‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ is a truism obviously followed by Kawasaki in the evolution of their KLR650 on/off road motorcycle. The bike’s been with us since 1987 with very few significant changes.
Late last year Kawasaki South Africa opted to bring in the KLR 650A version, which benefits from the addition of a small fairing and windscreen, a much bigger fuel tank, alloy rims instead of the steel ones previously used, more suspension travel and a little extra power. In short, the new KLR 650A is better suited for tackling Africa than its predecessor was, being more biased towards dirt roads and secondary routes than to sitting on toll roads for hour after hour.
The Kawasaki weighs in at 153 kg and its single cylinder engine produces 35,3 kW (48 horsepower), which makes for reasonably lively performance – top speed is a tad over 160 km/hr, and the 0-100 km/hr dash is over in well under six seconds. What the bike lacks in sheer power is more than compensated for by its nimble handling and high cornering speeds, even on dual-purpose tyres.. During a recent ride through the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands I pedalled the big trailie along at between 120 and 140 km/hr through most of the twisties. My feeling was that it would be a better option off-road that my own BMW F650 Funduro was, while the German machine made a better tarmac guzzler. Fuel consumption was a staggeringly frugal 24 km per litre, which gives the big trailie a range of well over 500 km on its 23 litre tank . The electric starter takes the schlepp out of firing the beast up, and the five-speed gearbox makes sure there’s a cog available for any situation.
At just R43 000 the Kawasaki KLR 650 just has to provide about the most bang you can get for your buck. It’s an affordable bike that can do just about everything well. It doesn’t do anything superbly, because it’s too much of a compromise, but it can handle cruising on freeways at well above the legal limit, it can blast along tightly winding secondary roads at near superbike velocities and it copes with dirt tracks with aplomb. Its bulletproof construction and ability to go anywhere there’s even a hint of a road , allied to its very healthy fuel range makes it a brilliant choice for traversing South Africa , using the stunning secondary and district roads that most people never experience. And in between holidays it can double as a city commuter and fun machine.
Highly recommended.