How far is too far on a bike

[crazysccrmd]

Saddle boxes/bags?

I used a pelican case mounted on top and two waterproof dryspec bags on the sides. Looks like I don't have any pictures of them on my KLR but they are the same ones I've used on my F750. I made hard panniers out of Harbor Freight hard cases as well. The hard cases are great for daily commuting and having a lockable space to store your riding gear in when going in a store, work, etc. The soft are nice because they are only as big and bulky as you pack them up to be.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

I prefer hard bags for the security aspect, but if you want to do technical off-road a lot, soft bags are better for the reasons already stated. I vote for Tusk panniers; I got mine off amazon but they are also available at Rocky Mountain ATV. They are the best bang for the buck in aluminum panniers you can find (as of 2 years ago) but be generous with Loctite when assembling the lock mechanisms.

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As far as the post question about 'how far is too far on a bike', the answer is 'no where is too far'. In fact for Overland travel, it is really hard to beat two wheels as even the most remote places on earth -- many of which are prohibitive to 4x4 vehicles -- can be accessed via Moto, and the recommendation of using a KLR-650 is the correct answer for the most "jack of all trades, master of none" touring bike.

However, for all the freedom and independence you have on a bike, the trade-off is comfort, and so you will be limited daily by virtue of being on a bike. It's a lot harder to do a thousand miles on two wheels than it is on 4, generally speaking. To address this concern, one thing to consider is your daily average mileage. Generally the only thing that is inflexible about most trips is the time you have to do them. So if you have a route that's 20,000 kilometres, and you only have 20 days to do it, that's a thousand kilometres a day. Some days you might do more, but many days you might do less, leaving you in a position of having to push a lot harder to make your daily average.

Keep in mind that when ADV touring on a bike, you should allow for non-saddle time and account for that in your daily averages. Setting up camp, cooking, checking out neat attractions, etc. Your interests -- like your mileage -- may vary.

Everyone will settle into their own comfort level, but when I did the run to Deadhorse, we had to average 600-some kilometres a day, and that was about 75-100 too much for our preferences. There were a few 200 km days but that made the few 1400 km days afterwards a bit too long, so a shorter daily average would give us greater flexibility with our schedule.

 

[MTVR]

I lnow that lay people like the concept of the KLR as an adventure-touring motorcycle because they're inexpensive, but they are seriously overweight, underpowered, and suffer from crude brakes, "spring on a stick" suspension, and flaccid mild steel tubular chassis.

I cannot imagine ANY real rider riding a BMW GS back-to-back with a 35-horsepower KLR and coming away with the idea that the KLR was the better idea...

 

[jadmt]

I lnow that lay people like the concept of the KLR as an adventure-touring motorcycle because they're inexpensive, but they are seriously overweight, underpowered, and suffer from crude brakes, "spring on a stick" suspension, and flaccid mild steel tubular chassis.

I cannot imagine ANY real rider riding a BMW GS back-to-back with a 35-horsepower KLR and coming away with the idea that the KLR was the better idea...

Yup klr’s are way under powered which i guess with their terrible brakes and spongey front forks is a good thing .
front fork springs and rear spring are fairly easy to remedy but unfortunately no way to really increase power. A klr with an additional 20 hp and torq would be so much more enjoyable.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I lnow that lay people like the concept of the KLR as an adventure-touring motorcycle because they're inexpensive, but they are seriously overweight, underpowered, and suffer from crude brakes, "spring on a stick" suspension, and flaccid mild steel tubular chassis.

I cannot imagine ANY real rider riding a BMW GS back-to-back with a 35-horsepower KLR and coming away with the idea that the KLR was the better idea...

KLRs are cheap to buy, cheap to modify, cheap to maintain, cheap to repair, and pretty damn bulletproof. Not everyone has deep pockets or the need/desire to impress strangers with how much disposable income they have.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

If you're going to travel purely on pavement, a powerful sport-touring bike is the way to go. Of the 8 bikes I had, this '09 BMW K1300S was by far my favourite. It saw more than its share of gravel roads, too.

Yep. Hard cases and a street bike is a good way to travel.

 

[b dkw1]

I lnow that lay people like the concept of the KLR as an adventure-touring motorcycle because they're inexpensive, but they are seriously overweight, underpowered, and suffer from crude brakes, "spring on a stick" suspension, and flaccid mild steel tubular chassis.

I cannot imagine ANY real rider riding a BMW GS back-to-back with a 35-horsepower KLR and coming away with the idea that the KLR was the better idea...

What Beemer is lighter? The 650? Any other one is a tank. Any GS is a liability off road if you lay it down.

When I move back to AZ in a couple months, the first thing to purchase is another KLR.

Set-up like the last one, it will run through the whoops at speed if your brave enough to man handle 400#'s of fun.

 

[BritKLR]

I always have to laugh when “experts” start bashing the KLR, even more so when they start comparing it to a BMW GS.....********.....kinda like the circle jerk arguments between Land Cruisers versus Land Rovers. The KLR is what it is. It was never designed or intended to compete against a BMW GS. It was designed as an inexpensive, third world, jack of all trades, fix on the side of the road, no road medical supply delivery bike, part time Dakar racer, military recon, week end warrior bike.
Living in and exploring Colorado mountains on my KLR, for every one GS/KTM adv. I see on the trails I’ll see +/-10 KLR’s. Now, if I was going to go two up across country with some dirt tracks, then a GS/KTM would be on my list but, to tractor around the mountains with all my camping gear on a bike, knowing there is going to be times of technical disasters, dropped bikes (400 lbs versus 800 lbs) and repairs I’d go with KLR.....Cheers

 

[MTVR]

Yup klr’s are way under powered which i guess with their terrible brakes and spongey front forks is a good thing .
front fork springs and rear spring are fairly easy to remedy but unfortunately no way to really increase power. A klr with an additional 20 hp and torq would be so much more enjoyable.

Yes, I suppose you could re-engineer a KLR650 to make it better- a decent shock, swapping the entire front end (fork, front brake, and front wheel) for something better, a hot-rod rebuild of the entire engine...but that would be a lot of money to put lipstick on something that would still largely be a pig. It would be easier to just buy a better motorcycle to start with, like the KTM 690 R, which has twice the power, weighs a hundred pounds less, has decent brakes and suspension, and is based on a chrome moly trellis chassis, not to mention having a 6th gear and closed-loop fuel injection...

 

[MTVR]

...and lets be honest about the weight of the KLR650. Naked, the KLR650 weighs nearly 450 pounds, which is more than many street bikes...

 

[jadmt]

steel lines, front springs and rear spring ie ebach is what i did and big improvement and worth the money but still a pig. No way to really hot rod them tho. Guys can do a 705 kit but too much money for a little improvement. I have had two and each time while i liked the bikes for what they were i hated how under powered they were. a 650 should be able to at least have good low end torq to lift the front wheel when needed. My work bmw 650gs while no power house Could at least loft the front end if needed.

 

[MTVR]

steel lines, front springs and rear spring ie ebach is what i did and big improvement and worth the money but still a pig. No way to really hot rod them tho. Guys can do a 705 kit but too much money for a little improvement. I have had two and each time while i liked the bikes for what they were i hated how under powered they were. a 650 should be able to at least have good low end torq to lift the front wheel when needed. My work bmw 650gs while no power house Could at least loft the front end if needed.

Yes, and hot-rodded singles tend to have a VERY short lifespan.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Another good option is the V Strom 650 or 1000. Very affordable, comfortable, plenty of power for the HW, and no shortage of aftermarket accessories.

 

[BritKLR]

Yes, I suppose you could re-engineer a KLR650 to make it better- a decent shock, swapping the entire front end (fork, front brake, and front wheel) for something better, a hot-rod rebuild of the entire engine...but that would be a lot of money to put lipstick on something that would still largely be a pig. It would be easier to just buy a better motorcycle to start with, like the KTM 690 R.

Again apples and oranges. Moving from the KLR/BMW GS comparison to a KLR/KTM 690 R comparison...ok....

KLR $6699.00 / KTM $11899.00

Per Adventurerider, known mechanical issues with both bikes (not wants):

KLR: weak sub frame bolts, doohickey, rear shock failure, rear sprocket teeth, burn oil.

KTM: stator failure, fuel pump, rocker arm breakage, swing arm breakage, frame cracks, injector failure, Ecu failure, wiring harness problems due to bike being a redesign of a street bike, expensive service by limited dealership network

KLR wet weight 432 lbs.....my mistake for stating 400lbs.

As for being honest....it’s clear that you don’t like the KLR, fair enough, that’s your opinion. But, trying to reationalize/justify and throwing different bikes at it to compare it too doesn’t make it a bad bike or the other bikes better. It is a mass produced $6k bike built to for rugged, low maintenance environment.....it makes you wonder what a $11k KLR would look like??

 

[MTVR]

KLRs are cheap to buy, cheap to modify, cheap to maintain, cheap to repair, and pretty damn bulletproof. Not everyone has deep pockets or the need/desire to impress strangers with how much disposable income they have.

There is no need to get hurt feelings over arithmetic.

Motorcycling is all about the experience of riding- the motorcycle is simply the tool that we use to gain that experience, not impressing strangers. I don't make enough money to impress myself, much less anyone else, nor do I care whether anyone else chooses to be impressed by my motorcycle- my motorcycle's sole purpose is to make me smile, and the KLR is just not up to that task.