Looking at getting a bike

[Goofy Footer]

Rider WV, thanks for clarifying on the Hondas. The XR650L is a good bike too. I know a guy who rides one (with a 680 kit and larger cooling fins) two up with his wife on surf trips to Mexico. He carries his surfboard on a rack bolted to the bike.

I like your comment about the DR650. My neighbor has panniers, heated grips, the works done to his and he went 5 weeks off the bike in Alaska, sometimes 2 up as well. Depending on the OPs size, the 650 could be a good bike as it has a lower seat height than the KLR, XR650L and KTM. I rode my friend's bone stock DR650 from San Diego to Denver and back over Halloween weekend. Its not a Goldwing on the freeway but it got the job done. The DR is also lighter than the KLR which will help off-road. Both cannot meet the KTMs suspension however.

From the 650cc class the DR and KLR seem to be some of the favorites for around the world travel.

Good thread, keep the info coming!

[Rider_WV]

The KTM suspension is definitely better than the others mentioned. The beauty of the DR is the interchangability of the parts. You can swap a nice set of DRZ/sm or RMZ inverted forks on it with very minor work, shoot even a set of WP forks isnt much work. You can also get a very nice shock from a few different companies(cogent is sweet, they also make a nice klr shock). There is also a very wide variety of gas tanks available for it, all the way up to 9 gal.

[green]

Finally pulled the trigger. I was silent for a while as I was mulling over all the info that you guys gave me and doing more research. Here is the new to me KLR

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[sandalscout]

Looks like it's a nice bike. I like the ammo can setup, it looks good, and the matching top box is nice too. Too bad they are so heavy.

What's the scoop on the antenna?

[green]

Seems it was for a scanner that he would listen to for leads as a photographer for a news paper.
The tires now have 35 miles on them from me, not just new but wicked new. Here are the specs:
2002 KLR 650 Enduro with 19k original miles. Brand new Metzler tires front and rear. Skid plate, radiator gaurd, new OEM stock seat, rear rack with water tight locking ammo boxes, 12 volt auxillary power source with fuse in rear box, new battery, wired for trickle charger. Ammo boxes are all carpeted and set up for photography equipment. Tripod mount, helmet lock and signals are now mounted on upper box. Added center stand along with kick stand. Moose bar risers. Scotts fork stabilzer. "Doohickey" kit done.