Kawasaki Tengai

[javaman]

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



Hope to reach Kashmir and Ladakh one day

[BrettZZR]

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

(-8

[Mister_T]

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.

Seen on the way back to Melbourne from the first aussie GP at Eastern Creek.

MrT_HH_SMALL.JPG (69.73 KiB) Viewed 7324 times

[javaman]

Very interesting sign post there

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

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!