Paying Tribute to a Legend (Kawasaki KLR650 Gen 1 Review)

🏍 HAVE A KLR650 STORY OF YOUR OWN? PLEASE SHARE BELOW.🏍

The 1st generation Kawasaki KLR650 built between 1987 and 2007 brought adventure motorcycle riding to the masses. Today we investigate why the original KLR650 was successful and why it's still ridden by many riders today. We poke fun at the KLR, but we respect it for helping start the adventure motorcycle craze. Visit my channel for lots of other KLR650 videos. #motorcycle #motorbike #klr650 #kawasaki #adv #advrider #dualsport

00:00 Intro
03:08 Seat Height
03:59 Specs
05:30 Cool Features
14:03 Street Ride
20:57 Off Road Ride
27:24 Brochure Hilarity
29:17 Issues/Buyer Guide
32:15 Final Thoughts
33:29 Tribute

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[BigRockMoto]

⚠HAVE A KLR650 STORY OF YOUR OWN? PLEASE SHARE BELOW.⚠

🏍 SUPPORT BIG ROCK MOTO BY USING THESE LINKS!

[jmsask]

My first bike I ever really enjoyed was my 89 KLR 650. I had every option I could find for it. I loved that bike so much that after my wife made me get rid of it I could no longer stand her so I divorced her a year later. I miss my old KLR it was a much more fun to ride than my X ever was 😉. Now I’m 60+ years old I’m planning to buy a new one this spring 🎊🎉

[vironpayne]

"The KLR is the gateway drug to adventure riding." I love it. Its the only bike I've come back to, so its a long term drug also like crack.

[davew]

I have a 2007 KLR bought new, now with 35, 000 miles. Only check the valves once. Expect 5000 miles on tires, no more. Routinely get 55 to 57 miles per gallon and distance record on a tank 320 miles. Usually can get 290 miles per tank. I ride in Hill country of Western Pennsylvania almost always on road. Pretty much do all my own wrenching, bought the Clymer maintenance book which is a must I take great care of her and she still looks great and I’ll probably keep her because she’s just not worth that much to someone other than myself. Thanks for the great video.

[peterskreta]

I love my 09 KLR. I also love hearing "You can't get a KLR through here" then going anywhere I want.

[verbalwidget]

My first KLR was a 2007 for $1200 it had been sitting out in the California weather for 2 years I bought it as a joke really. I went through it and that bike took me all over AZ while my DR650 & XR650 sat. I bought a Pristine 2007 from Carlsbad CA, sold my first one and Gen1 KLR is still my favorite ride that makes me smile. Vstrom 650, 1000, 1050's Tenere T700, have come and gone but no way letting go of my 2007 Gen1. My gen1 has a cogent rear shock, and DR650 43mm forks with Cogent DDC and springs and with the DR650 two piston brake caliper and bigger disc, it is much improved all over. I wished Kawasaki had gone to more of a gen1 KLR when they re-released the KLR a few years ago.

[ashermil]

Regarding memorizing the petcock positions: if the bike stumbles, flip the petcock forward (I.e., to the reserve position) to keep going forward.

[tallboybass]

I re-entered motorcycling back in '88 with an '86 Honda XL600, on which i wore out several pairs of shoes from attempted kick-starting. Over the years i owned 3 Gen. 1 KLRs, '88, '90, '99 and loved every one of them. MUCH better street bike than the XL! Along the way i owned an XR650L which became my 'dirt' bike. After a near-fatal wreck in 2000 i don't ride anymore but the KLR holds a special place in my heart. Thanks so much for your wonderful channel, Ian @Big Rock Moto, i really enjoy your subtle humor and detailed reviews!

[cliby]

My first bike! 2006 KLR 650. Got it last year. Wouldn’t run. Had a rusted out gas tank and plugged up carb. Learned how to work on it. Cleaned the carb, put new jets in. Got the tank fixed. Runs great now. Enjoying learning on this thing.

[onthebackwheel]

I bought a gen 1 when I first moved to America from Australia. Took me to some awesome places and met some great people. Loved it

[RideswithRon]

Once again another great review. My son just bought a 2003 Klr. Can’t wait to start the affordable adventures.

[MartinKLR]

The KLR600 is where it all began. That's my favourite.

[egylmz]

I ve been waiting this review almost for 2 months finally 😀 you should make more vintage bike review. Maybe series of old bike videos should be fun to watch

[MHix]

Fantastic tribute. Honest and accurate. I had an '02 KLR for my first dual-sport, and absolutely loved it. It helped me learn how to work on bikes and was forgiving of my technical shortcomings. My daughter loved to hop on the bike with me and cruise the neighborhood; she has an appreciation (at 5yrs old) for motorcycles because of that bike. I love my newer ride, but miss my KLR every time I go in the garage.

[Qhev]

make it a series do more of these old school dual sport /adv gems i love this review very honest

[zGhillie]

I’m currently fixing my my dads original 1985 Klr 600 with 1500 miles. Tires battery and oil and should be good to go! Started it for the first time in 8 years after 3 kicks! These are great bikes my brand new ktm 500 can barley start or stay running but an almost 40 year old bike runs better

[paulwojnar]

Thank you paying homage to the venerable KLR 650 A. I am currently riding a 2003 that I aquired in 2016 with 8000 miles on it and in excellent condition. This was after a 2 year hiatus from my previous 1996 KLR 650. Also aquired used but not abused. After 28, 000 miles and 11 years of winter riding in N E Pa I sold it and it was 2 years later that I found the 03. It has been to several neighboring states for trail riding as well as 6 years of winter riding. Although mechanically sound it has suffered some cosmetic damage from road salt. Will be selling it this spring and then begin searching for its low milage replacement. Anyway the 96 was flawless thru 20, 000 plus miles of abuse. The 03 currently has 30, 000 miles of thrashing on it and still going strong. Whatever the KLR lacks when compared to other like type bikes it makes up for in its ruggedness, simplicity, versatility, and fun factor. Long live the KLR. One of my favorite motorcycles.

[lessmore]

The donkey with a doohickey! That brochure read was hilarious, Ian. Good review mate!

[MrRickrm]

I owned a 2016 klr. I added T-Rex racing full crash cage and skid plate. Lowered it 2 inches which made it much easier to touch ground in technical areas. Also dropped one tooth up front added 4 teeth to the rear. Then I could have higher rpm while going slower in really bad areas. I also made the brackets that allowed me to add saddle bags. Aftermarket foot pegs made it a beast. Riding the WABDR especially section 2 became so easy. I live within a 15 min ride there and did it several times. Sadly while myself and a buddy were in the process of making a U turn a young lady in a big hurry decided to pass me. Yes all of us had turn signals on. I managed to jump off the rear just a couple of seconds before she hit my bike broadside and pretty much totaled the bike. Even so with a bend frame and bent front wheel and forks I was able to ride 30 miles back home going slow on the shoulder. The State Patrol guy followed me and told me how amazed he was that it still could be ridden. Myself, it took two years to recover from injuries. I miss it but have moved on.

[AdventureGlide]

So incredible what a legend of a bike. Thanks, Ian.