Wilsons Sandbox

Attachments : Hi listers, Just wanted to introduce myself to you all.  I am in Brisbane Australia, a long way away from the rest of you it seems, but have found the discussions both interesting and entertaining.  I bought a Y2K KLR 650 about a month ago and have just run it in.  I had a KLR 250 which I bought in '91 and am glad I have 'upgraded' to the 650.  Haven't done any trail riding as yet, but intend to in the near future.   I have noticed that the appearance of the model in the US is a fair bit different to the model available here in Australia, although it still looks good.  I have attached a pic of mine to give you an idea of what it looks like.  Apparently it is the same as the European model, slightly KLXish I think.   Look forward to future discussions with you all.   Cheers Allan C6 KLR 650

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Subject: [DSN_klr650] New member Hi listers, Just wanted to introduce myself to you all. I am in Brisbane Australia, a long way away from the rest of you it seems, but have found the discussions both interesting and entertaining. I bought a Y2K KLR 650 about a month ago and have just run it in. I had a KLR 250 which I bought in '91 and am glad I have 'upgraded' to the 650. Haven't done any trail riding as yet, but intend to in the near future. I have noticed that the appearance of the model in the US is a fair bit different to the model available here in Australia, although it still looks good. I have attached a pic of mine to give you an idea of what it looks like. Apparently it is the same as the European model, slightly KLXish I think. Look forward to future discussions with you all. Cheers Allan C6 KLR 650 http://www.geocities.com/motormark64/ http://www.angelfire.com/mo/motormark/ KLR-650 A-13 "warthogg" XR250R "superfly" Stone Mountain, Ga ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Mark Wilson wrote:

> > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Subject: [DSN_klr650] New member > > Hi listers, > Just wanted to introduce myself to you all. I am in Brisbane Australia, a > long way away from the rest of you it seems, but have found the discussions > both interesting and entertaining. I bought a Y2K KLR 650 about a month ago > and have just run it in. I had a KLR 250 which I bought in '91 and am glad > I have 'upgraded' to the 650. Haven't done any trail riding as yet, but > intend to in the near future. > > I have noticed that the appearance of the model in the US is a fair bit > different to the model available here in Australia, although it still looks > good. I have attached a pic of mine to give you an idea of what it looks > like. Apparently it is the same as the European model, slightly KLXish I > think. > > Look forward to future discussions with you all.

Hi, and welcome aboard! The "US" model was actually sold in the UK at least in 1989. Don't know if any made it to Oz. I believe that you are blessed with the same motor and iffy suspension as ours but have a considerably smaller fuel tank and a seat that at least looks a lot less comfortable. I can understand going that route for the European market but why they would ship that version to Australia is beyond me. Last I heard Oz had a hell of a lot of nothing in the interior that the KLR would be perfecto to explore on. That would make the big tank really, really useful. I don't think it has ever been resolved here whether or not there is a larger aftermaket tank available to fit the Euro/Oz spec model. But we can certainly help you adjust your valves. -Tom '96 KLR 650 45,000 miles Columbia, SC, USA

I picked up my A15 today (Aug 15, 2000). I didn't drive it home but put it in the back of my truck. I didn't want to take a chance with driving it on the freeway without having it insured. When I got home I drove it around the block. With the trip OD set to zero I proceeded on my way. At mile 1.1 a truck ran a stop sign close in front of me and I had to slow down quick. At mile 2.1 A guy in a van came out of a side street looking the opposite way I was coming from and stopped right in my lane. Brake hard. At mile 3.6 someone made a left turn as I passed and his front bumper came within 2 feet of my rear tire. I looked at him and he had a zombie type blank look on his face. At mile 4.2 A truck pulled out of a gas station and cause me to swerve in to a dirt shoulder. As for me being seen by them, I was wearing a bright yellow/green safety vest with orange reflector tape on it. At mile 5.3 I pulled into my driveway, safe. I think people always drive like this but when your out of the cage you notice it more. Anyways, first impressions of the KLR. 1) It vibrates alot, but I can still see the mirrors good. 2) With the California model you can't fill it up to the neck because raw fuel will go into the Charcoal canister and cause it to flood when starting. There is a sticker on the tank that says this. I tryed to fill it to the top and it flooded. I siphoned some gas out and it worked ok. This problem only happens if you fill the tank to the top and then leave it parked. If you fill it to the top and drive for at least 25+ miles it will burn enough gas to keep the fuel away from the filler neck. I don't know if non-California KLR's have this problem. 3) I already replaced the grips with foam type large diameter ones. The throttle side came of OK, but he clutch side still has some old grip left on the bars. I think they welded the rubber on. 4) It steers real easy, maybe to easy for what I'm used to. 5) The KLR sticker on the gas tank has a clear coat of paint over it. You can't just peal of the sticker or use a heat gun on it. 6) I don't like the rear brake lever. It seems unnatural (low) I have to point my toe down to apply it. Something like a ballerina move. 7) The shifter has a rotating rubber piece on the end that cause my foot to slip off. 8) The foot pegs are not as good as the ones I saw on Y2K KLR's. 9)The brakes feel a little spongee, but the bike still stops. 10) tool kit is wimpy Otherwise I like my new KLR and it's fast I plan on doing some mod's in the future. 1) fuel filter 2) K+N air filter 3) S.S. Brake lines, front and back 4) Fuse replacement to circuit breaker 5) Blue type headlight 6) Tank and saddle bags 7) alloy hand guards ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com