Kawasaki KLR650 Review and Rating

The Kawasaki KLR650 is a 652cc single-cylinder dual-sport built for long, cheap, unglamorous distance on pavement, gravel and dirt roads, and it suits the rider who wants to cross a continent on a small budget rather than the one who wants to ride singletrack. Kawasaki redesigned it for the 2022 model year with fuel injection, a stiffer frame and optional ABS, and for 2026 the US lineup runs three trims: the base KLR650 at $6,999 without ABS or $7,299 with it, the lower seated KLR650 S at the same money, and the KLR650 Adventure ABS at $8,199, all before a $685 destination charge.

The rider who should not buy one is the rider who wants a modern adventure bike. Kawasaki lists ABS as the only electronic rider aid on the whole range, so there is no traction control, no ride modes and no cruise control. There is also no sixth gear, and the KLR weighs 456.2 pounds with a full tank in base non-ABS form and 487.1 pounds as the Adventure. If your riding is technical off-road, or interstate miles at 80 mph, other bikes do those jobs far better.

What the 2022 Redesign Actually Changed

Kawasaki did not restyle the KLR650 in 2022, it rebuilt the parts owners complained about. The carburetor went in favor of DFI with a 40mm throttle body. The subframe became an integrated part of the main frame, which ADV Pulse noted removes the old routine of periodically re-checking subframe bolts that had a tendency to work loose under luggage. The front disc grew from 280mm to 300mm, and the whole bike put on roughly 24 pounds, most of it that frame bracing.

Rider Magazine recorded the geometry changes at the same time: rake went to 30 degrees from 28, trail to 4.8 inches from 4.4, and the wheelbase to 60.6 inches from 58.3, with a swingarm 1.2 inches longer. The result tracks straighter on gravel and carries luggage better, and is less willing to be flicked around. That trade is the character of the current KLR.

• Curb weight, Kawasaki figures including a full tank: 456.2 lb base non-ABS, 460.6 lb base ABS, 487.1 lb Adventure ABS.

• Fuel capacity 6.1 gallons on every trim, which is the single best reason to own one.

• ABS is a factory option on the base and S, standard on the Adventure, and cannot be switched off.

• Front 41mm fork with no adjustment and 7.9 inches of travel. Rear Uni-Trak shock adjustable for rebound and preload, 8.0 inches.

The Engine, and Two Different Power Numbers

Kawasaki's US page claims 40 hp at 6,000 rpm and 39.1 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm, and the footnote on that same page says the figure was measured to ISO standard 4106 and may read higher than the same engine measured to an SAE standard. That is Kawasaki telling you its own number is optimistic, and it is worth taking at face value.

Rider Magazine put a 2022 KLR650 on a rear-wheel dyno and got 36.5 hp at 6,100 rpm and 35.2 lb-ft at 4,600 rpm. Those are the numbers that describe how the bike feels. Peak torque arrives just above idle by modern standards, which is why the KLR pulls through sand and loose gravel without drama and why it is close to unstallable at walking pace.

What the engine will not do is make the top gear feel adequate. Fifth is tall enough to hold 80 mph, and Rider found the KLR happy at 75 mph, but both that test and the ADV Pulse launch report land in the same place: this engine wants a sixth gear it does not have. Long interstate days are possible and they are noisy.

Seat Height, Weight and Who Fits It

The base KLR650 and the Adventure both have a 34.3 inch seat, which is tall enough that inseam matters more than confidence. Kawasaki's answer is the KLR650 S, which drops the seat to 32.1 inches by shortening the suspension to 6.7 inches of fork travel and 7.0 inches at the rear, and takes ground clearance down from 8.3 inches to 7.3 inches in the process. The S costs the same as the base bike, so the decision is purely about whether you need the clearance.

Weight is the harder problem, and it is not solved by any trim. Nearly 460 pounds is a lot of motorcycle to pick up alone on a remote trail, and it is why experienced KLR owners tend to ride fire roads rather than trails. The counterweight is comfort. The 2022 update rubber-mounted the footpegs and handlebar clamps, which ADV Pulse reported cuts vibration noticeably, at the cost of pegs that flex underfoot and rubber inserts that are not removable.

Known Weak Points and Recall History

Start with the good news, because it is specific. No NHTSA recall campaign numbered between 20V001 and 26V999 lists the KLR650. We checked every campaign number in that range against the NHTSA campaign database rather than relying on its vehicle lookup, which returns zero results for motorcycles that do have recalls. For a bike sold in volume since 2022, an empty recall record is a real finding.

The famous KLR fault is the doohickey, the balancer chain adjuster lever. Kawasaki did not redesign it for 2022, and its quality assurance manager told ADV Pulse at the press launch that the failures traced to the first generation two-piece design and that current warranty data does not show a problem. The 2022 engine did get stronger cam chain guide material in a new shape. Treat the doohickey as a genuine concern on an old KLR and an unproven one on a new one.

The complaints that show up in every professional test of the current bike are smaller and more certain. The front brake is the biggest: a single 300mm disc on a two-piston caliper hauling down 460 pounds, and ADV Pulse said stopping from 80 mph lacks any urgency. The shift lever sits too low and too close to the peg for an off-road boot, and both Rider and ADV Pulse flagged it. Raising it one spline makes the lever foul an engine case cover, so owners file the lever instead. The USB port cover on the Adventure works loose over bumps.

What It Costs to Run

Rider Magazine measured 47 mpg on its 2022 test and calculated 287 miles of range from the 6.1 gallon tank. That range is the KLR's real advantage over almost everything else at the price, and it is why the bike keeps turning up on long overland routes.

Servicing is cheap by adventure bike standards. Rider lists a 15,000 mile valve inspection interval, and the rest of the bike is a chain, a tube-type 21 inch front tire, a tube-type 17 inch rear and a single carburetor's worth of complication that is now a single throttle body. Rider also recorded a 316 pound load capacity against an 803 pound GVWR on the Adventure.

KLR650 Versus Suzuki DR650S

The Suzuki DR650S is the other cheap 650 single that has been on sale forever, and the numbers separate them cleanly. Suzuki's 2026 brochure lists a 644cc air and oil cooled SOHC single fed by a Mikuni BST40 carburetor, a five-speed gearbox, a 34.8 inch seat that drops to 33.2 inches with the accessory kit, 366 pounds curb weight and a 3.2 gallon tank, with no ABS offered at all. It lists at $7,299.

So the Suzuki is 90 pounds lighter and far better suited to actual dirt, and the Kawasaki has fuel injection, ABS availability, liquid cooling, nearly twice the useful range and a windscreen. If your riding is trails with pavement in between, buy the DR650S. If it is distance with dirt roads in between, buy the KLR650. Riders who ask one bike to do both jobs usually end up unhappy.

Common Questions

Is the 2022 and newer KLR650 reliable?

There is no documented chronic fault on the fuel-injected KLR650 and no NHTSA recall campaign covering it. That is about as strong a statement as the public record supports, since the redesigned bike has only been on sale since 2022. The known irritations are ergonomic and mechanical trivia rather than failures: a low shift lever, a soft front brake and a loose USB cover.

Should I worry about the doohickey on a new KLR650?

No, but you should understand what it is before you buy an older one. The doohickey is the balancer chain adjuster lever, and the failures that built its reputation belong to the first generation two-piece design. Kawasaki carried the part into the 2022 redesign unchanged and told ADV Pulse its failure data does not support the concern.

Can a KLR650 keep up on the interstate?

It will hold 75 to 80 mph all day, and it will not enjoy it. Fifth gear is the top gear, so the engine sits high, and Rider Magazine's test specifically called out the missing sixth gear. Passing at those speeds needs planning, and the single front disc does not stop 460 pounds quickly.

Should You Buy One

Buy a KLR650 if what you want is 287 miles of range, a bike you can fix yourself, a seat you can sit on for twelve hours and a purchase price under $8,000 with luggage fitted. Buy the Adventure if you plan to carry gear, because the factory side cases and fog lamps cost less bundled than bought separately. Buy the S only if the 34.3 inch seat genuinely stops you riding, since it gives up an inch of ground clearance to get there.

Skip it if your riding is technical dirt, in which case the Suzuki DR650S or a Honda XR is the honest answer, or if you want modern electronics, in which case a Yamaha Tenere 700 or a Honda Transalp costs more and delivers more. Also skip it if you plan to ride 80 mph interstate every day, because five gears and one front disc are not enough for that life.

One note on gear for this class: dual-sport riding puts you down at low speed on rocks more often than it puts you down at high speed on tarmac, so prioritise CE-rated armor at knees, hips, elbows, shoulders and back, plus a proper off-road boot. Unarmored leather or textile is weather protection, not crash protection.

Rating: 4 out of 5. The KLR650 does the thing it was built for better than anything else at the price, and the 2022 redesign fixed the faults owners actually complained about. It loses a point for the brake, the missing gear and the weight, all of which Kawasaki could address and has chosen not to.