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The BMW F650 GS would be the bike I would choose for such a trip. I have a friend who owns one and he absolutely LOVES it. It's not a crotch rocket and has an upright sit up and beg seating-bar position. It would also be vastly more comfortable after hours of riding, plus it'll handle loads of gear and extra fuel.
That would also be my choice. The perfect do-almost-everything bike for a reasonable price. (In my post #2 above, I described it as a DR650...my mistake.)
what do people think of the kawasaki klr650? Also of note, while I'm not exactly short, I'm certainly not tall either (I think I'm about 5'9" or so and 165 lbs)...
what do people think of the kawasaki klr650? Also of note, while I'm not exactly short, I'm certainly not tall either (I think I'm about 5'9" or so and 165 lbs)...
Haven't ridden one; you may have to hope a poster here has, and can compare to the other potential bikes posted...
a quick GOOG shows a page of reviews for that scoot, with some older years listed, too: kawasaki klr 650 reviews - Yahoo! Search Results
Looks decent...I have ridden a friend's BMW 650 and it is remarkable for dual/all purpose, but pricey, unless used. The S Strom I tossed up as I hear good stuff about it.
Difficult for any of us to say, "this is the bike you should get for that trip."
5'9" isn't short, but some of the "650s" are tall in the saddle. Dunno what kind of scoot shops you have around your area, but I would go hit some drls and indies,
that have different bikes, and sit on some for size/fit.
GL, mD
what do people think of the kawasaki klr650? Also of note, while I'm not exactly short, I'm certainly not tall either (I think I'm about 5'9" or so and 165 lbs)...
KLR is great, and useful, but is a single. The vibes will kill you on anything other than slow roads.
They're a great bike, and have been virtually unchanged in nearly 20 years.
I'd still go for the DL 650 though. Two cylinders, twice the fun.
what do people think of the kawasaki klr650? Also of note, while I'm not exactly short, I'm certainly not tall either (I think I'm about 5'9" or so and 165 lbs)...
As I mentioned these bikes in a prior post ... a neighbor uses a 2009 model for his daily commute (in seasonal weather) of about 70 miles round trip on mostly paved roads (he has about 7 miles of dirt roads before getting to pavement). It's been spot-on reliable for him, never had down time for any reason. Simply fuel and oil changes to keep it running, and it still looks like new.
He keeps asking me (with one of my 750 or 850 road twins) to go with him on some of his road trips with that bike ... he scouted out his hunting area for this fall's season with it, and that trip was 250 miles to his elk permit area before he went into the backcountry. He says that the bike has no difficulty cruising at 75 mph on the interstates here, but he finds a lot of opportunities to get off those roads to the frontage or secondary roads where he's happy at 65 mph. He claims fuel economy in the 60+ mpg range.
He's not mentioned vibration as a factor in this bike ... IIRC, the motor has a counter balancing shaft in it which takes care of that. The only issue I know of with the earlier models was an inadequately sealed design for the water pump, and that was corrected for the early models with an aftermarket kit ... or, in the later models with a factory redesign that has proven to work very well. Overall, a very solid well thought out bike with all the glitches removed through the years of production. My neighbor bought his brand new as a year-old stale merchandise bike for less than $6,000 out the door .... Used ones are readily available for less money. I passed on a 2008 with less than 8,000 road miles on it for $4,000 ... simply because I just don't need another bike at this time, and I'm more into road bikes than dual purpose machines.
At your height, both the Suzuki and the Kawasaki dual purpose bikes may seem a little tall for you. But both have lowering kits available for nominal money which will bring them down as much as 2", which should be plenty to address any concern. There's also aftermarket seats which are lower than the stock seats, and that alone may be enough to bring the seat height down to a comfortable level for you.
I used to own a F650GS BMW. Plus all the other BMW's over the past decade. It would be the perfect bike for you at your height and weight. I am 6 feet and 230 lbs. and it was a little small for me. Sold it after a couple years. I know of several that have used one as their Alaska bike. Most will just get a 1200GS as it's better for the long highway hauls.
All the other 650's mentioned would work well for you too.
Check with the Adventure Rider website and you will find lots of info.
I can't believe it took so long for someone (the OP even) to suggest the KLR.
I'm not sure of your budget, but a second generation KLR would rock for your trip. The 1st generation (Pre-2008) would work as well, but the 2nd's have a larger fairing which gives you at least a little wind protection. There have been some oil burning issues with the newer ones, so make sure you keep an eye on oil level. Lastly, as mentioned above, on the open highway, a KLR will disappoint. Most people tag the KLR as "able to do everything you want it to, but does nothing exceptionally".
A KLR on the highway will not let you forget that it isn't really a great street bike, but a great street bike in the dirt will likely be far worse. It all depends on your priorities. I've been considering getting something like a KLR or a Suzuki DLR so I would have something I could tolerate riding on the way to New Mexico (about 600 miles to the mountains), but be able to go places in the mountains once I got there that would be a virtual impossibility on a big heavy street bike.
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