Kawasaki KLR 650 Owner and Buyers Warning!

Kawasaki KLR 650 Owner and Buyers Warning!

When a motorcycle company as large as Kawasaki makes a mistake and lets it slip under the rug, I get heated up! This video is a must-watch for everyone who owns and rides a motorcycle because this could happen to you! For those thinking about buying a Kawasaki 650, or if you own one, get this checked before your next ride. It could save your life!

My Ride:
• 2018 Road Glide Ultra

My camera gear:
• GoPro HERO 7
• GoPro HERO 9
• Sena 10C EVO
• Drift HD Ghost
• Sony A6000
• Sony Digital Audio Recorder

#harleydayrider #harleydavidson #motorcycletouring #motovlogging #loudpipes #MC #bikers #roadglidelimited #roadglideultra #motorcycleclubs #Kawasaki650 #kawasaki #motorcycleowners

[dualsportoutdoors]

I know 6 people who own them and even had one myself. Zero issues. Don't hesitate to buy one

[SigmaSheepdog]

I purchased a 2023 that had this steering problem. I did contact my dealer about three weeks ago, and they acknowledged the problem. I made an appointment to take it in to have checked, but after calculating the amount of time and money it would be for me to make the nearly 400 mile round trip to my dealer, I decided to fix the problem myself. The steering was defintitely tighter that it should be. While this steering issue was an annoyance, I wouldn't put it in the catagory that "it could kill you", at least in my case. I will certainly do periodic checks of the steering to make sure that everything is Kosher. This is my first KLR and I am absolutely loving it.

[travislivengood]

43, 000 miles on mine. On and off road. All over the country and no problems with the headstock.

[pablogomez]

I have 10, 600 miles on my KLR 2022 not one single problem. The thing is a beast, I've taken it places I probably shouldn't have. Thanks for the info!

[fainlawson]

I recently purchased a left over 23 model in 24. The bearing issue showed up as soon as I hit the back than 100 miles. I contacted the dealer after I did the research and asked if they knew of the issue. The said they had not had any reported issues with the steering bearings but said to bring it back and they would be glad to check it out. They ended up removing the bearings for inspection, re-greasing and re-torqueing. I have put a couple hundred miles on the bike and so far no more notchy steering. The bike handles like a completely different bike. I am very pleased with the bike.

[turinhorse]

I have a 23' KLR... has this exact steering problem; having never owned one before i thought it was something i needed to adjust to lol. My friend bought one from the same dealership .. no problem and when i drove his i instantly realized there was a problem with my VIN. So ya, its a bit of a QA lottery with these. sucks but that seems to be the situation.

[jobeek]

I bought the 2023 model with the steering issue. I noticed it after about 300 miles. It is a very notchy feeling around slow speeds about 15-20 mph. My dealership completely took apart the steering, checked the bearings, looked good, and they greased them, re torqued them and I have almost 1000 miles on it now and no issues. Not all of them got squished to the point of damaged bearings. I wouldn't let it stop you from buying one, but if you do feel the steering not being smooth, get it reported

[RobertWotisky]

I have this problem on my 2023 klr 650 its going to the dealer tomorrow after they retorqued the steering stem. I'm
having the same problem. Now they're going to replace the cups and bearing. The bike has 160 miles on it.

[seanhewitt]

I would like to point out that a problem on a bike does not have to have a recall for the dealer to be payed for the work. It merely needs to be under warranty

[howiethehowitzer]

Thank you, sir. I've been considering the KLR for my daily commute, as well as for adventure. Aside from some tweaks, this seems like an excellent motorcycle.

[michaelbyrnes]

Got the 2023 adventure model, after getting used to having 5 gears and a lot less power and speed. Definitely the easiest and most enjoyable bike I’ve ever owned so far.

[MrPepper]

I have one and dealer the says there is no recall on it and refuses to do anything. I have been a Kawasaki fan since I bought a 1973 Z1900 new when it first came out and also owned a H2750 and two KZ1000's. So I guess this relationship is over.

[gavinvanvlack]

I love love love y Gen 1 KLR. I have so over invested in it and don't plan on ever letting go.

[scottdavis]

Good job Harley Day Rider for giving the motorcycle riding community a heads up on the the terrific Klr650. Glad to hear someone has our back. That's what friends do for each other. 👍

[gregcaudle]

I got mine fixed under warranty. It's the weirdest thing I ever felt. Thanks man !

[michaelcreekmore]

I bought mine just a few months ago from Motonation in Memphis, TN. I noticed the problem, looked it up to see if anyone else was having the issue or if it was just me, and of course I stumbled across all this info. Contacted my dealer, spoke directly with the service shop, and spoke with a tech who of course looked it up on Kawasaki's info sheets, saw that the company had issued no reports about this issue, and he blew it off. He flat-out stated that he's not going to waste his time watching any vids on youtube to research the problem because his 16 yrs of experience evidently means he no longer has the capacity or desire to learn new information, and especially not to help a customer who just spent $7K on his product. I have to go thru the trouble of trailering it up there so that they can look at it, then probably go thru all the same hassle that everyone else is going through to get it fixed. Makes me want to go trade it in on something else, as much as I like the bike.

[MuzzleMike]

The 2023 was NOT the first time to have this problem either . My 09 had this also back in the day and the first owner replaced and greased the bearings . It has not had any problems. This bike has been on YouTube its entire life . The first owner was Navythomas8 then myself .

[dwightrhodes]

It's definitely not life threatening. I've seen guys go back to the dealer and get it fixed no problem. I think if your dealer doesn't want to help you out you are at the wrong dealer. In most cases all you have to do is loosen it and re-torque. Car manufacturers do this all the time.

[C.A.MARSUPIAL-ystl]

Thanks from Brisbane Australia Great information 👍

[MyA]

I have a 2022 KLR Base Model. I love the bike, but so far I have had the fuel pump replaced (Under recall), and I began having the notchy steering issue around 14000 kms. I took mine back in to the dealer who stated they were not aware of the problem and they even called Kawasaki who didn't acknowledge there was any issues or recalls other than the fuel pump with the bikes. And because my factory warranty was expired, (I bought it in March 2022 and this was in Aug 2023) they would not cover the cost of installing new bearings. I paid almost $600.00 Cad to have my upper and lower steering stem bearings replaced. I saw the originals they removed and they were clearly out of shape. I will keep driving for now and hope this doesn't happen again. So far so good. I have put on approx 3000 kms since the install. If this continues to happen, I will get a Tenere 700.