Thanks--will give buchananspokes a call. Tried woodyswheelworks but never get a pick up on phone. Will reengage--price probably outrageous but won't know til I ask. As for Tubeliss; jury is out (for me). Read other RRs were it didn't work due to imporper installation at home base or on the road. Margin for error seems high...for me.
Concur...if you know it already just scan; can always pick up a nugget here or there.Nice to have KLR centric dialogue.
I don't see the disadvantage of a real-time Q and A. I also, having been a college Perfesser, don't see any disadvantage to teaching some of the same stuff over and over. Let's face it, that's what education is all about -- bringing new people in. The motorcycle world is continually changing, and new tech arrives all the time, even in our little KLR world. There are some excellent KLR sites out there, but the reason I frequent ADV is the volume of opinions, and the number of inmates who are out riding. It's a sorting process. Some of the info is BS. Some of the inmates are hostile trolls, but fewer than on most other sites I've been on. The search engines on most forums stink, and I'm sure that the mods have neither the strength nor the inclination to improve them. Most of the inmates are folks you'd like to take a tour with. That's why I hang here. Also, over 90% of the time, when one asks a serious question, one gets considered answers. The answers may not always contain the best or most accurate information, but they work. It's not perfect, but we're not either. Lighten up, Francis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrllCZw8jiM&feature=related
Look what i saw on the Economist website today http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2011/11/venezuelan-monetary-policy
Ahh, Russian Polish relations..... Reminds me of my college daze in the 1970's. I had to take a class on Russia (USSR) to get my degree. I wasn't so bad, actually it was quite interesting. My prof was a former military intel guy (WWII vet) who studied the USSR, making clandestine visits there in the 50's and 60's. Anyway, I digress. I would do it like KTM does. Drill the hole, tap it, then use a stainless steel bolt with lock nut, so you can adjust the travel of the forks.
I personally wouldnt use a self-tapping bolt for your fork stop. It would probably work but Iam not sure I would want to" force" a self tapping bolt thru anything Alum. Drilling and tapping it would be the way to do it, with the use of a little Blue Locktite.On another note I can see Dirty Dogs thinking but I also agree with willys idea. It is difficult to keep a information thread going, people that are new to the KLR or bikes in general are usually just searching for info about the bike or how to do something to it. I very seldom take anyones responce as the right way to do something, I usually will read all I can on the subject then decide on how to actually do a repair or service. Not answering a persons question or flaming them because the question has probaly been asked a million times, just goes against the whole idea behind ADVrider IMO. Sorry for the long winded responce, too much coffee this morning. *EDIY* Ha Ha after typing this I see that canuman and Kawidad pretty much said what I was trying to.
I also advise against self-tapping screws for this application . . . . they likely won't work, and may wind up breaking off inside the tree, giving you a project you didn't want in the first place . . . Self-tappers are fine with sheet metal, not so fine for stuff like this. Don't ask me how I know.
I wonder how Venezuela is keeping their oil filter covers from weeping... All kidding aside, that's a cool pic. I can see why they use these bikes (now that I've had one for a few months)...anvil reliabilty. I'm enjoying the hell outta' mine, and am starting to remember why I've always loved Japanese motorcycles so much. .
Will be doing doohickey on my replacement engine next week. Doohickey pros and people needing their doohickeys done are welcome. I bothered getting the expanded list of all the tools together. So, someone else might as well benefit. Northridge, CA Jeffrey
BIGDON!...Whaddup?!? The SE is GONE...and the new owner has posted that he is riding the hell outta' it (which makes me very happy for him). I guess I was the guy who had the good fortune of goin' through all the "growing pains". The KLR will NEVER be an SE. But, that is the ONLY downside. The KLR is scratching all of the itches that the SE would never, EVER be able to reach...dependability, reliability, ease of maintenance, and (most of all) TRUST. It takes me to work, everyday, with no hassles (which is HUGE). It transports me to the Texas Hill Country, and beyond (without that little fear in the back of my mind that it will leave me stranded). That is also huge for me, as I (sometimes) find myself in locales where I don't see another human being, or vehicle, for two hours (and come-across alot of dead animal carcasses, along the way). I know it's issues (weeping oil filter cover and oil usage), and don't have to spend hours (and, sometimes, days) having to hunt for them. If I need to work on it, I don't have to remove the engine/fuel tank/etc. to do so. The KLR is my (current) "magic carpet", that is...slowly...transporting me back to my love of motorcycles (that almost drowned in sea of Orange)...
JJ, that's good to know. I started with a KLR back in 05. I have always liked it but have been tasting different KoolAid along the way. Many dual Sports have come and gone but I have never sold the old KLR . I am back to it now and am real happy with it in it's nitch. I have a WR 250 R for the really rough stuff and an 1150 GS Adventure for the longer high speed stuff. The KLR fits for all the stuff in between. I have to admit, I'm wanting to try the Orange Koolaid in a 990 Adventure, and may some day but my 03 KLR has a home here! 2006 on Pandale Rd. @ Pecos River Last Week @ Chinati Hot Springs!
Bolted on the Happy Trails radiator protector, engine guard, and skid plate today on my '07. I am impressed with the quality. It's as close to a drop-in install as any aftermarket kit I've seen. Absolutely no clearance issues with the shifter or the center stand. The farkle fest continues -- pics tomorrow.
I've never noticed a pannier rack like this one yet. Anyone have one? Worth it? I'm assuming not necessarily since a HT side rack can be had from 200 to 270 (depending on model). http://boise.craigslist.org/mcy/2727667496.html
.. just to add to the confusion .. if you are going more for "adventure" riding/touring you might want to consider going with a 16 front and 39 rear .. .. just so it's not "my opinion" .. from one pretty reliable source: "My KLR is now geared up 16-39 (from stock 15-43 ) 60 mph is now 3200 rpm. (was 4,000 rpm)" .. that particular guy is riding with a pretty radical fairing, but the guy that set him up knows what he is doing .. If you want to play around with gear sizes/ratios you can punch up your own numbers here and see what the changes do for differing size gear combinations .. http://woodsware.aciwebs.com/gears/gears.asp .. find the KLR 650 in the drop menu and add your own front and rear gear sizes and you'll see where it puts you .. pretty good site .. you can even check how tire size changes affect your ride too .. .. hope this answers more questions rather than causes you any grief ..
The side bracing looks like small-diameter rod. Tube is better in many ways. Having just had a wonderful experience bolting on some HT farkles, I can tell you, they can't be beat. Their instruction pages are a bit sketchy, but the stuff fits and is completely legit. The HT OSR system is now on sale for under a hundred. I'm a big fan of the soft stuff, and for $98, you simply can't go wrong. It's grape flavor. . .
Stock gearing final drive ratio (43/15) is 2.87; his setup (39/16) gives 2.44; 2.44/2.87 X 4000 rpm = 3400 rpm; pretty close.
Rather weird question here. Just spent some time with Bro-Bro, who uses my shop to manufacture custom guitar and harmonica amps. He's an early iron-head, who's run Yamaha XS 650s for about thirty years. Today, he went off on carb combos on the XS. I get lost within five minutes of his talk, but one thing piqued my interest. He spoke of putting a smaller, single carb on an XS twin with an appropriate two-to-one manifold. Reportedly, the rig would not pass 85 mph, but was putting out massive low end and rode at about 65 mpg. Is this a possibility for the KLR? Most of us want more upper end, but could the torques and the mileage be achieved through carburation rather than gearing?
