Faults:

I bought this bike when it was 22 years old, but in great condition. Nothing has gone wrong with the bike, the only expenses being maintenance. A set of tires and tubes, a clutch, and chain and sprockets. I also did the doohickey and upgraded the front fork springs and replaced the fork seals.

The parts are very cheap for this bike and maintenance is easy, and after freshening up the bike, it runs like it is brand new.

After a few longer rides, I realized the seat needed some attention as the foam was collapsing, so I went to the foam store and rebuilt the seat. No complaints now.

General Comments:

This bike is definitely a Swiss Army knife bike. It is fun and easy to ride, although it is a little top heavy with a full tank of fuel.

The braking and suspension is much improved with the upgraded Progressive springs, which removed the mushy brake dive that was present with the original springs. For the $90 Canadian it costs for the springs and the two hours to do the job, the improvement is well worth it.

As for riding, I would say the bike is fantastic at any posted speed limit, it will commute or travel the highway with ease. I have had it on some abandoned use at own risk roads and the bike is quite at home on them, but you know you are not riding a dirt bike.

This is not my only motorcycle, but it is the most fun bike I own. It is easy to see why people love the KLR650.

Faults:

Nothing went wrong with the bike. Resolved the handlebar vibes with the "Bar Snake" and gel grips.

Replaced the windshield with a taller one. Also a Corbin seat for comfort/range.

General Comments:

Of the fifteen or so rides I have owned, this one is the most versatile and forgiving.

Best improvement is to replace the original seat with aftermarket. (Corbin around $230.00 -- well worth it).

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

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.