What would I do differently?

Several people have asked what would I do differently now that I have the experience. In such a long time period and distance this encompasses many facets but I will address the ones that come to mind concerning the bike I rode.

Many people expressed concern about the fact that I was riding a single cylinder bike. The KLR 650 was actually pretty well suited to the task. We were on pavement most of the time but sometimes pavement conditions were pretty rough. Having a bike with lots of suspension travel came in handy many, many times. I know I could do the same trip on a Goldwing but with the KLR unexpected potholes and speed bumps aren’t an issue like they could be with a bike that has cast rims. During the trip we developed a kind of superstition in that we never wanted to bring up the fact that we had not had any problems with the bikes. Now that the trip is over I can say we never had one flat tire or mechanical problem and for that I am very pleased.

Before the trip I installed highway pegs. When combined with the passenger pegs the long, flat seat provided many seating positions. I would highly recommend them. The seat’s width and cushion are just about perfect in my opinion. During the brief ride I took on Mike’s V-strom although I liked the power aspect I was amazed at the limited positions without pegs and the much wider seat failed to provide any more comfort so I would give the KLR‘s seat “Two Thumbs Up.”

The KLR was made in early 2008 which was Kawasaki’s first change to the KLR model in over twenty years. They fixed many things but one problem the early ‘08s have is oil consumption. Having read this I limited my speed much more often than I would normally. Since the discovery of this problem Kawasaki has fixed the problem and people with early ‘08s buy 685 kits which when installed corrects the problem.

The KLR’s carrying capacity was plenty as I had two aluminum boxes and a plastic top box which all locked. If you are planning this kind of trip I would HIGHLY recommend this arrangement. Many times you have to leave your bike unattended and if you cannot lock everything up you have to carry it. This can be a real pain as I noticed with other moto travelers.

Before the trip I had also installed crash bars and metal bash plate. Fortunately I never tested the crash bars but they gave me a sense of security during the trip. My goal was to deliver the bike safe and sound and if I had crashed it would have stood a much better chance of surviving. If it was only my bike I probably wouldn’t have installed them and just trusted my abilities and took my chances. On the other hand though the bash plate I would DEFINITELY recommend! Potholes, rocks, metal chunks, and other debris could easily puncture the case and if you leaked out your oil without your knowledge you could have a seized engine.

Tires-I used up the stock tire by the time I arrived in Panama and I’m glad I brought a replacement. They sell tires there but finding the correct size could easily have been a time consuming and expensive issue. The Shinko tire I brought was 70/30 which means 70% pavement and 30% off road use. They wore well and the ratio was about right. I would buy them again. I found that hauling it around until Panama was worth it in my opinion. The tires on the KLR still have plenty of life on them for Numa to go bombing around.

The handlebar risers were well worth making and installing. They gave me an even more upright riding position which is very comfortable. The cables seemed to not be tight when full right or left although it somehow affected the throttle when full right. I just learned the idiosyncrasy and compensated during the trip rather than removing the risers.

I would not hesitate to ride a KLR on a trip like this again. It's lightness makes it easy to maneuver when not running but it is heavy enough to not shake your teeth out on rough surfaces. The 650 cc motor has plenty of power for this type of riding. Maybe unless riding two up any more is just unnecessary and adds more weight.

I give the KLR "Two Thumbs UP!"