first extended ride
Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2000 9:55 am
I went for my first extended ride yesterday, and I have several
observations. I rode about 80 miles to and from my dealer to get a broken
mirror fixed.
First of all, riding a motorcycle can be serious work. I live in West
Virginia, and all the roads were wonderful twisties with only light
traffic. But my arms ache from the effort. 'Course that could come from...
Second, it's really easy to drop a bike. I was just pulling into the
dealership's parking lot, and I simply fell over. Not really sure what I
did wrong other than probably stop moving forward. The entrance to the lot
was bumpy with scattered gravel, but I don't think that anything other than
rider error was to blame.
Third, protective gear rocks! I have a pair of Darien pants that I wore
for the first time today. (For better or worse I don't wear the overpants
around town.) When I tipped over and banged my knee down hard, the armor
took all the impact and I stood up with no damage beyond a bruised ego.
Fourth, there are some really good dealers around. Leeson's Imports in
Bridgeport, WV, is one of them. I realized after I took delivery of my
used A13 a couple of weeks ago that it was missing the left mirror, and
that the place where the mirror screwed in was broken off. I have no idea
if it was broken when I put money down on the bike last Thanksgiving. At
any rate, Leeson's replaced the missing mirror, along with a missing owners
manual, and there was no charge for anything. In fact, they warrant all
their used bikes for 30 days. The warranty wasn't in writing, but they
have certainly honored it. The only real damage from the tipover was a
broken turnsignal bulb, which they replaced for 98 cents. They also
installed my tall windshield for the cost of the part, and only charged a
total of $100 for the Progressive fork springs, installed. This a great,
family run shop.
Fifth, virtually everyone I saw on a bike waved. The Harley guys in
beanies, the Gold Wingers, and the folks on metric cruisers all gave
friendly signs. The only folks who didn't wave looked like they were too
scared to take their hands off the handlebars. The only sportbike guys I
saw were at the shop. Got a huge wave from a dad and a little boy in a
pickup truck.
Sixth, I'm *really* happy with the KLR. It's got plenty of power to have
fun, but not enough to get you into big trouble. And it's light. I was
able to ride the bike reasonably aggresively (by my standards, wussy +1)
without scaring myself. I've decided I like the tall windshield. There is
some buffeting, but I like the overall protection it provides. I haven't
decided yet on whether I want a 16-tooth front sprocket. I'm going to give
that some thought in the weeks to come. I do know that I kept reaching for
a sixth gear. Does that consitute evidence that I want the higher gearing?
It strikes me that the real power on the bike is between 2500 and 5000.
I've been commuting to work for the last last week, and it's perfect for
that.
Enuff.
Ralph
Ralph Hanson
1999 KLR 650
rhanson@...
http://www.wvu.edu/~journal2