Hi, this is my first post so I might aswell introduce myself, my name is Richard, I am 22 years old from Devon, England. I've had my '05 KLE for 3 and a half years now and still love it !
I have been browsing this forum for quite a while and felt I should contribute pictures of my KLE with the accessories I have saved for.

MRA KAWASAKI Z1000 A1> 03> & KLE500 05> VARIO TOURING MOTORCYCLE SCREEN </title><Actinic:BASEHREF VALUE="http://bikehps.demonweb.co.uk/acatalog/"/><meta name="ACTINICTITLE" content="Vario Touring Screens for Kawasaki"><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"><script language="JavaScript"> <

PANNIER RACKS BY FIVE STARS (GIVI COMPATIBLE)
FIVE STARS Motorcycle Luggage Side Racks

pannier installation PDF file. very useful. http://www.jfmotorsport.de/shop2k5/c...4220000501.pdf

CENTRE STAND - SW MOTECH
SW Motech Centre stand Kawasaki KLE500 (1991-) - Motorcycle Road and Race Ltd, Parts and Accessories (Many motorcycle accessory shops sell this)

or

Bykebitz Motorcycle Accessories Ltd Kawasaki Centre Stands


GIVI PANNIERS - E45 TOPBOX - E36 PANNIERS
Available at many motorcycle accessory shops

SCOTT OILER - MK7
Available at many motorcycle accessory shops

AIR HAWK SEAT
Avaiable at Bykebitz Motorcycle Accessories - Home

OXFORD HOTGRIPS
Available everywhere

FIVE STARS/HEPCO & BECKER CRASH BARS

Available at Hepco&Becker Black Engine Bars for Kawasaki KLE 500 - £1.. - Motorbikes and Parts - Givi / Kappa Motorcycle Luggage Specialists - hepcobecker-black-engine-bars-for-kawasaki-kle-500-p-11919.html?makes_id=12


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We hope you like them.

Please feel freee to comment.













^ FIVE STARS PANNIER RACKS ^





^ SCOTT OILER MK7 - UNDERNEATH RIGHT HAND SIDE PANEL ^





Fully loaded with Air Hawk seat and Oxford hotgrips for winter riding.







bike with new five stars crash bars (identical to hepco and becker)

I hope you liked the photos.

Cheers.

Richard.

Great first post Richard; many people come in with a "hello here I am" type of thing but you have contributed immediately.

Good looking bike there with some very useful add-ons. You are all set to go touring!
How effective do you find the MRA screen compared with the original and/or as a screen in its own right?

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Dave

hi dave, thanks for the reply, yes I'm ready to go touring I've only done small trips so far, weekend camping down to cornwall (not more than 120 miles one way) and the odd trip here and there. My plans for future after more riding experience will be the lands end to john o'groats The screen is a great piece of kit, with the 'flap' all the way down it acts the same as the standard screen, fully upright when it gets to 70+ mph you can feel it slightly but being 6ft 2inches I'm always going to get wind, smaller men/woman would find minimal wind turbulance upto 60mph at least. It has enabled to me to beable to keep a much more relaxed posture on my bike - reducing energy useage therefore can enjoy the ride more

Excellent information Richard and thanks for that: the MRA screen looks well designed.

Good luck with your travelling and camping - try to get abroad on the KLE and do some (legal) riding on the wrong side of the road!

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Dave

excelent post richard. it was really the info what i need.

i have a small question. can you mount the side panniers without the top-box rack? i dont think i am going to use top-box. also can you use this rack with zega alu-panniers?

another question is about the bike? is it really bullet-proof? do you have serious problems especially with engine?

I am between KLE500 and XL650

thanks

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ozhan u.
website under construction

thanks for the questions ozhanu.

The pannier racks has 2 fixings that fit to the original rear carrier. This means you do not have to have a topbox.
As with regards to the zega-alu panniers I am not too sure, but i will try and find out.

Before I decided to buy a big bike (and have restricted) I researched for months on the most reliable and obviously most suited for my own purposes. I looked on reviews and read about the KLE having the renowned GPZ500 engine. So far I've had not a single problem with the bike. It starts in any weather, after any period of time - first time. It's incredibly smooth and responsive, I don't have a single bad word to say about it. I use it nearly everyday and average 1000 miles a month.
My brother has a honda xl 650 transalp and we've both been quite some distances together. So far he has experienced no problems, with it being a honda its of a build quality that is trusted worldwide. The obvious differences between our bikes is the size. The KLE is slightly taller, thinner and lighter whereas the transalp is more expensive, heavier, has a larger fuel tank, wider seat, faster and has more available aftermarket accessories. But I chose the KLE over the Transalp because of the rugged look and it was alot more cheaper (which matters when your a student with minimal income).

cheers

richard

thanks for all the info richard.

I you could just give me the inner diameter of the racks that would really help. I can measure my pannier mounts and see whether they fit or not.

This weekend I'll go to see the KLE on the dealer. As you said it is cheap and gives you the enough power. Even with the accessories it is cheaper then XL650 or 650GS.

Thanks

__________________
ozhan u.
website under construction

You got the bike set up very well there Richard.

Ive just sold my fireblade and so I have some spare cash to spend on my KLE. Im gonna get the rack and side boxes and also the centre stand.

I fitted the oxford heated grips last winter and they work well. Also I got a taller screen but not the wing type like yours, I just thought they were too expensive.

How do you find the centre stand, is it of solid construction and do u have any ground clearance problems now?

Cheers
Roy

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"Whats in that thing??", An R1 owner said.

hi sorry for late reply I have been busy the past few days.

ozhanu:

the pannier racks diameter is 16mm

royzx7r:

The centre stand is very solid construction and does the job brilliantly. here are a couple of pics showing the main fixings. Also note that you will have to use a longer bolt for the left hand side pannier fixing if you are going to buy both items (pannier racks and centre stand). I used a 45mm, size 8 bolt, and always use loctite.

Also the ground clearance is pretty much the same.







^ showing ground clearance with centre stand fitted on KLE ^

cheers

Cheers for that Richard,

Deffo got your bike sorted out there, looks good.

I saw another Kle the other day on a ride out up the lakes, It had the engine bars on. It looked quite cool.

Ive sold my blade coz I just kept choosing the kle for every ride. Strange, Ive always been a sports bike man untill I bought the kwak as a bit of a hack. I just fell in love with the dam thing and its great going off the beaten track with it.

Nice to have you on here.

Roy

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"Whats in that thing??", An R1 owner said.

Really nice and very complete KLE. The centre stand will be my next purchase. Is it strong? Does it worth the investment? Did you have any problems installing it?
I'm sure it will make chain adjustments and tire changes far much easier.
Cheers

Jules

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Jules
Now Kawa KLE500 dirty-knobby tires, noisy Thunder exhaust.
Waiting for the new 2008 Yamaha XTZ660 Ténéré

jules: the centre stand is very strong and really worth the investment. Its nice to be able to adjust the chain so much more easily, also changing tyres as you say will become a more manageable job.

the centre stand comes in 3 pieces: the 2 brackets and the centre stand itself. Its relatively easy to install but the only hard part was mounting the spring.

only 3 parts of the motorbike will have to be removed to be able to install the centre stand. They are: the two front foot peg bracket and the left rear foot peg bracket.





hope this helps.

cheers.

Thank you very much for the information, Richard.
These details will be very useful. I will post photos of my bike as soon as I install the centre stand next month (I hope).
Best regards
Jules

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Jules
Now Kawa KLE500 dirty-knobby tires, noisy Thunder exhaust.
Waiting for the new 2008 Yamaha XTZ660 Ténéré

Afternoon all,

Does anyone have spiked footpegs on their KLE? I went to a bike show at the NEC years before I bought my bike and bought some motorcross boots with a flat soal. When riding off road they dont have the gip I want due to the lack of the heel to hook over the ped.

Today I went all round Barcelona looking for some spiked ones - to no avail. One chap said they had one for the KX but I think i will have to go to a show room and see if they are the same brackets. I picked up some hand protectors with the metal bars -Acerbids which I think will do better than the standard to protect hands if I go down.

Anyone else seen owt for`t kLE?

Cardy Spain


PS) I am looking forward to going up to the mountain roads next month!
Will get photos

That is very very usefull information Richard . I just ordered a KLE yesterday and I'm certain you've saved me hours of searching for accessories. I was beginning to think a rack for hard luggage was'nt available. I'm gonna fit all that stuff just as soon as I can afford it. Thanks again.
Steve.