BLT Offroad KLR

[HenryJ]

Installed the Moose +1 shifter a couple days ago.

After adding the "grippier" and wider pegs , I needed a little more room for my boots. I tried moving up one tooth and that just didn't work for me. The longer moose shifter gets it out there to where it matches the TW200 and my V65 Sabre. It feels "right" now.

The pegs help too. Much more stable and spread the load on the boot better too. I was worried about them transferring vibration, but I actually think they feel better in that regard.

 

[Ford Prefect]

That is a really nice set up you have there, the KLR looks pretty great. Would you mind if I am rude and ask what you spent on it? IE what it cost originally, and aprox how much you have put into all the mods you have done with it?

Thanks

 

[HenryJ]

That is a really nice set up you have there, the KLR looks pretty great. Would you mind if I am rude and ask what you spent on it? IE what it cost originally, and aprox how much you have put into all the mods you have done with it?

Thank you. I do not mind. It was a chance for me to pull out that folder of receipts and see just where I am. I really had no idea what the total might be.

I paid $2000 for the KLR650 with just over 15k miles on the odometer. I have "invested" $1191 in this project . That includes riding gear and parts: gloves helmet, jacket, battery, registration fees, oil , filter , plug, seat, lights, mounts, bags, etc, etc...
I am sure you can add another $100 to that total for fuel while gathering parts. I am considering my options for next year and a new set of tires. That will add another $150 to the total.

Under $3500 all "Farkled" and in its happy place. Good or bad I'm Ok with it.

 

[Ford Prefect]

So did you do the 'doohicky' on it, or was it already done? I am wondering how hard that is to do.

I think I would like to go with a KLR, but no idea if I want a newer 08+ or an older 07-

As I am 6'5" the 07's height has an apeal for sure, but the fact that it is new gives apeal to the 08+. None of them have ABS, right? I think I would rather a bike without for starters. Just seems like a wiser choice as I am looking for a 50% on 50% off road bike.

Anything other than the height and the doohicky that differ on the two bikes? (If you would rather I did not ask that here, please for give me. Just PM me your thoughts and I can delete this.)

Cheers

 

[HenryJ]

So did you do the 'doohicky' on it, or was it already done? I am wondering how hard that is to do.

Pretty simple and I did "Doo the DOO" , well not exactly. A buddy of mine has done more than half a dozen and offered to do it. Took him a couple hours at a leisurely pace. It is not difficult and shops around here hold clinics to do it regularly.

I think I would like to go with a KLR, but no idea if I want a newer 08+ or an older 07-

The scales can tip back and forth. Each has advantages. If you buy used keep your eyes peeled for a good buy and make that the deciding factor.

None of them have ABS, right?

To the best of my knowledge you are correct. They are a budget bike. No real frills. You have to add those and tailor the bike to your needs.

Anything other than the height and the doohicky that differ on the two bikes?

There are quite a few differences once you start looking hard. The suspension changed on the second gen. Bigger forks and a better rear shock. Those seem like nice additions. The aerodynamics are better. I am no expert as I am new to them as well.

I have heard many sayings that seem to ring true. " They are the Jeep of motorcycles " ... I believe it. Lots of aftermarket support to drain your wallet. Doesn't do anything great right out of the box, but does it all pretty well. Raise it, lower it, build it for offroad or highway. Make it fit your needs.

"Built like a tractor" ... It just keeps chugging along. Hundreds of thousands of miles on them and they just keep going. Anyone with a pair of pliers and a screwdriver can fix one.

I enjoy shaping the vehicle to my tastes and do not have a deep wallet. The "Swiss army knife" of motorcycles made sense to me.

I made a change in the tank panniers. Originally I lusted for the Dual-Star tank panniers. They are no longer available. In the mean time I put together the "army" bags. They do work just fine, but I have to admit they are a little off theme. Function over form.
I found an article on someone using the "Classic Quad Gear Extreme" ATV Tank Cargo Bags on a KLR. It looked pretty good. I found a set for under $40 shipped.
With a little stitching and trimming, I made them fit the KLR tank pretty well.

Narrow at the front and wide at the back the shape is much better. The color and texture a better match for sure.

The bags come with a bright orange shock cord. That was not my taste and I just happened to have some black shock cord on hand, so I added the hooks to my cord. I did lengthen them a little too for a better fit.
The Velcro strip was not in the right place for me so I added them to the underside across the tank bag. Not really "needed" , but they do keep the opening for the fuel cap from moving around.

After a few days of riding with them on, I like them. They fill the void in front of me better. The low pressure pocket in front of me is larger. Filling that gap below the hand-guards helped quite a bit. They are padded and that helps them retain their shape. My knees to sit against them while riding, but that does not bother me. Three big pockets in each. They have lots of room. On the top there are two puckets that I may use for receipts and things like that. These look to offer pretty decent water resistance. At least better than my "Army" bags. I think they are an improvement.

I did neglect to mention a sub-$1 modification. I think they call it the "T-Mod". I added a nylon thumb screw to the throttle. Drilled and tapped into the throttle housing.

A simple cruise control. Works great!

 

[Ford Prefect]

I really like the Jesse Luggage panniers. Those are really nice, strong, and a super strong pannier (as I understand). They have one set that is 90L! Huge space that way, and I like the way the hinge open on the larger panniers. Anyhow if you choose to go towards a hard panniers, they seem like a great set up. Everything included with them as well. (Some companies will just sell you one without the mounting hardware or anything, not even locks!) Plus they include the powder coating in the price with three choices in color which I personally like, and most places charge extra for.

Thanks a lot for answering my questions. I would be very grateful to see your cruise control that you put on; I have not heard of that.

 

[HenryJ]

... I would be very grateful to see your cruise control that you put on; I have not heard of that.

It is the white knob you see on the throttle , pictured above.

Jesse panniers do look nice. Way out of a price range that I might consider for this bike though. I an not sure that I'll ever add hard panniers. I like the ability to tackle the tight single tracks around here.

 

[hyperboarder]

I really like the Jesse Luggage panniers. Those are really nice, strong, and a super strong pannier (as I understand). They have one set that is 90L! Huge space that way, and I like the way the hinge open on the larger panniers. Anyhow if you choose to go towards a hard panniers, they seem like a great set up. Everything included with them as well. (Some companies will just sell you one without the mounting hardware or anything, not even locks!) Plus they include the powder coating in the price with three choices in color which I personally like, and most places charge extra for.

Thanks a lot for answering my questions. I would be very grateful to see your cruise control that you put on; I have not heard of that.

I've got Jesse's on my 08. Great boxes, very sturdy, watertight, and easy to get on and off. Pricey, yeah, but good all the same.

 

[HenryJ]

I've got Jesse's on my 08. Great boxes, very sturdy, watertight, and easy to get on and off. Pricey, yeah, but good all the same.

Do you have pictures? Do you have them on the bike all the time or just for traveling?

 

[Ford Prefect]

It is the white knob you see on the throttle , pictured above.

Sorry about that, the photos did not come up when I read your post the first time. I am not sure how that would work for you, but at least I see what you meant... Thanks...

The hard panniers do not worry me at all. I figure that I can stick them in the house anytime I am not planning on taking it on a long trail. Then again some of them are even large enough to hold your helmet, which would be pretty cool I must admit.

Do you have pictures? Do you have them on the bike all the time or just for traveling?

They also sell (separately) a really cool quick release system that looks to make it very easy to remove. It still 'looks' fairly strong too. I put the looks in quotes because I have not seen one in person, just the photos, and well, photos can deceive.

 

[hyperboarder]

Do you have pictures? Do you have them on the bike all the time or just for traveling?

Couple pics here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=614425

I usually take them off unless I need them. The sides are 2 cleats and 1 bolt each and the top is 4 bolts. I've seen the quick release, but I think that's just for the top box. Pretty fantastic bags, though they are $$$.

 

[805gregg]

Good choice the older KLRs are 110 lbs lighter than the new ones, the only thing don't spend too much money fixing it up, they are only worth about $ 3500 no matter what.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Good choice the older KLRs are 110 lbs lighter than the new ones, the only thing don't spend too much money fixing it up, they are only worth about $ 3500 no matter what.

Yeah, that is a big deal to me too. I mean the 1200 GSA weighs the same as the 2008+ KLR 650s. That is a huge difference in engine if you are going to weigh the exact same. I think the KLR is actually a few lbs/kilos heavier, but only ten or so.

I have seen KLR's for 3000 to 3500 for an 08, and an R1200gsa for $5500 for an 05. Where as an older pre-07 KLR are as low as $2000

I really like how much you can do to the KLR though, there are a ton of after market parts too. I get the impression that fixing them will cost a lot less than a BMW, am I right?


I also really like how tall the pre 2007 KLRs are. Just seems for a guy that is 6'5, a taller bike is a good thing! haha

 

[Cabrito]

I made a change in the tank panniers. Originally I lusted for the Dual-Star tank panniers. They are no longer available. In the mean time I put together the "army" bags. They do work just fine, but I have to admit they are a little off theme. Function over form.
I found an article on someone using the "Classic Quad Gear Extreme" ATV Tank Cargo Bags on a KLR. It looked pretty good. I found a set for under $40 shipped.
With a little stitching and trimming, I made them fit the KLR tank pretty well.

Narrow at the front and wide at the back the shape is much better. The color and texture a better match for sure.

The bags come with a bright orange shock cord. That was not my taste and I just happened to have some black shock cord on hand, so I added the hooks to my cord. I did lengthen them a little too for a better fit.
The Velcro strip was not in the right place for me so I added them to the underside across the tank bag. Not really "needed" , but they do keep the opening for the fuel cap from moving around.

After a few days of riding with them on, I like them. They fill the void in front of me better. The low pressure pocket in front of me is larger. Filling that gap below the hand-guards helped quite a bit. They are padded and that helps them retain their shape. My knees to sit against them while riding, but that does not bother me. Three big pockets in each. They have lots of room. On the top there are two puckets that I may use for receipts and things like that. These look to offer pretty decent water resistance. At least better than my "Army" bags. I think they are an improvement.

I like the panniers. They almost look "OEM" or "Factory" Nice fit. I'll admit they look a little better than the army bags. I did like how you did the army bags though.

On another note:
We were talking about the fork brace in my KLR thread. I will say that all the info you found about how the next gen fender will bottom out and ********** the fork brace was spot on. I've got some pretty big scuffs on my fender after doing about 20 miles of trail riding at Hollister during the Overland Rally. It would ********** down on the brace with quite a bit of force on the big bumps. The other KLR was also having the same thing happen with his stock fender.
I'm wondering how much damage that can do to the fork brace and maybe even the fork seals and forks. Time to break out the dremmel and do some trimming. Although I don't see this being an issue with street riding, and I'm absolutely sold on the thing for the street.

 

[HenryJ]

I like the panniers. They almost look "OEM" or "Factory" Nice fit. I'll admit they look a little better than the army bags. I did like how you did the army bags though.

The army bags did block the air to my legs better, but these have more usable room.
you are right , they look like a better match too.

I will say that all the info you found about how the next gen fender will bottom out and ********** the fork brace was spot on. I've got some pretty big scuffs on my fender after doing about 20 miles of trail riding at Hollister during the Overland Rally. It would ********** down on the brace with quite a bit of force on the big bumps. The other KLR was also having the same thing happen with his stock fender.

Thanks for the update!

I'm absolutely sold on the thing for the street.

Good to hear too.
My next priority is new tires. I have been watching the SuperBrace. The design may clear the fender better. I'm not quite ready for one just yet though.