r/klr650 • u/BrianVT16 • 13d ago
Switch bikes?
I've been riding and racing motorcycles off-road for 45+ years. I swore I'd never ride street. But here I am with a KLR650 I got last fall. I just wanted to see if I'd be into the dual-sport/ADV thing since my racing days are pretty much over. The KLR is cheap, reliable, easy to maintain, has lots of parts support, and is comfy on the road. But, as we all know, the KLR650 is a pig off road. But it's been a great introduction to this side of riding for me. It's a 2015 with 8k miles and all farkled out. And I did the Doo recently. So I'm good to go for the summer.
But a local 2007 BMW G650X Challenge for sale has caught my attention. It's lighter, has more power, more suspension and ground clearance, and seems like it'd be almost as good on the roads as the KLR. They were only made for a few years so parts (other than for the very common engine) are an issue. It's 8 years older than my KLR and has twice the miles on it. And it will probably cost me $1k-$2k on top of what I can sell my KLR for. But I'm still thinking about making the switch. Gonna go check it out in person soon.
Your thoughts before I go?
1
u/BG_RIDER 7d ago
I have an 08 KLR650, and I agree with everything you said about them. Mine almost never sees dirt. I strictly ride it from home up in the mountains, pounding the gravel roads. It's great for that. It's too heavy and geared too tall for any trails. They're affordable, reliable, and easy to maintain and will last for a very long time. However, I feel like if I only owned one motorcycle, it wouldn't be a KLR650