From: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com (klr650-digest) To: klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: klr650-digest V2 #96 Reply-To: klr650 Sender: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-klr650-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk klr650-digest Sunday, March 7 1999 Volume 02 : Number 096 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 06 Mar 1999 22:46:25 +0000 From: Jeffrey Doyle Subject: (klr650) Riding Boots - for what it's worth Just for the record, I bought some Corbin (tall) boots last year and find them to be excellent road boots. They are comfortable and relatively easy to get on. The soles absorb vibration nicely and work nicely when you have to stand on the pegs for bumps etc.... The size I ordered fit as I expected it to and actually was a tad roomier (can double up on socks for cold weather riding). In fact there is plenty of room to tuck the cuffs in and clever expansion seams in the calf area so you don't get abrasion. I'm talking serious boots here....natural materials that do require maintenance. There is a long velcro flap that runs down the inside seam which covers the heavy-duty zipper and helps to keep draft out. My only beef is that sometimes I catch a flap on a peg when I'm taking off from a light or something and have to press it shut again. Oh well..... Jeff ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 21:25:05 -0800 From: "ripkid" Subject: (klr650) Boots and Jackets Lo' Another lister was recently inquiring about riding boots... I too am looking for some tried and true gear that might help out when the going gets rough (cheers Cameron! sounds like you are bent but not broken!!). I am recently back into bikes after a brief hiatus (love that word), and need to re-kit. I have an ex-girlfriend walking around with some sweet leather, but in the settlement I got the dog so I count myself lucky... Questions: Tour Master Cortech Jacket. Is this some worthy protection? Any riders have experience with this product? SIDI Panter Sympatex boots. They look quite durable, are looks deceiving once again? Any riders heard tell? I appreciate any suggestions or comments. I was doing some serious lurking prior to making my move on the A13, and am very impressed with the knowledge, good humor, and obvious good taste (?) of this list's members. Searching this list's archives answered more questions than I knew how to ask. thnx, Rik "blown by the wind" in Seattle -----A13 w/250 miles clocked in much fun! ** Oh yeah.. I work for the local BlueShield health ins. co. (Regence BlueShield -the big guy in the NW) and might be able to help with questions or red tape. Give me a holler. - --- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 21:52:59 -0800 From: "Dreas Nielsen" Subject: (klr650) RE: klr650-digest V2 #94 If you don't ordinarily use your kill switch when you park your bike, then make it a habit to flip the switch to 'Off' whenever (and only when) you put the disk lock on. Dreas Nielsen Issaquah, WA > -----Original Message----- > > Date: Sat, 06 Mar 1999 11:12:10 -0800 > From: "Rob Gendreau" > Subject: Re: (klr650) 0 mph get-offs...NKLR > > I have this devilish device I like to think of as a "memory tester." It > penalizes the user with very, very embarassing 0 MPH get offs if one fails > the memory test. Not that it's ever happened to me, of course, but I've > heard.... The "memory tester" also has the salutorious benefit of locking > your front disk so thieves can't take your bike before you come > back and run > the memory test. > > ___________________ > Rob Gendreau > Oakland, California > gendreau@ccnet.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 06 Mar 1999 22:54:59 -0700 From: Jeff Hayden Subject: (klr650) KLR .WAV files It was cold and windy day today in Albuqueruqe, so I recorded some *.WAV files of my new A13. Hear them at: http://www.flash.net/~n5ujj/KLR p.s. I never exceded 4K RPM. - Yet! - -- Jeff --- http://www.flash.net/~n5ujj - Down Home Page http://www.flash.net/~n5ujj/hamstuff - HAM It UP Page ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 22:28:27 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: (klr650) Transalp - NKLR I was reading through the archives on the Transalp. Robert Morgan (I'm not sure if you're still on the list - but if you are, this is for you) was asking if the bike is legal in Canada. Well it is. I just saw a used (albeit well-worn) 1986 Transalp at a local dealership. The dealer said that he knows of a 1987 model with way fewer miles and in excellent shape that another guy wants to sell. While they no longer import them into north america (I think 1990 was the last year) there are used ones around and they're legal in canada. Arne Larsen Abbotsford, BC ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 22:36:36 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: Re: (klr650) Alpinestar Boots >Brian, > >I ride in Danner Gor-tex combat boots. They are comfy and waterproof. You >can ride all day in them and go hiking if you want to /have to - heck I have >even run more than a few miles in them. They lace from just above the toe >to well past the ankle. Having tried and owned a lot of boots these are >without a doubt the nicest ones I own. > >As an added bonus they look pretty decent with dockers or jeans for those >times when you don't want to scream."..I GOTTA MOTO-CYCLE!". > >Cheers, > >Vik Ya, but if you're running a size 13-14EE like I am, that's a lot of Danner to fit between the footpeg and the shifter. (I've got a couple pair of my own for work - couldn't wear them on my Valkyrie). Arne - size does matter! ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 22:41:20 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: Re: (klr650) [NKRL] Hydraulic Valves You mentioned that there are arguments to be made for both sides... I thought you might find it interesting that when Honda hot-rodded the goldwing motor for the Valkyrie, besides going from 2 carbs to 6, and lumpier cams, they also removed the hydraulic lifters and replaced them with solid. They got another 1000 RPM out of the motor by doing this. Arne - X Valkyrie owner (yes I cried), soon to be Dual-Sport owner! - -----Original Message----- From: Jeff & Lisa Walker To: PAT_HENSLEY@HP-USA-om32.om.hp.com ; klr650@lists.xmission.com Date: Saturday, March 06, 1999 7:04 PM Subject: Re: (klr650) [NKRL] Hydraulic Valves >Hydraulic Lash Adjusters never need adjusting because they use the hydraulic >pressure supplied by the engine oil pressure to expand and take up the slack >in the valves. That said, they require an engine oil pressure greater than >an engine without HLA's. Higher engine oil pressure means more power from >the engine is used to drive the oil pump, more high pressure components in >the oil system, and more headaches. Also, Hydraulic engines can be >notoriously sloppy in their valve timing, which also robs power. When the >valves are chain driven, non-hydraulic, as the KLR's, tighter tolerances can >be used in the valve timing. This makes the engine more efficient, which >translates to more power, which is oh-so important for the KLR. > >When I was into Beetles, a company from SOCAL came out with hydraulic valve >heads. It was found that the valve timing was sloppy, and robbed power. >Plus one had to upgrade the oil pump, and the higher pressure often caused >the oil cooler to blow its seals. > >In many engines today, HLA's can be great, and when running, there is >virtually no clearance between the cams and the valves, which is efficient >indeed. Then again, I had one HLA get gummed up and stick once, and gawd >what a racket. > >Point is, there are arguments to be made both ways. In many ways, I prefer >simpler systems. Less things can go wrong then. Others may prefer the ease >of maintenance aspect, not needing to ever adjust the valves. Hell, on my >Isuzu, all I ever have to do is change the oil and filter, and adjust the >spark plug gaps. What fun is that? One more point, specifically for the >KLR. You know how tight the head is in the frame now? The head to >accommodate HLA type valves would have to be bigger. > > ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999 00:11:14 -0700 From: "Skip Faulkner" Subject: Re: (klr650) NKLR Boots and Jackets >Questions: >Tour Master Cortech Jacket. Is this some worthy protection? Any riders have >experience with this product? >Searching this list's archives answered more questions than I knew how to >ask. > >thnx, > >Rik "blown by the wind" in Seattle -----A13 w/250 miles clocked in much >fun! Rik, Welcome! Good bike for the Northwest. It will serve you well. I am familiar with the Cortech. It is a good jacket for the money. Heavy-duty, waterproof, adequate ventilation, good armor system, and plenty of pockets. Some have complained of the stiffness, but they do break in, and many prefer the heavier Cordura (1000) that the Cortech has, over lighter fabricated jackets such as the Kilimanjaro. I like the Kilimanjaro a lot, but feel a little more warmth and protection is provided with the Cortech, no proof, just gut feeling. Also, my Kilimanjaro flaps pretty bad on the hiway, which I noticed the Cortech didn`t. There`s lots of opinions out there on the jackets, and you`ll probably here them, so listen to everybody and then decide which works for you. Be sure to try your choice on first. Even if you can`t find a dealer that carries what you want, most mail order places I`ve been dealing with, have agreed to let me send the jacket back if I just plain don`t like it, or change my mind. I`m in the process of finding a new jacket now, well, for the last 5 months anyway. Good luck. Skip ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 07 Mar 1999 02:24:17 -0500 From: "J.Taylor" Subject: (klr650) [NKLR] Bike week demo rides survivor Bike week is drawing to a close in Daytona today and I survived another year without a new addition to the garage. I did test ride the following bikes this week and found several EYE OPENING! I rode: MuZ Baghira (yeoww! Yamaha 660cc DS shoulder snatcher. Capable of 100+mph, how I know? Long story.) Mastiff (yeoww squared! Lock up the drivers license!) Triumph Tiger (Big... and Hungry for my knee cartilage. GOES!!!) Trophy 1200 (Bangor,ME.I'll be there tomorrow! Love it!) Speed Triple (my arms are six inches longer now!) Thunderbird Sport (900cc HOOLIGAN in vintage clothing) BMW R1200C (Lotta TORQUE about this one. Best seller for good reason; $15,000!) GS Hernia (All Day comfort, stout, long legs, My first fuel injected bike-different) F650 (peppy, fun, er.... overpriced?) Kaw Concours (I see the attraction to a bargain buy, hmmmm could easily make one of these mine, maybe...) Drifter ($11,500 for plastic fenders BUT good suspension in terms of a cruiser. Homogenous Owners Group) Suzuki SV650 (six speed fun-I want this engine in my KLR. $5600 cash! Wheelie potential exists but not evaluated on manufacturers time.) Intruder (1500cc of clunky bearbox and scraped floorboards. A kidney punch to ride-could learn a thing or 2 from the Kaw Drifter susp.) HAYABUSA (GSXR 1900! Hah,gotcha! Saw it, couldn't touch) Polaris Victory (If these guys last 10 years, FIVE years, I'll buy you all one! Gearbox needs a map to find its way into the next highest gear. Finished from Home Depot hardware aisle bins for $13k) All in all, I didn't have to buy a single drop of gas, got sunburned in the process (Sorry Don Roger!) and I'm ready for my CW/MC staffer position. The KTM Adventure was there but when its on centerstand, you need a step stool to see the controls. Gorgeous fit and finish (slurp, wipe)! DunloPad is delving into oversized rotors for the DP market, or so I was told by the show rep. He said owners groups will help them determine which models will get selected/targeted via input. I said where do we input? He said, "thru your dealer". Go figure that one out... I counted 8-10 KLR's on any given day (unscientific sampling-walking around). Left cards I printed up with DSN logo and website address on them. Commanded them to subscribe (Send Gino MONEY!). Talked to three people who were interested in KLR and had already been to the website but were/are not listers/lurkers. Spent Wednesday lsitening to Helge Pedersen; could do that again several times a week. Jake in Jacksonville, who has a newfound appreciation for his *PAID FOR* KLR. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999 02:28:02 -0500 From: "Stephen Rivett" Subject: Re: (klr650) [NKLR] Bike week demo rides survivor Yeah, it's a beautiful bike. How much do they cost? Depending on how long I am in University I'm either saving up for a KTM or a Kawasaki. The KTM Adventure was there but when its on centerstand, you >need a step stool to see the controls. Gorgeous fit and finish (slurp, >wipe)! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999 00:28:31 -0800 From: "Vik Banerjee" Subject: Re: (klr650) Alpinestar Boots Might be that we are talking about different models of Danner's. The ones I have are part Cordura, part leather with a vibram sole. They are only marginally heavier then a pair of HI-Tech Magnus (I used to have these) but they are must more supportive. They are also very narrow from the top of the toe to the sole, so Arne I can't see having trouble using the shifter on any bike with them. Having run a bunch in them I can say that they aren't heavy at all when compared to the standard issue CDN combat boots or any of my hiking boots. BTW - Jeff I wear those Danners all summer on my bike with no heat related problems. Without going to a jungle boot style boot I can't see getting any cooler. From the comments made by Arne and Jeff I get the feeling there are significantly different models of Danners out there. I know for example there are insulated and non-insulated Danners, must be other differences as well. Cheers, Vik - -----Original Message----- From: Jeff & Lisa Walker To: Vik Banerjee ; brbo@uniserve.com ; KLR List Date: Saturday, March 06, 1999 7:05 PM Subject: Re: (klr650) Alpinestar Boots >I always found the Danner Gortex to be too heavy and too HOT for my feet for >serious field use, except in very cold conditions. I could see them being >good for riding in the cold, but after I went inside, my feet would be >sweating in them. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 23:51:42 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: (klr650) re. NKLR ....line-up Kurt, In your Jan 26 posting of bikes from dirt to street, I noticed that you had the BMW R-80GS and the Honda Africa Twin listed as more dirt-worthy than the Honda Transalp. While I haven't ridden many of these bikes either, I would have thought that the weight of the BMW and the Africa Twin would put them on the more street side of the Transalp (which I've seen and sat on)? Are they not heavier bikes? Thanks, Arne ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999 00:03:45 -0800 From: "Arne Larsen" Subject: Re: (klr650) Transalp - NKLR Hey Vik, Not yet, the dealer wants the commission, so he wasn't about to tell me who the owner was. When I saw the rather beat up '86, I thought, "hey, that's a neat bike I could get used to" - really... that's what I thought =). He's going to call me when he gets in touch with the owner. I recall reading in the archives, that before you bought your KLR you were considering the Transalp... I guess you're still thinking about it eh? I'm now in "shop-mode" myself as I just sold my Valkyrie Tourer today. What part of the world are you from? I'll let you know what I find out.. Arne BTW, the guy at the shop also has a '99 KLR sitting in the corner that's his own personal bike. He hurt his neck in a car accident and doesn't want a bike anymore. It's got a whopping 26 kilometers on it (that's around 18 miles for all you USAers out there). A guy might be in a position to save himself $1000 on a brand new bike - NO GST (again, for all you USAers, that's a stupid additional sales tax that no one else in the world seems to have). - -----Original Message----- From: Vik Banerjee To: Arne Larsen Date: Saturday, March 06, 1999 11:43 PM Subject: Re: (klr650) Transalp - NKLR >Hey Arne, > >Do you have any details on that '87?....I might be interested if you could >let me know. > >Cheers, > >Vik > >-----Original Message----- >From: Arne Larsen >To: KLR650 List >Date: Saturday, March 06, 1999 10:23 PM >Subject: (klr650) Transalp - NKLR > > >>I was reading through the archives on the Transalp. Robert Morgan (I'm not >>sure if you're still on the list - but if you are, this is for you) was >>asking if the bike is legal in Canada. Well it is. I just saw a used >>(albeit well-worn) 1986 Transalp at a local dealership. The dealer said >>that he knows of a 1987 model with way fewer miles and in excellent shape >>that another guy wants to sell. While they no longer import them into >north >>america (I think 1990 was the last year) there are used ones around and >>they're legal in canada. >> >>Arne Larsen >>Abbotsford, BC >> >> ------------------------------ End of klr650-digest V2 #96 ***************************