With a history of strong sales and world-wide appearances for 27 years, it's no surprise the KLR650 has earned its place in the hearts of adventure riders around the world. Since its introduction in 1987, the bike has seen very little changes over the years until 2008 when the model received a new solid mounted fairing, larger front forks and a handful other minor updates. 

While the 2014 Kawasaki KLR650 has been out since Fall of 2013, Kawasaki USA decided to launch the bike as a 2014.5 "New Edition" (NE) with a couple much needed upgrades. Although the modifications look rather minor on paper, Kawasaki laid out three days of riding in Nevada to let us know how much their changes improved the ol' horse.

At speed off-road, the new suspension is confidence inspiring.

We put the bike through everything from rocky washed out trail to Death Valley tarmac connecting desert roads. After several days of throwing everything we could at the NE, the stiffer legs alone proved to be worth much more than the modest one hundred dollars extra asking price. It's been a long time since a Benjamin got you so much! 

Suspension has always been in the soft to spongy range on previous KLR650's. To remedy this, the front 41mm forks receive a 40% stiffer spring rate with a 5mm increase in oil height. Revised rebound settings result in a 25% more stiffness up front while the Uni-Trak rear mono-shock receives a 63% increase in spring rate and revised rebound damping settings that are 83% firmer to balance it out. The suspension updates were instantly noticeable within five minutes and supported a 200 pound rider and light supplies with surprising confidence regardless of terrain and at speeds exceeding 90mph.

Even at high speed, the new suspension felt solid.

Stock KLR650 saddles of the past are quite literally one of the bike's biggest sore spots. The NE's new saddle has answered our prayers. The old seat was like a piece of brick-shaped foam with wide sides and hard edges making it difficult for the vertically challenged (like myself) to get confident footing when the terrain becomes less sure-footed.

The new saddle is shaped more like an aftermarket dual-sport seat, narrow in the front and wider in the rear. A narrower front section decreases the stand-over height and sports softer foam, perfect for those short stints on the trail. As you move rearward, the seat platform becomes wider with more a supporting foam suitable for longer pavement jaunts. The improved saddle was a welcome upgrade over the three days of varied riding, as we encountered just about every possible scenario you could imagine for seat testing.

ADVMoto's Dan DiMaio enjoying some great roads and good times.

We're happy to see Kawasaki giving this iconic and stalwart machine some much needed attention. Furthermore, we hope it's a sign of greater things to come from the Big Green. While these aren't major updates, the 2014 KLR650 NE exemplifies the saying, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts," – making it one incredibly affordable "do-it-all" bike for both new and experienced riders alike. If you haven't checked out a KLR650 in the past, there's no time like the present to give the NE a try. Your butt, and the wallet it sits on, will thank you. Kawasaki.com

MSRP: $6,599.00

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Read our 2008 KLR650 Review HERE!