VOLUME 58 ISSUE 38 SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 P101
saki asked me which version I
wanted to ride back to California,
I chose non-ABS but would ride
an ABS version while riding in
New Mexico. When it came time
to swap bikes for the ride home,
I had a change of heart—I asked
to remain on the ABS model. I
was extremely impressed with
the KLR's off-road-tuned ABS.
It's not obtrusive at all; you can
still lock/skid the rear wheel—to
a point. When you get to that
point—where you'd release pres-
sure on the brake pedal to stop
the skid—it was about the same
time the ABS would kick in any-
way. Heck, I could live with that,
for sure. And if that also meant I
could get front ABS, well, I was
sold on the ABS version. Sure, if
you plan to spend most of your
give it a try first if possible. You
might be surprised. I was.
As far as braking power, the KLR
comes up a little short. The rear
brake is fine, but the front brake felt
mushy from the get-go and seemed
to get more so as things heated
up. When ridden at pace on the
pavement, I wanted more initial bite
from the front brake. However, on
slippery hard-packed dirt, the soft
front brake did have its advantages
in that it wasn't prone to locking
up, but that's what ABS is for. But
I don't ever remember feeling the
front ABS kick in; the brake itself
doesn't grab hard enough to let the
ABS do its job most of the time. For
a nearly 480-plus-pound motor-
cycle, a stronger front brake would
be welcomed.
time riding the KLR in the dirt
on hard-core trail rides, then the
non-ABS KLR might be a better
choice. That's up to you. But if
you're on the fence about ABS,
WEIGHT: Yes, the KLR650 is
heavy–approximately 450 pounds
(wet) for the base model up to 490
pounds (wet) for the Adventure
model. Using the Base ABS mod-
