Sport-Touring.Net - The 10 Phases of KLR Ownership

The Phases of KLR Ownership:

1) Honeymoon. Joy. Adventure is on the horizon; what fun! Those 'nutty' brakes- wow, this is entertaining!

2) Exploration. Find sites like Adventure Riders and become one of 'them'

3) Trouble in Paradise. Realize that sites like Adventure Riders are chock full of bikes like KTM and BMW, and frankly the KLR is the mutt in the purebred's midst. Try to retain pride.

4) Dismay. Spending time on sites like KLR650.net 'enlightens' you and all of a sudden you need everything from new rubber, to a new saddle, replacing everthing in-between. Everything fails no matter what, all the time.

5) Anger. You're angry at Kawasaki for selling a bike that needs this much work. You're angry at the dealer for not just giving it to you, with five bucks for gas. You're angry at yourself for not realizing this bike is for suckers... YOU JUST BOUGHT AN EDSEL!

6) Separation. Your sportbike friends and HDs are having sport with you at red lights. You've been out accellerated by a Hundai. You put it up for sale and stop riding it.

7) Loathing acceptance. You're never going to get all the money you put into the KLR back out of it. Might as well keep it and go shopping for a 'real' bike. You start to take it out again since, you've resigned yourself to the fact that you're tied to the KLR for life.

8) New Dawn. One day, for no particular reason, you realize that you've been having fun riding it (at least alone) the whole time. Thinking about it a little more, you realize that you can go everywhere a GS1200 can get to (just maybe not as quickly), that you're more offroad capable than a GS650 Dakar, and probably just as on-road capable, and all for several thousand less dollars. It can do more highway miles than a DR without having to spend $250 on a Corbin saddle to avoid picking it out of your backside after half an hour on the highway, and you can have it serviced anywhere on the planet unlike a KTM (which was also a lot more). Whoa, hold on, this bike is pretty cool!

9) Farkle time! You've just realized that you can accessorize the KLR with just about every possible modification you've ever imagined (except extra horsepower). Spend away young rider! Hold on, is a set of decent tires less than I used to pay for just a rear?

10) Happily deluded. The KLR rocks! Yeah, it still sux, but it rocks!

Topic: The 10 Phases of KLR Ownership (Read 985 times)