Wilsons Sandbox

Hi Gang, I'm doing mostly street riding these days, getting to the train station most days on my bike. My mirrors are so useless due to vibration and how small they are. I've found these at JC Whitney: http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet /ProductDisplay?catalogId=10111&storeId=10101&lang Id=-1&productId=146323&mediaCode=ZX&appId=179642 I like the wider mirror and they say "Anti-vibration". Does anyone have an opinion on these... or buying from JC W? Anyone have mirrors that they love and fit the bill for me? Also looking to get a hard-case for the tail to store helmet, gloves, etc. in. maybe even big enough to put my backpack in when I'm going to work. Any ideas on this? Anything bad about this type of setup? I've found this on JCW: http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet /ProductDisplay?productId=4329&catalogId=10111&langId=-1&storeId=10101 It's cheap, and can come off entirely. But... again, any thoughts? I would be willing to pay more if there is good reason to. thanks to you all, Mike

Well Gang, I just got back from the Alberta 2000 for 2004. It was won by a guy from Pennsylvania, riding a BMW, I think. Personally I enjoyed it thoroughly, as usual, and I came in 26th. My aim was to finish successfully, and re-qualify for the Iron Butt this year. Mission accomplished. The only mechanical problem that my incredible mount had was that 3 and a half hours before cut-off, and three hours away from the finish, I stopped to check some thing and discovered that my gear shift lever was pulling a Mae West on me. It was definitely busted. When I took this bike to Tijuana the first time I did the Three Flags Classic on it, I stopped in Moab to see Arrowhead Fred. He suggested that a spare gear shift had to be carried, at all times. So I bought one and it has lived in my tailbag for 4 years, until Saturday. Thanks, Fred. I made it with one minute to spare, the speed laws being broken nearly deafened me, but that's life in the fast lane. Gas mileage was about 50/USG, and most of the trip was at an indicated 68 to 74 MPH. The bikes involved were Gold Wings, a few ST1100/1300s, quite a few BMWs, one Triumph, plus some Kawasaki cruisers. Plus of course, one '99 KLR. Of the 40 participants, 3 hit deer, one woman got into a car accident, and one fellow was involved in a crash a mile from home on his way to the event. Two bykes written off, two mildly injured riders, (bruises but otherwise ok). There is a web site called "Alberta 2000 Home" for anyone looking at next years incredible experience. That is it from the frozen North, DC Lujo Bauer wrote:

>Good luck! Have a good ride, and let us know how it goes! > >-Lujo > > >D Critchley wrote: > > >>You ca >>

On Sun, 20 Jun 2004, www_programmer wrote:

> My mirrors are so useless due to vibration and how small they are. > I've found these at JC Whitney: > http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet > /ProductDisplay?catalogId=10111&storeId=10101&lang > Id=-1&productId=146323&mediaCode=ZX&appId=179642 > > I like the wider mirror and they say "Anti-vibration". Does anyone > have an opinion on these... or buying from JC W? Anyone have mirrors > that they love and fit the bill for me?

I don't know about the mirrors you're talking about, but I bought the anti-vibration mounts from J.C. Whitney ($10 I think). They make my mirrors actually usable. They still sorta wobble, but it's a low frequency wobble rather than the frenzied vibration that made the mirrors unusable. Plus, they push the mirrors up and out by about 3/4" which makes a spectacular difference in how usable they are -- I can actually see something other than my shoulders in the mirror!

> Also looking to get a hard-case for the tail to store helmet, gloves, > etc. in. maybe even big enough to put my backpack in when I'm going to > work. Any ideas on this? Anything bad about this type of setup? > > I've found this on JCW: > http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet > /ProductDisplay?productId=4329&catalogId=10111&langId=-1&storeId=10101 > > It's cheap, and can come off entirely. But... again, any thoughts?

Numerous people have put the J.C. Whitney top box on their KLR. Mounting it is a bit tricky, but there's folks who have directions on how to do it. Just go Google "whitney top box klr" and you'll see what I mean. -E