to answer any questions I also realize I will
be bombarded with abuse from die hard KLR owners.All I can
say is each to his own the bike is not for me!
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No, no abuse here. Some of the things you mention (like vibration and top-heaviness) are valid, some are a result of misadjustments or misconceptions on your part (such as not turning up the preload or putting air in the forks to prevent bottoming, and not adjusting the rear brake lever height to get more effective rear brakes), but all is valuable for the person choosing a bike for a long adventure tour. It sounds to me as if you would have been happier with a Suzuki DR650 rather than a KLR, due to what appears to be issues with the height and vibration levels of the KLR, which is indeed a valid issue.
Obviously I don't agree with you about long distance comfortable touring on the KLR, since I sold my large multi-cylinder touring bike and now ride my KLR everywhere, but then I'm apparently taller than you and have trouble with my knees, which means that I need a bike with a more spacious cockpit so that my knees don't end up in a painful position. I actually added a taller Corbin seat to my KLR to get me more distance between my pegs and my buns (then added lowering links to get the bike back to where I could flat-foot it at stops). A smaller bike like the DR350 or DR650 would not work for me because of those physical limitations. Which doesn't make them bad bikes, just means that they won't work for me, much in the same way that the KLR didn't work for you.
One thing I would caution you about, however, is reasonable expectations. A more complicated multi-cylinder bike is smoother than a single-cylinder bike. It is also heavier and has more parts to break. While people have gone around the world on everything from a YT220 Serow to a Harley Sportster (and undoubtedly someone somewhere will now chime in about doing it on a 50cc Vespa scooter

), there is a reason why the majority choose a simple, crude 1-cylinder to do the trip. It's simpler, it's lighter, and it's easier to maintain and to repair if it does break. I like the Suzuki V-Strom 650 twin. It's much smoother than a KLR, more powerful, and a much better street bike. But it's also heavier, has even worse suspension for rough road travel, and is much more complicated. If going around the world, I'd choose the KLR (or similarly simple 1-cylinder) in a heartbeat.
_E