KAWASAKI KLR650 Upgrades & Mods | Masons ADV | 

Except for the Sportster the KLR has to be one of top longest largest quantity selling bikes. Aside from popularity it has to be the most studied and modified bikes on the planet. I'm certain some owners know more about the bike than the manufacturers that built them. Your channel is a great source maybe the best for advice and how to on KLRs.

Thank you so much for the videos! You, Swanky, BOC, and Scratch helped me decide to go ahead and get me a KLR650.

I have learned a ton from your videos. And help me out substantially on setting my KLR up to the way. I like it. I will continue to be a faithful Watcher of your videos. Be safe out there Dave Page

You have I feel the best bike channel I have loved watching your videos and learning from successes and mistakes. You explain things well and find entertaining rides and commentary. Thank you!

About to take delivery of a Klr this weekend, I just wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this vid, thanks a mil.

Great video Mason! That’s a well farkled KLR. The best thing about the KLR is the ability to make it anything you want.

Clear , concise, good summary of your klr upgrades , thankyou !

Lots of cool stuff! Great walk around makes me want to get a KLR!

Thanks to MasonsADV I discovered ADV and how to do it without breaking the bank. This particular video is very much appreciated, it will save me time and money. I can't wait for this Spring's build; I'd like to start sooner but the garage is another project in itself. I've started my own maintenance/upgrade book, my A&P friend said, "of course you need that!". Thanks again Mason!

Excellent Mason ! Thanks. Very informative.

A well sorted bike! I went back and forth on buying one of these bikes for years. I finally pulled the trigger after learning about the CD suspension and KLR dash. I am using Tusk pannier racks and crash bars and a bunch of JNS Enginerring parts.The huge aftermarket parts availability lets you build the bike to fit your specific need. It's been a fun build and a fun bike to ride.

Want to thank you. Several months ago I watched your 5 things to do on a new/ used KLR. Kept telling myself to do your suggested checklist. Just did it today. Was getting popping like crazy on deceleration. Exhaust was definitely loose including the sleeve behind the brake reservoir. I had upgraded the subframe bolts and loctited them several k miles ago. My foot peg bolts were loose as well. Pulled them blues them and re torqued. Great stuff Mason. Thanks again for making life on the bike safer, more reliable and most important enjoyable.

Nice bike, nice shop! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

You're too organized. I'm jealous. Great video. Wish you the best.

Great report. I have 2008 Gen2 with 80k km. Just too much fun to give. I do some work my self but my Kawasaki shop is 10 minutes from my house and he dose most of the heavy lifting. Anyway great report and enjoy your adventures. I have had a few as well. 👍😉

Nice run down. Thanks for sharing. 👍

Great video, Thanks, have done many of the same mods and a few different ones also due to mine being an 09 model. my next step is the EM raising links and the cogent adv shock, did the cogent kit on the front already.

Hi Mason, I just love that bike. (Mine is still pretty standard, but I have done the frame bolts). Looking good forward to watching you recheck your doohickey mod. Wishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas and a safe New Year. Regards from S Africa Clive

Great video, helpful info, thanks !!!

Wow impressive modding.

Again. Another great video. I have a 2000 KLR, the O.D. just flipped 4k miles. I have done the E.M. doohickey mod with the torsion spring. I swapped out the stock rear spring for a Yamaha YZ 450 450# weighted spring. I find this to be a perfect upgrade for my weight. A friend in Chesapeake Via recommended it. He is big into suspension. For $65 how could I go wrong? The rear doesn't squat when I open her up. But the front sure does come up easy. I really have to be careful. I am in the middle of a custom seat build, thanks for that vid, and I have flood lights that have not even mounted yet. Mounted the TKC 80s. First time ever doing that. Klx needle kit swap, with an aftetmarket pipe. The power really comes on down low, Mason, you have a special talent at producing videos. They are perfect! I appreciated the time you out in editing and all you do for the m/c community.

Great work on your bike, I added a few of the same to mine. I also added a bigger front disk which really helps slow down when fully loaded. I have and will install the duhicky as well as a valve check soon. I am happy to say I will be taking all 5 of my bikes out for a ride today. Yesterday 28 degrees today 48 degrees Fahrenheit.

Just found you guys! Rode my KLR and then Versys around Springmount , Owensound , SouthHampton, etc. Great Video's!

Great Video! As a new KLR650 owner, your video is very much appreciated. Regards, Jude @CoastalADV

Very nice Mason 👍👍

Great video! Thanks!

Your channel just popped up in my feed. Great content here!

Nice bike Mason ,still saving for mine lol.Merry Christmas 🎄 dude!oh by the way I m from the Peterborough area I will join you for a ride one day 👍

You forgot your double take mirror add on. You’ve got a very well modded bike. Merry Christmas and looking forward to more videos.

My KLR650 is similar to yours with Outback Motortek crashbars/skid plate, Barkbusters and happy trails luggage frames. Added upper and lower dash, better footpegs and I still have the Top Gun rear spring and fork springs. I also changed to a slip on muffler. I still love mine after 20000km and can't see me changing anytime soon.

👍 well done! So far on my 07-Eagle Mike: fork brace, .7 bar risers, subframe bolt upgrade, magnetic drain plug, torsion spring doohickey, rear rack. Progressive springs. All Balls: steering stem bearing kit, front & rear master cylinder rebuild kits. Tusk: front & rear steel braided brake lines, brake pads, clutch & front brake levers, D-flex hand guards. Motion Pro clutch cable. The plan for this winter Pivot Works: linkage rebuild kit, swing arm bearing kit. Progressive 465 rear shock. Eagle Mike raising link. Or maybe a new Yamaha Tenere 700 😳. Enjoyed the show as always, thanks ☕️ Have a Merry Christmas 🎄.

Love the helmet hook

Thank you for all the useful information Just surprised no exhaust mod

Looking for one now great bike

Love your bike.

Very informative. Just wish I had the know-how. What tires do you favor? I'm on the fence between a KLR or a T700.

Nice KLR,

Great video. May reconsider the dr650 plan for a klr650.

Awesome walk through. I've done crash bars, skid plate and shifter. Mama is getting tired of the UPS and Fed Ex trucks pulling up to the house so I've cooled it a bit. Really need to get on my doohickey and possibly replace my chain and brake pads. Cool video oh and those pants look like something I need with all the pockets. What are they?

Nice mods Mason. I’m new to dual sport and klr650. Got it few months ago My mods so far. -Peg bracket bigger bolts, ( got bike with all of them stripped) drilled and tapped m8 thread. - cut and modified (welded) foot peg brackets. Moved pegs about 1” back to get more room to shifter and brake. - cut and extended shifter lever about 1/2 to get more room for my big feet. At 13kmiles still have oem doohickey any way to get the pulley without specialty tools?

If I was buying your bike and you pulled that binder out I would give you your asking price and then some. You are the guy I look for when buying used anything. I keep good documentation but I don't have a binder. I'll step my game up sir.

Strong motorcycle. 😎👍🏼

Hi! Thank you for your great and informative video’s. I have a 2011 that I am resuscitating since a run in with a Bambi. I want to add more lighting. Have you done any stator mods to your bike?

great work on a great bike. how did you manage to keep your bar end weights while having your handguards though?? good stuff man

Just bought an 08 yesterday. I think I'd like to do the same stuff to mine. Pretty sure I want the fmf exhaust. Not certain yet if the suspension has been upgraded or is stock. Don't think the previous owner could remember. I might msg him to ask.

Great vlog Mason lots of info. Where do you get your Kawasaki parts? Through the guy at the beach? Or from 2 wheel ? Thx Eamon

Awesome videos, thank you. I just bought a KLR 650 and the previous owner did the same fender removal/license plate location change. He gave me the stock fender that he removed. Have you noticed any downsides to removing that extended fender? Any additional mud flinging up?

Nice update, you certainly have done lots to it. A couple of questions about the chain. How often do you find it needs adjustment and how many kms did you have when you changed it out? I know it varies from bike to bike depending on riding styles etc..

Love watching your videos. Rewatched this one to see some of the bags and a rough set up. What do you think about what I’m doing to my Harley? I’ve got a 2004 Sportster 1200R that I’m making into an ADV style bike!

very nice job Mason, any thoughts on replacing the rotors with a different brand than stock? I believe Everide did a video about his mods and he recommended new pads and rotors. I also wanted to inquire about the mirrors, what are those and are you still happy with them? Merry Christmas hope you have a wonderful holidays!

Thanks for your videos! Do you have the 15T front sprocket or did you change for a 16T?

When you installed the Rox risers, was everyting ok with with stock cable lengths? Thanks for the videos. New to the KLR club and your channel is amazing!

Get a fork brace. It feels like a whole new bike!

Hello Mason! Do you run the accesories straight out of the battery? Or is there any like, distribuiting box or something? How much power can we run off the bike? Great video as always!

Hi, great bike, did I hear you say you carry a jack on the bike? Can you tell me the brand or where to find one?

Hi there! Where can I find more information about carburetor modification?

It is odd that most upgrade videos I have watched about the KLR650 are... not upgrades per se. Whether accessories are upgrade is open to debate but when I mean upgrade, it should improve somehow the performance and handling of the bike. The most obvious I would start with just like I would with a DR650 is seeking better more adventure capable suspensions while dropping weight. The exhaust mufflers on both KLR and DR are absolutely monstrous and super heavy (even more so on the KLR), the KLR also has a ton of humongous fat ass looking plastic bits at the rear. All you should see at the rear is a light enduro mudguard and rear light with minimalist plate holder and light aluminium central luggage carrier. The exhaust is easy, replace with titanium Akrapovic, Yoshimura, GPR (my personal favorite exhaust lines best weight loss), SC Project (second fav best sound and rally design), Remus (best modern looking design), you name it there is a truckload of options that will save you anywhere between 1 to 2.5kgs easy. The stock KLR is a tank of an exhaust, must go straight to the rubbish bin. Then comes the most useful and compulsary upgrade: the suspensions. Both KLR and DR have chewing gum like front and rear shock absorbers producing the more than occasional front dive and loss of traction. This would be my three first upgrades, then handlebar, protections, footpegs, etc. Two other major upgrades would be gear lever and sprocket and carburator, maybe the radiator. Lighter battery maybe? Smaller LED lights? If I was to ever upgrade the tank, I would probably look at a rear tank addition rather than getting a larger capacity front tank as much as I would like to keep the rear light so it would not be more than a 5 litres expansion really to keep the rear reasonably light and balanced on both sides. Anyone can buy accessories, they are a matter of taste, budget, weight and how much you're going to really need them. I bloody hate rigid suitcases on a bike, I don't see the point. What are they for, your king size mattress? Unless you need to carry an expensive camera or drone, your best bet remains some luggage to the front over the tank (hence the reason why I would not upgrade the front tank) or in your backpack which is the more vibration free options. This is the type of video I would like to see. Upgrades that don't make the bike impossible to ride and control off road.

Is the OEM doohickey still an issue on the KLR since the latest 2020 versions? I would like to think Kawasaki has addressed it.

I put a set of metzler Karoos on my klr two pairs of dunlops had bad sidewall cracks .have you ever tried the metzler Karoos?

I noticed you didn't fit an aftermarket exhaust pipe, I've seen so many KLR's fitted with them.

Looking good that bike. I have the bike your subconscious want so l do not have a equipment list on a KLR for you sir😀😀. Looking forward to some maintenence video during winter. Is that a ebay tooltube?

Mason, the soft rear tail bag can you tell me more about it. Brand, price etc.

I’ve heard Santa is getting me the doohickey upgrade kit for Xmas! I’m also going to switch out the petcock for the manual one.. with around 10,500 miles on my bike I’m very curious to see how the doohickey/spring is doing. I did the klx kit last season and I’m not happy with the stock idle mixture screw setup. I think I found a different screw meant for a Harley-Davidson that will allow me to adjust it with my fingers while the bike is running.. apparently the Harley-Davidson cv carbs and the cvk Kawasaki carbs are nearly identical.. we’ll see.. I’ll try and do some videos and see what happens.. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 😎

Thanks for the videos Mason! I wonder, have you experienced any oil burning issues at all? I have a 2011 with 30,000 Km and I am sure she's burning oil!

Ah - it snows where you live!!! Bob

Do you have any issues with handlebar vibration? I have a 2016 with 1700 miles on it. I have Barkbuster hand/brush guards on it with bar end weights and Rox Speed FX Risers. My hands start to fall asleep on a 20 mile ride. I'm going to try adding more weight to the bars and check my counterbalancer and do the Doohickey mod.

Mason do you have any issues with the bike shutting down after small water crossings... i noticed you didn't mentioned a TMod ... i am considering doing it i just wanted to get your opinion on what you have done to it to get it water friendly

I noticed that you kept the original muffler. Everyone seems to recommend replacing the OEM muffler if you do the air-box snorkel and KLX needle mods? Beside the cost of an aftermarket exhaust, any reason why you didn't change yours?

Are U thinking about upgrading to the new 2022 fuel injected KLR650 model?

Do you have the measurements on the windshield riser. So I can make my own like you did?

if anyone has a gen2 and is having a really hard time adapting to off road but still like the klr then i would suggest just trying it with out the plastics especially if you have a guard. maybe trailer it to be leagal but I have found that those big bulky plastics feel very awkward when turning and off roading. I broke off all my plastics on my 2009 8 years ago. 2 days ago I bout a 2017 and when I went to do the test drive I immediately felt uncomfortable and unfamiliar on a bike I have spent 220k on. I switched my old muffler and took off the plastics and I felt ready for some gnarly trails again.! now I'm designing a build around not having them.

Surprised you're using the stock muffler. Sucker is heavy!

That's a sexy KLR I must say.....

Im 6'1". If you get a chance, do you have insight on how well the factory windshield on the riser blocks the wind? Where does it hit you now?

Went and looked at a 2008 klr 650 with 5000 k . Looking at it for 1st bike

Come back with new videos please

What size is the tool tube? Thanks

I’m about to buy a 2018, 0km KLR650 and I’d like to know the BEST mods for improving longevity, reliability and keep the bike healthy and safe for the long run. What things should I put on it or _do to it?_

I think you also have a metal cover on your master cylinder btw

What is the quick release pin that you use for your castle nut?

How much of the Moose Racing stuff have you used? Any thoughts on Moose quality?

I think you copied me! LOL. Ive done all the same mods with the exception of the lights and your charging system is next level. Have you done a detailed video on that?

Quick question. Have you done the petcock upgrade on your KLR? What are your thoughts on doing it vs keeping it stock?

Are these bikes air cooled or something? I have an older 2007/2009 klr650 and noticed the temperature rises when I'm stopped at lights

How many mile do you have on your klr

how often do you need to check the valve clearance on this bikes?

What lift do you use for your bike? I need one for my klr but can't find one

Hello from Alaska. I just picked up a used 2008 KLR650 with high mileage (36000) in part to your videos and another RU-vidr itchy boots. I have a big cruiser I have been riding the last couple of summers but I would like to go more places, gravel/dirt and fire roads. I don’t have off-road riding experience. My plan is to go thru the bike and get it ready for spring. It had the 685 kit installed about 10,000 miles ago. My question is for the riding I’m planning on doing do you think a cogent front end and a top gun rear would be a good choice for my needs? I’m 6’4” about 275. Just curious about your opinion. Thanks

Does your KLR have the California emissions package?

Man I sure hope to get many of these done to my own KLR! May I ask where you purchased those floodlights you added?

Do you run stock sprockets or did you go to a 16t front?

How tall are you, etc., as it relates to your ability to flat foot the beast? I share many of your mods on my 2013 model (also with 24K) but am getting real tired of dropping the thing.

My KLR has Mason's ADV KLR jealousy issues. lol I tell him that it's OK, we'll get there like Johnny Cash, one piece at a time...

What mirrors are those? Thanks

How do i know if i need the doohickey change

A question: I have a well modified 08 I ride 50/50 in Utah, including the KLX carb mods. I can live with it's freeway performance (80 mph legal) but I'd like a bit more. Re-gearing is out because it hurts offroad performance. What is your opinion on going to a 685cc or larger bore? Any other ideas? Thanks

Buy a KTM and you do not have to do so much mods... hahaha! Nice one! Thanks!

Another Excellent video #masonsadv.com

Make sure your wife doesn't catch you using her measuring cup.

More $$ in accessories than the cost of the bike? I need a better seat for sure. Do hicky I don’t care until the warranty is out. Doubt I will need all that you have on yours. I’m not that hard on her.