Wilsons Sandbox

It all depends what you're looking for, and from the looks of your stable, the KLR should fit right in. But be careful, the other bikes might start to get jealous of all the attention the new overweight, underpowered kid gets. Yes , my '97 R11R sheds tears everytime I pull the KLR out instead of it. I went from averaging 14 to 16K miles a year on my Beemers to maybe 6K a year. -- Best Regards & Happy Trails Andy Chesley @ 57 and ticking Y2KLR650 @ 5.4K sMiles 97 R11RA (Amiga) @ 14K Miles So Many Roads, So Little Time http://members.deltech.net/aches/

I wouldn't be so quick to blame the KLR......I'd recommend a camera in the garage...to watch that Hardly Ableson.....those things are notorious bullies....it may be messing with the KLR in the dark.....I've got a KLR with a stable mate and they get along fine even though I ride the GL1800 much more often....:>)

> DO KLR'S GET JEALOUS? > Posted by: "LARRY" zx111990@... zx111990 > Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:37 pm (PDT) > > > I just got a Harley Road King and have been paying lots of attention to > it. Now my 03 KLR650 isn't acting right. Maybe it's getting jealous. > > The problem I am having is the KLR starts fine, but when it warms up, it > dies out. I don't know much about repairs. Can anyone give me an idea > where to start looking first? When I start the bike, i use the choke. I > turn off choke when bike will stay on. When warm, bike turns off. Any > ideas? > > Thanks, > ------------------------ > Larry > 2003 KLR650 > > Larry, > > The ugly stepsister will alwas be jealous of the shiny new arrival. I > think we need a fuller description of the symptoms, but sounds like a good > carb cleaning would fix you up. Perhaps Ms ugly needs more activity... > > Steve > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > >

Glenn, it sounds like people have already suggested the clutch switch adjustment (or the full disable), so I'll leave that be. For the rest of the group, the KLR's propensity to lose the clutch switch adjustment parallels a book I'm reading, called "Shop Class as Soulcraft" by Matthew Crawford. It's basically an examination of how the skilled trades came to be viewed as low-end, mindless labor, when quite the opposite is true. (Crawford earned a Ph.D. in philosophy, and went to work for a DC policy think tank. He realized he was doing nothing of real value, so he opened up a motorcycle repair shop.) I'm only 20% in at this point, but it's quite interesting and amusing for anyone who has time for recreational reading. One of the subtopics is the growing disconnect between people and their "stuff." He notes that early motorcycles required the operator to manually adjust spark timing, and operate the engine oiler when they thought the engine should be oiled. Now, some Mercedes cars don't even have oil dipsticks; if the oil is low, the "service engine" light comes on, and the owner takes it to the shop. Crawford is certainly NOT in favor of the former way of doing things, but is equally wary of the latter. Rather than the owner of the car being responsible for the oil level, it's basically the faceless Daimler shareholders who think the company is going in the right direction with technology. (He's a bit more thorough in describing the connection.) Of course, the clutch and sidestand switches on the KLR are ostensibly "safety" items (until they fail and become a safety hazard), so it's not quite the same connection. But, as he sums it up: "...because in becoming less obtrusive, our devices also become more complicated. How has the relentless complication of cars and motorcycles, for example, altered the jobs of those who service them? We often hear of the need for an "upskilling" of the work force, to keep up with technological change. I find the more pertinent issue to be: What sort of personality does one need to have, as a twenty-first-century mechanic, to tolerate the layers of electronic bullshit that get piled on top of machines?" Yep. It all works great until it doesn't work at all. Thanks, Krokko

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "glennlpf" wrote: > > I have an '09 (and an FJR1300) and I noticed that if you stall the KLR that you HAVE to put it in neutral to re-start it. Not so with my FJR. Upon initial startup, this isn't a big deal, but if you stall it at a light (which I do more seldom now than when I first got the bike), you have to hunt around for neutral before it will restart. On my FJR, I just kick it over no matter what gear I'm in (as long as the clutch is pulled in, of course). >

Aw, yes but see here, you may be missing an obvious exception. Did you ever see and Ad saying "You meet the nicest people...on a Harley?" Nope. The Honda by it's very DNA would be far less likely to intimidate than the Harley. I like the idea of a camera in the garage when no one is around.

--- On Mon, 10/26/09, jonkertb@... wrote: From: jonkertb@... Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Jealous To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, October 26, 2009, 11:22 AM I wouldn't be so quick to blame the KLR......I'd recommend a camera in the garage...to watch that Hardly Ableson..... those things are notorious bullies....it may be messing with the KLR in the dark.....I've got a KLR with a stable mate and they get along fine even though I ride the GL1800 much more often....:>) > DO KLR'S GET JEALOUS? > Posted by: "LARRY" zx111990@yahoo. com zx111990 > Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:37 pm (PDT) > > > I just got a Harley Road King and have been paying lots of attention to > it. Now my 03 KLR650 isn't acting right. Maybe it's getting jealous. > > The problem I am having is the KLR starts fine, but when it warms up, it > dies out. I don't know much about repairs. Can anyone give me an idea > where to start looking first? When I start the bike, i use the choke. I > turn off choke when bike will stay on. When warm, bike turns off. Any > ideas? > > Thanks, > ------------ --------- --- > Larry > 2003 KLR650 > > Larry, > > The ugly stepsister will alwas be jealous of the shiny new arrival. I > think we need a fuller description of the symptoms, but sounds like a good > carb cleaning would fix you up. Perhaps Ms ugly needs more activity... > > Steve > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I was out for a ride one evening and stopped for a break when a fellow in his late 70's walked by and eyed my KLR. He asked "Who makes that bike?" "Kawasaki" I replied. He looked me over and said "You can always trust a man on a Kawasaki". I'm not sure what brought that on, but I always think of him when I hear that old Honda slogan. Ross Lindberg Fertile, MN

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Tim Pruitt wrote: > > Aw, yes but see here, you may be missing an obvious exception. Did you ever see and Ad saying "You meet the nicest people...on a Harley?" Nope. The Honda by it's very DNA would be far less likely to intimidate than the Harley. I like the idea of a camera in the garage when no one is around.

My home appliances do this! Buy a new dishwasher or change the drive belt and felt gaskets on the clothes dryer and WHAM! Refrigerator ice maker or hot water heater goes nuts. Word gets out, probably thru the house wiring, they are talking about you. DO KLR'S GET JEALOUS? Posted by: "LARRY" zx111990@... zx111990 Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:37 pm (PDT) I just got a Harley Road King and have been paying lots of attention to it. Now my 03 KLR650 isn't acting right. Maybe it's getting jealous. The problem I am having is the KLR starts fine, but when it warms up, it dies out. I don't know much about repairs. Can anyone give me an idea where to start looking first? When I start the bike, i use the choke. I turn off choke when bike will stay on. When warm, bike turns off. Any ideas? Thanks, ------------------------ Larry 2003 KLR650 Larry, The ugly stepsister will alwas be jealous of the shiny new arrival. I think we need a fuller description of the symptoms, but sounds like a good carb cleaning would fix you up. Perhaps Ms ugly needs more activity... Steve [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html Member Map at: http://www.frappr.com/dsnklr650Yahoo! Groups Links