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off-road riding on a klr - was nklr off road riding tips
Posted: Sat May 11, 2002 8:26 pm
by bkowalca
Offroad Riding Tips
It is important to maximize the positive aspects (huge torque) of
the KLR and minimize the negative (huge weight)
1) Ride fast - Keep a good pace through the rough stuff. The 1980's
suspension is good enough for this. I think the stock front sprocket
is actually a benefit since the tall gearing forces you to move
along quickly. This allows the momentum of the machine to plough
through or over just about anything.
2) Get Fit - When the going gets rough you will be holding on pretty
tight and pushing pretty hard to get the bike to do what you want.
Good physical fitness is the key to a good ride. Practice your
squats, you'll need it to pick up the beast after you drop it.
3) Riding in Mud/Water - Keep your weight centered or back and keep
on the gas. The bike has enough power that it will not stall in the
mud. If you are riding through ruts, don't even bother to ride down
the high spot in the middle of the track. You are going to end up in
the deepest rut anyway so might head for it straight away. If you
ride the top and the front or back slide into the rut (it always
will) you are in a tough situation being sidways on the track, you
can easily get stuck or fall over.
4) Riding in Sand - Keep your wieght forward, keep on the gas. As
soon as you let off the gas you can feel the bike start to shimy
around. If you stay on the power, the bike will go in the direction
of the front wheel.
5) Riding up hills - The bike has enough torque to climb any hill
from a dead stop. Keep the revs above 2000 and you can climb
anything. Its fun to practice going as SLOW as you can up a hill. On
the way up keep you weight centered to keep the front down, and the
back planted for traction. On the way down, keep your weight way
back to keep the front from digging in.
6) Over Logs - Always cross at a right angle to the log. Although it
may be possible to use the clutch to pop the front end up, I haven't
been able to do it practically so just hit it dead on a hope for the
best. Don't even try to use the throttle to get the front end up.
The combination of heavy front end, lack of CV carb throttle
response and high flywheel intertia make this next to impossible.
6) Practice - Find an area with some tough terrain and practice
doing different things, up hills, down hills, over logs, navigating
ruts etc. You will be suprised how quickly you will learn to
overcome things that seemed impossible an hour ago.
7) Fall on the right side or get a rad guard - If you fall on the
left, you risk damage to the expensive radiator and a long walk
home. The right side is just a plastic coolant expansion tank that
already is surrounded by metal tubing.
8) Consider upgrades - Front Progressive springs are a great deal.
Knobby tires certainly help off-road. A stainless braided brake line
greaty helps with the front brake feel and responsiveness. A rear
spring/shock upgrade can be expensive but some say this is the best
upgrade. A rad guard and skid plate are good investments.
Bryan K
A14
off-road riding on a klr - was nklr off road riding tips
Posted: Sat May 11, 2002 8:54 pm
by guymanbro
OK I got a coupla nitpicks with your pointers (but different strokes
for different folks, right?) See below
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "bkowalca" wrote:
>
>
> 2) Get Fit - When the going gets rough you will be holding on
pretty tight and pushing pretty hard to get the bike to do what you
want. >
Shouldn't ever be holding on tight in my experience. A loose hold on
the bars keeps your nervous energy from being transmitted into
disatrous response from the bike. Stay loose!
> Good physical fitness is the key to a good ride. Practice your
> squats, you'll need it to pick up the beast after you drop it.
Fully agree with that.
>
> 4) Riding in Sand - Keep your wieght forward, keep on the gas. As
> soon as you let off the gas you can feel the bike start to shimy
> around. If you stay on the power, the bike will go in the direction
> of the front wheel.>
Huh? The KLR is pretty well endowed up front. I find that keeping my
weight BACK not forward helps with the KLR. Now when cornering in the
sand, definitely move your weight more forward, but for straight
lining it, keeping the weight back keeps the front end light and les
prone to getting twitchy with variations in the sand surface.
> 6) Over Logs - Always cross at a right angle to the log. Although
it may be possible to use the clutch to pop the front end up, I
haven't been able to do it practically so just hit it dead on a hope
for the best. Don't even try to use the throttle to get the front
end up. The combination of heavy front end, lack of CV carb throttle
> response and high flywheel intertia make this next to impossible.
I find a blip of the throttle before hitting the log gets the front
end light enough to bounce it up and over the log. Then with proper
weight shifting (timing is everything) you can roll the back end over
as well. I have done this over logs that are taller than the mighty
KLR's 9" ground clearance without putting a foot down (sometimes my
face gets put down though!).
I agree with everything else you said though.
dat brooklyn bum
off-road riding on a klr - was nklr off road riding tips
Posted: Sat May 11, 2002 11:08 pm
by Ian S.
Your advice is great in my opinion excpet two things.
*When in sand, I find it beneficial to keep weight far BACK, except when
cornering. (guymanbro also thinks this is better)
*Keep a somewhat loose grip on the bars, except when heading over large
rocks or ruts. Exerting a lot of energy gripping the bars is a waste.
(again, guymanbro made this point)
*Oh, and being in shape isnt a big factor in my opinion. Enjoy those big
macs! I only say this because im not in shape. and i wish i was.
** Enjoy and utilize the big power of the 650, thats the only thing the
bikes got in the dirt over the 400's and 250's.
Ian A7
-----Original Message-----
From: guymanbro [mailto:guymanbro@...]
Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2002 6:55 PM
To:
DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [DSN_klr650] Off-Road Riding on a KLR - was Re: NKLR Off road
riding tips
OK I got a coupla nitpicks with your pointers (but different strokes
for different folks, right?) See below
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "bkowalca" wrote:
>
>
> 2) Get Fit - When the going gets rough you will be holding on
pretty tight and pushing pretty hard to get the bike to do what you
want. >
Shouldn't ever be holding on tight in my experience. A loose hold on
the bars keeps your nervous energy from being transmitted into
disatrous response from the bike. Stay loose!
> Good physical fitness is the key to a good ride. Practice your
> squats, you'll need it to pick up the beast after you drop it.
Fully agree with that.
>
> 4) Riding in Sand - Keep your wieght forward, keep on the gas. As
> soon as you let off the gas you can feel the bike start to shimy
> around. If you stay on the power, the bike will go in the direction
> of the front wheel.>
Huh? The KLR is pretty well endowed up front. I find that keeping my
weight BACK not forward helps with the KLR. Now when cornering in the
sand, definitely move your weight more forward, but for straight
lining it, keeping the weight back keeps the front end light and les
prone to getting twitchy with variations in the sand surface.
> 6) Over Logs - Always cross at a right angle to the log. Although
it may be possible to use the clutch to pop the front end up, I
haven't been able to do it practically so just hit it dead on a hope
for the best. Don't even try to use the throttle to get the front
end up. The combination of heavy front end, lack of CV carb throttle
> response and high flywheel intertia make this next to impossible.
I find a blip of the throttle before hitting the log gets the front
end light enough to bounce it up and over the log. Then with proper
weight shifting (timing is everything) you can roll the back end over
as well. I have done this over logs that are taller than the mighty
KLR's 9" ground clearance without putting a foot down (sometimes my
face gets put down though!).
I agree with everything else you said though.
dat brooklyn bum
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off-road riding on a klr - was nklr off road riding tips
Posted: Sun May 12, 2002 7:19 am
by bkowalca
I agree with keeping loose on the bars but after your 100th whoop,
you need some strength in your upper body just to be able to hang
on. Another example, I was going down a large hill slowly with
maximum rear brake and alot of front brake, it took a suprisingly
amount of force to keep the bars straight and your wieght back on
the seat.
It's funny about the sand, I had exactly the opposite experience you
guys had. Last weekend was my first expereince in deep sand. We
where going fast down some abandoned rail lines which had some heavy
sand sections. The first couple sections I hit scared the crap outa
me. I had my weight back, let off the gas to take it easy, the bike
was sliding everywhere (I was probably in third gear). As soon as I
sat up on the tank and kept on the gas the bike tracked straight.
There was a few sections like this so I had several chances to test
this theory. I'm sure I would have been in the trees if I kept my
weight back, which is usually the natural reaction to encountering a
rough spot.
I seem to recall my old RM250 behaved the same way, where ever you
pointed the front wheel the bike would go, while the back is sliding
everywhere. I think this is the only thing these two bikes have in
common, which seemed to be the root of my frustration for riding off-
road on the mighty KLR. I had to relearn everything since the riding
style is completely different than a smaller dirtbike.
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "guymanbro" wrote:
> OK I got a coupla nitpicks with your pointers (but different
strokes
> for different folks, right?) See below
>
> --- In DSN_klr650@y..., "bkowalca" wrote:
> >
> >
> > 2) Get Fit - When the going gets rough you will be holding on
> pretty tight and pushing pretty hard to get the bike to do what
you
> want. >
>
> Shouldn't ever be holding on tight in my experience. A loose hold
on
> the bars keeps your nervous energy from being transmitted into
> disatrous response from the bike. Stay loose!
>
> > Good physical fitness is the key to a good ride. Practice your
> > squats, you'll need it to pick up the beast after you drop it.
>
> Fully agree with that.
>
> >
> > 4) Riding in Sand - Keep your wieght forward, keep on the gas.
As
> > soon as you let off the gas you can feel the bike start to shimy
> > around. If you stay on the power, the bike will go in the
direction
> > of the front wheel.>
>
> Huh? The KLR is pretty well endowed up front. I find that keeping
my
> weight BACK not forward helps with the KLR. Now when cornering in
the
> sand, definitely move your weight more forward, but for straight
> lining it, keeping the weight back keeps the front end light and
les
> prone to getting twitchy with variations in the sand surface.
>
> > 6) Over Logs - Always cross at a right angle to the log.
Although
> it may be possible to use the clutch to pop the front end up, I
> haven't been able to do it practically so just hit it dead on a
hope
> for the best. Don't even try to use the throttle to get the front
> end up. The combination of heavy front end, lack of CV carb
throttle
> > response and high flywheel intertia make this next to impossible.
>
>
> I find a blip of the throttle before hitting the log gets the
front
> end light enough to bounce it up and over the log. Then with
proper
> weight shifting (timing is everything) you can roll the back end
over
> as well. I have done this over logs that are taller than the
mighty
> KLR's 9" ground clearance without putting a foot down (sometimes
my
> face gets put down though!).
>
> I agree with everything else you said though.
>
> dat brooklyn bum
off-road riding on a klr - was nklr off road riding tips
Posted: Sun May 12, 2002 9:29 am
by guymanbro
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "bkowalca" wrote:
> I agree with keeping loose on the bars but after your 100th whoop,
> you need some strength
Strength is good, just don't force things is all I mean.
>
> It's funny about the sand, I had exactly the opposite experience you
> guys had. Last weekend was my first expereince in deep sand. We
> where going fast down some abandoned rail lines which had some heavy
> sand sections. The first couple sections I hit scared the crap outa
> me. I had my weight back, let off the gas to take it easy, the bike
> was sliding everywhere (I was probably in third gear). As soon as I
> sat up on the tank and kept on the gas the bike tracked straight.
Yup that's the difference. Just like water or deep mud, you gotta stay
on the gas while the weight is back . If you're braking or cornering,
then shift the wweight forward so the front wheel will guide you.
See, we are all in agreement. :^) What were the chances of that?
dat brooklyn bum
off-road riding on a klr - was nklr off road riding tips
Posted: Sun May 12, 2002 10:14 am
by ridecaptan
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "Ian S." wrote:
>> ** Enjoy and utilize the big power of the 650, thats the only
thing the
> bikes got in the dirt over the 400's and 250's.
Your right Ian, the torque does come in handy. I'm still learning as
I have only been back into dirt riding after a long absence from it.
I got into some deep mud the day before, and it made things
interesting with the Trailwings.
Ed A15
>
> Ian A7
>
docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
anybody else hate the looks of the stock fairing?
Posted: Sun May 12, 2002 1:45 pm
by alaska_rider
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "Walter Lesnowich" wrote:
> > I replied to this earlier but it must not have gone through. The
> > weight reduction is something I didn't think about and that would
be
> > a nice benefit of removing it. I checked buykawasaki.com for a
parts
> > daigram of the headlight/numberplate that comes on the Canadian
KLR
> > 650C but I didn't have any luck. I wonder if the KLX 650 one
would
> > work? I don't know what kind of guages it came with? Maybe the
same
> > as the KLR?
> >
> > Maybe you could post some pictures when you get your bike set up
with
> > the aftermarket guage cluster?
> >
>
> A while back while looking at pictures of the USMC KLR650
> it appeared to use the fairing from the KLR250. Then checking
> out
www.buykawasaki.com parts diagrams I found the headlight
> and most of it's brackets to be in common between the 650 and
> 250. So if you like the 250 fairing it may be an easy swap with
> stock parts.
>
> Walt
> A14 "War Horse"
Thanks Walt, I'm going to check into doing that. The nice thing is
that the colors would match and it would look factory. This site is
awesome!
Scott