RIDE REVIEW I 2022 KAWASAKI KLR650
P98
passed over. Traction control is not
needed on this bike because of its
heavy flywheel effect, fair amount
of torque, and ultra-smooth power
delivery. Sure, the KLR might not
have the kick-in-the-butt power of
higher-priced twin-cylinder dual
sports or ADV bikes out there, but
I'll take controllability and reliability
over mega horsepower dirt bikes
any day when exploring back roads
far from home, especially alone.
Here's what I learned after all that
time on the bike.
POWER: There isn't a ton of it,
which isn't surprising. It is what it
is—a 652cc single-cylinder four-
stroke that meets all the latest
emission and noise regulations,
including California's. So, what can
you expect? When I look at it this
way, I'm impressed by how much
power it actually has—enough to
have fun on, that's for certain,
even at altitude. There's enough
juice to make quick passes on
the highway, but there are some
situations where some planning
is required, like at high elevations
or up gradual inclines at speed;
you'll feel like you're stretching the
throttle cable to its breaking point,
and yes, there is a cable, no fly by
wire here.
Speaking of highways, 74 mph
seems to be the magic number,
the spot where it is most com-
fortable cruising. Every time I
looked down at the speedometer
on a stretch of highway, it always
seemed to be indicating 74 mph.
Sorry, I can't tell you what rpm it
was turning since there is no tach
in the new compact LCD dash.
I'm not sure if that's a bad or good
thing, but I know not having one
isn't a deal-breaker for me.
Overall, power is delivered
smoothly, evenly and predictably,
which I welcomed on the miles and
miles of slick hard-pack dirt roads I
HOT TOPICS
(Top right) It takes a little
more muscle to negotiate
technical sections due to the
KLR's weight, but the trade-
off is you get EFI, ABS and a
beefier chassis.
