Kawasaki Tengai

All Old Skool kawasaki discussion - pre 90's

Kawasaki Tengai

Postby javaman » Tue Jun 05, 2018 12:05 am

Not a sportsbike but I thought I'd share a photo of my tractor 8)

Image

Hope to reach Kashmir and Ladakh one day :P
alien.gif andi - Red GPZ900R, GPZ750R1, KLR650 Tengai, KLR250
"my dad's motorbike is cool it is all ways clean.oheter pepole' s motorbikes
are't like my dad's one it's because their is one not always clean."
-ariel circa 2007
http://GPZninja.blogspot.com/
User avatar
javaman
VIP MEMBER
VIP MEMBER
 
Posts: 2473
Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2004 8:39 pm
Location: Bonbeach, VIC
Bike: GPz900
State: Victoria

Re: Kawasaki Tengai

Postby BrettZZR » Tue Jun 05, 2018 3:44 pm

Awesome!
So tough, it takes "10 guy"s to break it?

(-8
User avatar
BrettZZR
VIP MEMBER
VIP MEMBER
 
Posts: 604
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2012 4:44 pm
Location: Perth
Bike: ZZR1100
State: Western Australia

Re: Kawasaki Tengai

Postby Mister_T » Tue Jun 05, 2018 8:49 pm

BrettZZR wrote:Awesome!
So tough, it takes "10 guy"s to break it?

Some parts yes, some parts no. As I recall the fairing is brittle plastic so despite its appearance it would not have survived routine plowing into Dakar sand dunes.

The early KLR650's like the Tengai probably make more power than the lastest ones which are quite stifled and don't even seem to have the output listed in the specs any more, maybe out of embarassment.
Even then the the original 650's with their 651cc jug didn't make a huge amount more power than the KLR600 which was actually 564cc and closer to a 550 class bike than a 600. No doubt the 650 made more torque but then for some reason Kawasaki gave the 650 gearbox a smaller ratio spread. If I recall correctly, the early 650's could take the 600 gear cluster which gave a better a first gear ratio for grunting around steeper or tighter bush.

The KLR's are fairly simple devices that always had some well-known weaknesses which the aftermarket happily catered to. I resisted the temptation to over-accessorise but succumbed to the dirt version of the Gearsack rack and bag.

I spent a long time on the original dsn_klr650 mailing list back when my 600 was running and I got to know the ins and outs of the 650. There are still vast volumes of info about the 650's in secluded corners of the internet which I sometimes peruse out of perverse nostalgia. I'm sure javaman will find these informative.

You can do almost any sort of riding with a KLR. I used mine for weekend firetrail exploration, interstate touring, track days, riding schools, scratching in the twisties, even occasional commuting. A KLR may not be ideal for every situation. Against more modern opposition a KLR may not be ideal in any situation, but a KLR will make a bold attempt anywhere and may win you over with its crude charm.
MrT_HH_SMALL.JPG
Seen on the way back to Melbourne from the first aussie GP at Eastern Creek.
MrT_HH_SMALL.JPG (69.73 KiB) Viewed 5250 times
User avatar
Mister_T
VIP MEMBER
VIP MEMBER
 
Posts: 205
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 10:18 am
Bike: GPx750
State: Victoria

Re: Kawasaki Tengai

Postby javaman » Wed Jun 06, 2018 11:01 pm

Very interesting sign post there :lol:

Yes it gets deeper everytime I read about KLR and within few months I've spent $$$ on this and that! As with sportsbike a simpler muffler change would do ... not on these things :oops:

I'm basically done after crash bars, centre stand, thermo-bob, and scored a pannier system from ebay. But need to check if the 'doohickey' had been done.

Took it for 2nd dirt ride today. If I had to go around the world tonight this definitely is the bike to pick from my garage!

Image
alien.gif andi - Red GPZ900R, GPZ750R1, KLR650 Tengai, KLR250
"my dad's motorbike is cool it is all ways clean.oheter pepole' s motorbikes
are't like my dad's one it's because their is one not always clean."
-ariel circa 2007
http://GPZninja.blogspot.com/
User avatar
javaman
VIP MEMBER
VIP MEMBER
 
Posts: 2473
Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2004 8:39 pm
Location: Bonbeach, VIC
Bike: GPz900
State: Victoria


Return to Classic Kawi Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests

cron