Wilsons Sandbox

>I am from Argentina, and have traveled with a KLR from my home >country to LA, arriving one month ago. >By the way, any information wanted about travelling through >Central and South America, just ask.

--- In DSN_klr650@egroups.com, Tom Vervaeke wrote: > Gino: > > Well, I guess it's just a difference of opinion. Sometimes > when I say cheap I don't mean $$$. I meant poorly made. The > quality of materials and workmanship look shoddy. I recently > tried to assist someone mounting a NEP on their bike (non KLR). I > was amazed at how cheap the whole thing was. If NEP spent 25 > cents making that thing I'd be surprised. The parts seemed crudely > fashioned and the fit and finish were poor (I'm an engineer). > > The fit and finish and quality of materials and instructions on > the Universal Vista Cruise were an order of magnitude better. The > instructions still could have been a bit more clear but I finally > got what they were saying. Although the universal vista cruise > is more expensive, it fits so easily and works so easily I was > very happy. Most of the "normal" cruise controls require careful > fiddling with the diameter of the opening that goes over the bars; > or careful fiddling with the adjustment on how much tension to > apply. The universal works complete differently. It actually slips > around the end of the throttle grip in a very firm way. So, it's > a superior product. IMHO. > > I'm a real believer in MCN (Motorcycle Consumer News). It's a > bike magazine that serves the motorcycle community and doesn't take any > advertising. It's like the Consumer Reports for motorcycles. They > rate all sorts of products. They rate most products with a fairly > complicated methodology but for me it breaks down to this: > > features/usefullness/design/quality/engineering/fit > ------------------------------------ > $$$$$$ > > So, a product may not be the best overall product in terms of > features, engineering, etc.. but it's then divided into the cost. > So, a $30K bike may not win the prize despite the fact that it may > be superior in all or almost all ways if a bike costing $9K comes > real close. I like that. This to me is how a KLR is better for > dual sporting than a KTM Adventurer. Yes, The Katoom is a better > bike with better equipment but it almost 2X the KLR. > > In the world of throttle locks, I believe the more expensive Vista > Cruise more than overcomes the higher cost with better build quality, > ease of use, clarity of instructions, and ease of mounting. This is > the same reason I'm a sucker for the stuff that Chris Krok designs > and builds. His stuff is a good piece of solidly designed and engineered > material at a reasonable price. I heard a rumor that Chris is actually > building his own wind tunnel with the millions of $$$ he's raking in. > > Boy, I write too much. > > Best, > > Tom Vervaeke > A13 > > > > > ===== > ========================================================= > Tom Vervaeke, Colorado, USA |Email: tom_vervaeke@y... > '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!? > Get Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! > http://mail.yahoo.com/