Wilsons Sandbox

On 9/26/07, ringledave wrote:

> occasions. The worst part of all....My brother has a DRZ-400 and runs > circles around me as soon as we hit the gravel sections. He claims > it's because of the KLR's weight and cheap fork. Any truth to that? > I've made no modifications to the front fork. I've tried lowering the > pressure a little bit, but that doesn't seem to make much difference.

What kind of tires are you running and at what air pressure?? Gravel takes a certain confidence level to ride in - esp. if you haven't done it before... Practice makes perfect... But tire choices and air pressure help too. I know the Dunlop D607's I have on my 04 aren't the best thing in gravel... Jim

On 9/26/07, ringledave > wrote:

>I got my 2007 KLR 650 in April... I've taken the bike down some of the >railroad bed trails here in sunny southern Wisconsin. The gravel is >about 1" deep in the deepest sections. The bike is frightening in >gravel.

Well, southern Wisconsin has only 1 set of railroad bed trails that I know of, so I'm guessing I've ridden on the same trails you are talking about. My answer is DOT knobby tires, low air pressure and don't worry about the squirming. The DRZ will still run circles around you, but the KLR can manage those trails just fine. I'm using D606's at about 20PSI when on the trails (lower with rim locks). Keep on the gas, and don't let the squirming bother you and trust the KLR. Lots of miles on WI trails, and no bad results for me. Dean Wegner '02 KLR650 West Bend, WI [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

*http://tinyurl.com/38hdz6 That link will take you to a dual sport riding technique DVD prepared by Neduro on ADVRider. Lot's of good stuff on the DVD. Worth the $$$. *-- Kevin Powers White Bear Lake, MN

On 9/26/07, ringledave wrote: > > I got my 2007 KLR 650 in April... I've taken the bike down some of the > railroad bed trails here in sunny southern Wisconsin. The gravel is > about 1" deep in the deepest sections. The bike is frightening in > gravel. I haven't put it down yet, but I've come close on several > occasions. The worst part of all....My brother has a DRZ-400 and runs > circles around me as soon as we hit the gravel sections. He claims > it's because of the KLR's weight and cheap fork. Any truth to that? > I've made no modifications to the front fork. I've tried lowering the > pressure a little bit, but that doesn't seem to make much difference. > Does anyone have any advice for making the bike more stable for this > type of ride? Would a front tire with more width help? > > Thanks in advance for your advice... > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

On Wed, Sep 26, 2007 at 02:02:41PM -0500, Kevin Powers wrote:

> *http://tinyurl.com/38hdz6 > > That link will take you to a dual sport riding technique DVD prepared by > Neduro on ADVRider. Lot's of good stuff on the DVD. Worth the $$$.

I couldn't agree more. It helped me a BUNCH, having not ridden dirt since I rode MX about 30 years ago. Michael -- "It's not what I don't understand about religion that bothers me, it's what I do understand." -- Mark Twain San Francisco, CA

On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:35:43 -0000 "ringledave" writes:

> I got my 2007 KLR 650 in April... I've taken the bike down some of > the > railroad bed trails here in sunny southern Wisconsin. The gravel is > > about 1" deep in the deepest sections. The bike is frightening in > gravel. I haven't put it down yet, but I've come close on several > occasions. The worst part of all....My brother has a DRZ-400 and > runs > circles around me as soon as we hit the gravel sections. He claims > > it's because of the KLR's weight and cheap fork. Any truth to that? > > I've made no modifications to the front fork. I've tried lowering > the > pressure a little bit, but that doesn't seem to make much > difference. > Does anyone have any advice for making the bike more stable for this > > type of ride? Would a front tire with more width help? > > Thanks in advance for your advice...

<><><><><><><> <><><><><><><> Dave, Maybe since it's your brother he'd consider swapping bikes and riding the KLR for a short bit while you ride the DRZ. Then you can compare results with you riding the KLR and him on his DRZ. I bet he still runs circles around you. Gravel takes a bit to get used to. Yesterday I was in the high country and got into some gravel just over the border into Wyoming. At times it was like riding marbles on glass. I do ok on gravel and in those kind of conditions but the guy I was with was on a DR650 with 17" wheels front and rear and 99% pavement tires. He was having a heck of a time. We turned around after about 9 miles since that was better than continuing for another 30 or so miles when he wasn't having fun. He did tell me he's no good on gravel but I don't think it was him as much as the tires. I like my Kenda K270 tires in the dirt, gravel, pavement etc. I just put a new set on last week and they are great for me on pavement and off. Since I'm geared for dirt work (14/46 sprockets) I don't have the speed of a stock KLR or DR but... I still have a blast all day long. So maybe consider some different tires and experiment with the pressures. Also, if you can relax a bit when on gravel. Look where you want to go (just like on pavement). Maybe try riding with only the right hand on the bars. Stand sometimes for better control. Maybe increase your speed as that makes the problem areas pass much quicker. (When in doubt, throttle out) Practice, practice, practice. Best and good riding, 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

On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 17:35:43 -0000, "ringledave" said:

> Does anyone have any advice for making the bike more stable for this > type of ride?

Fork brace. RM

Dave, I got my brand-new '06 KLR in April and, like you, found that the thing scared me to death in gravel. While I had a great time on my ride to the Hole in the Wall with Jeff Saline, the bike itself was NOT adding to the fun. Turned out the dealer set-up left a LOT to be desired and the steering head bearings were way out of adjustment (loose). I figured out the problem too late to fix it on the trail, but got it squared away later. Proper steering head bearing adjustment made a huge difference in the way the bike handled -- I rode some of the same roads just last month and even with a worn-out rear tire it was like being on a totally differnt motorcycle. Gravel (particularly deep gravel) is still an unmitigated pain, but take a look at the steering head -- it may well be adding to your difficulties. --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "ringledave" wrote:

> > I got my 2007 KLR 650 in April... I've taken the bike down some

of the

> railroad bed trails here in sunny southern Wisconsin. The gravel

is

> about 1" deep in the deepest sections. The bike is frightening in > gravel.

My bearings are a bit loose, which might explain my total hatred of sand. Will keep working on them this weekend. I tighten them up a bit then see how they feel. I'm getting close, but this is inspiration to get 'er done quick. I hate sand! --- grufrude wrote:

> Dave, > > I got my brand-new '06 KLR in April and, like you, > found that the > thing scared me to death in gravel. While I had a > great time on my > ride to the Hole in the Wall with Jeff Saline, the > bike itself was > NOT adding to the fun. Turned out the dealer set-up > left a LOT to > be desired and the steering head bearings were way > out of adjustment > (loose). I figured out the problem too late to fix > it on the trail, > but got it squared away later. Proper steering head > bearing > adjustment made a huge difference in the way the > bike handled -- I > rode some of the same roads just last month and even > with a worn-out > rear tire it was like being on a totally differnt > motorcycle. > > Gravel (particularly deep gravel) is still an > unmitigated pain, but > take a look at the steering head -- it may well be > adding to your > difficulties. > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "ringledave" > > wrote: > > > > I got my 2007 KLR 650 in April... I've taken the > bike down some > of the > > railroad bed trails here in sunny southern > Wisconsin. The gravel > is > > about 1" deep in the deepest sections. The bike > is frightening in > > gravel. > >

Robert Hedrick Albuquerque, NM ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545433