VEHICLES, CAMPERS, and BOATS > Bikes Motorcycles, S x S's, Tractors, and Mowers
2022 Kawasaki KLR 650
Flyin6:
In lieu of doing a bike build on my adventure thread which I am saving for trip pics, I'll just build the Kawasaki here.
I thought I'd keep this one sane and simple and inexpensive. After all the KLR is an adventure bike costing 1/2 to 1/3 the price of its competition that it really does not have.
So job1 will be to just buy less or the least expensive parts. I have found that you can pay double, triple or more if you are going for the snooty very best of the very best. Come down a paltry 10%-20% in capability, or quality and you are looking at half to a third the price. So you get a lot of bang for the buck for a much lower price point.
Next, keep it sane and focused. For this summer/fall, the pre-ranger will essentially be learning. So we aren't going to do anything crazy. We have to get good on the street, get good at low speed riding, and somewhat proficient on easy trails, two and single tracks.
So, it already has everything needed to be a good commuter and street rider, so it really needs very little there. I was thinking a throttle friction device to serve as a poor man's cruise control so I can get my hands off that buzzing bar every once in awhile. Oh, and I'll need a GPS/Phone holder so I'll score one of those.
For trail riding, I already think the stock rubber foot pegs are a non starter and with my height, standing and riding in the attack position forces me to lean slight forward placing more weight over the forks. That's not good, so I'll have to raise my handlebars. Next up it needs just a touch of armor. I am thinking a good bash plate and maybe just ride that for awhile before deciding to buy crash bars.
It already has panniers although they are small at 21 liters. They never the less fit the bike so I'll see how to develop that. I'll need some tools and things like a spare tube or two, an inflator, some irons, a hillbilly center-stand, some duct tape, spare nuts and bolts, and locktite.
I always like a bit of an exhaust note so I think I'll lead off this build with a cool exhaust.
Flyin6:
Just for fun, I went on Amazon and searched KLR650 thumper exhausts.
They had a bunch
So my search criteria was to find the least expensive one I could find.
Where these things normally run close to more than $500, for a paltry $219 I scored this Delkevic American made stainless can
Flyin6:
Exhausts are always fun on bikes so after it I went. First documenting what the gaudy stocker looked like, I proceeded to remove it starting with the Pannier and the side plastic. That came off in maybe five minutes. Three screws and the turn of a key and those parts were on the floor!
Flyin6:
That stock exhaust was big and heavy (guessing 15-20 pounds) and even had a heat shield
Taking this apart, I started to really appreciate Kawasaki's build quality
Flyin6:
Look at this boat anchor...Huge. The bottom half is a catalytic brick, thus the need for all the heat shrouding.
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