klr vs. nx650 - long
Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2000 9:30 am
Hi all,
I've been contemplating getting a KLR for months now. I've been
wavering back and forth about what sort of bike I want, and the KLR
is
back toward the top of the list.
Some quick background... I've been riding for 15 years or so and have
owned 50+ bikes, of all types. I've dabbled in road racing, enduros
and long distance riding, but never really did much of any of it.
Considering the number of bikes I've had, it's fair to say that
motorcycles have been sort of "all consuming" for quite a while, and
I
think I'm reaching a point of burn-out. Lately I haven't done much
riding at all. With that in mind, I've been getting rid of bikes and
cutting down, and I'd like to get to just one bike. A dualsport of
some sort seems to be the best "only" bike, and the KLR (of course)
is
a likely candidate.
The kicker is that I don't want to spend any money 
. I'm in
"getting married, buying a new house, blah, blah, blah" mode. Now
before any of you get uptight, the Fiance has a bike of her own and
has no qualms about my spending bucks - I'm making a (shudder)
wise/rational choice to save money on my own (the horror).
So... I'd like to spend ~2k, which should get an older KLR in decent
condition. I've never been one to worry about high/low mileage, but
in
this case I'd like to get one w/10k or less - for no good reason.
Another bike that I've seen one or two of in that price range is the
NX650. We have an NX250 (her bike) and I really like it, but it's too
small and underpowered for extended riding for me. I think the NX650
would make a unique do-it-all bike, but I wonder how it stacks up to
the KLR... Anyone spent time on both and care to comment? On the
surface, the KLR seems to have the edge, but the NX has a bit of a
unique factor that the KLR doesn't (sorry). I think I know the
answer,
but it would be interesting to hear any first hand info.
Anyone have a KLR for sale for ~2k? Good condition, lowish miles,
etc.? It doesn't have to be pretty, just solid and reliable. I'm in
DE, but woudn't mind a nice ride home if the circumstances were right.
It's been a while since I was last on the list, so I forget some of
the particulars, but IIRC, the differences between pre '96 and '96 +
are the clutch and counterbalancer. Anything else? Any years I should
be wary of?
One more thing... There's a '98 KLR for sale that I know of for
$2,200. It has 18k and has never had a valve adjustment, needs tires
&
brakes & cosmetic stuff. It sounds like it's just been ridden and not
maintained. The owner claims the oil was changed every 2k, but
considering the other things that were ignored, I'm hesitant to
believe that. Any thoughts on this bike? One thing I don't want now
is
a big project. I don't want to re-build motors, etc., I want a bike
sitting there to ride when I get the urge - and I want to be able to
do whatever kind of riding I want... Sounds like I want a KLR.
Anyone want a beater '84 XL600? Runs good, lots of new(er) stuff.
Solid, ugly and cheap - $650ish would be good. Located in DE. It goes
when I find a replacement dual sport.
thanks,
Craig Faison
cfaison@...
. I'm in
"getting married, buying a new house, blah, blah, blah" mode. Now
before any of you get uptight, the Fiance has a bike of her own and
has no qualms about my spending bucks - I'm making a (shudder)
wise/rational choice to save money on my own (the horror).
So... I'd like to spend ~2k, which should get an older KLR in decent
condition. I've never been one to worry about high/low mileage, but
in
this case I'd like to get one w/10k or less - for no good reason.
Another bike that I've seen one or two of in that price range is the
NX650. We have an NX250 (her bike) and I really like it, but it's too
small and underpowered for extended riding for me. I think the NX650
would make a unique do-it-all bike, but I wonder how it stacks up to
the KLR... Anyone spent time on both and care to comment? On the
surface, the KLR seems to have the edge, but the NX has a bit of a
unique factor that the KLR doesn't (sorry). I think I know the
answer,
but it would be interesting to hear any first hand info.
Anyone have a KLR for sale for ~2k? Good condition, lowish miles,
etc.? It doesn't have to be pretty, just solid and reliable. I'm in
DE, but woudn't mind a nice ride home if the circumstances were right.
It's been a while since I was last on the list, so I forget some of
the particulars, but IIRC, the differences between pre '96 and '96 +
are the clutch and counterbalancer. Anything else? Any years I should
be wary of?
One more thing... There's a '98 KLR for sale that I know of for
$2,200. It has 18k and has never had a valve adjustment, needs tires
&
brakes & cosmetic stuff. It sounds like it's just been ridden and not
maintained. The owner claims the oil was changed every 2k, but
considering the other things that were ignored, I'm hesitant to
believe that. Any thoughts on this bike? One thing I don't want now
is
a big project. I don't want to re-build motors, etc., I want a bike
sitting there to ride when I get the urge - and I want to be able to
do whatever kind of riding I want... Sounds like I want a KLR.
Anyone want a beater '84 XL600? Runs good, lots of new(er) stuff.
Solid, ugly and cheap - $650ish would be good. Located in DE. It goes
when I find a replacement dual sport.
thanks,
Craig Faison
cfaison@...