Kawasaki discontinued the KLR 650?
The other day I searched for Kawasaki dealerships still listing new pre-2018 Kawasaki KLR 650 motorcycles. I noticed a dealership in California with several new 2018 KLR's priced at $4999. That's $1700 below the MSRP. My first thought was these KLR's are priced low to grab your attention, but once you sit down with a salesman and see the fees and taxes added on, the price isn't as good as it first appears. That might be the case, but there might also be other reasons why a dealership would want to liquidate these motorcycles ASAP.
Last night I read some sad news about Kawasaki discontinuing the KLR 650 for 2019. I haven't heard anything official from Kawasaki, but it appears to be true. I don't know for sure why Kawasaki discontinued the KLR, but its probably due to new stricter emission standard's. Another factor could also be the absence of ABS. I think ABS is mandatory in Europe for street riding. In a few days Kawasaki will reveal new models for 2019, but nobody knows if Kawasaki will reveal a replacement motorcycle for the KLR. If they do reveal a replacement it could be a reason for some dealership's to get rid of their KLR inventory ASAP. Its very possible there isn't a replacement motorcycle and Kawasaki will discontinue the KLR indefinitely, or they could wait a few years before bringing back a new and improved version in much the same way they did with the KLX 250 from 2015 to 2017. The only difference is the KLX was still manufactured for other parts of the world while it was discontinued in the United States from 2015 to 2017. From what I understand the KLR will be discontinued every where.
At this point there are too many unknowns to know for sure what the long term future is for the KLR 650. It appears to be gone for 2019, but hopefully Kawasaki brings back a new and improved KLR in a few years. I wouldn't mind seeing a KLR 650 with fuel injection, ECU, taller 5th gear or added 6th gear, higher output alternator and improved horsepower and torque. Kawasaki might be forced to scrap the single cylinder engine for a twin due to emissions. I could care less about ABS and riding modes, but whatever added features there are on a new KLR, I just hope the old KLR characteristics of reliability, big gas tank, easy to work on, low cost and Do-All motorcycle remain.
