Welcome John!!
As far as needed mods, I'd ask the former owner if the "Doohickey" has been done. If not, I'd recommend addressing it.. $40 part and around an hour's worth of work to make the bike's engine very bullet proof.

The 1996 will treat you perfectly, and it's the same bike as one built in 2007, or as many feel, even better since it was assembled in Japan.

As far as side covers, you can get them from most of the online parts suppliers at a good rate. Motorcycle Superstore, Bike Bandit, etc. all sell factory plastic.

As far as the battery, I've never used the Oddessy battery, so I don't know about how well it fits.. Post a few photos of how it's mounted and info on it. I'm sure someone will have more helpful info than you'll actually need.

I've always wanted to ride the Colorado mountains with the KRL.. It's one of the perfect bikes for the job. I've ridden BMW street bikes out there a few times, but never been there on the KLR.. My personal issue is the 1000 miles of plains riding across IA/NE/KS to get there.. And even more painful is the 1000 miles of it on the way home. And towing or trailering a bike out there seems like a waste of time and gas.. Riding is why I own motorcycles.

Anyway, check on the Doo, and if you have any questions feel free to post.. And we really like mountain riding photos!!

 

Welcome aboard, Johndude!

There's no serious issues with any year KLR. Kaw really did their homework before
making these babies. The "doohickey" is the only engine issue, and there's tons of
other little things you can change, upgrade, or remove for personal tastes.
Yes, the side cover should go back on, even if you have to fiddle with some
spacers er sumethin' to move it outward a bit.

I love my '09, but will change some bits too. I'm getting taller handlebars and a
more comfy seat, added highway pegs, etc just to fit this aging body better. LOL

Literally anything you could want to do to your bike is here. Just search the site
and go back through previous topics. All the various subjects and departments
are listed when ya click "forums".

Enjoy life and your new scooter!

CheapMark

 

Welcome to KLRforum.com.

Look for the Eagle-M-E.com "I Got The Fix" sticker. It is yellow with flames? If it has the sticker it most likely has the Doohickey upgrade.

The 1996 is the year of many Kawasaki upgrades so this is a good KLR to buy.

 

Tim,

My EM doo sticker flaked off my trunk. I'd like to rep his product...do you know if it is possible to get a new sticker? I won't put it on the trunk this time.

Dan

 

Tim,

My EM doo sticker flaked off my trunk. I'd like to rep his product...do you know if it is possible to get a new sticker? I won't put it on the trunk this time.

Dan

Since I am sitting in EagleMikes living room while typing this post I would bet I can get you a new sticker. I will be here all week.

 

Dan,
I can get you a sticker, but it'll cost around $45..
I'll change mine over to a torsion spring..

 

Thanks everybody, I've cleaned up the bike, polished out most of the scratches, adjusted the idle, fixed the broken choke assembly with JB weld, and now am trying to figure out what is missing on that battery side. I have the service manual and cannot figure out what he took off or cut or what. The Odessey battery is held in with black duct tape (this guy was a real mechanic, NOT!). I'm sure it's better than the stocker considering it doesn't seem to fit in the spot. Anybody know what I need to clean this area up? Is it really necessary to fit this battery to this bike? I had an FT500 years ago and had a nice small little lead acid battery and it started just fine. Thanks for all the comments and help.

Cheers,

John

 

Oh yeah, I wanted to get some advice on value of this bike. I know I got a screaming deal, It has 5K on it, original owner, new tires, that weird battery and looks pretty nice from 10'. I paid $1K for it and had been about to buy a left over '08 locally from a dealer for $4K. I know I can put a lot of extras on this bike for the difference but probably could sell this beast (you guys tell me) for $2K in spring. Is there any reason I should buy a new '08 now in winter for a real good price and them "recycle" this '96 in Spring ? That said, is an '08 worth maybe $2K more than this bike or should I start the modifications and upgrades and laugh all the way to the bank.

John (bought an '06 Vrod for $9K and you DON'T want to know what I have in it now!)

 

I'm guessing you can get 2k. A few hundred more for sure.

I bought my '01 Dyna Superglide for 13k and I sold when the market tanked.
Ouch. Got $8500 out of an "investment" bike. They sold used for the same
price as new in the 90's. I put on mucho upgrades and cool pipes, etc., and
lost big on sale day. (Had to sell tho.)

On a personal note: Looking back yes I wanted a torque monster but was just
as much buying the biker image. Bought an XL600R when I was 17, and a DR650S
a decade later before turning into a Harley guy. After growing tired of wearing
leather and polishing chrome the call of the dirt was strong and has always been
inside of me. I could never be happier than with my KLR now, and was actually
my first choice of motorcycles but the Honda and Suzook were a bit Cheaper.
This time around I got what my heart called for, and there's no second-guessing
myself riding along! There's both factory and aftermarket support for our bikes,
every year of production that ANY KLR can (and will in this case) be a lifetime ride.
This motorcycle will never be replaced, but repaired, maintained, and rebuilt until
I can no longer ride. I'm 43 and hope to put 100,000 on the odometer before I die.
At 5-7 thousand miles a year it can easily happen and then some. Nearly all of
that is road miles, but I love tall bikes and shredding some dirt roads n' trails too.
Wheelies never get old either.

Not sorry for rambling on, that's what yer mouse is for, pass over all my babble if ya want.
Growing old but not up,
Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeap

 

Thanks Tim. (Nice try, Paper)

 

I would stick with the 1996. Its lighter and a bit more agile than the 08-09 model. In my experience it will be faster as well. I have a 2007 and my son has a 1997. Mine is newer but his is faster and gets better gas mileage. You can tell the difference in the Japanese vs Tiawan bikes as well. I would have to say my sons bike is a more solid version of the KLR. I know they are supposed to be basically the same bike but we can tell the difference.

 

You say you want the bike for mountain riding, the older one is the better choice for that. The newer model may be better suited for long distance. I just bought a Craigslist special for exactly the same purpose, a few dings here and there will keep me from being anal about dropping it. I'd hate to pass up a good pass because I might scratch the paint on my beautiful new bike.

 

Cheep,

Your story is a mirror image of me, I was the same, started on dirt bikes and enduros in the '70's. When I grew up and actually had some money I took the plunge and bought "up" to a Harley, well I've had 3 actually. All my friends had Harleys and my dad always rode a Harley, Triumph, or BSA. I like you got tired of the $$$ and sitting around and talking bikes, riding from bar to bar and never really going riding. I traded a Jeep Wrangler for my KLR and have been in love ever since, the KLR is by far the favorite of all the bikes I have owned, with my DR350 a very close second. Since getting the KLR I lost touch with most of my past riding buddies, but have a blast now. I feel that I can go anywhere, anytime with the KLR, there is no sitting around now, until the end of the day or my 40+ year old body says stop.

I still have 2 Harleys, but they have not been ridden since the KLR came home, and probably won't anytime soon. The KLR is fun, fun, fun, and like you I will keep this bike until I or it dies.

 

You can always upgrade later if you still want to. Use it,ride it enjoy it.