When it comes to motorcycles with a cult following, at the top of the list has to be the Kawasaki KLR650.

This durable dual-sport has won over the hearts and minds of legions of adventuring types, despite its unchanged architecture and questionable aesthetics.

So, you can imagine the backlash that occurred when the venerable KLR650 was rumored to be on the chopping block, especially as the Euro5 homologation loomed.

For these loyal riders, the news was like a family member had died, and that Team Green had abandoned a core constituency to the cold dark night of ADV riding on another model.

Fear not, loyalists. The Kawasaki KLR650 lives to fight for another day, and the iconic machine re-debuts today as a 2022 model year machine, with a number of smart updates to its rugged design.