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Should have bought a Honda

8K views 20 replies 16 participants last post by  Xtreme 
#1 ·
So my BRAND new KLR 650 is in the shop again.. 1200 miles on it.. just dieing and not starting.. Never owned a Kawi before.. never will again. I can't wait to unload this POS.
 
#3 ·
Back to the ghetto you go.
 
#4 ·
So what is the problem with your bike????

I have found most dealers have young guys working on the bikes that should not be working on anything mechanical, so your problem may be where you took it.

If you check out the Honda dealers you will find they have new bikes in their shops getting repaired, as with BMW, Harley Davidson, Yamaha, ect...
 
#5 ·
1) I came here to find information on the bike before I got it... I got it but hoped most of it was "one off's" and not "going to happen to me". For others who are on the fence they should know my experiences.
Sadly I just received this post the other day... and not before buying:
http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6927673#post6927673


2) At least in the ghetto my bikes run

3) Bike tach's down to about 2k then keeps right on going till it dies and won't restart easily ( I push and a bump then the elec will work but still one idle). When I had it in for 10 days ONE week ago they went all up and down it and came to the guess that it was a bad ground on the coil... got it back rode 500 miles two days later no problems... Now the gremlin is back. The shop is a very well established shop in the North of Boston area. They do a good biz and have a wide range of bikes BMWs, to Kawi's... Thanks for your concern DaddyJoe I'll keep you posted.
 
#6 ·
A lot of smoke in those posts.

I travel Mexico, Central and South America some and see way more Kawi than anything else (except Chinese bikes in Peru) and these are folks whose bike is their only transport, so it must work.

I'm a better than average wrench and can buy any bike I want and I have the Kawi.

That being said, if you want a Honda, or a Lifan or Kymco, then get one and enjoy it.
 
#7 ·
I owned a Honda and yes it was a good bike. The KLR is a good bike as well. I am sorry you are having so many troubles with yours. Kawasaki should step up and take care of you. There are so many of us that aren't having problems with their KLR's. I read that article about the guy who bashed the KLR. It is just his opinion. I have seen video's of the KLR doing single track riding. It is a very capable bike and it has handled everything I have thrown at it. Good luck with your next purchase and I hope it works out for you.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Comparing the quality of anything because you see it in a 3rd world country doesn't mean a whole lot to an American.
I talked to my dealer today who has a call into Kawi because they have had "too many coincidences". I have bragged on this bike to others about what a prolific ride it is and it's following so I have to believe there is something too that but.... feel free to prove me wrong by posting all the bad things being said about Honda's. I'll start holding my breath now...
Thanks Kawi_KLR... I'll try to keep my chin up and hope this is just the first last and only bad experience I'm having with a BRAND new Kawi.
We'll see if the company puts it's money where you've put it's mouth.
 
#9 ·
I like simple stuff that works. That's why if I see something in the "3rd world" that people are using, I pay attention. Most Americans are more concerned with cupholders than practicality. Third worlder's can't just run and trade in something with a scratch and brag that their monthly payment only went up $100.

Good luck with your Kawi. You may have gotten a lemon. I wouldn't expect too much service after the sale either from the dealer or Kawi. Most cycle dealers seem to forget who you are after they've got your money from what I've heard and read (I don't buy new, so I have no real experience.)

Hope it works out for you.
 
#10 ·
"Most Americans are more concerned with cupholders than practicality." Is the kind of attitude that is now ruining this country where Americans bash Americans and the American way. 3rd world nations also drink water with their own feces in it... How's that pan out on your "attention" scale?
Don't make assumptions about anyone is concerned about.
We are still the ones going to the rescue of every damn country in the world WITH our hot coffee being held quite nicely along the way.
That being said.. Thanks for the hopes..
I too have never met a dealership worth spit so we'll see.
 
#11 ·
Any brand can and does fail. You bought a bike that was a first year production with some changes and differences from the previous year models. Sorry about your luck.
Having worked at a auto dealership, I can tell you I will Never buy a 1st year production of any new design. They tend to have too many bugs that show up during real world use.
 
#13 ·
Sounds like the ground fixed it the first time, could it be the problem again? If so it could be an easy fix. (locktite)

Everyone has their opinion of each bike. I agree the Honda is better suited for a dirt bike than the KLR, as is the DR, but the KLR beats them both on the road.

As for the capabilities of the KLR, it is much more capable than most of its' riders. Holycaveman rides a KLR in motocross races in Ohio, I've seen videos of him taking the KLR places the "dirt bikes" had trouble going.

I do hope the "dealer" gets your bike straightened out for you.
 
#14 ·
I read the link you posted and though it was kinda funny because I looked at the Honda XLs before buying the KLR. The two things I didn't like about the XL was the small gas tank and not being water cooled. I guess just goes to show it's different strokes for different folks.
I haven't had any issues with my 08 yet, but I never bought it thinking it would be a good dirt bike.
 
#15 ·
I feel ya Ghetto racer,

I used to work at a high performance V 8 dealership and we gotta saying:

Never buy a vehicle built on a Monday or Friday,always one during the week,thats when the factory workers are switched on!
Anyhow keep us posted on the situation.....

MangoSlap...

from Down Under...there!:character00271:
 
#17 ·
Gee, I have to agree with everyone, sort of. My 2001 has been flawless, even with the prior owner goof ups (no center tube on the oil filter, speedometer hooked up wrong-bent, bolts stripped, broken) I just bought the manuals and jumped in. Sadly, I have not seen a great dealer. Some good ones for parts. Mainly in parts dept.s I see pimpley teens with tatoos and peircings and a big hat on sideways who judge dualsports as beneath them (only MX or streetracers are worthy) and sales staff with goatees and baggy shorts who are authorities on something they heve never attempted. When I told a sales guy at the Suzuki/Kawasaki shop I was considering riding my KLR to Alaska he said only a fool would ride less than a V-Strom 1000,. Sheesh.
I guess the bottom line is get the thing fixed, hopefully by the factory, then get the manuals, AND NEVER GO BACK!
(upon proofreading I must advise you that I am a 56 year old curmudgeon, so, if you are offended, consider the source.)
 
#18 ·
(upon proofreading I must advise you that I am a 56 year old curmudgeon, so, if you are offended, consider the source.)
I like curmudgeons.. They taste like chicken!!:)

I know exactly what you're talking about.. I've got a local dealer that I wouldn't let fix my favorite rock, let alone a motorcycle!! Luckily, I've got a Kawi/Honda dealer 30 miles from me that's owned by a former co-worker, who's always treated me right.. I've also got a few local guys who are extremely knowledgeable (and cheap) and aren't afraid of partial payment in beer, so that works out quite well.

I and Double A have figured out most work by ourselves, but we occasionally find it's more comforting if someone who's done it before is hired for a job that could easily go wrong, like a valve adjustment..

Since many of us save money by changing our own tires/oil/etc, I don't feel bad about hiring someone qualified to do work I'm not comfortable with, as long as I trust the person doing the work.:)
 
#21 ·
Initially I let the stealership do the work for warranty, they screwed it up more than once and wanted to keep the bike for weeks waiting for the parts to come in, I said no.

I have had a LOT of trouble with my bike but now I repair it myself.. No young spotty faced kids are ever touching my bike again and I told the stealership the same thing.

I got this bike because it is simple and does not require what I would call special tools to work on.

My point is that the only way to get any bike as reliable as it should be is to do the work on it yourself. I have owned and worked on many bikes of different makes and it doesn't matter who makes it so much as who works on it.

I'm sorry your bike is in the shop. My bike was using a quart of oil every 3 or 4 hundred miles. I broke it in by the book because of the warranty. Kawasaki replaced the piston, cylinder, rings and valve stem seals and it still used a quart of oil every 3 or 4 hundred miles. I was there at the rebuild and took a day off work to watch it being done, to see it was done right.

I put hastings rings in it and broke it in old school, it still uses a little oil but not much.

I am currently working on a 692 big bore kit with total seal gapless rings, napier second ring and industry standard 10 pound oil control ring... kinda excited about it. :D

Take control, do the work yourself and build it the way you want it. :)
 
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