Wilsons Sandbox

I have been reading and enjoying the group for a few months, I met a very interesting individual yesterday while taking my KLR in for some routine maintenance so I thought I would share the story. Fred Kline is a crazy German on a BMW 1000 that left Germany in 2005 and has been traveling east since. He was looking for a shop that would help him change his rear tire, so I hooked him up with Hung Wu. After that recommended a doctor to look at his knee and then a dentist to get him through the rest of the trip. He plans to make his way to Austrailia and sell the bike there. He meets a freight forwarder today to line up the shipping to Indonesia. The point of this post is that it can be very confusing for someone in an unknown location with limited language skills. Once you meet a few people it can be considerably easier to get things done. If you ever have any fellow riders traveling out this way and they are in need of anything I would be more than happy to point them in the right direction. Fred was really happy to get the help and not have to hunt around everywhere for the answers. Fred has a nice site: www.fredontour.de (too bad it is all in german, but you can see his route and some pics) On another note: My father in Lake Tahoe, CA just bought a 1999 KLR 250 with 8,000 miles a couple of days ago. Is there anything to watch out for on that bike. I have heard that valve adjustment is crutial, but is there a cam tensioner problem as the 650? Regards, Andrew

On May 17, 2007, at 6:31 PM, drewcasci22 wrote:

> The point of this post is that it can be very confusing for someone > in an unknown location with limited language skills. Once you meet a > few people it can be considerably easier to get things done.

Absolutely--we should always try to help our fellow adventurers!

> My father in Lake Tahoe, CA just bought a 1999 KLR 250 with 8,000 > miles a couple of days ago. Is there anything to watch out for on > that bike. I have heard that valve adjustment is crutial, but is > there a cam tensioner problem as the 650?

Great bike--just like mine! Yes, with 8,000 miles it's time to check the valves--especially on a new-to-you bike, as it's very rare that you can trust the previous owner has been diligent. And, yes, like all KLRs, the balancer chain tensioner (a/k/a doohickey) is a weak link. Point your dad my way and I'd be happy to help him change it out for Eagle Mike's robust version. (Or, heck, promise me a Guiness and I might just bring my tools to Tahoe!) -- Blake Sobiloff http://sobiloff.typepad.com/blakeblog/> http://sobiloff.typepad.com/klr_adventure/> San Jose, CA (USA) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Blake, Thank you, it is a very nice offer. Someone else asked off line where I met Fred Klein - I met him in the Chinatown part of Georgetown on the island of Penang. Regards, Andrew Point your dad my way and I'd be happy to help him change

> it out for Eagle Mike's robust version. (Or, heck, promise me a > Guiness and I might just bring my tools to Tahoe!) > -- > Blake Sobiloff > http://sobiloff.typepad.com/blakeblog/> > http://sobiloff.typepad.com/klr_adventure/> > San Jose, CA (USA) > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >

On May 17, 2007, at 8:18 PM, drewcasci22 wrote:

> Thank you, it is a very nice offer.

Someone with more attention to detail than I just pointed out to me that your dad bought a 250, not a 650. Apologies for missing that! AFAIK there are no doohickey problems with the 250s, but I imagine that it'd still be prudent to check the valve clearances. Again, sorry for the sloppy reading and resulting confusion! -- Blake Sobiloff http://sobiloff.typepad.com/blakeblog/> http://sobiloff.typepad.com/klr_adventure/> San Jose, CA (USA) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

On Thu, 17 May 2007 23:16:26 -0000 "miniweed650" writes:

> Boy do I feel stupid. I just installed bar ends and by the time I > had > trimmed the plastic throttle tube to fit I can barely fit my hand on > > the grip. Maybe a little more forthought would have been helpful! > Has > anyone changed the plastic throttle tube to a metal one?

<><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><><> Dave, I had to replace the throttle tube once when I cracked the stock tube drilling out the end to install barkbusters. I used a stock replacement. I'm wondering if you couldn't loosen the right control assemblies and slide them inboard just a tad. I suppose new grips would still work and you might be able to slide a small piece of plastic under the end of the grip to allow it to continue to slide (rotate) smoothly over the handlebar. But of course a new throttle tube is only about $20 at a dealer so that might be a decent option. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT