finally a klr rider

[Leon Droby]

Just a short introduction, I'm Leon Droby from central Massachusetts and I'm finally a KLR rider. After a ten year layoff from riding (kids, house, etc.), I started five years ago on a BMW R100GS. Put a lot of miles on the bike but thought I wanted something more road oriented. So the GS went and a Concours came. I hated the Concours. I just did not fit on it; I have very stiff knees and couldn't stand to ride it for more that 90 minutes. At this point I lurked on this list for a while but decided to go with a BMW R100R. Nice bike but I eventually got kind of tired of it. So this was sold and I lurked on this list some more but ended up getting a Honda ST1100. This was also a nice bike but also a very big bike (I didn't care for the full faring thing or the 700 lbs) and the sore knees came back. So I lurked on this list some more. And decided this time to get a KLR. I had a very hard time selling the ST for what I thought was a very cheap price. I finally found a dealer in a different part of the state that would take it in on a trade (one dealer near me actually had two used STs in stock). I got to the shop first thing, expecting to leave my ST and ride home on a 2001 KLR. When I got there, he also had a six month old 2000 with 900 miles, the first servicing done by the dealer and the extended three year warranty. He'd trade either one (my bike for his bike plus cash) with the 2000 being $700 more cash back. Needless to say, I know own a 2000 KLR 650! So now I'm in the process of adapting it to meet my needs. Which would be to travel the highways at near 100 mph then pull off the road and do some tight, wet, rooted single track along with my pro enduro friends. Well, not really. I need the bike to be able to commute on the highway (carry gear and be comfortable near 70 mph) and do some slow and easy trail riding (power lines and tow paths). The first change was the little windshield went. Around town it was nice but at 70 mph there was too much wind roar. Last night I added a Wolfman tank bag and a connection for an electric vest. It seems like KLRs are in demand these days as most of the after market companies are on backorder. So, as things come in, I'll be putting them on the bike. What I like about the KLR is that it seems to represent fundamental motorcycling. It doesn't try to be things that it's not. It's a basic, do it all bike. I also learned how to ride on dual sport bikes so it brings me back to that time. I started with a friends Honda XL250 and a CZ 175 (where you pushed the shifter shaft in with you heal, flipped the lever 180 degrees and the shifter became the kickstarter!) Great bikes? Maybe not. Great times? Definitely. Leon Droby 2000 KLR650