As I indicated on my 1987 KLR650 page, I really regretted having to sell it, as the KLR650 is a great bike. In 1998, my brother bought a new KLR650, and I started thinking about getting one again. Once I moved from San Jose to Ferndale, the practicality of having a KLR650 was too much to resist. I wanted a lighter bike with more suspension travel for exploring the many narrow, twisty, pot-holed roads in the area, as well as venturing off onto the occasional dirt or gravel roads. Also I was likely to be riding in wet weather more often, and while the Sprint ST provides good protection from the elements, I just hate getting it dirty in the rain.

So with some of the proceeds from selling our house in San Jose, I made a trip down to the local Kawasaki dealer. Not only did I purchase a new KLR650, but I also picked up a new Lakota ATV and a used KLX300 dirt bike for when I really want to play in the dirt.

The KLR650 is as much fun as I remembered it to be and there is a certain symmetry to the fact that I had to sell my first one because we were buying a house, and the second one was purchased with proceeds from selling the same house ten years later.