I spent a few minutes taking pictures from the summit of Mt Mitchell and then decided it was time to head back down as it was now late afternoon and a slow cold drizzle began up top. In no time I was back to warmer and drier air and after thoroughly enjoying the uphill tarmac run I decided to look for an off-road alternative on the downhill ride. Just as I was pondering the idea I spotted FS 2074 a USFS gravel road turning off to my left near mile post 347. This would prove to be a wonderful two track road that descended from the Parkway down the backside of Mt Mitchell dropping over 1006 feet in just over 2.5 miles. At the bottom was a secluded campground nestled along a rocky stream that looked to be filled with trout and prime swimming holes. I marked the location on my GPS, I will be back, and headed off West along the creekside road. Eventually the road began to climb steadily back East toward the ridge above and ended up being even longer and more fun than the first one before ending up back on the Parkway just a few miles from where I left. This is my kind of riding and the KLR likes it too, switchback after switchback, all perfectly graded and banked to the terrain, with gorgeous scenery and I saw no other traffic coming up or down. I could get used to this and was tempted to keep exploring but now I was way off schedule and it was nearing 5:30 pm. I punched HOME on the GPS and it said my ETA was 7:45 pm. Amazing, I was still less than 2 hours from home but it felt like I was worlds away. Trust me folks, life is good in North Carolina.

I was done exploring and headed home but lucky for me the fun wasn’t over quite yet. The quickest route home according to the GPS was via NC Hwy 80 that runs from the top of the ridge back down into Marion, NC. What a road this turned out to be. I hooked up with a couple of sportbike riders headed down and we sliced and diced the front side of the mountain at a breakneck pace before cruising past picturesque Lake Tahoma and into the foothills. In less than 45 minutes I was back on the freeway and headed for the downhill run to Charlotte.

I pulled into my garage at precisely 8 pm after stopping for a quick fill up and a burger. I have to give props here to the revised seat design on the KLR with new urethane foam, it adds considerably to the comfort factor on those long hard days in the saddle. After 14 hours and 421 miles today I can honestly say that the new seat passes the test with flying colors.

Overall the new KLR is impressive, it hits the adventure bike benchmarks in full stride, in terms of acceptable cruising capability it can get 300 miles on a tank of gas and go all day at 80mph turning a comfortable 5000rpm, in terms of off-road prowess it is more than capable for the uses for which it is intended, in terms of comfort it has a great seat and excellent ergonomics. It has a wealth of aftermarket accessories available from a variety of sources so you can customize your KLR exactly to your liking and your style of riding. In my opinion, dollar for dollar, this is arguably the best adventure bike option on the market.

Finally, I have to admit I have been lining up a selection of nifty gadgets to bolt on to the KLR for future runs, everything from the GPS mentioned above to a radar detector, a satellite radio, and rider-to-rider communications system that will test the staying power of the charging system. The new high-capacity 36W alternator should allow for plenty of juice to power the new higher-output headlight and still leave plenty of extra capacity to run the add-on electronic gadgets that make modern adventure touring such a pleasure. I am also testing a variety of adventure gear like the Aerostitch suit I used on this trip and a variety of luggage options, both soft and hard mounted. Stay tuned and I will let you how these products function in the real world with more specific product reviews on each and every one.

In the end all these refinements contribute to make an already competent and popular motorcycle even better as a dual-sport touring choice. For more information on the KLR650 visit www.kawasaki.com .

Specifications
Engine: Four-stroke, DOHC, four-valve single
Displacement: 651cc
Bore x stroke: 100.0 x 83.0mm
Compression ratio: 9.8:1
Cooling: Liquid
Carburetion: Keihin CVK40
Ignition: Fully transistorized
Transmission: Five-speed
Final drive: Chain
Frame: Semi-double cradle, high-tensile steel
Rake/trail: 28 degrees / 4.4 in.
Front suspension/wheel travel: 41mm telescopic fork / 7.9 in.
Rear suspension/wheel travel: UNI-TRAK® single-shock system with 5-way preload and stepless rebound damping / 7.3 in.
Front tire: 90/90x21
Rear tire: 130/80x17
Front brake/rear brake: Single 280mm petal-type disc, two-piston caliper / single 240mm disc, single-piston caliper
Overall length: 90.3 in.
Overall width: 37.8 in.
Overall height: 53.1 in.
Ground clearance: 8.3 in.
Seat height: 35.0 in.
Dry weight: 386 lbs.
Fuel capacity: 6.1 gal.
Wheelbase: 58.3 in.
Color choices: Candy Lime Green, Sunbeam Red or Blue 21
Good Times™ Protection Plan:12, 24, 36 or 48 months
Warranty: 12 Months