Wilsons Sandbox

Tom, Welcome aboard! I'm one of the amatures here so take anything I say with a grain of salt. You obviously have some real experience but I'll pitch in anyway since I love my bike. That said...

>Q2: I'd like to get a second set of KLR wheels with rotors, etc.. so > that I can mount Dot Knobbies on one set and normal dual-sport > tires on the other. Have others done this? Is there a good place > to snag a decent set of KLR wheels? I'm guessing any of the >KLR-650's (A1-A15) will work? Price? Fred?

I'd get used if you've got a 99 and the rims are in good shape. Expect anywhere from $110 for a decent front to $450 for a set of used rims, spokes, and hubs. I asked the same question the first week here and a few people discouraged it because the riding is so different. I'm a slo-poke off road so I'm set up ok with Chen-Shin in back and Kenda 270 up front on my dirt set of rims. All years of 650 are the same. 600's will not work. Talk to Dash Weeks about the virtues of Excel rims. I wanted a 'complete' second set so that I could swap out in 20 or 30 minutes. VERY expensive to do unless you can get all the little hardware like axles, sprockets and holder, washers/spacers etc with the rims. For my set I spent $648.00 on top of the rims!!! Ouch but I already had the rims and I figured one time cost (except the sprockets/chain). I now have a non-o-ring chain and 14/45 sprockets for dirt and 16/43 with o-ring original chain and 90/10 street/dirt Avon Gripsters for street. I love it. It was worth doing because I had the cash at the moment. I couldn't afford to do it twice. Look used at the bike junkyards found at: http://www.moto-directory.com/salvage.htm Call, don't e-mail. No one at a junk yard responds to e-mails yet. Too new-fangled I guess.

> >Q3: Front end upgrades. It looks like I have 2 choices: > > 1. Install Progressive springs, new fork oil, etc.. for a cost of > around $75.00 total (includes oil). This seems to be the > mainstream approach around here.

I've got Progressives with 15w oil but this is my first street motorcycle in 15 years so I have no idea how anything else works.

> >Q4: Bash plates. Looks like Happy-Trails, Moose, and White Bros. are >all about the same price: $65-75. Do all of these have the hole cutout >for the oil drain plug? Do they all have firm secure mounting methods? >I have the DualStar center stand. I'm assuming I'll have to cut off an >inch or so on the back?

Coincidentally enough I just put my DualStar center stand on last night and had to cut about 1-2 inches off my Moose bash plate. It mounts up tight but I can see where folks feel like it doesn't cover the pump down on the lower right side well enough. I also had to bend the left side out a smidge to keep it from rubbing against the case. Jim Jackson II A13 - South Carolina ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com