The Indestructible KLR 650 – Cheap Never Dies

“Our definitions of power and beauty have changed over 30 years. Our definition of the KLR 650 has not.”

In the age of high-spec electronics, ride modes, and performance pissing contests, the Kawasaki KLR 650 remains a glorious outlier. It’s not fast, it’s not pretty, and it doesn’t care. For over three decades, it has embodied one truth: cheap never goes out of style.

The Original Anti-Hero

While BMW loads its GS with gadgets and KTM sets things alight with power, the KLR shows up with a lunchbox full of stubbornness. It’s the bike for riders who don’t mind a sore backside and would rather pocket the extra R15,000 than explain what ride-by-wire is.

But there’s a cost to being simple. Big thumpers like this are dirty really dirty. In an era of Euro 5 emissions and catalytic everything, the old KLR was belching carbon like a coal plant. To survive, it needed fuel injection, air injection, a catalytic converter… and a price tag it never wanted. So Kawasaki did what they had to do. They took Old Yeller around back and killed it. (Till 2022)

But the KLR Doesn’t Stay Dead

Kawasaki may have pulled the plug, but the KLR never really died. Over 145,000 were built, and most are still alive, many refusing to die even when begged. It was the zombie of adventure bikes till revived in 2022 in some markets.

Some brave (or mad) souls overseas decided to test just how far a KLR could go. We’re talking first-gen models with faded paint, cracked plastics, and the stubborn will of a boer bull.

The Stress Test

They ran quarter-mile drag tests on repeat until the tank ran dry. The numbers? The original 1987 model made about 33 kW (44 hp) and could go nearly 560 km on its 23-litre tank. These days, maybe not all 44 horses are still in the stable, but the bike still runs—just a bit grumpier.

At 100 km/h it feels comfy. At 130, it feels like you’re riding a jackhammer. At 150… well, you’d need gravity, a tailwind, and divine intervention.

Built Like a Donkey (and Rides Like One)

The testers pushed it hard. With hours in the saddle, 170+ km covered, and still running strong. Yes, it consumed oil like a Land Rover on a bad day. Yes, the seat is harder than a plank. But it survived. And then they tried to kill it properly.

With snorkels fitted and modifications made, they turned the KLR into a 650cc submarine and left it submerged overnight. Next morning? It needed coaxing… but it came back. Eventually. Most bikes would’ve shorted and sunk. The KLR just shrugged.

The Cockroach of Motorcycling

This is a bike that once allegedly collided with a train. The train lost. The KLR rode off.

They punched a hole in the engine casing the size of a beer can. JB Weld and actual beer can later, the bike kept going. Its suspension bottomed out on speed bumps. Its brakes were so bad they counted as anti-lock. It’s subframe bolts? Fragile. It’s doohickey adjuster? Famously flawed. And still… it carried on.

Legend, Not Luxury

The 2008 redesign? Universally hated. It looked worse, handled worse, and yet people still bought it. Because underneath the dodgy plastic and confused facelift, it was still a KLR. And that meant something.

It wasn’t built to impress. It was built to endure. It doesn’t do anything best. But it does everything. Forever. Whether you like it or not.

Not Our Test, But Our Respect

Here at Daily Rider, we didn’t conduct this glorious abuse of the KLR. Credit goes to the mad geniuses who decided to stress-test their thumper until it wheezed oil. But their suffering is our entertainment—and our proof. The KLR 650 deserves its status as the cockroach of the bike world.

Own One? You’re Part of the Cult

If you ride a KLR in South Africa, salute yourself. You’re riding a legend—one that refuses to go quietly. It’s ugly, noisy, outdated… and utterly dependable. And in a world full of plastic promises, that counts for something.

Share your KLR story with us below or tag @DailyRiderZA. And if your KLR ever dies? Don’t worry. It probably just needs oil… or a beer can.