Time for an update

Well, after much deliberation, I've traded in my trusty FJR for a humble KLR. Lots of folks think I'm nuts, including my wife. I went from 140 hp to 40 hp. From 90 ft-lbs. of torque to 38. From fuel injection to mechanical carburation. From strong, fantastic antilock brakes to adequate non-ABS. From full wind protection to only chest and some upper leg wind protection.

Why did I do it? I was just done with the FJR. Even bikes like that have weaknesses. For the FJR, it was engine heat. I could not bear to ride it most of the summer because it quickly became hot and uncomfortable. For me at least. Kate just loved it, didn't feel any heat, and thinks I just created a reason to get a new bike. To address the heat concern, I bought a Kawasaki KLR650. Its 650cc single cylinder engine, even when it makes its maximum heat, is hardly noticeable. The suspension travel is double what the FJR had, so it just glides over our potholed and frost-heaved northern roads.

It all started when I visited my sister a couple years ago in LA and rented one of the new KLRs on which to enjoy southern California. I just had a blast on those mountain roads, even with only 40 hp. It was just quick enough to be fun, and had a very smooth ride. I had been thinking about it ever since.

Now, I have one of my own. Here are a couple of crappy cell phone pictures of the new bike:

After yesterday's 400+ mile ride to the all terrain park, I'm just over 2000 miles on it now. So far, there are only two things that concern me:

1) If I get a flat, it is going to be a pain in the butt to fix it, as this bike as tubed tires.

2) It burns oil if I cruise any faster than about 63 mph. (70 indicated)

Item 1) is common to any bike with tubed tires, including cruisers and all dirtbikes. That doesn't make it any easier to cope with though. Also, when an inner tube gets punctured, the air leaves very quickly, as opposed to gradually, as on tubless tires. The bright side is that the bead doesn't need to be super-tight, as on tubeless, so changing one's own tires can be a lot easier.

Item 2) really bothers me. A modern, well-designed engine does not use oil. Kawasaki made some upgrades to the engine of the KLR with the release of the 2008 model year. Why they didn't also fix this problem is a complete mystery to me. It was well-documented in the 2008s, so I held off. They supposedly fitted a larger piston ring for 2009, which supposedly would solve the problem. I'm not sure just how much it uses, but my first guess is about 1/2 qt. per 100 miles, at 72 mph. (80 indicated) I'll keep an eye on this. If it keeps up past about 4,000 miles, I'll either fit a 685cc aftermarket upgrade kit or get rid of the bike and get a V-Strom 650, Triumph Bonneville, or even a BMW boxer. It'd be a shame though, as I really like the character of the thumper engine.