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KLR650 vs F650 KLR650 vs F650
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Which Bike? Comments and Questions on what is the best bike for YOU, for YOUR trip. Note that we believe that ANY bike will do, so please remember that it's all down to PERSONAL OPINION. Technical Questions for all brands go in their own forum.
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 6 Apr 2001
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Location: Chicago, IL, USA
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KLR650 vs F650
A couple of friends and I finished a trip through the Copper Canyon region of Mexico.
We took to KLR's and an F650. Some observations:
- The KLR's certainly took a beating. Both suffered various items loosening and falling off. I broke a gear shift lever (bad weld), bent the brake lever and am still leaking gas(need a carb overhall and new bowl gaskets. The other KLR lost a sub-frame bolt.
- The F650 has much superior fasteners.
- The F650 takes on water much quicker and is more difficult to dry out. Lots of low spots in the exhaust system and the air box is a chore to remove and dry.
-Both bikes have great torque. My personal experience leads me to believe the F650 is amazing. Fully laden, it'll chug up a cliff at 2K RPM.
- The KLR's have better range but we added a cheap can of gas strapped to the F650 as compensation (didn't need it in the end).
- I'd take either bike RWT but the KLR definately needs some extra work from stock for LD reliability.
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  #2  
Old 8 Sep 2001
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Location: Lakewood, WA USA
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These are exactly the two bikes I am trying to decide upon. I have read before that the F bike doesn't like rain, this is a problem up here in the Pacific Northwest. I have been leaning strongly toward the KLR because of that and the added fuel capacity (fantastic for rides in the NW and up north) Are there any modifications or changes which would render the KLR equal to the BMW? For the amount of money I save on the BMW, I could have quite a lot of work and improvements made.
Thanks
Psycho
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  #3  
Old 10 Sep 2001
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Location: Australia
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I went through this exact process about a month ago. I decided on a KLR, with some extras like a larger tank (the Australian model is the C model with smaller tank than the US A model), heated grips, screen and a few of my own touches. I came out on the deal with trade etc about $5,000 (Australian $) in front. I can do a lot of touring with that. If you compare the specs side by side as I did (the BMW was the Dakar model), you will see that the KLR has all of the good specs from the BMW. The only problem left for me is the seat on the KLR which is not as good as the standard BMW.

Good Luck.

Barry - Australia
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