So my buddy kept nagging me about his 2022 KLR650, swearing it’s way faster than my old one. He wouldn’t shut up until I agreed to test the damn top speed myself. Fine. Challenge accepted. Here’s how it went down.
The Hunt and Setup
Step one was actually finding one. Called every Kawasaki shop within 50 miles. Place out near the highway finally said they had a used ’22. Drove over, looked it over, cash changed hands, and suddenly I owned a giant green elephant. Paperwork took ages – why’s it always like pulling teeth?
Before hitting the road, I knew I had to swap some parts. That stock windshield? Useless at speed. Felt like hanging out the window of a pickup doing 70. Yanked it off and bolted on a taller, wider one I had lying around from my last adventure bike. More wind noise, sure, but way less wind blast.
Checked the tires next. Stock knobbies feel sketchy pushing limits on pavement. Threw on some 80/20 tires – enough tread for dirt roads later, but way smoother on the highway.
Safety stuff was boring but necessary:
- Checked oil – looked full enough.
- Chain? Adjusted the slack, greased it good.
- Brakes… squeezed ’em, felt alright.
- Air pressure… important! Truck tire air pressure sucks – used my own pump. Front at 28psi, rear at 32psi cold.
That was it. No fancy tuning, just basic “don’t kill yourself” prep.
The Need for Speed (Well, Sort Of)
Chose a long, straight stretch of rural highway early Sunday morning. Barely any cars, just me and some cows probably judging me. Cruised steady for 10 minutes to warm everything up. Felt smooth.
Got to an open stretch, checked mirrors – clear. Rolled the throttle open slowly. Bike pulled okay… up to about 70mph. Past that? Man, it felt like wrestling a sleepy bear. Had to hunker down, elbows bent, chin practically on the tank. Wind was pushing hard even with the new shield.
Kept it pinned. 75… 80… 82… 85… Vibration kicked in big time. The handlebars, the pegs, my fillings – everything was buzzing. Engine sounded stressed, howling like a tired dog climbing a hill. Hit a slight incline and watched the speedo wobble back to 83.
Tried tucked again. Squeezing the tank hard. Held it wide open. Saw an indicated 91 mph on a flat after what felt like forever. Was I actually going that fast? Nah, speedos lie. Figure realistically it was maybe 86-87 mph true speed. Backed off pretty quick after that. Didn’t want to blow it up or shake bolts loose.
Lessons Learned (The Real Part)
So, the KLR650 top speed? Don’t buy it thinking you’re getting a rocket. It’s a tractor. A reliable, go-anywhere tractor. It ain’t fast. That 650 thumper just doesn’t have the juice to push that much bike smoothly past 85ish mph. The gearing feels way too short for top speed runs.
What does it do well? Putt around backroads, carry a ton of crap, survive the apocalypse. Trying to chase sportbikes? Forget it. This bike hates highways over 70. Vibration and wind wear you out fast.
Overall? Solid bike. Does what it says on the tin. Just don’t expect neck-snapping speed. It got me to 90 on the dash. That’s good enough for the logbook. And hey, didn’t get a speeding ticket doing it.
