Loaded down, on an early season tour in Nova Scotia. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

When I saw the new-for-2021 Kawasaki KLR650 unveiled, I was happy. I thought the thumper segment was dead, but no! Kawasaki had extended the life of its single-cylinder ADV/dual sport, with electronic fuel injection, optional ABS, and smoother engine with improved doohickey.

Not everyone was chuffed. In our initial write-up, the comments section was full of complaints about the new bike’s weight, and when I went to pick up my test bike this spring, I was surprised at just how heavy the new Kawi was, rolling it off my truck. The old KLR was more than 20 pounds lighter, and even that bike was a bit heavy for a thumper. Would the new machine just be too porky?

Once I got my helmet on and took off, I discovered the answer was—the new KLR650 is just fine, even with the added heft. Don’t look at it as a lumbering behemoth, look at it as a dual sport with a case of Dad Bod.

I had a few weeks with the bike, and here’s what I found out about the machine.

Yeah, at 487 pounds curb weight, and only 40 horsepower, the KLR650 Adventure is a big bike without much muscle to spare. But, it’s more than enough for anyone who wants a travel bike but is OK without face-numbing speed. Photo: Laura Deschenes

Kawasaki shipped me the pre-farkled Adventure version of the machine, complete with bags, fog lights and electric outlets already installed. Nice. Instead of a weekend of running wires and finessing aftermarket bits to fit, I was able to just jump on and go. I expect a lot of other riders will appreciate this easy approach, especially if it’s the only version of the KLR actually available at their local dealership. Remember, inventory is limited these days!

The first few days I had the bike, I kept to local streets and gravel, and was quite impressed with the new bike’s smooth power output and well-tuned suspension. No, it’s not made to go fast on gravel. It’s not made to go fast on the street, either, or anywhere else. But, if you keep this bike’s limited suspension capacity in mind, it’ll tootle along quite nicely on a logging road or even a badly potholed secondary road. And, with the single-cylinder’s vibration is greatly reduced. The seat is all-day comfortable. Add in a bunch of bodywork to keep the wind and rain off you, and the new KLR won’t leave you worn out at ride’s end—even if that ride was a multi-day tour in cold, early spring weather.

I did a three-day tour of southern Nova Scotia on the KLR when I had it, in chilly Canadian April, riding with my friend Matt on his Suzuki V-Strom 1000. We did long days, and I will say the KLR didn’t wear me out any more than some tourers I’ve ridden. I was most impressed. Even on the last day, crossing home to New Brunswick via the Digby Ferry, I was happy to take the long way home. I appreciated the pre-run wiring on the Adventure model; no sloppy homebrewed switchgear for the lights, and since it was all installed from the factory, no worries about whether you were overloading your stator with those extra lights. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

I appreciated the pre-run wiring on the Adventure model; no sloppy homebrewed switchgear for the lights, and since it was all installed from the factory, no worries about whether you were overloading your stator with those extra lights. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

It’s not terribly expensive to run, either. Even while absolutely bagging on it, I was able to get 5.9 liters per 100 kilometers, or 40 mpg US. If I’d been tootling along and winding out my shifts, I’m sure I could have done far, far better.

All in all, this is a bike that’s easy to live with, whether you’re riding back roads around home, or laying down cross-country miles. It’s no hardcore dual sport; Kawasaki will sell you a KLX300 if that’s what you want. Instead, it’s an all-rounder that will get you where you need to go at its own speed, and maybe a bit faster, if you want to flog it. What I didn’t like about the new KLR650 Adventure

The pre-installed farkles were great, except for the plastic Kawasaki bags. While they were waterproof in extreme rain, they are a bit too small for proper touring, although a large tailbag would mostly alleviate this problem. The biggest problem is that the bags are just not rugged enough to suit most off-road riders. True, I didn’t lay the bike down to test my opinion, but I think Kawi would have been smart to use much tougher plastic here, to justify the mark-up on the Adventure sub-model. The bags held enough gear for a weekend of hotel-based touring, and a big tailbag (maybe a dry bag?) could carry your camping stuff beyond that. The rear rack is certainly spacious enough to carry a decent load. However, I would have liked the saddlebags to be more rugged. I didn’t have any waterproofing issues, though! Photo: Zac Kurylyk

The bags held enough gear for a weekend of hotel-based touring, and a big tailbag (maybe a dry bag?) could carry your camping stuff beyond that. The rear rack is certainly spacious enough to carry a decent load. However, I would have liked the saddlebags to be more rugged. I didn’t have any waterproofing issues, though! Photo: Zac Kurylyk

I also noted the rear tire in particular seemed to be wearing down extremely quickly. The Bridgestone Trail Wings did everything I asked of them on pavement or gravel, but I don’t think they’d have been much fun after 5,000 kilometers, and probably would have been worn out soon after 6,000 kilometers. They were looking very well-worn when I sent the bike back. This is just a wear item, and many riders will change out to another tire anyway, so not a huge downer, just a warning to not expect continent-crossing tire life from your new KLR.

Those were my only real niggles with this bike, and that’s coming from a longtime KLR detractor. A long-term test could have revealed some other issues, but the complaints that many other naysayers blurted in the comments section are countered by simply pointing to the bike’s MSRP—at least, the bike in its stock, non-Adventure form. To me, the real bargain with the new KLR is the ABS-equipped non-Adventure model. My test bike didn’t have ABS, or I might have bought it. In the US, an ABS-equipped KLR650 Adventure has an $8k MSRP. In Canada, it’s $10k. I think the non-Adventure is a better buy, at least for Canadians, but this is still probably one of the best deals on the motorcycle market, if you’re looking for a capable, reliable all-rounder. Photo: Zac Kurylyk So who’s this bike for?

My test bike didn’t have ABS, or I might have bought it. In the US, an ABS-equipped KLR650 Adventure has an $8k MSRP. In Canada, it’s $10k. I think the non-Adventure is a better buy, at least for Canadians, but this is still probably one of the best deals on the motorcycle market, if you’re looking for a capable, reliable all-rounder. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Who did Kawasaki build this bike for?

I think they built it for me. Or at least, a customer who looks, thinks and acts like me. A raging case of Dad Bod means I’m not looking to try hard enduro on my new dual sport. I want something practical, without many parts to break and not so complex that I can’t fix it when that happens. This isn’t anywhere near as hairy-chested a machine as a new twin-cylinder ADV from Yamaha/BMW/KTM/Honda, but it’s wayyyyyy cheaper, and will ride all day on gravel or pavement without complaint—and my lower back and butt won’t be complaining either. And neither will my wallet. If I was a buy-on-payments consumer, I could easily shove this onto the monthly debt load. As it is, many riders have enough dough to buy this new, in cash, even as the economy crashes around us.

In short: It’s the perfect machine for the rider who wants an affordable bike that will do everything comfortably, but isn’t so worried about top speed. In other words—a dad, around mid-life. Kawasaki has created the perfect Dad Bod bike, and I don’t mean that as an insult. I mean that to say—I want one.