Re: "I HATE THE KLR 650!"

As an avid, albeit fairly slow and relatively talentless dual sport motorcycle fanatic and content creator, I follow a lot of Facebook groups, forums, YouTube channels, e-rags, and blogs about enduro and adventure motorcycling. And every once in a while, it's inevitable somebody will pipe up in a comment, and in all seriousness, rant about how the KLR650 sucks. After which they'll point out how heavy it is, how lacking in power, how terrible the suspension is, its issues with drinking oil and the infamous doohickey, and then usually take a jab at KLR owners as being cheap or stupid and zealously loyal to an obsolete machine. Well, let's get this out of the way. The KLR is underpowered, it is heavy, the suspension is lacking, and the generation 2 KLRs do have a precarious knack for consuming a lot of oil. The same could be said for the DR, DRZ, XR, or many of the other budget-friendly motorcycles out there. But let's get something straight. For the price of a new premium adventure motorcycle, say $17,000, I could buy 6 used KLRs, or DRs, or DRZs, or XRs, or WRs, or a combination of all of those, with the helmets and boots and all of the riding gear needed for my friends to ride with me on those bikes, and still have enough left over to cover a month-long international adventure with said friends. So back to the KLR. No motorcycle in the world has hooked so many people on adventure travel or the joys of dual sport motorcycling. For me personally, I have seen a lot more of this beautiful earth from the saddle of a KLR 650 than from any other vehicle. I have had experiences that would not have been financially or logistically possible without the price point, the availability, or the versatility of the KLR or its Japanese cousins. Now would I have ever guessed that this old, underpowered, poorly suspended $1,700 motorcycle would literally enrich my life in ways that I never thought possible? Not a chance. Back then it was just a bike that seemed like it could get me to fun places, get good gas mileage, and it was in my price range. I had no idea what good suspension felt like, or what good power was for that matter. All I knew is that it got me places that I wanted to go, and it was paid for with cash on a teacher's salary. Now my old KLR is still slow, it's still lacking in areas. It's a dirty, beat up, but cherished shrine to adventure, and memories, and amazing friendships, and awesome experiences. And I don't love it because I'm a green-blooded Kawasaki fanboy or something. It's because this motorcycle, just like any other hunk of metal and plastic on two wheels, is a lens through which I can see the beautiful world around me. I would feel the same way about any other bike. It just happens that the KLR was the one that did this for me, and it does this for a lot of people, because there are so many of them out there. So Mr. I-Hate-Your-KLR-Rant-Guy, you're right. It's not the best motorcycle in the world. Not on paper, not on dirt, and not on pavement. When you look at the stat sheet, it's a rather terrible motorcycle. But perhaps those aren't the stats we should be looking at. Those kind of stats can't be quantified in an Excel document. The KLR is the motorcycle that got me out there experiencing life, living my life, and meeting other people who are living their lives. Whether that's on a Kawasaki, a Suzuki, a Triumph, a Prilia, or a KTM, or a Honda, or a Yamaha, or a Bimmer, or even a Harley-Davidson. So my ranting friend, maybe instead of obsessing over the badge on your tank, or who you should and shouldn't wave to, or a paper with numbers from a dyno, you should focus a little more on why we ride in the first place. Is it for the sense of superiority, or adoration, or respect that we perceive from having an expensive machine? Or is it for something a little bit deeper? Thanks for watching ladies and gentle-tubers. Make sure to hit that subscribe button for more videos like this. And no matter what you ride, or how you ride it, be safe out there, have a lot of fun, and show respect and friendship to everybody you ride with, no matter what bike they're on. If you love your KLR 650 like I do, you're not going to want to miss the West Coast Adventure Tour, where I took a KLR 650 through seven western states from Canada to Mexico. Click the video to the right of the screen to check it out.