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2012
Kawasaki KLR 650
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Kawasaki Cape Town
79
Roeland Street,
Cape Town
(021) 461 5167
Mark Livings (sales)
072 561 0978
S33 55.804 E18 25.370
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"The 2012
Kawasaki KLR 650 still remains one
of the favourites amongst beginner riders. Its very inexpensive,
basic, and super easy to ride.
The KLR650 is as tough as nails, and can be loaded up with panniers
and will definately get you from Cape to Cairo without any trouble.
Craig Marshall - Rider |
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Test Location:
DMTA
(Dualpurpose Motorcycle Training Academy)
at Kilarney raceway in, Cape Town.
Its one thing
to take an adventure motorcycle on a long ride.
But all to often one does not get a chance to give the
bike a rigid structured testing. This is why I chose the
new location for DMTA,
Cape Town's
new permanent off road motorcycling academy at Kilarney
raceway.
We had sand, rocks, deep water, steep loose banks, gravel
roads and of course the Kilarney Racetrack - which unfortunately
fell through on the day, so we headed out into the hills
of Contermanskloof for the road test. |
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KLR
650 dash board is modest with large easy to read at a glance
type clocks.
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Kawasaki
KLR 650 - Overview
The trusty Kawasaki 650 has been in the Dualsport
market for many years, and the design doesn't change much.
If it works - why change it ?
Its the kind of bike that you can grow with. From the
early beginner days up until you do your first long distance
African trip and beyond. Its not going to be the fastest
bike around, but then again you want to enjoy the scenery
as well, right ?
The KLR 650 only weighs 194kg wet weight, so sand, rocks, rivers,
mud is not gonna stop you in your tracks. ground clearence
is fantastic although the seat height may be an issue
for shorter riders.
A great all round entry level and intermediat motorcycle. |
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Make
Model
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Kawasaki
KLR 650 |
| Year
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2012 |
| Engine |
Four-stroke,
DOHC, four-valve single |
| Capacity |
651cc |
| Bore
x Stroke |
100.0
x 83.0mm |
| Fuel
Induction |
Carburetor
Keihin CVK40 |
| Ignition |
Electric
CDI |
| Clutch |
Wet,
multi-plate |
| Gearbox |
5-speed |
| Max
Power |
42.15
hp 31 kW @ 7000 rpm |
| Max
Torque |
47
Nm 4.7 kg-m @ 5000 rpm |
| Final
Drive |
O
ring chain |
| Frame
|
Semi-Double
Cradle High-Tensile Steel |
| Front
Suspension |
41
mm Telescopic fork |
| Rear
Suspension |
UNI-TRAK®
linkage, 5-way preload shock absorber with
4way rebound damping, 185mm wheel travel. |
| Front
Brakes |
Single
280mm disc 2 piston caliper |
| Rear
Brakes |
Single
203mm disc 1 piston caliper |
| Tyres,
front/rear |
Front
90/90-21 Rear 130/80-17 Tubes |
| Seat
Height |
890
mm |
| Wheel
Base |
1480
mm |
| Dry-Weight
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194kg
ready to ride |
| Fuel
Capacity |
23 Litres |
Price |
ZAR59
000.00 - Mike Hopkins Motorcycles,
Finance Available |
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Click here to book a demo ride |
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"The
Kawasaki KLR 650"
Beginner,
intermediate
and the long distance Trans-African travelers have had
great success with the KLR 650. Its basic old school
design and super reliability, large tank capacity (23L)
has made it one of the bikes that we will most likely
see being produced for many years to come.
Overall General Opinion:
I think its safe to say the in its class, it compares
pretty evenly with its competitors, the BMW
650 Dakar, and the new 650 Sertao, the Yamaha
XT 660 Z Tenere and bikes like the Suzuki DR650SE.
Where it far outshines its competitors is in the retails
price. For nearly R25 000 less than its closest rival
- the Kawasaki
KLR 650 gives you much more bike for your buck.
A great investment for any would be adventure biker.
....Test ride a Kawasaki
KLR 650 today - Call Mike Hopkins Motorcycles
- (021)
461 5167
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Wind
Protection:
The seat
position is high in retrospect to the windshield, so the
wind protection is less than adequate. I did find at higher
speeds around 120km/h it became an issue, but the top speed
of the KLR
650 is not much more than that, so its not a major issue
or negative feature on the bike. But a simple screen extender
will do the trick. |
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Seat
Height and Comfort:
A standard seat height of 890mm is very high
for an entry level bike, considering that its aimed at beginners
and intermediate riders - the high seat will be a factor
for shorter riders to consider, especially if they are first
tim adventure bikers. Personally at 1.86m tall I found it
to be just right and very comfortable.
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Off
Road Handling:
As expected the light
Kawasaki KLR
650 was splendidly
agile around the off road training arena at Kilarney. I
rode it up and over every obstacle, from the rocks, sand,
through the deep water crossing, and the bike didn't seem
to struggle with any thing we tried.
Out on the open gravel roads the only issue
i found was standing up, the handle bars seem a little low,
but simple spacers will fix that.
The KLR
650 is a great starter
bike for anyone joining the adventure biking world. and
even once they have mastered gravel and some of the harder
type terrain, the KLR
650 will keep them riding across Africa. |
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On
The Road:
Its not going
to win any races, but its not designed to. The KLR
650 can be a little lacking in the top end at 150km/h
- but we know what kind of bike it is and don't
expect to keep up bigger bikes.
The cornering and handling were very stable and
the over comfort was superb. I could easy do a few
day on tarmac on this bike and not complain. |
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Download
the Kawasaki KLR650 Brochure
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KLR650 Rentals in Cape Town |
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