Wilsons Sandbox

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@... '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 ========================================================= __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/

> I can't see it being too hard to bump start a 400 lb KLR even with > luggage and stuff, especially on the street.

Mine just locks the rear wheel, no matter what gear I am in. I tried it, pushing it up a 100 yd hill about three times and trying it in 2nd, third, and 4th. The wheel just locked up and the bike slewed back and forth since the engine wouldn't spin. Is there something wrong with my compression release or what? I would like to have a normal push-starting ability like every other bike I've had (well, a fuel injected bike with a weak battery won't push start either if it's been run out of gas).