klr650 kickstarting - or alternatives

[Steve Anderson]

Tom, You have summed up many of my thoughts quite eloquently. Thanks. The klr is very easy to bump start on level pavement. Fully loaded it ought to get easier as it will put more traction on the rear wheel. The few times I bump started it on level pavement I simply put the thing in 2nd, got it moving and placed my left foot on the right peg while continuing to pick up speed with my left foot (like a skateboard), and then dropped the clutch while transferring as much of my weight as possible onto the foot peg. Voila! Quite easy. I am a sea kayaker, and one of the things that is preached vehemently in the sea kayaking circles is to practice rescue skills as much as possible. In general, things get dicier more quickly if you are next to your kayak than if you are next to your bike, but I digress. This is why I tried to bump start my bike on the pavement a few times - to practice rescue skills! ;-] BTW: On the practicing rescue skills note, I have also dropped my bike a couple of (hundred it seems) times to make sure I could pick it up by myself. I have gotten it stuck on the side of very loose, steep, rutted and rocky slopes to see if I could get it down by myself. I have gotten it stuck on the side of deep sand washes to make sure I could get it unstuck. I have now changed hundreds of tires... for practice, and had the beast get a gummed up carburetor to test my troubleshooting skills and to make certain I could rebuild the carb quickly. Oh yeah, I also had the headlight fuse blow a bunch so I could get practice replacing it, and to come up with a theory as to why; and had my clutch switch get flaky for some really fun troubleshooting practice. I have broken clutch levers a long way from nowhere to make sure I got enough practicing to ride without it, and the same goes for the shift pedal and brake lever. I have even deliberately gone and lost my keys to make certain I could "hot-wire" my bike. I enjoying thinking of all the times I've gone out and crashed, just so I could practice my crashing skills.. Never did figure out how to eskimo roll a klr though; guess I'll just have to keep trying! Steve A.

--- In DSN_klr650@egroups.com, Tom Vervaeke wrote: > Hello: > > I agree with the person who said there are lots of alternatives > to the electric start. I actually love the electrical start, and, > having owned an XR600 before, will not purchase a dual sport bike > w/o one. But, there are alternatives. (I am 44 and don't like > whacking big singles like an XR600 after you've crashed on a > trail). > > Unless you are the 1 in a million type who is trekking through > the Amazon there is almost always (95%+) of the time someone > nearby to assist. You may have to wait 30-60-90 minutes but > someone will come along. > > So you can: > > 1. Bump start the bike by yourself or with help from a stranger > 2. Tow the bike (you do carry a tow strap don't you?) > 3. Push the bike to a hill and then bump start it down the hill > 4. Jump start (I would not do that from a car->bike for fear of > hurting bike, but that's just me). > 5. Walk somewhere to get help (truck, tow, etc..) > > Last year I had an electrical problem with my BMW R1100GS. It was > fully loaded with my hard luggage and other stuff. The bike weighs > about 600 lbs in that condition. I found out that by removing the > luggage I could just bump start it by pushing it in a hotel parking > lot and then putting it in 2nd gear. Not easy, but doable. In the > morning (spent night in motel) I easily tricked/conned a fellow > traveller or two to assist me with the push start. They actually > seemed to enjoy helping me out. Great! Prior to bump starting I > opened the fuel cap and then set the tank bag on top. During my 400+ > mile ride home I had to stop once for gas. I just left the bike > running, added gas, then drove off. Pretty cool. What's that old > phrase: "Necessity is the mother of invention". > > I can't see it being too hard to bump start a 400 lb KLR even with > luggage and stuff, especially on the street. > > Speaking of folks who do pre-preventative maintenance: I actually toss > out good motorcycle batteries every 3 years and replace them with > brand new ones. I give the old ones to friends who want them. Why? > For the price of $40 (75 for the BMW) I have peace of mind that my > battery is not going to die on me in some remote place. To me it's > money well spent. To others, it's pure stupidity. > > One other thought, maybe dumb: If you have a 96 or later KLR, could > you retrofit the earlier clutch basket and then use the pre-96 > kick-start kit? I don't know all of the parts involved but someone > like Punky may want to investigate that. > > Best, > > Tom > > > > ===== > ========================================================= > Tom Vervaeke, Colorado, USA |Email: tom_vervaeke@y... > '99 Kawasaki KLR-650, 5.0K |Ph: 719-495-2152 (home) > '96 BMW R1100GS, Black 61.5K|Ph: 719-590-2133 (work) > Colorado DualSporters Group |Ph: 719-650-4578 (cell/riding) > Try: http://www.egroups.com/group/Colorado-Dualsporters =========================================================