We love motorcycles to death, and try to be as neutral as we can when it comes to brands. (Except you Harley, get your stuff together) However, the last year has been a great year for Honda. We ranked them at our top spot for motorcycle brands of 2020 a while back, and for a good reason. We don't want everyone thinking that we are super Honda fanboys though, so we wanted to take an opportunity to call out Honda for a moment, and give praise to a brand we haven't in a long time.
The Honda XR650L hasn't been changed in a long time. Like a reaaally long time. Which in Honda's defense, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. In the 70's, motorcycle manufacturers were making two stroke dirt bikes. Which were cheap, fast enough, and offered hours of fun. Honda, set in their ways, were convinced that four stroke would be the way of the future. So years later when others were forced to upgrade their units to four stroke, Honda had already spent years and years perfecting it. Thrusting them to the top for a very long time without any means for improving.
Even today, the XR650L holds up to its competition, but thanks to good old capitalisms competition, other manufactures are coming closer, creating new and unique ways to give Honda a run for their money. Example A: The Kawasaki KLR650.
Definitely easy on the eyes. With inspiration from BMW and maybe a little Super Tenere, this bike resembles a lot of the same designs most adventure bikes are using now. The Honda though still looks like it's stuck in the 90's though. Come on Honda, just upgrade the plastics for God's sake.
Kawasaki has announced that the 2022 model is fuel injected. A game changing feature for a dual-sport. It also comes in two models. An ABS model is also available, giving you two models to go with. Both models come at under $7000 dollars, giving it an extreme value that is right in line with other models. Kawasaki is also packing some serious technology in the ways of comfort. Suspension control and a completely new swing arm on both the rear and front. New brakes, body cosmetics, battery, clutch, and much more. Honestly, it's pretty overwhelming how much has improved on the bike. Kawasaki pulled out the big guns for this one, and we aren't just talking about the exhaust.
The downside of the Kawasaki is the weight. A lot of people won't like the fact that it weighs as much as a northern Grizzly Bear. Here is a hilarious meme to illustrate that point. (See Bottom Right Photo)
Regardless, this means Honda will have to revamp. It was a good run, but let's be honest. You can only keep the same design for so long before the competition will catch up. Honestly, it was crazy that Honda was able to go 30 years without major changes. However, a new age is here, and Kawasaki isn't messing around.
If you would like to read more about the new Kawasaki KLR650, this article explains the new features very well.
And as always, if you need any used OEM parts for your motorcycles or UTV's, Sun Coast Cycle Sports has you covered.