Kawasaki KLR650 ADV Bike Build

[@specialized29er86]

Love the bike, I have a 30,000 k 2004 version and all I've done is fitted the low profile sump plug, knobbly tyres, the do hicky, a stiffer front and height adjustable rear suspension, a Staintune exhaust with the quiet baffle oh and a complete set of front and rear crash bars. 10 months ago I had bilateral knee replacements and today I climbed back on and went for a 20klm off road ride.

[@onerider808]

First thing I got for my 23 Adventure was a flush-mount, magnetic oil drain plug. After that, Bark Busters, Skid plate, wider/grippy footpegs, and upper cage.

[@pinkiewerewolf]

For probably 25 years I've wanted a KLR but always bought street bikes. Lately, I've been lusting over the Africa Twin models and the Tiger 800 XCA or XCX. For some reason, maybe it is because Kawasaki has 86'd the KLR 650 (for now), I've been watching the KLR 650 videos and thinking, maybe I was right all those years, the 650 is what I really need in a do it all bike. I know it takes some work to make them "perfect" but that is half the fun.

[@mctechies745]

Check out fort nines torture test of the klr.

[@jeckyll71]

I've had both gen 1 & 2's and put over 100k on them, this is a good list. I'd add eagle mike raising links for the taller riders, I'm 6'1" and it helps a lot. And if you want to go long distances on the highway, doing the 685 kit and going +1 on the front sprocket will have the bike doing 70+ mph all day long without vibrating to bits. I've found tires to be a very individual preference and have found the Shinko 244's to be excellent value while giving decent perfromance off and on road, but where I am we don't have a lot of sand or serious mud, so that'll change based on environment :) Thanks for putting these videos together!

[@rmatvmc]

That's great feedback! Thanks for sharing for us all.

[@matiaswesley8464]

instaBlaster...

[@onerider808]

The fork brace is a good idea.

[@tumbleweedfarm]

Love my '93 KLR650. Bought it used for $900. Put less than $300 in it to get it back to road worthy. That was over 5 years ago. Last January, I had a hard spill (hit a dog on a gravel road)... fixed for less than $15 and back on the road!

[@rmatvmc]

Ha that's awesome! Thanks for commenting.

[@googleuser2082]

The KLR is what an Adventure bike should be. Simple, light, easy to fix and relatively cheap. All these £15k adventure bikes you see with 140+hp never get ridden off road because the owners are too scared of crashing it, and rightly so with the cost

[@ameerikbal8160]

isn't klr heavier than dr650

[@torkrench]

@@ameerikbal8160 a lil bit

[@OneManTrail]

Tenere 700 has entered the chat…

[@HartyBiker]

@@OneManTrail t7 I think is my dream bike, but I can't afford a brand new one, and in Western Australia the few that are for sale second hand are pretty much retail price because of covid tax. Looks like a beautiful bike though

[@johnfleming1476]

@@HartyBiker "covid tax"?

[@RedEyedJack]

I just got a 01 klr650 with 8k miles on it that has never been off-road and has been maintained amazingly well. Great info. thanks!!!

[@WanderingBeast]

love your passion for the old tractor, me and my Gen 1 just passed your shop, didnt know where it was, holiday so you were closed, I'll catch ya next time Im down here.

[@rmatvmc]

Oh no! That's to bad.. definitely stop in sometiime @Wandering Beast

[@wangbuba]

You popped that Wheelie so easily. I have such a hard time getting my front wheel up. HOW DID YOU DO IT!?!?! Also great video, I gotta start adding to my KLR.

[@joecrennan2061]

Well presented with the essentials covered. But what about thermo bob?

[@xCRO3x]

For anyone looking at the Ricochet skid plate, The Ricochet doesn’t need the low profile drain plug.

[@dirkharvey]

If you replace the doo, you MUST do the torsion spring. I did the eagle mike doo, adjusted it, and the spring failed and lost tension so when I adjusted it, it loosened and about grenaded the tensioner system. Luckily I knew it sounded weird and I took it apart to discover the spring stretched out and tension lost.

[@fenderfan8543]

Cool vid. Does anyone other then Lexx make an exhaust for these bikes? lol, every single klr has the same one.

[@TiberiusStorm]

If you're going to put in an Eagle Mike "doohickey" then you should also upgrade to the torsion spring!

[@Handirifle]

Justin, am curious what the weight difference between the KLR and DR650, is AFTER you made the ADV version of the DR650.

[@osimnod]

Nicely done, succinct and well thought-out. Goes to show the wisdom of buying simple, reliable, serviceable rigs, especially if you're in developing countries that has few repair shops and dodgy gas quality.

[@Indarow]

How do you guys feel about the eagle Mike raising links in place of a new shock/heavier oil and spring? Yes they raise your seat height, but I’ve heard from several people that they really do a good job of stiffening up the rear suspension and they’re substantially less expensive than a new shock as well as new oil/springs.

[@bcshooterfmjprime7540]

I'm just curious you said you prefer the same quiet noise did you mess with the jet after putting that muffler on or were you able to run it without tuning it

[@noofyinc3198]

I like all the updates but after throwing thousands at it aren't you better off with a f800gs that's already equipped done of that and more

[@Video101TV]

Great video! I ordered a bunch of the upgrades you recommend here from Rocky Mountain ATV MC, (metal skid plate, crash bars, pegs, shifter etc) including a set of rimlocks. I have a question about the rimlocks. First off, there's no "extra hole" that I can see on either the front or back wheel of my 2013 KLR 650, so I take it I have to drill the holes myself? Secondly, some people online say that its better to use two rimlocks per wheel... 1) because the tire can't come off with two rimlocks installed. 2) because it takes so much weight to counter-balance the single rimlock you might as well use two. Is this true, or just over-kill? Will one rimlock keep the wheel on if I get a flat at 65mph? Just FYI, my riding style is fairly mellow... logging/fireroads combined with highways. My ultimate goal though is to ride from Portland to Moab and then do the White Rim trail. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[@Gunner40Five]

Nice job guys. Bike looks good to go!

[@rmatvmc]

@Gunner40Five Hey thanks! I like your profile picture.. looks familiar! :)

[@miguelmiranda9122]

great vid fellas! got most of that, obviously got it @ RM. cheers.

[@Arshin53]

Thanks Much For All The Info Guys.

[@momustafa321]

Do i need to build the 2018 model 2 if i buy it the same or different build

[@mxracerguy]

I love my KLR!

[@rmatvmc]

@mxracerguy Thanks for sending us some KLR ♥!

[@anthonymoreno159]

Hello, love your channel and store ....however you have done 2 klr650 builds and not one DR650! For all us fans or the best 650 dual sport ! Let's see one!

[@kumar1077]

it's a sick bike

[@farmboy694]

Is the doohicky a problem on a 2015 or newer?

[@torkrench]

Which bar bend did you go with?

[@joshtimmons7332]

How many thousands in upgrades are in this bike

[@rmatvmc]

A couple

[@anthonybaiocchi3028]

Best upgrade is a tank full of fuel and ride the fk'n thing! BDS

[@879doogie]

great video. as far as a "must have" for the klr, do you think installing a big bore 685 kit is necessary?

[@BigStrath]

From everything I've seen, the 685 is good if your bike is burning a lot of oil and will solve that problem, but if you are buying it purely for power you should expect modest results. The klr isn't built to be a speed demon and it will take a lot of money for not that much more power.

[@jimwilliams182]

Great Video!!! Thanks

[@realcolbyadams]

Went into Rocky Mountain ATV MC Outlet in St. George, Utah and was treated like I didn't exist. I was looking for items for my KLR and the sales associate told me to go to my local auto parts store & amazon. I was going to spend $1500 on accessories at RMATV...

[@alwaysadventure3950]

What front fender did y'all put on this bike?

[@rmatvmc]

We went with the Acerbis Motard Black Front Fender: www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/1042/-/46038/Acerbis-Super-Motard-Front-Fender-Black

[@j.santiago7022]

Crucial info! Subscribed!

[@rmatvmc]

Awesome, thanks!

[@longshotin05]

Hi great video, I just bought a 2016 KLR today! One question I have is, if you are going to replace the muffler with a slip-on, shouldn't you do that before you install the pannier rack? It seems like you would have to take the rack off and on again to get at the muffler.

[@rmatvmc]

@longshotin05 Yes.. that would be recommended if you're looking into an exhaust system for it.

[@zzxx33mh]

willing to buy new Green machine..wish you injoyable save riding..

[@Lhawk2107]

7:59 DUDE Thats a bike NOT a submarine ... hahahaha

[@rmatvmc]

Haha that's funny! Good one

[@kazak-4757]

thank you !

[@b1pig]

looks alot like mine. except for the luggage. and the windscreen. and the seat. and the pegs. and the suspension.

[@rmatvmc]

They're a sweet looking bike when they are all Adventure'd out!

[@TitanFlare]

I always see people talking about crash bars for because the plastic is expensive. Is that all they do? Cause I don't care about a $90 piece of plastic, I'm trying to protect the 3 grand motor on the frame

[@rmatvmc]

That's a solid point! And I agree, but being one of those people that has also had to buy a shroud for the 2nd gen KLR650, I'm all in for all the benefits of running crash bars. - Wes

[@tylerseely]

Nice bike but with all the changes you recommend it makes me wonder if the stock KLR is any good without spending another couple thousand bucks.

[@AvoidingSnail]

the bike is so cheap that you still come in under the price of a similar bike. it's also actually not an adventure bike and this video was on how to turn it into a bike that it is not.

[@tylerseely]

I get what you're saying but that's a tough pill to swallow when Kawasaki markets the bike as an "adventure bike" right off the showroom floor then people find out they have to shell out a LOT more money to make it everyone's version of an adventure bike.

[@AvoidingSnail]

+T. S. They don't market it as an adventure bike... its a dual sport through and through. and honestly to expect what some people expect out of something with this things price tag is insane.

[@bryanreeme8584]

It's fine as is! Change footpegs, install bash bars & plate if going offroad; about $3-400

[@aajawo]

Hey is that the regular or tall Seat Concepts comfort seat ?

[@rmatvmc]

When this video was filmed the XL seat wasn't available so this is the regular size you see. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@tirapiedras01]

is a good bike for beginners?

[@rmatvmc]

Yes. Very good bike and very affordable considering all the other manufactures.

[@tirapiedras01]

Rocky Mountain ATV MC What about the weight? is to heavy for New riders? and thx bro

[@rmatvmc]

Chris F It is a full figured machine, but at higher speeds it is very stable. You could look into the DRZ400 if you're worried about weight. We think both bikes are great for new riders.

[@tirapiedras01]

Rocky Mountain ATV MC I think I'll take the KLR, thanks for the help.

[@22ryanoc]

What about a center stand? Or does it come with one?

[@rmatvmc]

Yes it does.

[@BigStrath]

Um I think Rocky Mountain was saying that their bike has a center stand on it, but the KLR does NOT come with a center stand. From what I have read the Happy Trails and SW Motech make good ones. I just installed the SW Motech and its great so far. Really easy to install.

[@rmatvmc]

Strath09 Yes, this is true. Sorry for any confusion. Altrider or SW Motech make great center stands: www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/1490/40484/SW-MOTECH-Center-Stand

[@Leon-ec9ge]

What is the price more or less for the 685 and 705 cc mods ?

[@thwolf762]

check out Eagle Mikes web site for the price.

[@rmatvmc]

eaglemike.com/685-forged-piston-kit-685pk.htm

[@GaryBrubacher]

Good info

[@guloguloguy]

.....I know that the US Military has used/is using the "Hayes" KLR650 DIESEL bikes! Do/have you ever seen, or built any DIESEL Engine bikes?! Diesel might get better mileage, and be easier to obtain, .....(if SHTF?!)...

[@rmatvmc]

*guloguloguy* - we have not. Sounds cool though.

[@JasonCWaite]

You said "has a great price" but didn't mention the price. What's the price?

[@rmatvmc]

Price on a new 2016 KLR650 you're looking around $6,599. You'd want to check with your local area to see what they're going for? Or even used.. you can find great deals for even around the $2,500 mark.

[@supporterofsanity]

I found a new 2015 leftover model which is mechanically the same as a 2016 for $5,349 out the door.

[@rmatvmc]

supperterofsanity That is awesome!

[@carsonautrey243]

If you don't mind me asking, what is the total price of all these modifications?

[@mrfeser1]

I would love to know that also

[@rmatvmc]

If you're looking to do ALL the mods.. you're looking close to $2,800, ball park price..

[@butchbrown7405]

WOW....you must have at least 2 grand into that thing!

[@t0rk_]

I own a KLR, and far from dislike the bike, but if I were going to sink $9,000 into a motorcycle this wouldn't be it. I paid $4k for mine, so If I did all the mods in this video it would almost double the cost. That's just a lot of lipstick for a pig. For $9k I'd take a new 650 GS with $1k of mods over a new KLR with $2.5k of mods. Heck, you could even get used FZ-07 and a used KLX250 for the same price. That's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, but you get what I'm saying.

[@barrybrant3905]

so much for saying it is a affordable bike

[@hectorvelasquez7626]

Abra posibilidad de sub titular el video gracias

[@benoitcomeau2478]

only a tusk commercial

[@jms415]

seems like the fork brace would catch mud

[@rmatvmc]

You're probably right on that.. but the end result you get out of it is worth it!

[@jsned2502]

I have had a KLR 2nd gen and a DR650. The DR is better. Much more power and just as good if not a little better at highway speeds. Less wind protection is all you lose. But thats easy and cheap to solve. Suspension sucks on both.

[@Harleyguy03]

Gee, after doing all that (luggage aside) you make me think the stock KLR650 is a piece of crap.

[@HobbitHomes263]

If oyu use the words "my build" it sounds magical but it is all bullshit. The KLR is an uber reliable bike and doesn't need a "build". "The word BUILD is just click bait crap