Replacing my Klr with a Dakar. Should I ?

[voorvel]

If I had to choose between a KLR and a Dakar I would buy the Dakar but there is no way that I would sell a KLR to buy a Dakar. I think the difference is not great enough. You'd be selling something to get something else of very much the same. Getting "tired" of a bike I believe is very normal but I don't think the Dakar would keep you happy for very long if you've outgrown the KLR.

+1

[TVB]

I have a super trusty 07 Klr in a great condition with all nuts and bolts in tact and no hassels at all. But for some reason the Dakar has always  lured me. So much so, that I passed over a perfect KTM 640 recently.     What say the Dogs. Should I let my Klr go for the Dakar?                                                 

The Rotax is probably one of the best manufactured engines but because its BMW badged you pay way more for services and spares than you should. If you’re Happy with the KLR, keep her! 

[the_BOBNOB]

If I had to choose between a KLR and a Dakar I would buy the Dakar but there is no way that I would sell a KLR to buy a Dakar. I think the difference is not great enough. You'd be selling something to get something else of very much the same. Getting "tired" of a bike I believe is very normal but I don't think the Dakar would keep you happy for very long if you've outgrown the KLR.

+1

funny how some forum members can ride and then sell and then buy the same ktm 990 and that is 100% normal

but think about selling a klr and getting a dakar and its not worth it

like mr nike say : "just do it"

[GreenMachine]

You never replace spares on a dakar. On a klr something falls off every 5mins, believe me, Ive seen it happen

Hey, if you don't maintain your ride, stuff will fall off. The same goes for any other brand bike.

[Oppad]

funny how some forum members can ride and then sell and then buy the same ktm 990 and that is 100% normal

but think about selling a klr and getting a dakar and its not worth it

like mr nike say : "just do it"

Ah, Bobnob, good to see you back to your old stirring ways. I have always had the utmost respect for Dakar/F650Gs riders as these bikes are so bland and totally devoid of character, it stands to reason the riders must be self-assured individuals with strong and likeable character traits if they don't need the bike to compensate. 

[michnus]

funny how some forum members can ride and then sell and then buy the same ktm 990 and that is 100% normal

but think about selling a klr and getting a dakar and its not worth it

like mr nike say : "just do it"

Ah, Bobnob, good to see you back to your old stirring ways. I have always had the utmost respect for Dakar/F650Gs riders as these bikes are so bland and totally devoid of character, it stands to reason the riders must be self-assured individuals with strong and likeable character traits if they don't need the bike to compensate.  

Sot jy weet hoe om sarkasme te gooi, maar dit werk nie, party weet van beter.  

En jy reken n klr is anders hoe?

devoid of character yes, they are bland, and they have been going places. 

[Oppad]

En jy reken n klr is anders hoe?

Not bland Michnus, not bland. It is like a dog with three legs: You love it not despite the fact that it has three legs but because of it. It speaks to you in wonderful ways. C'mon, even you have to admit that a KLR, with all of its shortcomings, is a better deal on a hardpacked Transkei cattle paadjie than a GS650. And don't call me sarcastic. I am the archetypical cheerful, jolly old pensioner.

To return to the topic: No, I won't exchange a KLR for a Dakar, but I will "upgrade" to something like a Tenere 660. Now there is something that tickles my fancy.

[voorvel]

I'm going out on a limb here, but did the same guy that setup the 640's suspension recommend those slide 'o rama tires for the desert?

IMO there is nothing wrong with the dakar, there's just nothing exciting about it either.

[Rolf]

If I had to choose between a KLR and a Dakar I would buy the Dakar but there is no way that I would sell a KLR to buy a Dakar. I think the difference is not great enough. You'd be selling something to get something else of very much the same. Getting "tired" of a bike I believe is very normal but I don't think the Dakar would keep you happy for very long if you've outgrown the KLR.

+1

funny how some forum members can ride and then sell and then buy the same ktm 990 and that is 100% normal

but think about selling a klr and getting a dakar and its not worth it

like mr nike say : "just do it"

But there is a huge difference. The guys that you are referring to that are selling the KTMs and buying the same again are not tired or have outgrown the bike. It is something completely different.

[michnus]

Yes, I wont choose a GS650 for a Transkei road over a KLR, but the Dakar is sweet on the Transkei roads.

That was the problem with the KLR for me, I tolerated it's shortcomings, but that only last so long then you get gatvol off it. Then some times you want to sit at 140/150km/h and the thing can't keep up, start weaving, and it uses more fuel than a 1200GS on the same trip at the same speed, it's carb freeze over going from EL to Hoghsback.
And then add the weak stuff, low quality frame bolts, suicide footpegs, unsealed wheel bearings that fail when you hit a water crossings a few times, the seat is rubbish over long journeys........

Not even mentioning the non existing brakes, and Doo. My buddy and myself stood watching as the wind blew his KLR over in a parking lot in EL, the end it bend the handlebars. That said better bars on both is a good thing.
The KLR is not a bad bike, but unlike some here post there's IS a difference between the KLR and Dakar, and you had to own and live with them both to understand it. My Dakar is on 55000km and still nothing done except the steering head bearing. The build quality is better on the Dakar, and you can swap a KLR for a Dakar and be happy because the niggles that the KLR have do not bother you on the Dakar, if you want to stick to 650's you wont get tired of the bike and as with the choices the Dakar is not a bad choice between what is available. If you want more power a 650 is not for you any more.
It's like trying to sell a TataTelcoline off as a Hilux.  

The Tenere came too late, as competition for the Dakar and is only marginally better looking,but for the price to high. The Ten is more on par with the Dakar than the KLR.

See it's the same as 5 years ago, people give opinions on bikes they know little about.  

The KLr suite you jolly-old-powder-beer-loving-sarcastic-pensioner.  

[lecap]

If I had to choose between a KLR and a Dakar I would buy the Dakar but there is no way that I would sell a KLR to buy a Dakar. I think the difference is not great enough. You'd be selling something to get something else of very much the same. Getting "tired" of a bike I believe is very normal but I don't think the Dakar would keep you happy for very long if you've outgrown the KLR.

+1

funny how some forum members can ride and then sell and then buy the same ktm 990 and that is 100% normal

but think about selling a klr and getting a dakar and its not worth it

like mr nike say : "just do it"

But there is a huge difference. The guys that you are referring to that are selling the KTMs and buying the same again are not tired or have outgrown the bike. It is something completely different.

Yah they broke it

funny how some forum members can ride and then sell and then buy the same ktm 990 and that is 100% normal

but think about selling a klr and getting a dakar and its not worth it

like mr nike say : "just do it"

Ah, Bobnob, good to see you back to your old stirring ways. I have always had the utmost respect for Dakar/F650Gs riders as these bikes are so bland and totally devoid of character, it stands to reason the riders must be self-assured individuals with strong and likeable character traits if they don't need the bike to compensate. 

[Oppad]

Yes, I wont choose a GS650 for a Transkei road over a KLR, but the Dakar is sweet on the Transkei roads.

That was the problem with the KLR for me, I tolerated it's shortcomings, but that only last so long then you get gatvol off it. Then some times you want to sit at 140/150km/h and the thing can't keep up, start weaving, and it uses more fuel than a 1200GS on the same trip at the same speed, it's carb freeze over going from EL to Hoghsback.
And then add the weak stuff, low quality frame bolts, suicide footpegs, unsealed wheel bearings that fail when you hit a water crossings a few times, the seat is rubbish over long journeys........ Not even mentioning the non existing brakes, and Doo. My buddy and myself stood watching as the wind blew his KLR over in a parking lot in EL, the end it bend the handlebars. That said better bars on both is a good thing.

Of course there are things you have to change on a stock KLR, but in the end, and if you do it over time, the cost is nominal and it is not going to hurt you. ProTaper handlebars is a must (first mod) and since then I've done the doohickey, progressive front springs, frame bolts, sealed wheel bearings and even a moerse front disk that Groenie gave me. I've never had a problem with the seat, maybe because us pensioners are used to sit on the stoep for hours on end. During the periods when I'm not smoking (one such period coming up within a day or two) I can sit on that seat from full tank to reserve (300 k+) easy. The Tenere is expensive and I am about two projects behind getting one, but to me it is the only way to go if you are not interested in the litre class bikes. I'm too scared of a lewensgevaarlik.

[TVB]

I have said it in another thread too; ‘if it wasn’t for the KLR and pleasant memories a lot wouldn’t still have been DS rides’ Most DS riders in the States and SA started off on the humble KLR and later upgraded to ‘whatever’. Sorry to say, but most were more pleasant people when they were still KLR riders….sort of upgrading to snobs when upgrading their bikes…and then to scared to go real off-road for the KLR could handle the beating and wasn’t to expensive to fix. However…some upgraded to become posers and snobs…my 10$’s  

[Grrrr....]

I took the 660 Tenere for test a few weeks ago and was impressed. So much so that I came close to buying one but, cant justify the price. So I started looking at the Dakar again. 

Eating is overrated.

[mannemerak]

 

[michnus]

Yes, I wont choose a GS650 for a Transkei road over a KLR, but the Dakar is sweet on the Transkei roads.

That was the problem with the KLR for me, I tolerated it's shortcomings, but that only last so long then you get gatvol off it. Then some times you want to sit at 140/150km/h and the thing can't keep up, start weaving, and it uses more fuel than a 1200GS on the same trip at the same speed, it's carb freeze over going from EL to Hoghsback.
And then add the weak stuff, low quality frame bolts, suicide footpegs, unsealed wheel bearings that fail when you hit a water crossings a few times, the seat is rubbish over long journeys........ Not even mentioning the non existing brakes, and Doo. My buddy and myself stood watching as the wind blew his KLR over in a parking lot in EL, the end it bend the handlebars. That said better bars on both is a good thing.

Of course there are things you have to change on a stock KLR, but in the end, and if you do it over time, the cost is nominal and it is not going to hurt you. ProTaper handlebars is a must (first mod) and since then I've done the doohickey, progressive front springs, frame bolts, sealed wheel bearings and even a moerse front disk that Groenie gave me. I've never had a problem with the seat, maybe because us pensioners are used to sit on the stoep for hours on end. During the periods when I'm not smoking (one such period coming up within a day or two) I can sit on that seat from full tank to reserve (300 k+) easy. The Tenere is expensive and I am about two projects behind getting one, but to me it is the only way to go if you are not interested in the litre class bikes. I'm too scared of a lewensgevaarlik.

Your ass deserve some comfort Sot, you owe it to your as. 

Just the Ten is too fancy for you?

[Oppad]

Just the Ten is too fancy for you?

Frankly Michnus, I don't like the look of the Ten, even if I have been partial to Yamaha for decades. There is some Funduro in those lines which I really dislike. The GS1200 is still prettier methinks although I have yet to see a Ten in the flesh, let alone ride one. Now the little one speaks to me, in the flesh and in most other respects. But we're hijacking the thread: No, I think it will be daft to change a KLR for a Dakar. 

[michnus]

Just the Ten is too fancy for you?

Frankly Michnus, I don't like the look of the Ten, even if I have been partial to Yamaha for decades. There is some Funduro in those lines which I really dislike. The GS1200 is still prettier methinks although I have yet to see a Ten in the flesh, let alone ride one. Now the little one speaks to me, in the flesh and in most other respects. But we're hijacking the thread: No, I think it will be daft to change a KLR for a Dakar. 

Sorry I meant the 660TEN not the 1200. 

I have to respectfully disagree with you, if you want to stay with 650's moving to a Dakar is not such a bad move.

[ReyDakar]

The following taken from a comparison on Bikez.com (both 2007 models)

                                                               KLR               Dakar
Performance                                            70%             72.9%
Reliability (Problem-free Riding)                   75.4%           84.3%
Fun Factor                                              76.2%           91.2%
Value for money                                       82.6%           66%
Repair/Maintenance Cost                           74.6%           61.6%
Design & Look                                          66.4%           82.8% (Wonder which is the “bland” one?)
Off-road capabilities                                  62%              73.5%
Touring capabilities                                   69.1%           73.7%
Accident risk                                           70%              72.8% (higher % = better)

Michnus, stop arguing the obvious  and please finish your Dakar.  I can't wait to see the final product.

[TVB]

Judged by owners, reviews......or Journalists....else...? 

On this very forum guys complained about the expensive/crazy service cost and repairs on the Rotax. Services of up to R2K and more were quoted! Rotax is Gr8, really reliable but in the event of something going wrong…you better have cash ready. KLR parts and services are way cheaper! 

What is healthier; butter or margarine? 

You make me laugh out loud!