When I saw the new-for-2021 Kawasaki KLR650 unveiled, I was happy. I thought the thumper segment was dead, but no! Kawasaki had extended the life of its single-cylinder ADV/dual sport, with electronic fuel injection, optional ABS, and smoother engine with improved doohickey.

并不是每个人都被淘汰。在我们的最初文章,评论部分充满了有关新自行车的重量的抱怨,当我今年春天去拿起测试自行车时,我对新的kawi的沉重感到惊讶,将其从卡车上滚下来。旧的KLR重20磅以上,即使那辆自行车也有点重。新机器会太猪肉吗?

一旦我戴上头盔并起飞,我发现答案是 - 新的KLR650也很好,即使增加了重量。不要将其视为伐木庞然大物,请将其视为一项双重运动,其中有爸爸Bod。

I had a few weeks with the bike, and here’s what I found out about the machine.

是的,KLR650冒险是487磅的遏制重量,只有40马力,是一辆大型自行车,没有太多的肌肉。新利18苹果但是,对于任何想要旅行自行车但没有遮挡速度的人来说,这已经足够了。照片:Laura Deschenes

我喜欢新的KLR650冒险新利18苹果

川崎shipped me the pre-farkled Adventure version of the machine, complete with bags, fog lights and electric outlets already installed.好的. Instead of a weekend of running wires and finessing aftermarket bits to fit, I was able to just jump on and go. I expect a lot of other riders will appreciate this easy approach, especially if it’s the only version of the KLR actually available at their local dealership. Remember, inventory is limited these days!

我骑自行车的头几天,我一直沿着当地的街道和砾石,对新自行车的平稳功率输出和良好的悬架印象深刻。不,这不是在砾石上快速进行的。它也不是要在街上或其他任何地方快速走。但是,如果您牢记这辆自行车的悬架能力有限,它将在伐木道甚至遥不可及的次要道路上很好地延伸。而且,随着单缸的振动,大大降低了。座位全天舒适。加上一堆车身,以防止风和雨水,而新的KLR不会让您在骑行的尽头疲惫不堪 - 即使这是在寒冷的早春天气中进行多天的巡回演出。

I did a three-day tour of southern Nova Scotia on the KLR when I had it, in chilly Canadian April, riding with my friend Matt on his Suzuki V-Strom 1000. We did long days, and I will say the KLR didn’t wear me out any more than some tourers I’ve ridden. I was most impressed. Even on the last day, crossing home to New Brunswick via the Digby Ferry, I was happy to take the long way home.

I appreciated the pre-run wiring on the Adventure model; no sloppy homebrewed switchgear for the lights, and since it was all installed from the factory, no worries about whether you were overloading your stator with those extra lights. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

It’s not terribly expensive to run, either. Even while absolutely bagging on it, I was able to get 5.9 liters per 100 kilometers, or 40 mpg US. If I’d been tootling along and winding out my shifts, I’m sure I could have done far, far better.

All in all, this is a bike that’s easy to live with, whether you’re riding back roads around home, or laying down cross-country miles. It’s no hardcore dual sport; Kawasaki will sell you a KLX300 if that’s what you want. Instead, it’s an all-rounder that will get you where you need to go at its own speed, and maybe a bit faster, if you want to flog it.

我不喜欢新的KLR650冒险新利18苹果

除塑料川崎袋外,预装的Farkles很棒。尽管它们在极端的雨水中防水,但它们太小了,无法进行适当的游览,尽管大型尾巴大多会减轻这个问题。最大的问题是,这些袋子不足以适合大多数越野车手。没错,我没有放下自行车来测试我的意见,但是我认为Kawi在这里使用更坚固的塑料会很聪明,以证明冒险子模型的标记是合理的。新利18苹果

The bags held enough gear for a weekend of hotel-based touring, and a big tailbag (maybe a dry bag?) could carry your camping stuff beyond that. The rear rack is certainly spacious enough to carry a decent load. However, I would have liked the saddlebags to be more rugged. I didn’t have any waterproofing issues, though! Photo: Zac Kurylyk

我还注意到后轮胎特别迅速地磨损了。普利司通的翅膀在人行道或砾石上做了我对它们的所有要求,但我认为5,000公里后它们并没有很有趣,而且可能会在6,000公里后不久就会磨损。当我把自行车送回时,他们看上去很糟糕。这只是一个穿着的物品,无论如何,许多车手都会换成另一个轮胎,因此,这并不是一个巨大的沮丧,只是警告不要指望您的新klr从非洲大陆跨过的轮胎生活。

Those were my only real niggles with this bike, and that’s coming from a longtime KLR detractor. A long-term test could have revealed some other issues, but the complaints that many other naysayers blurted in the comments section are countered by simply pointing to the bike’s MSRP—at least, the bike in its stock, non-Adventure form. To me, the real bargain with the new KLR is the ABS-equipped non-Adventure model.

我测试的自行车没有腹肌,否则我可能bought it. In the US, an ABS-equipped KLR650 Adventure has an $8k MSRP. In Canada, it’s $10k. I think the non-Adventure is a better buy, at least for Canadians, but this is still probably one of the best deals on the motorcycle market, if you’re looking for a capable, reliable all-rounder. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

那么这辆车是谁?

川崎为谁建造了这辆自行车?

我认为他们为我建造了它。或者至少是一个看起来,思考和行为与我一样的客户。爸爸bod的一个愤怒的案例意味着我不想在新的双重运动中尝试努力的耐力。我想要一些实用的东西,没有多个部分就可以破裂,也不是那么复杂,以至于发生这种情况时无法修复它。This isn’t anywhere near as hairy-chested a machine as a new twin-cylinder ADV from Yamaha/BMW/KTM/Honda, but it’s wayyyyyy cheaper, and will ride all day on gravel or pavement without complaint—and my lower back and butt won’t be complaining either. And neither will my wallet. If I was a buy-on-payments consumer, I could easily shove this onto the monthly debt load. As it is, many riders have enough dough to buy this new, in cash, even as the economy crashes around us.

在short: It’s the perfect machine for the rider who wants an affordable bike that will do everything comfortably, but isn’t so worried about top speed. In other words—a dad, around mid-life. Kawasaki has created the perfect Dad Bod bike, and I don’t mean that as an insult. I mean that to say—I want one.

订阅to Our Newsletter

Thank you for subscribing!
This email is already subscribed.
There has been an error.