2001 Kawasaki KLR650 review from Canada

Nothing.

I have had 6 bikes prior to this one and it is a good machine for highway and dirt roads, and a rider at least 6 feet tall.

It is too heavy for doing donuts in the dirt, but that pastime is more for kids who can't afford insurance anyway.

It is something of a naked bike, so it is easy to work on, and the design has not changed in a decade so used parts exist.

For a liquid cooled dual purpose bike, it is about $2K less than Honda, and air cooled engines can't have the tolerances liquid cooling affords.

From new, the cam chain tensioner adjuster ought to be replaced with an aftermarket one-piece version, and the tools and part will cost about $100.

The handlebar vibration is so extreme it will numb a rider's hands, but lead weights on the ends or in the bar cheaply solves this problem.

The windshield dumps wind directly on your helmet for a noisy ride. I found no windshield worked and simple removal worked well.

The rear swingarm could do with grease nipples to make a two hour lube job into a two minute one.

There are a few start-defeat mechanism that are easily disabled. The engine is dual valve and crude in the sense that it does not have hydraulic lifters. Doing a valve shim adjustment is a hassle the first time, but easier subsequently, and shims may last 20000km. Even more expensive bikes have cheap non-weatherproof connectors, so I had go over the entire bike and pack each connector with trailer contact grease.

The bike's electric start and handlebar mounted choke are convenient, and even at 3 Celsius I find it starts and warms in the time it takes for me to get my earplugs in and helmet on. Adding an LED taillight frees up current for the heat grips I added so the regulator won't burn out. The hand protectors, coupled with the heated grips allow me to ride in cold weather with warm hands.

I find the ride on pavement and dirt to be very solid and I can routinely go 100kmh on dirt. The tank is large and I can go over 400km on a fill.

This bike provides a reliable and good motorcycle experience at near minimum cost, and to pay more brings marginal return. It is also cheap to insure.