KLR Tengai 650

[syke]

Just wanted to stop in and show off my new ride. :sombrero::roost:

Just picked up this beast from the original owner and the guy lived right in my home town. I stumbled upon it on CL about 30 minutes after he posted it. I could not drive to his house fast enough. :sombrero:

45k miles on it and he kept every single receipt and all maintenance records. I was really surprised. He took great care of this bike.

I've never ridden a KLR in my life so I really had no idea what to expect. All my riding experience has been on Honda/Yamaha motocross bikes and off road KTM's so I knew it was not going to be anything like a modern day bike but so far I have been quite pleased.

Minus the actual brittleness of the plastics and being virtually irreplaceable, I sure do love the quasi Dakar styling.
Reminds me of a KTM 640 Adventure or a Transalp.

And the best part.... I paid $900 for it.
:victory:

 

[Dave Bennett]

NICE!!! :drool:

 

[WU7X]

Wow! What a steal! Have fun with it.

 

[sandalscout]

Very cool, can you share a picture shot straight on the front to show off the front of the fairing and headlight?

Were these a factory option/trim level from Kawasaki? How many/what years? Pretty cool looking, does look like a Transalp. I was recently looking at a history of the DR650, they had as many as three different models back in the 90s in any given year, some of them with a Dakar style fairing as well, but probably not available in the USA. Anyway, it's really cool to see stuff like this.

 

[syke]

Ya I'm pretty stoked about this bike.

I've done some crash course KLR 650 history research over the last two days and so far what I've come up with is 1990 was the one and only year Kawasaki imported the Tengai (internet article says it is pronounced "Ten Guy") to the US. It says the bike was also referred to as a KLR 650B. Or so I've read.

Very cool, can you share a picture shot straight on the front to show off the front of the fairing and headlight?

I will post a picture here shortly.

 

[syke]

Anyone know if the seat is the same for the KLR 650 A and B models?
As you can see from the pictures, the seat is just about gone. Time for a replacement. Thanks for the help.

Here ya go sandalscout

 

[sandalscout]

Cool! That thing is actually quite skinny looking, more so than I expected.

 

[Cabrito]

Looks like it's missing the lower section of the fairing but it's still super cool. I always wanted me a Tengai.

 

[WU7X]

If the seat is shot, you may want to consider having a custom one made for you. I have a Sargeant seat on my Dakar and love it. Corbin also makes good seats. Or check around locally, you may be able to find someone who can do the work and custom design it for your needs.

 

[syke]

Cool! That thing is actually quite skinny looking, more so than I expected.

Ya I was actually quite surprised.

Looks like it's missing the lower section of the fairing but it's still super cool. I always wanted me a Tengai.

Indeed it is. I had to look at a few pictures before I figured it out. I have pretty much been unable to find that piece.

If the seat is shot, you may want to consider having a custom one made for you. I have a Sargeant seat on my Dakar and love it. Corbin also makes good seats. Or check around locally, you may be able to find someone who can do the work and custom design it for your needs.

The previous owner was 5 foot nothing so he cut the foam way down and added a little gel pad thingy.
I think I will either do it myself or have a local shop make me up a nice seat. I've looked at the aftermarket seats but right now I just can't justify the expense.

 

[Cabrito]

Indeed it is. I had to look at a few pictures before I figured it out. I have pretty much been unable to find that piece.

yeah, it's going to be tough to find that lower section of the body work. You should keep an eye on the various KLR forums for one.

 

[syke]

yeah, it's going to be tough to find that lower section of the body work. You should keep an eye on the various KLR forums for one.

Indeed. I have my "feelers" out on a few of the boards along with ebay and CL. Something workable will pop up someday.

 

[RHINO]

always liked those,,, nice score man. i remember when they first came out,, i went in for a KLR and saw the tengai for the first time, that one was sold and the dealer didnt know when or if he would get another, i called around but got the same so i ended up with a brand new KLR anyway and put 80k trouble free miles on it.

 

[richardas]

Awesome ride!
If you do any mud, be careful of the build-up in the front fender. It'll effect handling and put you down in the slippery stuff.

 

[syke]

always liked those,,, nice score man. i remember when they first came out,, i went in for a KLR and saw the tengai for the first time, that one was sold and the dealer didnt know when or if he would get another, i called around but got the same so i ended up with a brand new KLR anyway and put 80k trouble free miles on it.

Good to hear you were able to put 80k on a KLR. If I could put another 35k on this bike I would be more than excited. :sombrero:

Awesome ride!
If you do any mud, be careful of the build-up in the front fender. It'll effect handling and put you down in the slippery stuff.

10-4! I've never ridden a bike with a low fender before.
With this bike tipping the scales at 400 plus pounds, I think I will be avoiding mud. :bike_rider: