klr and dr real-life milage data (please help)

A

adoliver

Well-known member
Title should be "klr and dr real-life mpg data (please help)"

So I'm looking at deciding between a klr650 and dr650. One of my main concerns is mpg. I'm interesting in finding out what real riders are getting for commuting mpg. If you happen to know your difference between below 60 and above 60 please share, otherwise just tell me what you're getting when on paved roads.

Please post with the following:
1) mpg
2) stock or otherwise fairing (what mod if not stock?)
3) stock or otherwise engine (what mod if not stock?)
4) mostly with or mostly without luggage.

Thanks, I'm posting this in a couple other places where I might find answers. Thanks to everyone who responds. I'll post a comparison from the compiled feedback and give a summary once people have responded.
 
luckett

luckett

The Green Bastard
You're obsessing over this decision a bit too much. Just go ride both and pick the one you like.

Stock for stock the mpg difference is insignificant.
 
A

adoliver

Well-known member
Stock for stock the mpg difference is insignificant.
Click to expand...
Offhand my guess is that's not correct at freeway speed. Lack of a fairing should make a significant difference at those speeds. Partly why I wanted to see what fairings people were using on the DR. And I"m curious how much of a difference a frame more designed for highway driving matters compared to the DR with a fairing slapped on.

I have 7 weeks to kill before I have the cash to buy. So I have the time to placate my ingrained need to obsess. I will have been saving for 3 months once I buy this so I want to do my best to be happy with whatever I purchase. Buyer's remorse is very annoying, it's not like I can turn around and sell it back to a dealership if I buy used. And I really don't desire the hassle of re-selling a bike right after I bought it. So satisfying my desire to find a reason to choose one over the other happens to be important to me. And since it requires little of mine or anyone else's time I shall continue. =)
 
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Ogier le Danois

Ogier le Danois

Well-known member
I have a 2007 DR 650, around town riding it ends up about 45 mpg, high speed highway near the same. Twisty, low speed roads around 55mpg.

The bike is like a brick and suffers at speed.
 
A

adoliver

Well-known member
Meter Man said:
I have a 2007 DR 650, around town riding it ends up about 45 mpg, high speed highway near the same. Twisty, low speed roads around 55mpg.

The bike is like a brick and suffers at speed.
Click to expand...

Thank you for answering my OP. =)
And thanks above for the link to that mpg thread.
 
WoodsChick

WoodsChick

I Don't Do GPS
As far as mileage goes, I'll just throw this hypothetical question out there...

If the KLR gets, say, 58mpg larfing down the highway, and the DR650 only gets 49mpg yet makes you giggle like a schoolgirl every time you ride it, is the KLR really the better choice? Lets see, the difference would be 9mpg, which is only 36 miles with a 4gal tank.

36 miles...

I take it this is a big purchase for you, hence the in-depth research, and you're smart to contrast and compare the things that are percieved as important to you. But motorcycling is so much more than that, such a visceral experience, and I would strongly suggest you go take a test ride on all the models you're considering. There is a world of difference between a KLR and a DR, and once you ride both of them the mileage difference might shrink in importance. Or, it might not...

I'd much rather ride my 40mpg SM610 with a litre of fuel on the back than ride my SV650 that gets 50mpg. Better yet, I put an aftermarket 5gal tank on my 610 so I could do the big rides without worrying about it. The 610 brings me immeasurable amounts of joy when I ride it, regardless of how many miles I can go before I have to walk.

Your mileage may vary, of course :)

Good luck with your research and your decision.
Please post up when you get your bike and tell us how you like it!



WoodsChick
 
SurfAwave69

SurfAwave69

Well-known member
I love my KLR (gotta loctite® the bolts when you buy it though! I learned the hard way).

...and listen to luckett...he knows what he's talking about.

Good luck on your purchase!
 
Ozymandias

Ozymandias

Well-known member
I have had an '89 and now an '09 KLR and both were bone stock.

I got about 55 MPG out of both of them with the way I ride. I tend to be a little throttle happy at times and even on the freeway I tend to run around 75. If I back the throttle off to 70 I would get around 58. While I'm not a huge fan of the looks of the Gen2 KLR I will say that riding it doesn't take as much out of you as the Gen1 did. :thumbup The fairings REALLY make a big difference.

I've never owned a DR so I can't tell you what kind of mileage I got out of those. :)
 
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Ogier le Danois

Ogier le Danois

Well-known member
oaklandace said:
Getting on the DR 650 makes me giggle like a school girl - lightening up the bike can help your gas mileage - the stock muffler is pretty heavy (like 35 lbs) and I personally can lose 20 lbs (at least!) - so I only expect my mileage to improve with my diet. Though the 60 mpg was pulling into Angwin wearing motocross boots and carrying a 30# backpack.
Click to expand...

true dat, I weigh about 230. I am a fatty:thumbup
 
T

T748

Well-known member
'89 KLR650 with 7 gallon IMS tank, stock jetting, exhaust and windshield. Fat rider in gear at almost 300lbs, 51mpg freeway/street.
Same bike with overbore to 685cc, KLX "jet kit" and the hooligan-ish riding style that comes with those two, 46mpg freeway/street. -Tom.
 
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