2014.5 Kawasaki Klr650 New Edition
2014.5 KAWASAKI KLR650 NEW EDITION
IGNITION
FIRST RIDE
Firmer suspension transforms this big single into a much better adventure machine
Andrew Bornhop
Admit it, Kawasaki: Calling your latest KLR650 the “New Edition” a bit of a stretch. Apart from suspension and wider same old KLR. Which, readers might recall, won our big ADV shootout (“The Road from Armageddon to Salvation”) in the April 2013 issue. It was a bit of a surprise because the Kawi was up against electronically enhanced bikes like the BMW R1200GS and Yamaha Super Ténéré. But the carbureted jackof-all-trades KLR won us over with its simplicity, dependability, and impressive competence on pavement and dirt. There’s a reason KLRs are used around the world by two-wheel explorers.
Our only problem with the bike? The KLR tended to bottom out when ridden hard on dirt. Now, though, with the debut of the 2014.5 KLR650 New Edition, that’s been fixed. On a recent dual-sport ride to Death Valley and back from Las Vegas, much of it on dirt, the new KLR never bottomed its suspension, even when scrambling up Wheeler Pass with rocks aplenty clunking off its plastic skid plate.
Lor the record, the fork still has 41mm tubes, but the springs are 40 percent stiffer, and rebound damping has been increased by 28 percent. In back, the spring is firmer by 63 percent, and damping has been bumped a whopping 80 percent. To further improve bottoming resistance, Kawasaki has raised the oil level in the fork by 5mm, and the rear preload is now set to the middle (three) of the five available positions when the KLR leaves its Thailand factory. Previously, KLRs were delivered with it in the softest rear setting.
SPECS
2014.5 KAWASAKIKLR650 NEW EDITION
PRICE: $6599 ENGINE: dohc four-valve single DISPLACEMENT: 651cc SEAT HEIGHT: 35.0 in. FUEL CAPACITY: 6.1 gal. CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT: 432 lb.
THE CARBURETED JACK-OF-ALLTRADE5KLR WON US OVER WITH ITS SIMPLICITY, DEPENDABILITY, AND IMPRESSIVE COMPETENCE ON PAVEMENT AND DIRT
All told, these changes work, dramatically improving the KLR on dirt while providing sharper handling and reduced brake dive. On the highway, the KLR is not overly stiff; it remains its comfortable self with a frame-mounted fairing providing surprisingly good wind protection. At speeds approaching 8o mph, the visor of my Shoei Hornet did begin to lift a bit, but I’m 6-foot-4. And on dirt, the KLR chugs along without complaint, the liquid-cooled 651CC thumper able to be lugged or revved as needed. Although this mill is almost agricultural in character, it runs just fine on regular-grade gasoline, and it allows the KLR to be adequately powerful on the highway yet not so big and heavy as to make the 432-pound machine feel ponderous in the dirt. Do mount knobbies if dirt is in the plans.
With the KLR’s bars rotated forward a bit for added height,
I could stand in rough sections with relative ease on the KLR’s rubber-covered footpegs.
And when I did sit down, I appreciated the new seat and its all-day comfort. Covered in a dimpled material, the saddle is narrower in front to let riders slide forward onto the 6.1-gallon tank in tight corners, and its added inch of rear width is appreciated on places like Highway 190, where at the end of the day all I could think of was a cold sarsaparilla at Panamint Springs to wash the dust out of my throat.
At $6,599, Kawasaki’s KLR650 New Edition is only $100 more expensive than a standard KLR650, which still remains available. Consider it money well spent.
KLR PACK MULE
For our Death Valley trip, each KLR650 New Edition was outfitted like a pack mule, replete with a tank bag, saddlebags, and a soft top case-all genuine Kawasaki accessories nicely tailored to the machine. I, however, chose to use only the expandable top case ($134.95) because I simply had nothing to store in the tank bag ($109.95) or saddlebags ($179.95). Had I needed to carry my own tools and emergency supplies, these high-quality bags, made of ballistic nylon and rubberized vinyl, would have been putto good use. -AB
