The limited gas tank and the fragile suspension were particular concerns. If you don't need the significant dirt capabilities of the KLR or the lesser dirt capabilities of the F650GS, the DL650 is a better bike than either of them.Ĭlick to expand.What disturbed me about the F650GS was what you *didn't* get - a robust go-anywhere bike that was simple, easy to fix, and comfortable both on-road and off-road. It gets better mpg than the KLR, has big fuel tank, has an enormous number of accessories, and has a dealer on every street corner - indeed, most Kawasaki dealers also sell Suzukis. The Wee-strom (to differentiate it from its 1000cc big brother) has at least 15hp more than the F650GS, is much smoother, is now available with ABS brakes, handles like a dream on the highway, and is capable of light gravel road and forest service road duty without any problems (basically anything on the FS map that doesn't say '4x4 required', the Weestrom can do). It sounds like you want a 650 V-Strom, since you want a comfortable upright street bike, not a dirt bike. This year Suzuki has done a minor revamp of the DL650 V-Strom. The KLR will go 200+ miles on a tank of gas, but only because it's hauling 6.1 gallons of gas around to begin with! Oh, it doesn't get as good of gas mileage either - figure you'll get 10-15mpg more with the BMW than you get with the KLR. The KLR's biggest weak points are: a) lack of power (somewhat remedied by the new 2008 KLR, which should dyno out at around 38rhp, i.e., within spitting distance of the BMW), b) vibration (even worse than the BMW), c) build quality (sucks sucks sucks!), d) brakes (even the 2008 KLR with the dual-pot brakes doesn't have ABS brakes and thus is less capable at stopping on wet pavement). You also know one of the KLR's strengths - the big gas tank. You know the BMW's weak points - limited fuel capacity and somewhat cramped cockpit being the two most important. As far as farkle goes, both have lots of farkle, pretty much equivalent there, except that KLR farkle is generally cruder and simpler and much, MUCH cheaper. 34rwhp for the KLR) and is much more refined - the fuel injection means it gets better gas mileage, the ABS brakes work better on wet pavement, etc. The BMW has significantly more power (around 42 rwhp vs. ![]() The KLR is cheaper and has wider parts availability, and the 2008 model even kinda looks BMW-ish (heh!).
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