I've been riding for many years, mostly dual sport and sport bikes, currently have a 2004 Honda 599 and a 2015 Yamaha FZ-09 but I can honestly say I've probably had more fun on a KLR-650 than just about any other bike out there. The KLR is probably the very staple of the poor mans do-it-all machine. It is not at the top of the list on any performance list, but it's a great machine, and I wish I still had one.

Pros of a KLR: Can cruise highway speeds all day and relatively comfortably. (When I lived in Vegas I would cruse mine to L.A. / Malibu, if it can handle pulling those hills in 110 degrees at interstate speed it will handle just about anything), so they are more than capable interstate/travel machines. I had one as my only means of transportation for a year (until it was stolen) in Las Vegas, so urban city transportation is not a problem. To be honest, its very at home in traffic, you sit high enough to see around most cars, and it has plenty of power and is very nimble considering its weight. I'm not a big guy (6' 130lbs) so don't let the curb weight intimidate you. I've crossed large sections (like 90 miles) of desert on one, and with the large fuel tank (and aftermarket available IMS 7 gallon tank ) it has a very good range. I've even had one up Tincup pass here in Colorado and its a pretty capable off road machine. I wouldn't try and go all motocross and jump one, but it can handle some pretty rough terrain. That machine has remained relatively unchanged for decades so parts are available out the wazoo.

Cons of a KLR: Its ugly.


I'm gonna disagree with Ray on this one, dual sports are awesome. I've never been a rich guy, so having a truck and trailer to transport a dirt bike somewhere to ride just doesn't jive with me. Yes, a dirt bike is far more capable in the dirt, and a CBR1000RR will smoke one on the asphalt, but you can't ride either of those from Pueblo to Moab while hitting dirt trails on the way. On both of my sport bikes now I constantly find myself riding along the highway and sighting some dirt road going who knows where, wishing I could go find out.

Another bonus to something like the KLR. You can ride up/down steps on one, over curbs, though ditches, etc. I've been stuck on interstates in traffic and literally gone cross county to get to my destination. In Vegas it wasn't uncommon to hop up a curb and ride though some landscaping to get into the college or wherever parking lot. Alot of sport bikes will high center on the exhaust or the body work when riding up or down a curb or steps, ask me how I know. I'm not condoning that behavior, as I was a dumbass in my younger years, but if your looking for a SHTF machine, its a pretty good option too. You can strap luggage to a KLR, and ride until your hearts content.

Don't get me wrong, I love sport bikes, but realistically they can seldom be used to their full potential on the street.

Don't let them talk you out of a dual sport if that's what you want.

On that note, if the KLR doesn't do it for you, suzuiki makes some good bikes, not sure if Honda still makes the XR650L or not. A friend of mine had one and he liked it, my only beef with it was that it was air cooled. I try to stick to liquid cooled bikes, but then again, my background is Las Vegas and air cooled doesn't work out too well in a Las Vegas summer traffic jam.