I put on my klr a sahara 3 180x90...standard size wheel...we were two up with aprox 350 kg on top of the bike. previously i added a 3 finger stainless steel metal cylinder at the bottom of the shock absorber to make it higher keeping in position 1 in the top adjuster. still the bike went rub the right side of the tire on to the exhaust. i have an after market one, it was quite easy to make it loose and pull it towards, outward. FYI!!!

Loose spokes happen, even on new, modern bikes. On a new dirt bike I check them a couple times in the first 6 months of riding. After that, they mostly never move.

Mangled wheel? So, did it just mangle itself? Sounds like crash damage to me. The KLR DID wheels are very tough, better than most typical Euro wheels like Behr or Akront, and really equal to Excel but heavier. I've hit stuff on a KLR that would make you cringe ... wheels held up just fine. They ain't light ... but are strong.

Some Excel race wheels are softer than the old/heavy but tough DID wheel the KLR uses. Wheel beariings? Now that is another story! (check 'em!)
Better engineering will eliminate crash damage? Things like mangled radiators, snapped shift levers, smashed handlebar controls seems to me are ALL crash damaged items ... and don't happen by themselves.

Do you know a bike that does not get mangled in a crash? Can't blame the KLR for that. (Plenty wrong with the bike but rider induced damage does not equate to poor engineering)

BTW, the main reason the KLR is so cheap is due to economies of scale ... not from short cutting quality. KHI re-couped their 1980's dollars investment over 20 years ago and has been making a profit off the KLR ever since. In the 90's they took production to Thailand ... so even cheaper to produce and that kept the price low.

No question, owners have come up with some useful and clever upgrades for the KLR making it both more reliable and adding performance. But mostly the bike is OK and generally solid and reliable despite its low budget reputation and parts bin selection of parts.

No, its not maintenance free, but its not maintenance intensive either. One only needs to research the hundreds of ride reports (on ADV) to see just how well the KLR has done since 1984 when it first came out. (KLR600)
Tires
In Latin America tires for nearly any larger bike are not so easy to find. Seems recently things have gotten better however. More 17" tires available.
WHY?
Several countries use the KLR and DR650 as Police bikes. (both use a 17" rear wheel) other bikes also use a 17" rear dual sport tire: Yamaha XT600/660, BMW F650. Honda and KTM use an 18" (950/990 & XR650L (R) )

Combine this with the hundreds of travelers passing through each year looking for tires ... well, the market has adapted.

The 18" wheel/tire has an advantage off road. The taller side wall is less likely pinch flat your tube. Off road handling is also slightly better. I own both ... to me there is not much in it.

But while traveling will you be getting into technical conditions and riding aggressively? If not, then my vote goes to stay with the stock 17". These days I think MORE choices are available at lower prices. Lots of low cost Asian tires are now in Latin America too, most bring in a 17" in KLR size. (120/130/140-17" ) Cheng shin, Duro, Kenda, Shinko and a few re-branded ones no one has heard of.


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