klr vs. nx650 - long

[Craig Faison]

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@...