Explosion in a KLR factory ngc

[Chuck in Indiana]

Austin is learning that the least expensive motorcycle you can buy just might be the most expensive. 
He's getting some valuable mechanical experience from it, though. For a "simple" single cylinder bike, they sure are complicated.
Getta Guzzi..
2018-01-06_01-36-03 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr

[twowings]

Hmmmmm...probably needs more pin-up calendars and a beer fridge...

[Chuck in Indiana]

Hmmmmm...probably needs more pin-up calendars and a beer fridge...

You can just set your beer outside. Not for long, though.. 

[oldbike54]

 KLR for sale , all of the hard work done , only needs the carb cleaned .

 Dusty

[Darren Williams]

I had a couple of mid 2000 model KLRs. I learned they are not the "stone axe reliable" and "dirt simple" bikes many of their devoted following would have you believe. The list of their short comings are enormous!  Kinda reminds me of some other motorcycle brands where you have fix a bunch of things before the bike will be semi-dependable and perform OK, not mentioning any names.   .

[Sasquatch Jim]

 It ran when parked.

[fotoguzzi]

shoulda got a DR  ?




I've had a number of KLR's including the Barbie color, DR a better bike.

[steven c]

 Nice. I have had the KLR and really liked it,would like to try the DR650 if one came up for the right price.

[normzone]

Damn ....

I looked at all of that closely, and I'm completely at a loss for a smart-ass comment here.

Please select one of my other comments from somewhere else and consider using it here also.

We thank you for your continued support.

[nc43bsa]

That looks like enough parts to assemble 3 engines.   

[Guzzi Gal]

RUN AWAY!  RUN AWAY! 

[Chuck in Indiana]

That looks like enough parts to assemble 3 engines.   

I've gotta agree. There are just two, though. He had a leaking water jacket on the original engine, and sourced another for the cylinder, etc. Tore it all down when I was out in SoCal, and is waiting for parts.
I went out and had a quick look when I returned home, and texted him.. "Have you noticed that rod small end bushing?" 
Gimme a Guzzi. That thing is full of chains and leevers.. 

[webmost]

Delicious. What better to do over a winter like this one.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Delicious. What better to do over a winter like this one.

Well, there is that.  However, I was sort of intending on playing with *my* stuff instead of having this (ahem) POS scattered all over the shop. 

[webmost]

Delicious. What better to do over a winter like this one.

Give the boy some room, he'll soon put together his own shop. Best thing you could ever do for the young man. Then you can go over there and drink beer with him.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Give the boy some room, he'll soon put together his own shop. Best thing you could ever do for the young man. Then you can go over there and drink beer with him.

I've always enjoyed mentoring kids.. although he was pushing it a little when his Ducati broke down on the way to the Wisconsin Guzzi rally and he wanted me to come pick him and his bike up. In the middle of the night. 

[twowings]

And then you get to the rally and there is a torn-down Norge scattered across the camping area...

[Lee Bruns]

shoulda got a DR  ?




I've had a number of KLR's including the Barbie color, DR a better bike.

Yep. DR has so many design advantages it is so very odd that it doesn't outsell the KLR. Peer pressure is a powerful thing.

[normzone]

I've always enjoyed mentoring kids.. although he was pushing it a little when his Ducati broke down on the way to the Wisconsin Guzzi rally and he wanted me to come pick him and his bike up. In the middle of the night. 

Childless by choice, myself, so everything I know about child raising is second hand at best, but as I understand it they grow up somewhere around 35.

Or not. YMMV.

I'm glad to learn that there's more than one engine in that pic. I was trying to put it all back together in my mind and I got a headache.

[Chuck in Indiana]

And then you get to the rally and there is a torn-down Norge scattered across the camping area...

It must have stressed that guy out getting it all back together. After that, every time I saw him, he had beer in hand sitting and guarding the beer wagon.. <shrug> 

[twowings]

"They also serve, who only sit and drink..."

[Darren Williams]

Yep. DR has so many design advantages it is so very odd that it doesn't outsell the KLR. Peer pressure is a powerful thing.

I've owned one DR and later two KLR's.  The KLR had better road manners, but way too many other issues when compared to the DR. If I was to get another it would be a DR hands down. By the time you are done modifying them, costs will be about the same with the DR a little less.

I think there is some powerful KLR Kool-aide out there, almost as powerful as BMW's.  When it comes to common man motorcycles, Suzuki has a few that are really in the sweet spot. Bandit, V-Strom, and DR. In my opinion of course.

[Chuck in Indiana]

I think there is some powerful KLR Kool-aide out there, almost as powerful as BMW's. 

Ahhh. That explains it. His mom and stepdad both have Beemers. 
Honestly, I don't have a dawg in this fight, but I'm not terribly impressed with the KLR either. It'll be a good learning experience for him, though..

[trippah]

What I think I would learn from this is the metal scrap dealer's phone number.

[Groover]

My heart skipped a beat for a second.. looked like one of my favorite 80's Enduros that I could never get my hands on back then; 1989 Yamaha 600 XT in green and purple.

[Lesman]

I rode a 2014 DR650  last Sunday. It was extremely gutless. I had a brand new XL500 in 1980. I weighed 145lbs in 1980. It seemed twice as fast and responsive as the DR650.  You can't believe how disappointed I was when I rode the DR650. I really thought I was going to get one at some point down the road. I weigh 210 now. My buddy weighs 225 and 6'2". He wants to ride to Costa Rica on it . I see maybe at best,  Houston to Corpus Christi before he turns around.
My XL 500 would do throttle only wheelies in the 1st and 2nd. It had a top speed of way over 80. ( I can't remember if it had 80mph or a 100 mph speedo). Got 60+ mpg possibly more. It had the brakes of a Honda 90.

[Groover]

I had a 1986 Honda 600 XL-RM (smaller tank than the XL), and a few of my friends had 1988 DR650s (one of them unfortunately died in an accident racing it). I thought the DR's were "tighter" and more hyper overall, whereas the Honda was more relaxed. I put a 1-tooth smaller front sprocket and made a world of difference in the performance, which I liked better for my use.

[twowheeladdict]

I really enjoyed my '08 KLR 650.  I bought it with 2000 miles on it and $4000 in upgrades from a doctor who was setting it up for an Alaskan adventure and then realized he couldn't break away from his 70 hour work schedule.

It had all the 'fixes' done when new, as well as top notch suspension and all the nice protection and luggage. 

I just didn't feel like the bike was happy when running beyond 65 mph and ended up replacing it with the Versys 650 and a KLX250S. 

I sold it to my next door neighbor and he commuted 100 miles a day on it.  He was over 50,000 miles when a texting teen jumped out in front of him.

[Darren Williams]

$4000 in upgrade? Wow, I didn't know there was that much you could do to a KLR.  Maybe that's why I never really bonded with mine.

[canuck750]

Between my two sons and myself we own 3 KLR's, best bang for the buck bike I have ever owned.
We have put a fair chunk of miles on them and they are pretty reliable other than the rock that shattered the oil sight glass a couple hours east of Phoenix two years ago, no that was an expensive fix! Amazing what a total loss of oil can do at 70 mph on a hot day, the top end basically melted.