Ultimate KLR650 modifications

My 2017 KLR650 with its complete list of modifications that i added to if for my 2019 around the world trip. complete list of modifications and upgrades. the mods are divided into three categories . 1. Protection, 2 Safety, and 3 Comfort and handling.
1.SW Motech crash guards
Ricochet Skid Plate
Eagle Mikes low profile drain plug
Eagle mike sub frame bolt upgrade
Happy Trails Rear Master Cylinder Guard
Tusk Panniers and Rack (Large)
Tusk D-Flex Pro hand Guards
Tusk Steel Braided Break lines
SAFETY
Eagle Mike Front Fork Brace
Rigid Industries Driving Lights
Upgraded High Beam Bulb
Garmin In-Reach GPS
Garmin Zumo 390 GPS
4 Way Flashers
Rotopax 1 gallon water jug and bracket
Rotopax 1 gallon fuel jug and bracket
Extended rear rack
Extened Mirrors
Sealed Battery
Comfort and Handling
Race Tech Front fork Springs
Top Gun Rear Shock Spring
KLRDash Upper
Zero Gravity Sport Tour Windshield
Eadle Mikes 1.5" bar risers
Progrip Dual sport Grips
Atlas Throttle lock
Tusk Extended Shiftier
Tusk Foot Pegs
Happy Trails Center Stand
16 Tooth Sprocket
MEFO Explorer Tires (front and rear)
SW Motech drybag 60 litter
Gofundme "ride of a lifetime

[@malcolmnuttall3165]

That's a great setup you have there, with a lot of thought, taking in to consideration, the countries your going too, and well researched needs, good luck on your trip, ride safe mate.

[@Ron_C]

Looks like you've got the KLR ready for an epic trip! Ride safe.

[@Ronbassettphd]

A very interesting step-by-step account of your modifications. I have made many of the same. Best of success and good luck on your wonderful venture

[@arideofalifetime7340]

thank you. has been a long time coming cant wait for the snow to go away

[@biggooddad]

Looks like you have all the bases covered, good luck!

[@garykentner7557]

Very informative. Nice bike. Good luck on your journey. Be safe.

[@breadave]

Nicely done! You have given me some good ideas!

[@techydog7854]

I bought a leftover 2017 last fall but it's still stock. Thanks to your video I can tell what it could look like.

[@arideofalifetime7340]

thanks for viewing, its a great bike to ride and lots of options for customizing to each riders needs. enjoy

[@timplympton4653]

I love the head lights!

[@BikerBytes]

Sweet mods man, given me a few ideas, cheers. ATB Jason.

[@RobRidesCarolina]

Great choice of mods. 👍 I'm looking forward to following your trip.

[@arideofalifetime7340]

Thanks its been fun researching and doing the mods, i agree with your comment in you video that we are responsible for making the bikes last as long as we can.

[@MuzzleMike]

Subbed ! From another KLR ride ! Great video !

[@Ronbassettphd]

Best of luck on a wonderful Journey

[@jamesbower5995]

Nice job Stephen! I hope you have a great trip.

[@arideofalifetime7340]

thank you

[@larrydugan1441]

Good set of mods. I have much the same. Best navigation is Google maps with t-mobile international option. Great information about how difficult mountain roads are. Just rode the from Cusco Perú to La Paz Bolivia. Bike runs great at high Altitude. 12,500 to 15,000 all day! Have a great trip.

[@GrtSatan]

I modded the brakes on mine by fitting a Galfer front rotor, braided steel lines and EBC pads. Also installed Progressive Suspension front springs and rear shock. The Eagle Mike fork brace was fitted to relieve fork twisting due to the improved braking. These mods vastly improved the braking and handling compared to stock, but the dear old truck is never going to compare to a pure street machine. Bought a KTM 790 Duke for going fast and use the KLR for camping tours.

[@johnlutz3418]

Very nice, glad to see someone from Wisconsin, hope you have a great trip and very nice mods

[@arideofalifetime7340]

thank you

[@mike300406]

no after market pipe no jetting etc air box improvements there my 1st things to do is get it running and sounding the best she can then of course a windscreen hand guards bark busters better pegs the fork brace is a good thing to have to

[@KARMAkazeMoto]

Good mods. Useful, well thought out stuff. Outfitting a bike can be a hobby in itself. 👍

[@arideofalifetime7340]

you can say that again. was fun trying not to go wild, try to keep to the budget and what was needed not wanted.

[@KARMAkazeMoto]

Begs the question, what was the budget?

[@arideofalifetime7340]

@@KARMAkazeMoto wanted to keep the cost to between 8 to 9k for the bike, mods, riding gear (always road cruisers so upgrade to adventure jacket pants boots and new helmet) and video equipment. so far right on target. budget for rtw thinging 35

[@RX7JG83]

Nice! I'm going to take the motorcycle test on Friday at my dmv and I want to buy a klr and tour the east coast. Thanks for posting this video I'm definitely going to get the crash guards and the other accessories! Keep on thumbing!!!!

[@arideofalifetime7340]

good luck on your test , you cant go wrong with the klr650. its a good all round bike.

[@RX7JG83]

@@arideofalifetime7340 I passed the test now for the MSF course!!!

[@clawlaw1357]

I have recently returned to motorcycle riding. The KLR650, 2006, was just a bike for sale at low cost. WOW was I impressed....over time. So after riding a little bit i started research on KLRs. It's not a rocket but no problem keeping up with long road travel. I quickly realized there is quite the cult following of the KLRs. Free info was great and friendly from experienced KLR650 owners. The 2006 is THE best and desired year. Try to buy one or parts for. I've got 18,750 mi. now. I enquired as I was a 2 stroke ride and 19,000 is a bunch. But my new KLR friends just laughed and said I was just breaking it in. I thought they were kidding or yanking my chain. Then they showed my there miles gauges...40 to 60 thousand miles!! Is that nomal? YES! I'm 6ft 9in tall 285 lbs. It carries me and 100lbs luggage easyly. I have since put on stock dog bones -2 to 4 in. And added a top model Congent back. Front was find, just upgraded brake.....which will lift rear tire up. Off with old stock pipes, and on with the dirtiest race pipe u could get away with. Immediate HP difference. Front wheel up with just medium power. Brighter front light, and lite weight luggage rack and back carry box. Plenty of space and can not hardly tell difference. Oh, with handlebar risers and lowering foot pegs, I can stand up!! 2006 KLR650 is THE best.

[@aaronwaderides7209]

Very nice the best part was the parts list and cost thanks

[@arideofalifetime7340]

thank you

[@nevraXmike]

Nice bike!

[@wingriderroy2776]

Enjoyed the video and like your content. I subscribed. I see your IBA placard. Did you do the BBG on a KLR? Outstanding! :)

[@robcarter8094]

Hey Stephen. I noticed the WI plate. I'm in SE wisconsin. Newer KLR owner. Any suggestions on great places to ride, getting off road (nothing crazy) and camp? Great video, you've put lots of ideas into my head.

[@arideofalifetime7340]

best thing is get out and ride. not into anything crazy offroad. plan on doing the trans Wisconsin American trail later this summer. I'm south of la crosse. thanks for watching glad you enjoyed

[@dericjb]

Enjoy the video. Thanks for sharing, lots of these mods I've done myself. Question: the highway pegs.....what/where? I've struggled to find a pair....curious what you settled on. Any help with this is appreciated! Ride Safe bro!

[@arideofalifetime7340]

i got them off of amazon www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XILLW5K. cost was 22.95. dont fit the best but made them work. they are hard to get tight so they dont slide on the crash guards.

[@MrCheaterpipe]

I'd recommend raising the fender back up if you plan to do much offroad they tend to pack full of mud and lock up the front wheel

[@arideofalifetime7340]

ok did not think about that aspect thank you

[@garrettsmith8286]

@@arideofalifetime7340 I have the same on mine. Never really a problem because I don't ride in anything to muddy where I ride. I was getting almost a death wobble on the freeway from the stock front fender in cross winds, so for me its well forth it! Also I tried to find that rear rack on ebay but had no luck. What is the name of the company who makes it? Your bike looks great! Almost the same setup as mine.

[@eyeLikeCarrots]

Are you going to upgrade the rear suspension at all ? All that weight.

[@BugOutdoors]

Great video. I ride a 2017 klr650 and make KZbin videos. I've done a few mods but have alot to go.

[@arideofalifetime7340]

thanks for viewing, your going to love the bike. thanks for viewing will be looking at your videos also

[@larryperez6828]

Great looking bike. Just got an 08 and the wife likes your low front fender. Could you tell us where you got it and how you mounted it please?

[@arideofalifetime7340]

I ordered it from revzilla.com and mounted in top of my eagle mikes fork stabilizer.

[@RedNeckBiker109]

You didn't mention this, so I would highly suggest taking an extra clutch and throttle cable with you. I would bet the availability of extra parts will be slim. Possibly a spare pre-oiled air filter, they easily pack in a zip lock. Are you swapping tires?

[@arideofalifetime7340]

thanks or the recommendations, i have added the spare air filter. i have been considering the extra cable and pre-routing them on the bike

[@olysasquatch]

Nice lookin machine and goodies for her! I put SW Motech on my Thumper as well. Found out the hard way and fubard radiator on first get off :/ Expensive lesson. When do you leave?

[@arideofalifetime7340]

thank you end of April is the plan

[@albion2742]

With some of the roads you will travel abroad and the weight you will be carrying have you thought about upgrading the rear shock. When do you plan on leaving for the trip.

[@arideofalifetime7340]

yes upgraded front and real suspension. If you watch my modifications video i talk about the upgrades and list the parts at the end. the only mods not listed where the 2 last minute changes and they where a leo vince exhaust and a set concepts seat. Not really a big fan of the seat concepts seat it works but think the standard KLR seat that came with the bike is better, just my option.

[@chrisbadenhorst5718]

HI Stephen, Great mods there. Please assist, what bracket are the Rigid lights mounted onto? Where did you buy the Rigids from? Regards Chris

[@arideofalifetime7340]

sorry for the slow reply, i copied the mounting bracket from a fellow youyuber, tim two wheels (T2W)

[@gregall7]

Armageddon type of upgrades if you ask me ... subbed.

[@arideofalifetime7340]

well when your a million miles away from home , bomb proof is best in my book better to have and not need than to need and not have.

[@MainelyMoto207]

What brand is that extended rear rack?

[@richardrubow9539]

Just curious; what kind of bar did you use to mount your aux lights? thanks

[@arideofalifetime7340]

I made my own found the design on tim two wheels channel "T2W"

[@ricochet4434]

I was thinking of shipping my KLR to London from Orlando. Did you find any good shippers?

[@arideofalifetime7340]

air Canada. fly your bike program. going Ontario to Frankfurt but they fly to England Ireland. France. and at a great price

[@mitchjimmy2962]

Bike still.strong how did everthing last??

[@leejohnson2294]

Where did you get the mount bar for the lights and where did you get the dash? thanks.. good video..

[@arideofalifetime7340]

I mounted the lights on the fender mount under the dash. found the plans for the mount on KZbin in a video by fellow klr650 rider and the dash mount I found at the same place but modified it to my needs. tha is for watching. hope to post more videos from my ride around the world soon

[@leejohnson2294]

@@arideofalifetime7340 nice thanks will continue to follow and look forward to updates.

[@1sinister80]

Well how did the trip go?

[@1bigimpact]

how do you get the bike there and whats the cost

[@arideofalifetime7340]

air Canada runs a program called fly my bike. it runs April to September. if you book yourself on an air Canada flight then you get a reduce price for your bike. my flight was 750.00 us and my back was 700.00

[@AzMtnThumper]

Nice setup, hope you have a great trip. A couple reccomendations, a torsion spring for your "dohickey", going that far you'll need to adjust it periodically and the stock spring doesn't offer much tension (eagle mike to the rescue). A low profile oil drain plug (eagle mike or tusk). A heavier shock spring or a beefier shock such as the cogent dynamics moab/adventure. Rocky mountain has a pretty good how to video on shock spring installation. I'm jealous!!!

[@arideofalifetime7340]

my drain plug is the eagle mikes low profile. still on the fench about the dohickey as of right now. working on some shake down rides right now to make sure all is set up correct. have changed the rear shock. thanks again

[@ADVNevada]

Nice bike! Tell more about the rear rack....

[@arideofalifetime7340]

found it on ebay its the Kawasaki KLR650 luggage rack KIT (2008-2018) KLR 650 made by NOMADIC CYCLE RACKS

[@ADVNevada]

@@arideofalifetime7340 Thanks!

[@onerider808]

Nice rig. How did the trip go?

[@arideofalifetime7340]

trip was great. bike ran awesome, until it was stolen in England. finished the trip and rental bikes. have replaced it with a 2016 klr650 after I got back state side. currently riding it through Canada and then down the west cost and then back to wi.

[@timmytool1231]

I've owned four 650's great bikes. Are you considering the doohickey, and .22 cent, or did you mention that? L mod? Trip of a life time, are you going with anyone?

[@arideofalifetime7340]

did the .22 cent trick was way worth it. did not do the doohickey was going to do it when I got back. had the bike stolen in England and was destroyed before it was recovered. will post pic in a video I am working on. have returned back to the states and have picked up an other klr650 and planing on going back to finish the trip.

[@bingobandit]

@@arideofalifetime7340 Well that sux! Hope you have better luck, next time around. I'm heading down to Sierra Vista Az to pick up an 09, has had the doo done, has a bunch of stuff on it, 3000 miles, just love these bikes.

[@arideofalifetime7340]

@@bingobandit had a buddy find me a 2016 with 7,000 had the doohickey do e and sent back some of the parts from destroyed one and he had it set up almost the same as what I had when I left. yes it did suck but refuse to let it stop me from my goal. this year I'm going to do the tat and then next hear head back to do the RTW trip. want to also do alaska to chili in the near future

[@bingobandit]

@@arideofalifetime7340 Well I have to hand it to you for not giving up on your dreams. And good luck. Keep us posted. My nephew wants to do Mexico to Chili, but I think he's just dreaming at this stage. My brother in law did the Trans Amazon in 1988 in his Jeep. There were many classes of vehicles, one being a Harley Road King, great story. I think they went though like 6 countries, he won in his class.

[@AlanTrades]

What are the name of the highway pegs?

[@arideofalifetime7340]

found them on amazon

[@AlanTrades]

Which light mount is that

[@arideofalifetime7340]

I copied it from a fellow youtuber. Tim2wheels. you can down load the plans from his site

[@perfectlynormal5729]

Did you make it around the world and how did the bike fare?

[@arideofalifetime7340]

the bike handle/ preformed perfectly. made it through 39 different countries and then while traveling through England had my bike stolen. recovered it but it was damaged beyond repair. plan on continuing/ reattempting the ride if the covid bs ever ends.

[@perfectlynormal5729]

@@arideofalifetime7340 So sorry to hear your bike was stolen. Hopefully the insurance took care of that for you.

[@arideofalifetime7340]

yes. insurance did cover the bike.had to purchase European motorcycle insurance for the trip. wasvery expenses but easy to work with.

[@fernandoares158]

whats your route plan?

[@arideofalifetime7340]

will be posting the first route in a couple days. Basically going to use Germany as mu base camp and visit relatives. the make 4 loops to cover the EU then head out east to pick up Russia and Mongolia and a couple other countries

[@DanielA25584]

What brand highway pegs did you get?

[@arideofalifetime7340]

genaric ones i found on amazon. was a pain to get them to lock down tight

[@AlanTrades]

@@arideofalifetime7340 do you remember the name of the pegs

[@arideofalifetime7340]

@@AlanTrades HTTMT 3.7 out of 5 stars 19Reviews HTTMT- 215-056- Replacement of Fit 1"- 1.25" 1 1/4" Engine Guard U-Clamp Footpegs For Harley Bad Boy Fxstsb Heritage Softail FLST Black

[@user-yz7dl3wu3v]

I regretted that I sold mine It's one of my best bikes , my 650 ninger Yamaha can't compare

[@RankinetotheRescue]

Good Upgrades. Check out my channel for some of my KLR upgrades. I would definitely upgrade the seat. I got a Seat Concepts Commuter seat and it made all the difference. The stock seat is not great for long days in the saddle. Good luck! I'll be back on the TAT in March for more fun!!

[@dwightbernheimer331]

Seems like some people buy a KLR and put big bucks into it to try to make it do something it was Never really designed to do in the First place. Just an observation...

[@arideofalifetime7340]

That is true, But there is not much the KLR can not do, and with the upgrades its still way below the cost of the other bikes. I have rode the BMW GS1200, Honda African Twin, Yamaha Super Tenera and few others. I will be posting my reviews of each this winter, but I thing it truly comes down to each riders style, budget, wants desires

[@supertrucker2077]

Awesome looking bike! Mine is the same color as yours and I love it! I did a video of my bike and mods on my channel Supertrucker207.. check it out if you feel like it.. could give you some ideas for safety stickers , tires etc... congratulations on being able to get to live your dreams! I ride my bike back and forth to work mostly.. I want to go on a long adventure trip but the reality is I probably never will be able too.. so on behalf of guys like me.. I wish you all the best of luck and I hope your trip is everything and more than you can possibly hope for 👍

[@warartco]

Thanks for the vid. But just to be clear, I won't be paying to watch you ride a motorcycle.

[@arideofalifetime7340]

no problem hope you enjoy what i post

[@DanMarcelino]

Nice mods, but please stop chapping your lips.. PLEASE!

[@copisetic1104]

Front brakes suck, if you are thinking safety you should have worked on the front and rear brakes first, the rest of this stuff is fluff. Also go Keto

[@mr00ks]

Ok everything looks and sounds good & you listed everything you did the only thing you didn't give is a link where you got things. That would be very helpful. You took the time to video now how about take the time to list the websites so other people can find the things they may want too.

[@arideofalifetime7340]

most came from rockymountain atv