RIDE REVIEW I 2022 KAWASAKI KLR650
P100
excellent range. I averaged 49
mpg of mostly paved miles on my
ride home to California, which
calculates to nearly 300 miles
on a tank! In the real world, that
might be stretching it a bit, but
280-plus miles doesn't seem out
of the question.
As far as oil consumption, the
sight window still shows full.
FIVE-SPEED GEARBOX: I'm
okay with it. First gear is just low
enough, and fifth is plenty tall.
And everything else in between
is all good. At top speed, which
seems to be 88-90 mph on
level ground, full tuck with no
wind, the KLR doesn't feel like
it's straining too hard or about
to launch the piston through the
fuel tank. First gear, however,
could be a bit lower. Even slip-
ping the clutch, I found it difficult
to purposefully spin the rear
wheel for bike control at
low speeds.
Overall, Kawasaki did a suitable job matching
gearing with the KLR's engine output, so I didn't
really miss not having a sixth gear. Plus, call me
lazy, but I don't mind not shifting all the time.
Speaking of shifting, my biggest gripe with
the KLR does involve this process. There isn't
enough space between the footpeg and the
shifter, which is also positioned too low. I flat out
could not get my foot underneath the lever. So,
I had to upshift with my heel most of the time. I
admit I have large, size-12 feet but nearly every
journalist on this ride had a similar issue. Raising
the shift lever a notch made things worse be-
cause it would just hit the countershaft sprocket
guard leaving you in neutral. I found I could
change gears normally with regular shoes but not
while wearing my foot-long moto boots.
BRAKES/ABS: I was disappointed to learn
the rear ABS cannot be deactivated on the KLR
(unless you want to mess around with fuses, not
me); in fact, Kawasaki has never offered switch-
able ABS with any of its bikes. So, when Kawa-
The fully loaded
Adventure model
has a lot to offer for
the price.
