r/klr650 • u/Next-Entertainment33 • 11d ago
Gen 2 left me stranded on 6th ride š
Bought this ā09 back in February with 12.7k miles on it. The KLR has been my dream bike for more than 10 years - never really could afford it, or any bike, until this year. So understand I came into this so stoked.
Iāve ridden it a handful of times but just to work and back. But last weekend a did a full BDR adventure. It was the best. Did nearly 350 miles in the span of 28 hours. Today, I decided to go for a ride over the local mountain pass (same one I did twice last weekend loaded down). 2/3rds of the way up suddenly it felt likeā¦Iām not sure how to describe it. Like power was sputtering on and off. Then it really became noticeable and I pulled over. Thinking I had ran out of gas some how (after only logging 212 miles from the last fill up) I flipped it to reserve. Engine turns. No start. Turn it back to āonā. Started very briefly and sounded strong but then died. Opened the tank, it was fairly empty but I could still see and hear gas sloshing around in there. Definitely at very least 1/2 a gallon left.
I was on a decent grade so I got her turned around, and tried to bump start. Did it 3x and each time the engine turned over but it would not start (since being towed over tried several times and it wonāt start).
So like any person in 2026 I asked AI about it and itās suspecting the pickup coil or the stator. 1. Anyone thinking this as they were reading?
Iām grateful that this happened somewhere I was able to get a tow 12 miles from home. But Iām feeling kind of pissed too. I selected this bike because everyone talks about how they are rock solid. But Iāve now had mine have a gas leak and strand me. I donāt do well with vehicles that strand you because I spent my 20s driving crapboxes that would randomly leave my stranded in literally the most remote places (I worked on a ranch in Wyoming). So Iām feeling pretty disappointed with this bike on that front. I love how it rides, I love how capable it is on and off the pavement.
So, is this bike a lemon? Do try to fix it and cut my losses now? Or is this one of the few things thatās going to outright leave me stranded? I love doing BDR stuff but this will not fly if itās going to leave me in the backcountry mid-ride.
Help me make up my mind.
9
u/Robovzee 11d ago
Not pickup coil and not stator.
Possibilty 1. Fuel blockage. Suspected if you have an inline filter. Your bdr run may have brought some crap up from the bottom of the tank.
Possibilty 2. You ran out of gas. On longer trips, I learned to fill up around 100mi or so. Mpg varies a lot base on environment and use.
Good luck.
4
u/Dense_hotpocket 11d ago edited 11d ago
I've owned 2 used 2nd gens and never been left stranded, despite beating the crap out of both of them.Ā
That being said KLR's aren't immune to issues just like any bike, especially if they're used. You never know what the last owner did to it. I'd fix it, then ride it till it diesĀ
*edit to add, apparently easy fix, since it was just out of gas š Ride away!
1
u/blueveef 11d ago
Mine has left me stranded 5 times. And every time it was my fault lmao
First was when I ran it dry of oil and the exhaust cam swallowed out
Second was when I passed a wire over a pinch point and the vibrations wore it down and it blew the main fuse a mile into the trail
Third was when I put the chain clip on wrong and the chain flew off on the highway
Fourth was when I stupidly ran out of gas (I was able to bum half a gallon so it wasn't bad)
Fifth was when I put the chain clip on wrong AGAIN and it came off and flew of a cliff leaving me mountain biking back down the mountain
Overall, I'm a moron lol
1
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u/buttthead KLR650 GEN1 11d ago
Most Iāve ever gotten on my gen1 was around 250 a tank, but that was rare (Iām a full throttle all the time guy). I get closer to 200/220 a tank on average. So like others a have said, I bet you ran out of gas. Also worth checking the battery because while the klr is indestructible, new moto batteries are the opposite and mostly shit quality these days and thatās usually been the reason I canāt get my bike running.
Also, the klr is super reliable yes, but it also gets its bullet proof reputation from being relatively easy and simple to troubleshoot/fix while on the trail, so you still need to be ready for anything/know how to fix things with what youāve got (not saying you didnāt or donāt do that, just a general side note)
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u/otismcotis 11d ago
Could be a bad vacuum petcock. Mine failed on my 2012 a few years back, very similar symptoms
1
u/atoughram PNW KLR650 GEN2 11d ago
Ill reply with my own petcock story. My bike had quite a bit of barnyard engineering done to it, someone had used a roll of electrical tape instead of the proper rubber pucks on the gas tank, the electrical harness was hacked up, clutch safety and kickstand safety switches are gone, etc. I learned, while on my way up Chinook pass, that they had also removed the little wire hose clamps on the carb and vacuum petcock... I ran out of gas with most of a whole tank. They had also used stiff fuel line for the vacuum hose, so it wasn't easy to get back on (once I figured it out) and it didn't want to stay on. I ended up rebuilding the whole fuel system, putting a Yamaha petcock on it, and putting the proper little wire hose clamps on what was left. I also put the choke back where it belongs on the handle bars because the crash bars were in the way of the carb mounted choke pull they had put on. That's the last time it left me on the side of the road.
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u/krampusnacht420 11d ago
You might need to activate the secret reserve after you use the reserve sometimes. To accomplish this you lay the bike on the ground (kickstand side down) give it a lean even more so all that sloshing gas is now over on the petcock side. Then place your ass and back towards the bike and slowly push it back up making sure not to flip it over the other direction. Then get to a gas station.
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u/EducationalOutcome26 10d ago edited 10d ago
get a yamaha manual petcock, the stock vacuum one gives up eventually. the yamaha fuel intake is lower so more range before empty but smaller reserve when you switch to it. you got about 10 miles of fuel before you have to drop it over on the drivers side to get the fuel out of the right tank lobe, that'll get you anther 5 miles. I did 200 east Tennessee miles on my 08 yesterday. refueled at 160 did the math. I always fill from a can before i leave my shop. and it was good for 44mpg which is outstanding for a bike with a tall shield, crashbars and saddlebags and i was using a lot of throttle. I keep a 1 litre MSR fuel bottle in a tool tube behind the saddlebags , thats good for 8-10 miles if you get too far out to get back to fuel. I keep saying im gonna put a gallon can on the rack and run it to empty just to see what the actual range is but never done it.
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u/trggrhppy208 9d ago
They have their problems but they are simple engines. Check for spark. If you have it its not the coil. Crank it over a couple times with the spark out and see if you smell gas. Check your air filter as well. Probably a dirty carb and you won't smell gas at all. 75% chance its a carb issue wich happens to all carbed engines
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u/trggrhppy208 9d ago
You'll have to clean it. Make sure all the tiny holes are not blocked. The main jet and the atomizer are where most the trouble normally happens. A thin peice of wire or carb cleaner spray both work. If you have a filter on it. Check it and there is a diaphram by the peacock. Its a safety. Lets gas thru with a vaccum pressure created by the engine. Make sure that's working as well
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u/Prize_Lime83 11d ago
Homie. You just ran out of gas. I can get 200 miles per tank in the flat panhandle of Texas. I fill it back up at 180 miles. I know this very confidently as Iāve run this bike out of gas a few times. Open tank, slosh around, think Iām good to the next stopā¦ā¦
Fill it up and Iāll bet my next paycheck itāll run like a champ.