[dsn_klr650] nklr: a biker's revelation

[Jim Cunningham]

Having never rode or owned a motorcycle I myself think any of the bikes you mentioned are a bit much. However, if you are set on those my first question would be how tall are you. I ask that because these are tall (seat height) bikes and if you are a new rider I would strongly discourage them unless you can plant both feet firmly on the ground when sitting on them. Secondly these bikes are not lightweights and a new rider has enough to think about without having to deal with the extra weight. I would myself would recommend the KLR250 or some other dual sport like the Suzuki400 for a new rider. Just my opinion after riding for 30+ years. -----Original Message----- From: dnicholls@... [mailto:dnicholls@...] Sent: Monday, August 21, 2000 8:35 AM To: DSN_klr650@egroups.com Subject: [DSN_klr650] New I have never owned or rode a motorcycle. I live in a Park, on a 10 mile gravel-mud rode and then a further 20 miles to the office. I would also like to ride some old logging rodes, but I'm not a drit biker. Is the Kawasaki 650 the right bike ? I'm also condiering the BMW 650 or the KTM 650 ? Any Comments ? Visit the KLR650 archives at http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 Support Dual Sport News... dsneditor@... Let's keep this list SPAM free! Visit our site at http://www.egroups.com/group/DSN_klr650 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@egroups.com

[Jim Jackson]

I would first ask how big are you? Next how much money do you have? Do you intend to ride street or dirt mostly? If you're a good size person in terms of height and weight I think these would be fine choices. The Beemer and KLR would do you much better on the street than the KTM but that's only from hearsay. If you can afford to take your time I would highly recommend looking into an older 250 like a KLR, XR or a Yamaha XT 225. These bike are alot lower to the ground overall and much lighter to get accustomed to. You'll get a much better idea of what you want and your own riding style. A smaller bike will be much easier to develop good habits on and the market at least in my neck of the woods is good to resell and buy a bigger thumper later. Also, on an older bike you will not be as concerned for the bike in the event of an unplanned get-off. As usual, just my opinion... Jim Jackson II A13 - South Carolina

> >I have never owned or rode a motorcycle. I live in a Park, on a 10 >mile gravel-mud rode and then a further 20 miles to the office. I >would also like to ride some old logging rodes, but I'm not a drit >biker. > >Is the Kawasaki 650 the right bike ? I'm also condiering the BMW 650 >or the KTM 650 ? Any Comments ? >

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[Shepard,Brian]

I'll second the Suzuki DR350SE. It's perfect for the beginner and you can keep it when you get a bigger bike cause its also very fun for experienced riders too. It makes a nice second bike for more fun in the dirt than a KLR650. I'm thinking about getting one as a second mostly dirt bike. My KLR650 is 90% street & 10% dirt. The DR350SE for me would be 90% dirt & 10% street. -Brian Shepard A13 -----Original Message----- From: k650dsn@... [mailto:k650dsn@...] Sent: Monday, August 21, 2000 10:52 AM To: DSN_klr650@egroups.com Subject: [DSN_klr650] Re: New

--- In DSN_klr650@egroups.com, dnicholls@i... wrote: > I have never owned or rode a motorcycle. I live in a Park, on a 10 > mile gravel-mud rode and then a further 20 miles to the office. I > would also like to ride some old logging rodes, but I'm not a drit > biker. > > Is the Kawasaki 650 the right bike ? I'm also condiering the BMW 650 > or the KTM 650 ? Any Comments ? I think the bikes you mention may be a bit much for a new rider. They are also very tall which could be intimidating for a novice. I would consider a smaller machine like a used Suzuki DR350SE or a KLR250. The Kawasaki Super Sherpa would also be a very good choice. Gino Visit the KLR650 archives at http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 Support Dual Sport News... dsneditor@... Let's keep this list SPAM free! Visit our site at http://www.egroups.com/group/DSN_klr650 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@egroups.com

[tom stone]

BMW and KTM would be a lot of money for a first bike. I say that because, since it's your first bike and your note sure, you might consider not getting in to deep on the monetary side. I'd go for a Suzuki DR350, DR400 or a Kawasaki Super Sherpa. Suzuki has sold a bunch of those DR350s and it seems like there are plenty of clean used ones in the pre-owned market.

>From: dnicholls@... >To: DSN_klr650@egroups.com >Subject: [DSN_klr650] New >Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 14:35:19 -0000 > >I have never owned or rode a motorcycle. I live in a Park, on a 10 >mile gravel-mud rode and then a further 20 miles to the office. I >would also like to ride some old logging rodes, but I'm not a drit >biker. > >Is the Kawasaki 650 the right bike ? I'm also condiering the BMW 650 >or the KTM 650 ? Any Comments ? >

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[Ye Wilde Ryder]

>Is the Kawasaki 650 the right bike ?

yes.

>I'm also condiering the BMW 650 or the KTM 650 ? Any Comments ?

too expen$ive. the newer beemer also requires premium fuel. good luck find *that* in, say, mexico. gears, ye wilde ryder -- wallace@... 99 zx-9r "blue bayou" 98 vtr-1000f "stormy" zwallace@... 86 cr-250 "dirt devil" 00 sv-650 "zipper" "& you were using your friends as a berm." -- RP 83 v65 magna "nasty" FoJ#002...AMA#456832...JHLO#002...COP#000...CCS#SW969...Support the RKBA

[Charles]

> >I'm also condiering the BMW 650 or the KTM 650 ? Any Comments ? > > too expen$ive. the newer beemer also requires premium fuel. good luck > find *that* in, say, mexico.

That was also a concern of mine. I told the BMW sales man I didn't like the idea of 11.5/1 compression ratio. He said it wouldn't hurt the bike to run regular. Yea, right. Charles

[Ye Wilde Ryder]

>>>I'm also condiering the BMW 650 or the KTM 650 ? Any Comments ? >> >>too expen$ive. the newer beemer also requires premium fuel. good luck >>find *that* in, say, mexico. > > That was also a concern of mine. I told the BMW sales man I didn't like >the idea of 11.5/1 compression ratio. He said it wouldn't hurt the bike to >run regular. Yea, right.

bingo. MCN stated that BMW *requires* 92 octane or above. there are places in the US where you can't find 92 octane; now imagine trying to find some in mexico, which is an excellent venue for DP bikes... i have no idea what BMW was thinking when they bumped the compression on their DP bike. duh. gears, ye wilde ryder -- wallace@... 99 zx-9r "blue bayou" 98 vtr-1000f "stormy" zwallace@... 86 cr-250 "dirt devil" 00 sv-650 "zipper" "& you were using your friends as a berm." -- RP 83 v65 magna "nasty" FoJ#002...AMA#456832...JHLO#002...COP#000...CCS#SW969...Support the RKBA

[Arne]

> I doubt you'd see a BMW GS rider lend theirs out to anyone! So why are

we so willing? Hey, do the math. A Beemer bif is a big deal that runs approximately $1,000. Drop a KLR and it's pretty much "So what? Pick it up, stop sniveling and ride." With a cheap ride, you can afford to be generous. Chris Lawson KLR650 R100GS/PD _____________________ I had no problems lending out my Valkyrie Tourer... but maybe that was just me... Arne