2013 Kawasaki KLR650: Best Bang-For-Buck Travel Bike Right Now? – Adventure Rider

Depending who you ask, the North American economy is great, or terrible, or on a rebound, or on its way down. Whoever you believe, one thing is for sure: Whether times are tight or not, people are always looking for a bargain. I’m here to tell you that the best bargain available on a travel bike in 2024 (soon to be 2025) is a Gen II KLR. A bike like the 2013 Kawasaki KLR650 seen here.

The KLR becomes more KLR-esque

When Kawasaki brought out the first-generation KLR650 in 1987, it was a great bike by the standards of its day. While every other Japanese was still messing around with kickstart-only big-bore thumpers, with small tanks and ergos inspired by the Spanish Inquisition—I bet you didn’t expect that!—Kawasaki’s big six-fiddy was comfortable. And it was easy to start, with the press of a button. And you could tour 250 miles, maybe even more, on the stock tank. No spending money on an aftermarket fuel cell, which was especially miserable in the 1980s when the aftermarket barely existed at all. There was no ProCycle.US if you wanted a new IMS tank.

The first-generation KLR wasn’t super-powerful, but it barely gave up anything to its competitors, if it gave up anything at all. And it was heavier than the other big Japanese thumpers, but in return, you got a proper, civilized motorcycle. Only Suzuki ever met this challenge, with the 1996-edition DR650, which wasn’t as plush as the KLR, but had other advantages. And as time went on, those advantages, especially the lower weight and arguably better mechanical reliability (no doohickey fix required! No Thermobob required! No rear subframe bolt swap required!). Eventually, Kawasaki decided it was time to renew the KLR, and in 2008 we got… the Gen II edition.

Compared to the first-generation machines, the 2008-onwards bikes (as seen here) had a lot more bodywork. Most people felt this made them more of a road-biased ADV, not a dual sport. Photo: Powersports Northwest

And depending who you were, it was either a great buy, or a disappointment. Read the comments on MO’s spec sheet for the ’08 model, written in the months after it was released. For the most part, new owners liked the bike. This comment from a returning-to-riding owner sums up most of their thoughts:

The KLR is a bargain. It’s one of the cheapest bikes out there. You get a lot for your money.

And yet, that comment also nailed the downside of owning the bike:

Let’s face it: it doesn’t scream quality

Could use more top end power

Exhaust note straight from lawn tractor

odd appearance

6-speed would be nice

Kawasaki is not very supportive of known issues (rubber rot and the doohicky)

Kawasaki had doubled down on the formula, and that meant the new bike still had most of the downsides of the older KLR. The new engine was better, but it still was down on power, and sounded like a piece of power equipment. The new bodywork blocked more wind, but it certainly wasn’t to everyone’s liking, and took the KLR further from its off-road roots, and more towards a street bike. People wanted a six-speed gearbox, and despite a redesigned doohickey, the new part was still causing some owners problems.

But still, the Gen II KLR sold a bajillion bikes, just like the first-generation machines, because despite those annoyances, the things that people liked about the first model were mostly here, and mostly even better. It was a bike you could buy, jump aboard, and ride to the Yukon off the showroom floor, and some people did that. Few other machines have ever offered that sort of capability for so little money.

The KLR is the perfect machine for the owner who doesn’t care about the spec sheet. They just want to get on the bike and ride, without fussing over which aftermarket tank is best. Photo: Powersports Northwest

The Gen II KLR today

And now, in the mid-2020s, the Gen II KLR can still do all that today, at an even lower price off the second-hand market.

When people ask me about an affordable dual sport/adventure travel bike, I often say the DR650 is the best all-rounder, but if you don’t care about weight or off-roading, then it’s pretty hard to beat the KLR’s big fuel tank, fairing and bodywork. On long rides to the northern wilderness or the southern deserts, those perks make a big difference, and if you’re not the type who enjoys tinkering, it’s nice to buy a bike with those parts already installed. Not everyone enjoys spending a winter next to a propane heater, wrestling a plastic gas tank onto their bike.

As another commenter says on that old MO spec sheet:

After 5,000 miles of travel in differing conditions I can say with out a doubt that this is one of the best “do it all” motorcycles I’ve owned. It won’t set any speed or acceleration records, but it will get you from point A to point B comfortably. It will out perform many street only motorcycles on tight and rough pavement and if there is something you want to see at the end of a dirt or gravel road, no problem.

For many owners, that’s good enough. But for a lot of other people in the mid-2020s, there are shinier, flashier, faster bikes they want, and these Gen II KLRs—many of them a decade old, or more—are being sold for great prices. A lot of times they come with a load of accessories too.

The bike pictured here has an aftermarket skid plate, a rack, an el-cheapo plastic DIY topbox (which fits the KLR image very well), and a set of engine crash bars. That’s all you need for long-haul adventure touring in North America, and with only
21,465 miles on the odometer, there’s plenty of life left in this machine.

Throw some stuff in that box, strap on a duffle bag, and head for Skagway. Photo: Powersports Northwest

If all my bikes were burnt up in a forest fire, and I was starting over from scratch, I must say that a machine like this, one that looks cared-for and not molested, would be exactly what I want to buy second-hand. A closer inspection might reveal some big issues, but from the photos, it looks well-cared-for.

It’s for sale at Powersports Northwest in Centralia, Washington for $2,999. That sounds like a fair deal, but maybe you can get an even better price if you’re a serious buyer. Check out the ad here for more details.