klr 650 parts & accessories

[Robert Diaz]

I keep my paperwork in a zip-loc baggie under the tool pouch. I make photo copies though so I don't ruin the original, just in case. Rob D A15 '84 KL 600

> 1 - Where does one store the paperwork, i.e. > insurance, registration, > and inspection apaerwork? I have been keeping it in > my jacket > pocket, but would like to secure it on the bike if > possible.

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[Devon Jarvis]

Welcome to the madhouse. I am only allowed to own two bikes, so I had to give one of my SR500s to my Dad for father's day. Leaving me with the KLR and my '81 SR500. 1- store it in your wallet. If somebody steals your bike it will deny them an opportunity for counterfeiting. You need tools to remove the seat and there's no locking storage included with the bike. 2- They suck. There are several cheap alternatives, "Pro-Grip" brand pro-gel grips are my favorite, for $12 or so. The stock ones are glued on (at least on the clutch side) so don't count on salvaging them. 3- Some are DOT, some are Snell AND DOT. A non-DOT helmet isn't a helmet, it's a hat. MX helmets are designed for maximum ventilation and comfort at low (40mph or lower) speeds in hot weather. They are noisy on the highway and very cold in the winter. I still use one, I just wear earplugs. When it gets too cold I use a regular full-face. But even in 50deg weather I sweat like crazy riding offroad in a regular helmet. Ask your local guy if he can do anything for you. If he comes down a bit, you might find he's only a few bucks off the websites once you include the shipping. And then it might be worth it to keep your money local. Devon A15 mr_jor wrote:

> > Had some great weather Friday and had the day off, so I ran out and > picked up a 03 KLR650. Very pleased with the purchase. I have been > lurking in this group and some others for awhile and figured the KLR > would give me the best bang for the buck. Now just have to convince > the wife to let me also hang on to the Nighthawk. > > After putting almost 150 miles on it in a couple days, I do have a > couple questions: > 1 - Where does one store the paperwork, i.e. insurance, registration, > and inspection apaerwork? I have been keeping it in my jacket > pocket, but would like to secure it on the bike if possible. > 2 - Is it me or are the stock handgrips torture? > 3 - Also looking for a new helmet. I like the style of the > motorcross, but are they tested to the same standards (DOT and Snell) > as street helmets? Also, if anyone has any good or bad experinces > would appreciate any input. Also looking to purchase it online, as > the local shops mark up is ridicules. > > Thanks for any help > J. >

[Zachariah Mully]

On Mon, 2002-11-11 at 08:44, mr_jor wrote:

> 3 - Also looking for a new helmet. I like the style of the > motorcross, but are they tested to the same standards (DOT and Snell) > as street helmets? Also, if anyone has any good or bad experinces > would appreciate any input. Also looking to purchase it online, as > the local shops mark up is ridicules.

Welcome to the asylum Anyhow, I can't recommend a MX helmet for mostly road work. You'll have serious neck pain as they're not meant for 60 mph+ work and the visor will jerk your head around violently every time a semi passes. Unfortunately no one is importing a convertable dual sport helmet into the US. Arai used too and might again, but the outlook is dim on that one. At the same time, a full face road helmet is uncomfortable off-road (damn hot), a pain to wear with goggles and generally cost 3x-4x as much as a MX helmet so why ruin your good road helmet off-road? So really what you need is both a MX helmet for those days when you're prepared to put up with buffeting on the road in return for better comfort and vision when you get to the trail, and a nice full face road helmet for those pavement only days. You can (/should) get helmets that are both DOT and SNELL certified. Most good helmets have both certifications, and AFAIK, the certification testing is exactly the same for a MX helmet as it is for a FF road helmet (correct me here if I am wrong folks). You are required by law to have a DOT certified helmet, SNELL certification is a nice extra as the testing covers different impact profiles than DOT, and vice versa. My personal helmets are a Fulmer MX helmet (~$90, XL, DOT and SNELL) and a Shoei Vivid Orange RF800 (~$220, XL, DOT and SNELL again). I tried on a chromed and flamed-out Vega MX helmet (Tumu has one of these) yesterday that fit well, looked awesome and was $90. Z DC

[Judson D. Jones]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Devon Jarvis wrote:

> Welcome to the madhouse. I am only allowed to own two bikes, so I

had to

> give one of my SR500s to my Dad for father's day. Leaving me with

the

> KLR and my '81 SR500.

What do you mean "allowed"??? Are you on probation? OTOH, it's clear your father raised a great kid.

[Mark St.Hilaire, Sr]

> After putting almost 150 miles on it in a couple days, I do have a > couple questions:

Welcome to the list, and KLRing!

> 1 - Where does one store the paperwork, i.e. insurance, registration, > and inspection apaerwork? I have been keeping it in my jacket > pocket, but would like to secure it on the bike if possible.

I keep my registration in a baggie, and that in my wallet. I've heard of plenty people, including my only friend who rides, that keep that type of paperwork waterproofed, and in a "slow to access" location, such as under the saddle. The thought is that the police *might* say to heck with it once they hear how long it's going to take to get the paperwork out, and - more likely in my opinion - the time spent removing the paperwork can be spent in an attempt to sweet talk the officer out of the ticket...

> 2 - Is it me or are the stock handgrips torture?

They are, but a solution is at hand. (Pun intended. Grin) Fred Hink sells the Pro Gel Grips, and they WILL make things ever so much more comfortable for you. http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/parts_frames.html Choose "Control" on the pulldown. Fred is one of numerous "list approved" vendors who provides fast, reliable service.

> 3 - Also looking for a new helmet. I like the style of the > motorcross, but are they tested to the same standards (DOT and Snell) > as street helmets? Also, if anyone has any good or bad experinces > would appreciate any input. Also looking to purchase it online, as > the local shops mark up is ridicules.

The helmet thing just came up, and is almost akin to a typical oil thread. Basically, if you ride a lot of pavement, you won't want a motocross / dirt type of helmet due to increased noise. Many listers use a standard fullface helmet, and just lift the shield off-road. Finally, many other listers use a flip-face such as the Nolan. This last choice, for those who will be doing a significant amount of off-roading, seems to make the most sense to me. There can't really be a cut-and-dried response to your question, I don't think. It really depends on you, and how you ride. Due to bad shoulders and knees, I now do very little trail riding, but when I do, I just flip the shield on my full face HJC... I hope that helps, Mark Glitter is coined to meet the moment's rage; Genuine lives on from age to age. - Goethe's "Faust" KLR650 Motorcycle Pages: http://klr6500.tripod.com/ HomePage: http://home.adelphia.net/~msaint/index.html My Adelphia Email can be "iffy." If you don't get a response, please try: KLR6500@...

[Devon Jarvis]

The two-bike rule is an arrangement that has worked really well to keep the peace in my marriage. I have a three-year-old son, and a daughter due to show up in April. I still managed to put about 12,000mi on my KLR in the last 12 months, riding two days a week. My wife has been a "Sunday Morning Widow" for the last four years, largely without complaint. So no complaints. If I didn't have a limit, I would collect the biggest scrap imagineable. As it is, I still have a spare SR500 frame, front end, two sets of stock wheels, suspension parts, body parts, and assorted crap to dispose of. Devon "Judson D. Jones" wrote:

> > --- In DSN_klr650@y..., Devon Jarvis wrote: > > Welcome to the madhouse. I am only allowed to own two bikes, so I > had to > > give one of my SR500s to my Dad for father's day. Leaving me with > the > > KLR and my '81 SR500. > > What do you mean "allowed"??? Are you on probation? > > OTOH, it's clear your father raised a great kid. >

[Judson D. Jones]

Yeah, one's too many, and a dozen's not enough.

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Devon Jarvis wrote: > The two-bike rule is an arrangement that has worked really well to keep > the peace in my marriage. I have a three-year-old son, and a daughter > due to show up in April. I still managed to put about 12,000mi on my KLR > in the last 12 months, riding two days a week. > My wife has been a "Sunday Morning Widow" for the last four years, > largely without complaint. > > So no complaints. If I didn't have a limit, I would collect the biggest > scrap imagineable. As it is, I still have a spare SR500 frame, front > end, two sets of stock wheels, suspension parts, body parts, and > assorted crap to dispose of. > > Devon > > "Judson D. Jones" wrote: > > > > --- In DSN_klr650@y..., Devon Jarvis wrote: > > > Welcome to the madhouse. I am only allowed to own two bikes, so I > > had to > > > give one of my SR500s to my Dad for father's day. Leaving me with > > the > > > KLR and my '81 SR500. > > > > What do you mean "allowed"??? Are you on probation? > > > > OTOH, it's clear your father raised a great kid. > >

[Judson D. Jones]

"What do you mean you want me to make room for your car in the garage? It has a roof of its own." Needless to say, I'm no longer married.

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Devon Jarvis wrote: > The two-bike rule is an arrangement that has worked really well to keep > the peace in my marriage. I have a three-year-old son, and a daughter > due to show up in April. I still managed to put about 12,000mi on my KLR > in the last 12 months, riding two days a week. > My wife has been a "Sunday Morning Widow" for the last four years, > largely without complaint. > > So no complaints. If I didn't have a limit, I would collect the biggest > scrap imagineable. As it is, I still have a spare SR500 frame, front > end, two sets of stock wheels, suspension parts, body parts, and > assorted crap to dispose of. > > Devon > > "Judson D. Jones" wrote: > > > > --- In DSN_klr650@y..., Devon Jarvis wrote: > > > Welcome to the madhouse. I am only allowed to own two bikes, so I > > had to > > > give one of my SR500s to my Dad for father's day. Leaving me with > > the > > > KLR and my '81 SR500. > > > > What do you mean "allowed"??? Are you on probation? > > > > OTOH, it's clear your father raised a great kid. > >

[S. B. Lawrence]

I keep papers there too but not much room! For the long-time owners, which tools in that little kit are essential on the road and *unique* so they should by all means stay there? I haven't even examined the toolkit on my 2003 in great detail yet, but I'm sure there are some in it that are redundant since I carry a few basic tools in my tank bag if I'm going very far. As for waterproofing, small papers you might actually need like ins. card can be laminated using cheap cold-laminating sheets available at any place like Office Max or Staples. Since I'm not too careful with them I've found baggies develop holes when stored with tools, but laminating makes papers nearly indestructible. Just a suggestion.

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., Robert Diaz wrote: > I keep my paperwork in a zip-loc baggie under the tool > pouch. I make photo copies though so I don't ruin the > original, just in case. > > Rob D > A15 > '84 KL 600

[James L. Miller Jr.]

I wish that was all it took! millerized

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "Judson D. Jones" wrote: > "What do you mean you want me to make room for your car in the garage? > It has a roof of its own." > > Needless to say, I'm no longer married. > >