Wilsons Sandbox

Hey gang, I finally took my 2001 KLR650 for a well enjoyed & overdue long hwy & back road ride, (Ramapo 500 try it yourself next year) I've mostly been doing urban assualt these past 6 months great against the pothole & road destruction. Like the VW ad says "NY, NY named twice, paved once." Besides wringing the guts out of it and needing to touch redline more than once to keep near my riding buddies on (street bikes) [I should also mention that the both hold AMA/club expert level racing licenses] and/or to pass very pokey 4 wheels. The bike was great (but all you know this already) I'm still learning it and I understeered a bit as I'm accustomed to a quicker turning bike, plus wasn't quite used to the large wheel & fork angle, It only really mattered at elevated speeds on/in the twisty stuff. I'll practice more. The Problem I found was wind noise, yeah I've learned from this list that there's no perfect windshield and when I stood up the wind noise disappeared. I removed the clear part of the 'shield and that helped some, mostly with the buffeting. So I figure that there's some part of the built on fairing that causes the noise. Details & factoids: I'm 5' 8" tall, 160 lbs, I don't require long/tall or short shirts or jackets (shirt size 14.5 X 32, jacket 40-42) so I guess I'm regular in body proportions. I wear an Aria Signet GT helmet, usually using earplugs (even with, this noise was loud & detrimental). I've replaced the bars with less wide and lower (to make urban riding easier & fit me better) I've also lowered it 3/4" in the front + about 1 " in the rear, to help make backward-walking parking easier. With and without the clear part of the fairing the noise went away when I stood on the pegs or got out of the bikes airstream. without the piece the noise builds from 60 mph & is quite deafening at 80+. With it seems to start around 40-45 mph & builds. I'm currently using it without & the only problem that that creates is a loss of a place for my E-Z pass (mostly a NE thing) SOOO, what have YOU been able to do to knock out the noise (no riding on the pegs always is not an acceptable option and just accepting it isn't one either.) Changed the shape of the fairing? A wider cut down 'shield? winglets? Better ear plugs? noise canceling technology? adapting windscreens from boom microphones? I'm trusting some of you have gone thru this already & can save me the massive part of problem solving process. Thanks, Carl Picco On the island of Brooklyn [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Carl, In days of yore when I was riding un or half-faired bikes, I always wore earplugs. I joking said that, when 70, and my wife started whispering sweet nothings in my ear, I wanted to hear it. Well, I'm now at the stage in my marriage that I *know* that ain't ever gonna happen, so when I started riding a Concours a number of years ago I found that I really didn't need earplugs. My helmet was an Shoei RF700, is now an Shoei RF800, and I always ride with the shield up, even in the winter. The only exception is when it is raining or snowing. I bought a KLR in January and during my first blast (60-70mph) down the freeway to work I found that the wind noise was unbearable. That evening I dug out my old stash of ear plugs and started using them when riding the KLR. I store them, and extras, in a film cannister in the rear pouch of my Explorer. Not sure whose they are (will look tonight), but mine are a soft, orange, rounded plug looking type that do an excellent at blocking 98% (guestimate) of the noise I had been hearing, again this is with the shield up. I had tried the cylindrical shaped earplugs (EAR) in the past, but they didn't hold a candle to the ones I am using now. The fairing and the shield on the bike are stock. I'm no expert, but my money's on the helmet (some are more noisy than others), and the earplugs. Since the latter is the lesser $$ of the two, I'd recommend trying different types to find one that works the best. Also, proper insertion is key in how well they perform. The ones I use need to be inserted deep into the ear canal to provide the optimim noise cancellation. I can tell immediately once underway if I got lazy and didn't get them in correctly, or allowed them to 'crawl' back out as they expanded. Sorry. Got a little long winded there (no pun intended). Guy A16 '95 Concours Richmond, VA -------Original Message------- From: Carl Picco SOOO, what have YOU been able to do to knock out the noise (no riding on the pegs always is not an acceptable option and just accepting it isn't one either.) Changed the shape of the fairing? A wider cut down 'shield? winglets? Better ear plugs? noise canceling technology? adapting windscreens from boom microphones?