Hi Gary

Ckeck out :-

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-baghira-24213

or search MZ Baghira on the Hubb.

Best wishes Alec.

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I wanna go back.

I would go for KLR650A version ....

* Cheaper,
* Easy to fix (less complicated)
* Easy to obtain parts ... www.happy-trail.com (they can deliver anywhere)

Cheers,

Not sure if I've actually heard it termed this, but IMO and in the words of countless others the "KLR is the R80GS of the day". Simple, outdated, reliable, cheap…er, OK, no similarity there. Anyway, the KLR really just needs you to 1) budget/plan for the upgrades to make it what you want (it's like a burger and bun: you add the rest at the toppings counter!), and 2) accept its truly all-purpose nature. It can't be made MUCH smoother, but it can be somewhat. It can't be a MX bike, but it CAN be made a good bit better offroad.

In America, it simply rocks for support/parts/farkles. As for no changes since the KLR600--dude, study up. And note the '08 REVISED version due out shortly.

Plus, what other bike has so many color combos to choose from?!?!?!?!?

Oh, AND now you can get a Big Bore kit to raise hp/torque 10% w/ 685cc displacement. Then that 4th gear wheelie will happen, bro!

s

My reasons why I like the MZ Baghira are mainly the suspensions (fully adj. WP rear and nicely set (on hte HR) Mazocchi front end which is also fully adj. on the high version). IMHO the best suspension as long as you don't look in much more expensive bikes like KTM or CCM which are on the same level.
The brakes are also top notch.
The bike rides very nicely on bad terrain as long as it's not too soft or sandy.
Nice engine, 50hp is more than fine for covering distance on tarmac if you have to. The engine (XTZ 660) feels nice and has a long track record with regards to reliability.
Some of the finish is a bit amateurish / small series standards but overall the bike is build very nicely and of good quality.
Only one thing the Baghira needs from day one: Fork boots.
After one year: SS spokes.

The MZ's (Muz) showed up here in the San Fran Bay area around the late
90's.There were a couple dealers around, but the one near me no longer handles MZ. Don't know if parts are available or not. Been maybe four of five years since there were being sold new.

San Franciscan's love weird, quirky bikes, like the Moto Morini 3 1/2, Guzzi Quota and Monza 50's, modern Laverda's, and of course the MZ's. So that's kind of the niche the MZ's fell into. Its a cult bike now. I know people who ride the Tour version, the Black Panther, the Baghira and a few others whose model names I don't know.

I was just at a club Xmas party last week and two MZ showed up, still on the road and looking fine. In around 99' or 2000 I could have bought a BRAND NEW Black Panther for $3200. Now that's cheap. The dealer was closing out the MZ's. Hasn't carried them since.

The small group of folk who ride the MZ's swear by them and ride the hell out them and have done for years. Good bike.

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

The biggest problem, as usual with BMW, is price.

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Actually I think they are called G-models, unless they have dubbed them otherwise in the US.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...new-bmws-23580

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HansP
All you wanted to know
about riding in Norway

Christmas if fast approaching--you better decide and get a bow taped on whatever you're putting under the tree.

BTW, have you seen the upgraded '08 KLR?

I originally bought a KR as my first bike witht he intent of riding it around the world. I didn't know what a "nice" bike felt like to ride at the time.
Now that I have a V-strom, I couldn't ever imaging going on a ride of any length on a KLR.

My two cents. If I had to choose between the KLR and the F650, I'd go with the F650 and be happier on the trip.

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RTW from Calgary to Calgary in 2008 www.heretohere.com

I will state first off that I own the KLR, and not the BMW. I believe both are fine bikes, and am a fan of both.

With that being said, I will run down a list of things I believe make the KLR MY choice. I'll start with the 'cons,' and move to the 'Pros.'

CONS:

1) Height:
The seat sits fairly high, and unless lowered will pose a problem for the vertically challenged. I am 6' tall with a 34" inseam, and it's taller than my Triumph Tiger on even it's perkiest days. This could also be a problem when the bike goes down, loaded with gear. Since it sits higher, the gear will have to be lifted at a more difficult angle, sitting higher above the wheel base than other bikes.

2) Doohickey:
If you have looked into the KLR at any length, you have found all about this 'mystery part.' As far as it keeping you from making the purchase, don't worry about it. In my opinion it's not a dealbreaker. Buy a new part immediately, from one of several places (on the web...google 'KLR Doohickey'...) and then enjoy the bike with piece of mind.


PROS:

1) Cost
I picked mine up for $3700, with two years and 1,100 miles on her. You can find them for less.

2) Mechanical Ease
Honestly, throw a wrench at the timeless engine, and it fixes itself (well, almost...) =) If I am travelling in another country, the simplicity of all the parts, from the wiring to the engine itself, makes me less worried about the computer, or fuel injection going out, stuck in the middle of nowhere.

3) Durability
They are simply a tank of a bike, without the weight. There's a reason the U.S. military buys these up like crazy (and then has a civilian company outfit them for their military career).

4) Aftermarket Parts
Hands down, MASSIVE aftermarket options. Bike has a cult following, which makes unique customizations very prevalent as well.

5) Fuel (in other countries)
Not as picky about what she drinks as the BMW.

6) The 'Jeep' Effect
Like a Jeep, a KLR just looks a little better with a few dents, scratches, and 'battle scars' than her sleeker BMW cousin. If I ever bought a jeep, the first thing I would do is walk over to the side of the road, pick up a rock, and give her a well placed dent. Jeeps just call for it, and look better for it; same with the KLR. (You won't have to do that with the KLR, though; most owners will give their mounts a good dent or two naturally).

7) Riding Comfort
I read a few reports here that suggeted it wasn't all that comfy. I disagree, and I'll tell you why it isn't in my case. I made these modifications, and took my bike on a 7 week trip across the U.S.A., with several 500 mile days, 10,000 miles overall, and felt great.
a) Custom seat (I went with Corbin). This is ESSENTIAL.
b) Progressive shock and springs. Larry Roessler knew what he was making. Pricey, but if $$ isn't a concern, do it, you will thank yourself later.
c) Nerf bars...they add protection for the engine and tank, but also have fold-down footpegs at a more forward location, giving you an option for the times you want to stretch.

8) Weight
Much lighter than the BMWf650/f650 Dakar models. Nimbler offroad, and easier to pick up after you fall. (Not an 'if,' but 'when.')

9) The 'It Is What It Is' Factor
The KLR is simply a street legal dirt bike on steroids. Period. It was intended to go places where the pavement ends, and up trails where you don't think it could go. I recently took mine up several black diamond rated bike trails, steep stair-step rock trails, all with street tires (Pirelli Scorpion ST's...).


I own a motorcycle touring company (www.great-escape-tours.com) and am in the planning process for a new Alaska trip we will be adding next year. We will be using KLR's on the tour, and so far have gotten nothing but positive responses to that decision. Of course, everyone has their own ideas of what they want, what they like, and how much they can spend, and that is all part of the fun. If we all rode the same thing, how boring would that be? But for my money, pound for pound, I'd take the KLR 9.8 times out of 10.

Hope this was helpful!

Dug Shelby
Great Escape Motorcycle Tours
www.great-escape-tours.com

Or to summarize the previous post: Sometimes simpler is better.

Nothing will make a KLR smooth or high-powered. But once properly armored it's pretty near indestructible, and if you do manage to break it, parts are everywhere and even if you don't have the right part anybody with simple tools can fix almost anything well enough to get going with nothing more special than some Kwiksteel, scrap metal, and a big hammer.

As for issues with the KLR, a KLR is a platform, and almost every issue you can think of can be resolved by customizing it to your needs. The only big issue for me is the lack of electrical power. The stock headlamp is dangerously feeble unless upgraded to a 100/90 watt headlamp. But if you do that, you can no longer use a heated vest. And if you are travelling in cold weather, a heated vest is very nice to have. I have to be very careful with my electrical power when using my heated vest and grips, I have a voltmeter attached so I can make sure I'm not dangerously discharging my battery. The BMW has a bigger alternator and has better headlights to begin with, so this is not a problem with the BMW.

As for the MZ, they are exotics here and you cannot get parts. So if you want to travel in the Americas, it is best to use something more mainstream, such as a BMW F650GS, Suzuki DR650, or Kawasaki KLR650. The Suzuki DL650 (V-Strom) is a smoother more powerful bike than any of these, but you give up the ability to handle offroad conditions that the other three will easily handle, and it is heavier than even the F650GS. It all depends on what compromises you're willing to make, and for me the big thumper is the right compromise. The only question is which thumper to get. I like the Suzuki and Kawasaki because they are simple. The Kawasaki is physically bigger than the Suzuki thus which one to get for me boiled down to which one I physically fit better on. It turns out that I'm right on the line between which one I fit better on (the Kawasaki is a tiny bit tall for me, the Suzuki a tiny bit cramped for me), so I ended up buying whatever was cheap and available on the used market, which in this area is the Kawasaki. But I would not have been disappointed with the Suzuki either.

The DR650. IMHO, YMMV, eccetera

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Only problem with the DR650 is that it is, as you say, smaller and lighter. Underneath someone who is, let us say, "security-sized", it feels like a mini-bike -- it *definitely* isn't comfortable for someone who used to play in the NFL or just looks like it. Meanwhile, if you beef up the springs in a KLR, it'll handle mighty big folks quite handily without feeling like you're riding a kiddy bike.

For me, the DR650 is a little cramped but acceptable, while the KLR feels slightly too big for me but acceptable once lowered an inch. Given that both would serve me well, other factors detirmined which one to buy. I bought the KLR because they are available dirt cheap used here. When I was searching for a good used bike, I could not find a used DR650 *anywhere* within the state of California. They just aren't out there. (I can't buy bikes from outside of California because the People's Republic won't allow low mileage used bikes from out of state to be registered here). If I had bought a new bike, I would have been hard pressed to decide, and probably would have gone with the DR. But I can think of better things to spend $2500 on than paying the difference between the price of a used bike and a new bike...

Finally, regarding upgrading the headlamp, the problem with headlamp upgrades is that to get more light you need either a) more watts, or b) a HID conversion. The DR650, BTW, has the same problem as the KLR, i.e., a feeble alternator (both make roughly 200 watts max, or less than 20 amps). Anyhow, a HID conversion is expensive and not particularly reliable under the conditions of a big thumper, while more watts runs into the alternator issue. If you put a 100 watt bulb in the stock headlight housing it works great (you'll need to swap out the socket and ideally put a bigger harness too, else you'll melt stuff). But that leaves 100 watts total for everything else. The bike itself uses around 35 watts for the tail light, ignition, instrument cluster lamps, etc., which leaves 65 watts for any other accessories. Which means you can turn on your heated grips, or you can turn on your heated vest, but you can't turn on both.

As far as the upgraded stator for the KLR is concerned, the trick there is that the aftermarket stator uses bigger wires, but fewer of them (due to the fact you're trying to cram them into the same space as the OEM stator's smaller wires). This means less resistive losses at high RPM (i.e., more current at high RPM), but at low RPM the fact that you have fewer wires breaking the plane of the magnets at any given pint in time means that it makes less juice at low RPM's. This is not a problem if you're primarily riding on the highways. It is a problem if you're riding at lower RPM's in the city or on some twisty single-track. There is no free lunch, you can't get more juice without bigger wires, and you can't get as many bigger wires into the same space as smaller wires so putting bigger wires kills your low-RPM wattage. Add in the fact that the largest retailer of aftermarket KLR parts will no longer stock the aftermarket stator because he got 50% of them back as defective, and depending upon your riding style you may no longer be interested.

Hi All, I am just about to order a 2008 KLR 650. My dream bike would be one of the Dual Sport BMW's but it looks like allot of you actally perfer the KLR. My only hesitation with the KLR is that I hope it really handles well on the road. Looks like the 08 is going to be geared a little more towards the road then the past models. I am hopping this bike will be a good long distance tourer. I like the looks of sport bikes better But there is two factors why I think i'm going for the KLR. The main, price, of the bike and of insurance for a new rider. The second, the fact that it will work well on gravel roads or heading off the beaten path once and a while. My hesitations are that i'm hoping it will be a comfortable, good handling road bike, also don't like the looks as much as say the 599 naked honda sports bike.......but again, back to the price..........any thoughts? Is this bike going to handle on a winding mountain road?

Thanks,
Jason

My guess is the bike will meet your needs perfectly

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!