When we decided that an adventure ride such as this was possible we began to look at the available mode of getting there and back. Because of the nature of the roads in Mexico, many are unimproved dirt/gravel, and even the state highways and toll roads have these speed features called
topes -- essentially giant speed bumps -- taking our street bikes would not be in the cards. Therefore we turned to the choices in so-called dual sport, on-road/off-road
adventure bikes. These boiled down to:
Sure there are other equally deserving considerations, the Kawasaki
Versys, a recent offering from
Yamaha, and the veritable jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none, Suzuki
VStrom. However, each of those would either be a significant compromise or require prohibitive modification.
Our criteria were:
- Proven in the field (BMW, KTM & Kawasaki)
- Longevity (in other words, have been doing this for more than a few years; same as above);
- Medium weight with rider & luggage (this rules out the BMW GS1200 as overweight, and the Suzuki DR and Honda XR as underweight);
- Availability of replacement parts to take and worldwide (if we prepped beforehand a KTM or BMW this wouldn't be an issue, but in Mexico, KLR parts, particularly tires and tubes, should be generally available);
- Capital Cost.
Which leaves us with the veritable Kawasaki KLR650, a middle-weight, dual sport that has been around forever. Indeed, until the 2008 model year the KLR has remained practically unchanged since 1987! Which means it has a proven design that works. It also means that it has an abundance of replacement parts readily available. Finally, even off the assembly line the KLR is a relative bargain, and used its a steal compared to the BMW and KTM. Since we're only going approximately 2,500 miles, and not around the world, or even
Tierra del Fuego, it is the ideal choice.
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