KLE500
 

hi there
this is my first post
I was wondering if anyone has had any rough long distance touring experience with the KLE 500, I see it is about to be re- released in selected countries (not here in oz though).

it seems to me to have some good attributes
eg not too high tech, low seat height, 21 inch front wheel, not too much pretty bodywork to destroy, and, importantly as a lot of our miles will ultimately be on sealed roads ( although I anticipate plenty of dirt as well!),not anywhere near as much vibes as a big single.

I'm planning (it's a long way off yet though) a rtw with my better half, and want to take two identical bikes
Here in oz 2nd hand KLE's go for a pretty cheap price (although they are 10 -12 years old now) so I'm thinking cheap bike therefore cheap carnet, low seat, relatively low weight, with a few good mods (luggage, tyres, bash plate etc) a poor man's F650
what does the rest of the world think / know?

Well I'm pretty sure the KLE has the same engine as the GPZ500 which, so long as you keep those oil and filter changes coming, is a strong and reliable engine. It also has screw and locknut valves, so you can do all servicing yourself, really. ( Although I seem to remember the GPZ needed all coolant drained to do the valves....)

I know that in Britain this bike is sold as the ultimate urban tool - ideal for threading through traffic jams.

Sounds good to me - although Suzuki Bandit 600s are cheaper new here!

They've re-introduced in the UK, saw one yesterday. They're easy to work on & it is the same engine as the old GPZ500S. I helped a friend do the valve clearances on a GPZ & don't remember draining any coolants?

One thing to note on these engines is that the crank rotates the opposite direction to most bikes i.e. viewed from the r/h side, the crank rotates anti-clockwise. The give away is the fact that the cam chain tensioner is on the front of the cylinder block.

They're a shade under £4,000 in the UK, sounds good until you realise that an Aprilia Caponord can be bought new from On Yer Bike in Aylesbury for just under £5k.

I tried one a month back, friend of a friend had one at his bike shop. I'd say there OK for the price although the write-up's are not good but it is old technology and nothing flashy about it so a mag wouldn't like it. This is good I guess if wanting to do distance stuff on it, for the price though I'd get a transalp, Honda are doing new one with heated grips and full pannier packs for about £5K. Change the spokes and off you go.

A guy at work has had a GPZ for donkeys years and all he does is change the oil plus filter every 6 months, it's still going- the chain is the rustiest thing I've ever seen! must be a good motor

I haven't ridden one myself, yet I read in a mag (Bike UK - May 05 edition, yes May 05), that the saddle is quite uncomfortable. Nothing to worry, just make sure you "test drive" the saddle prior to rtw and make any required mods at home. G'luck

thanks for the info guys,
I thought the motor was a gpz and have owned one before which seemed to be a preety tough unit, I like the idea of a twin over a single, although I'm aware of the added complexity/weight issues. No chance of me buying a new one though, -we can't get them in Oz. I'm still only in the earliest planning stages, so I've got plenty of time to accumulate info, all of which is much appreciated!
Any couriers out there been destroying one over a long period of time? anything which can survive that has to be pretty rugged.

just to add to this thread. read a review recently of the KLE. remember that the engine is now has less power due to the catalytic converters fitted to it to get it through the latest euro legislation. i had a gpz500 a while back that was excellect to commute on. 35,000 miles and no probs (replaced cam chain at 25,000) an old full power kle may be a better bet. they are cheap cos no one really wants them and they have the full power engine. what would i take next trip? just done a heap of miles on a dommie in the americas but next trip would take a pre electric start ttr600.

Hi All, well after months of indecision on what to get, I decided on the new KLE 500.
reasons being,If I was going to spend just shy of 5K (transalp) Id seriously think of another sports 600 instead.
But the KLE is not really sexy or high tech, just a basic reliable bike, and pre registered it was a bargin at £3299, for a brand new anything thats not bad.
My old pegaso was needing ongoing maint and it was not enjoyable anymore. The benefits of a new bike means atleast if I get motivated to do a trip this autum, not too much messing about, panniers on and go.
The speed was not too much of an issuse but the economy of a parrel twin could be useful.
Anyhow i shall give more opinions when i pick it up next month

Good points about the power and emissions control in the exhaust.
I hoped the insurance would be lower for less power, and 33hp is enough unless your loaded etc, If I wanted speed id gone the popular route of big beemer.
Ref the exhaust, an option i,d consider is a replacement stainless steel complete system, then you can use leaded fuel, dyno adjust carbs for optimun performance etc, then at resale time or MOT you still have serviceable exhausts.
Depending how its restricted, there could be other ways to "boost" it up. Travelling two up is not part of my trip plans anyway..........

Dear Blackjack,
Keep the KLE 500 info coming. I'm looking for a new bike for a planned UK-Australia trip and the KLE is the bike that comes closest to my budget! Would be v. interested in your impressions. Otherwise it looks like a XT 660R.
Matt

hi all
due to the lack of availability of the new kle500 and the price people seem to want for the older second hand kle's I'm swinging towards spending a bit more on a f650.
However I am still keeping my eye on any kle's that come up for sale just in case something good turns up, I'm still a bit tempted by the reduced worry of taking a cheaper bike.
Would be very interested also to here how your trip goes on the kle Blacjack

Just seen a new KLE500 in M&P accessories(swansea) for £3499 all in.Had a good look around it,quite basic but seems reasonably well built to me.

------------------
Just going for a short ride on my bike....

The KLE 500 has been re-released in Oz now. From about five months or so ago.
I'm looking at buying one myself, the only thing that puts me off is the small 15 litre petrol tank. I read on a south african forum you only get 160 klicks before reserve?
I'm going to look at larger tank options.

Performance exhausts
 

I've found a few suppliers for complete exhaust system for the KLE500
http://www.omexperformanceusa.com/kawasaki.html
This one is around $500 US. for a complete 2 into 1 system.
Another one is Gianelli in Italy. It sells in Oz for around $1100 Aus$. or $1300 Aus$ for the titanium. This is too much money for me, but the American one could probably be shipped here for around $800.
I haven't bought the bike yet but I think that with a sports exhaust, some carbie jetting and a more open airbox, this could be a top little bike with a low centre of gravity and heaps of suspension travel.

I had an EX-500 (the North American name for a GPz500) for a few years. It was as reliable as a stone ax, so I don't think you could go too far wrong with a KLE500.

There are no larger tank options for KLE 500, the only way
is to make bigger tank by yourself.

like me: http://web.vip.hr/nikola.mrakovcic.vip/bike/bike.htm

My new KLE500
 

[I've just posted this somewhere else, but it may be more relevant here]

I've recently purchased a brand new '06 KLE500 and I'm extremely impressed with it. Alright, I'm not a very experienced biker and it is only the second bike I've ever owned, but don't take my word for it - my father who has 30 odd years of biking experience liked it too and he competes in trials competitions and lives and breathes classic Triumphs.

So far I've clocked up 1400 miles in 6 or 7 weeks which included my daily 2 mile commute and a trip from London around Dartmoor and I can confidently say it handles traffic, motorways and rough trails with relative ease. It can cruise at 90mph although the windblast gets quite tiring over 70mph. The screen doesn't do much over 60mph and seems to direct the wind directly into your face so goggles or a full face helmet are advisable. The front brake is woeful and I've managed to knacker the front pads in only 800 miles around London, although I can't help really hammering them anyway. The more sensible amongst you might be able to resist that particular temptation and I can still get another 1000 or so miles out of the current pads.

The major problem with this bike from a design point of view is its lack of identity. It can't decide whether it's a commuter bike or a trailie which in some ways is in its favour as it seems to handle both with relative ease although surpasses in neither category. The new model is down on power on previous versions due to tighter emissions regulations, however it still has plenty of usable grunt, especially around the 5,000 rpm mark. Two-up is a bit of a hassle (especially with the high exhaust), but 30-40kg of luggage shouldn't be too much of a problem. A big issue for me is the lack of a centre stand. This means I'll probably get a scott-oiler and an old rug to make servicing easier as there seems to be no obvious place to fit a centre stand as it has a large bash-plate and the exhaust ports run right under the bottom of the frame. I still haven't worked out how to service many aspects of the bike yet, but pads and oil seem easy enough. Stock tyres are Dunlop Trailmax which seem OK and have the benefit of being tubed type which made my first puncture easy enough to repair. This puncture occured due to me filtering too much and leaving the rear tyre over inflated. The reason the rear tyre was over inflated is that I couldn't work out how the hell I was going to get an air jack into the valve due to the tiny rims, chunky rear disc and sprocket. It does require some thought, but is possible.

Being so tall, the bike is a bugger to get on and initally feels very heavy. To coin the cliche, all that weight disappears once it's moving. No, really, it does, this bike handles like a 125 once in first gear and the high riding position is easy to get used to. It does feel a little twitchy off road, but this stabilises at speed or with a generous amount of rear brake. I tried it following 4x4 tracks, but it should handle smoother surfaces better and isn't too heavy to pick up again, unlike a R1150GS for example. Unfortunately, all that lack of weight is deceptive, and I had a couple of hairy moments when I forgot that I was riding a 190kg motorcycle and not a 10 kg bicycle and needed a fair amount of upper body strength not to drop it.

To conclude, if you want a bike that really will do everything, then this is the one. Although it doesn't excel in any one area, it really does have all bases covered and has a good reputation for reliability. If any indication were needed, try finding a secondhand model.

PS: It needs a much bigger tank. Current range for mine is around 100 miles before I hit the enourmous reserve. A little more thought was needed there.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...1&d=1151006907

I'm pleased to see that others have positive thoughts on the KLE500.

I'm looking at setting up a bike rental business here in Otago, NZ and am seriously looking at the KLE 500, as well as the Honda transalp and the BMW F650.
My target market would be international travellors (and locals) and I'd see the bikes being used for 1-6 days for easy adventure/touring on sealed and gravel roads - not off-road or motorways (don't do them here :-) Therefore they wouldn't need to do the hard-out, loaded down thing many tourers do, nor would they need to do high-speed distances.They'd be kitted-out with panniers and I'll offer helmets, clothing, etc.

My prioity is reliability, fuel efficiency, ease of riding and appeal to a (possibly fussy) hirer.

I would appreciate your thoughts on if I've covered the bases and if the idea would appeal to you when you visit "Gods Own Country" - surely the best motorcycle destination in the world !!!

Good choice
 

The KLE500 ticks most of those boxes, except it is a little tall and novices under 1.70m (i.e. women and short men) may have serious trouble getting on board especially with panniers. I'm nearly 1.80m and when it's got my soft panniers on, I struggle. Also, tank range isn't much better than a sports bike, but it does have a generous reserve. I should note that novices may be a little confused by the reserve tap as it has 3 settings and none of them are off. However, if they're not straying too far from the road then 175km before hitting reserve should be fine.

Oh and it's pretty (everyone says so), has reasonable fuel economy (about 50mpg whatever that is in metric), bullet proof reliability and is well deisgned to survive knocks (just look where the gear change lever connects with the gearbox) and is very easy to ride. Most of the grunt starts around 5,000rpm, so tell your riders to keep it under that until they get used to it. Good luck. I may call on your services one day.

Thanks for that reply and you raise a valid point on seat height - are there any 500 - 650 size "dualies" that have a genuine low seat height ?
I'm also 6" tall and noticed the stretch when getting onto the KLE I recently test rode. Must check if the seat can be lowered.

Fuel tank range wouldn't be too much of an issue here with lots of small town suppliers.

Start saving ...:thumbup1:

Is there anyone out there who has had a KLE500 for some time and has a maintenance history with one - I'm interested to know how they take a bit of hard work. I've read somewhere that regular oil and filter changes promise a long life - has anyone got any horror stories ?
Also, has anyone opened out the air filter and put a better (open) exhaust on one - would love to know ?
Cheers :thumbup1:

KLE 500 is very comon bike in my area and a lot of friends ride it.
Puting open exhaust is usual what we do due to increasing of
performances. KLE 500 is a reliable engine, if regular maintened no
problems to reach 100.000 km without opening an engine. Just use
semisinth or sinth oil, avoid mineral oil. Regulary changing filters
every 6000 km and do valve adjustments every 12-15.000 km.
KLE will not give you up you on the road. Weak points are poor
brakes and too soft suspensions, especialy front. Altogether, very
reasonable choice due to cheap price of bike.

AnteK, XTZ 660

Kle
 

I own a KLE 400, and have about 22000 kms on the clock. So far no hassles. Attended an off road course with all the BMW guys, and found that the lighter bike is much easier to handle than the 650 and 1200 BM's

The only problem I had was the rubber hose between the carbs and the block moving and allowing air to seep in. Resulted in a flat spot at about 6000RPM, and quite a shocking backfire with smoke coming out the front of the bike with the loss of one cylinder. Gave me quite a fright, but was easy to fix once I found the loose clamp.

Kle 500
 

I see some Kle 500s around touring long distances.
But don't know the details of gas tank,etc.
It's 2 cylinders and am sure must be very comfortable to ride by lacking of vibration. Though my preference is something else.
Regards,

well the engine is used in the ex500 gpz500 gpz500s el500 and the kle500
but more people use the engine...http://www.rallytwin.com/
:clap::clap::clap:

F650
 

Hi All,another newbie to the forum, just ordered a new kle for commuting and fun, and noticed the coment from luke, now i'm not anti bmw but my son had a lovely condition and maintained f650 and wanted to sell it on to finace another machine, but, 2-300mles before it's third service the engine bluw up:censored: the bmw mechanic said that the valve clearances are very critical and MUST be done at the service intervals or you get this trouble:confused1: so instead of a selling price of about 2-2.5k ukpounds he got £200 :censored::censored::censored:
so just letting you know lads....
lookin forward to gettin my kle it'll look nice parked beside my TDM900 in the garage:thumbup1:
TDMalcolm

Yes please give some feedback
 

Did you took it ? I seen the posting since 2005. I am interested to get an KLE. Which is your oppinion abou this bike now after some years ? Are U happy ? You regret ? Could be another choice ? etc

Best regards

Petre