THIRD GENERATION KLR

“WHAT REMAINS MOSTLY UNCHANGED IS THE 652 CC LIQUID-COOLED SINGLE, THOUGH IT DOES GET A FEW INTERNAL RELIABILITY-ENHANCING IMPROVEMENTS”

The Kawasaki KLR650 was introduced in 1987, yet that first generation, which enjoyed a 20-year run mostly unchanged, slipped under my radar. The reputable do-all bike wasn’t pretty, and it was quite simple even by mid-1980s standards. But it did create a following of diehard fans, one of which I became after having ridden the redesigned KLR650-E model in 2008. I eventually bought one.

That second-generation KLR looked much better to my eye, its frame-mounted fairing provided better wind protection and it had better suspension. However, its underpinnings, which included a single-cylinder lump of an engine, remained mostly unchanged. It enjoyed only half the lifespan of the first generation; increasingly stringent emissions standards finally caught up with its archaic carburetor, and to the chagrin of countless KLR converts — myself included — production ended in 2018.

While the KLR didn’t offer outstanding performance or advanced technical features, its reliability, overall usefulness and low price ($7,199 in 2018) made it a legendary bargain in motorcycling. Fortunately for grieving proponents of the venerable, affordable dual sport, Kawasaki reintroduced the KLR650 for 2022.

Mostly Un-Messed With

The folks. There is a new variation, however: the KLR650 Adventure we test here, which adds hard side cases, LED auxiliary lights, a crash bar, a USB port and 12-volt outlet to the base model. Among the KLR’s most appealing features is a continued low price, the base model starting at just $7,499. Our KLR650 Adventure retails for $9,699. ABS is finally available and adding it to either the base KLR650 or the Adventure model adds just $300. Unfortunately, we cannot assess how the ABS performs off-road, since an ABS model was not available at the time of our test.