2023 KAWASAKI KLR650 Problems & Recalls
Detailed safety information and owner complaints
Problem Breakdown
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Common Problems
This is a new Kawasaki KLR 650 motorcycle with 220 miles now on it and there is a steering issue at low speeds from 5 to 15 mph. It feels like the steering is catching and you have to fight the handlebars to get the motorcycle to turn. This is dangerous when starting off or at low speeds in traffic....
When making a slow speed turn that requires a little extra handlebar input the bike seems to act like the steering head is stuck, gets briefly stuck in a "notch" and then releases making it very hard to be smooth in a slow speed trun which can be very dangerous depending on traffic/road way situatio...
I bought the motorcycle new from the dealer. At low speeds (12mph - 30 moh), the steering "catches" or "falls off" suddenly. Sometimes if feels like there are notches in the steering. I took it to the dealer to fix and they loosened the steering head nut above the head bearings. It seemed OK for abo...
Steering bearing overtorqued by factory, dealer warranty loostened and readjusted, initial tendency, failure to return to neutral, rough bearing feeling, caused many near misses with vehicles ahead, problem unresolved, I can feel it, dealer can not. Contra Costa Powersports, 1150 Concord Ave Ste 10...
Steering bearing overtorqued by factory, dealer warranty loostened and readjusted, initial tendency, failure to return to neutral, rough bearing feeling, caused many near misses with vehicles ahead, problem unresolved, I can feel it, dealer can not. Contra Costa Powersports, 1150 Concord Ave Ste 10...
Steering bearing overtorqued by factory, dealer warranty loostened and readjusted, initial tendency, failure to return to neutral, rough bearing feeling, caused many near misses with vehicles ahead, problem unresolved, I can feel it, dealer can not. Contra Costa Powersports, 1150 Concord Ave Ste 10...
When the front brake is applied, especially in a hard braking situation the entire Steering mechanism turns to the right. This unavailable steering turn to the right that cannot be overcome by the rider can result in a loss of control. I’ve been riding for over 50 years having owned most motorcycl...
The contact owns a 2023 Kawasaki KLR650. The contact stated while driving approximately 20-25 MPH and attempting to make a left or right turn, the motorcycle seemed to make a sharp turn. The contact stated that the front-end seemed to be uneven with the rear-end of the motorcycle. The motorcycle had...
Mileage: 99
Low speed steering acts as though the steering head bearings are grabbing then releasing making it impossible to execute a smooth turn. Sometimes when this happens it results in an abrupt turn-in almost causing a low-side situation. I will be taking this KLR-650 Adventure back to the dealership with...
The contact owns a 2023 Kawasaki KLR650 Motorcycle. The contact stated that while riding at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the handlebar was wobbly and unstable. No warning lights were illuminated. The motorcycle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or r...
Mileage: 10
The contact owns a 2023 Kawasaki KLR650 Motorcycle. The contact stated that while riding at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the handlebar was wobbly and unstable. No warning lights were illuminated. The motorcycle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or r...
Mileage: 10
The steering gets heavy in slow traffic. A lot of the same complaints from our group on Facebook but Kawasaki won't recall the issue. A lot of people reported that the headtube was over-tightened by the manufacturer. Some dealerships fix them but some charge people. I have a 2023 KAWASAKI KLR650 at ...
The steering nut is torqued to tight and it makes the handle bars stick and not rotate smoothly
Steering very unstable at slow speeds and seems to catch and make turning dangerous and difficult. This is a known problem with this model and Kawasaki has admitted that the steering nut was overtorqued and the bearings were installed improperly but dealers say there’s nothing wrong.
Driving at low speeds the steering has a pull to it. Kawasaki has acknowledged the stem is overtorqued from factory but has yet to issue a recall and I still haven't heard back about them fixing it. This is a serious problem as I've almost been brought into a curb on several occasion even spraining ...
The steering nut for the handlebars of the motorcycle seem to have been overtightened. This causes a noticeable catch in the steering at low speeds, especially when making a turn from a stop. This causes unsafe handling characteristics in the motorcycle as it makes the operator oversteer in slow s...
Unknown Multiple people reported to have issue with stiff steering during low speed including my motorcycle because of defective steering head bearings. Critical safety issues. No recall have been done .
The vehicle has a dangerous steering issue. While in a slower speed turn, the vehicle's steering becomes restricted, and then unexpectedly free's up, which almost causes a crash. Some are referring to this a the "steering notch issue". There are multiple references to this issue in online forums. Th...
Motorcycle with ML serial numbers have been overtorqued steering bearing nuts from factory, multiple problems showing up. Steering on mine locked up in a turn, but was able to force it to straighten out. Kawasaki is aware they overtorqued (via multiple sources) but has not released a tech bulletin, ...