Wilsons Sandbox

If you get caught at night with the stars out, and NO GPS or Compass here is a neat to finding, N.E.S.W. VERY EASY. On a compass dial L=N U=E R=S D=W Left, Up, Right, Down, This link to "outdoor self reliance" Classes Web page, explains it well. http://outdoorselfreliance.com/celestial-navigation-using-stars/ Travel Well! Travel Safe!

Winter ain't letting up - Waiting on a gasket to put my old stator back on and see if she'll crank - but in the meantime, I've been curious about the viability of rear shocks. I also plan on doing the electrical tests with the multimeter. (Still looking for an analog one). What I think I understand so far about rear shocks- A rear shock will make a world of difference for the bike regardless of rider, skills, usage (extreme vs moderate), weight handling (even if you don't overpack/overweight like a diva going away for a weekend).. Progressive is good but not great; cogent or racetech (the same I think) are significantly superior. (but are they really worth the extra cost to an average rider?) OR is this more marketing hype smoke and mirrors - I should just keep riding on what I have and shut up. So here's the poll: Do you have a Rear Shock upgrade? If so what kind? Short description of skills and general riding environment (80/20 highway, trails, service roads, goat paths, endure tracks - "what's a road/trail?") Would you upgrade again? Are you planning on upgrading - from stock up or from an aftermarket to some another or back to stock? My KLR is a 2002 w/6800 miles. but rode hard and PO was a big rascal - He's the one who broke the frame bolt. How much stress can a stock shock take? (Say it fast 10 times - How much shock could a stock shock take if a stock shock could take shock?) I don't have an endless pot o' gold to throw into the bike, but I've learned that if I can do the "right" things then the enjoyment factor will be enhanced exponentially (as well as safety and all of those other boring but "nice to have" perks) My skills are "very conservative" - I used to ride - and I (I think) have the common sense to know that makes me more dangerous, to myself and others, than a complete newb because I have "ego" that tells me "I can do that". Many birds have flown south between the last time I rode and now, but I plan on actively riding the bike A LOT, when I get her dialed in.. Then we'll see how much an old dog can learn about new tricks. I barely had time to get familiar with riding this gal before holidays and winter stated settling in. Thanks in advance, Shellon & Stu ~~~~~/)~~~~~ "Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www.avast.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have a Ricor IAS. Expensive but no more than others.  Very effective. No more bottoming out, handles sharp edges very well. Downside, not easy to adjust preload.  20/80 highway/dirt carrying camping gear. Dirt from graded gravel to just short of rough single track.  That s on KLR 1, if I upgrade KLR 2, will probably just up the stock spring, but then that s my loaner and I don t ride it..   [b]From:[/b] cloudnine233@... [b]Sent:[/b] Friday, February 07, 2014 8:20 PM [b]To:[/b] DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [b]Subject:[/b] [DSN_KLR650] Rear Shock Poll     Winter ain't letting up - Waiting on a gasket to put my old stator back on and see if she'll crank - but in the meantime, I've been curious about the viability of rear shocks. I also plan on doing the electrical tests with the multimeter. (Still looking for an analog one). What I think I understand so far about rear shocks- A rear shock will make a world of difference for the bike regardless of rider, skills, usage (extreme vs moderate), weight handling (even if you don't overpack/overweight like a diva going away for a weekend).. Progressive is good but not great; cogent or racetech (the same I think) are significantly superior. (but are they really worth the extra cost to an average rider?) OR is this more marketing hype smoke and mirrors - I should just keep riding on what I have and shut up. So here's the poll: Do you have a Rear Shock upgrade? If so what kind? Short description of skills and general riding environment (80/20 highway, trails, service roads, goat paths, endure tracks - "what's a road/trail?") Would you upgrade again? Are you planning on upgrading - from stock up or from an aftermarket to some another or back to stock? My KLR is a 2002 w/6800 miles. but rode hard and PO was a big rascal - He's the one who broke the frame bolt. How much stress can a stock shock take? (Say it fast 10 times - How much shock could a stock shock take if a stock shock could take shock?) I don't have an endless pot o' gold to throw into the bike, but I've learned that if I can do the "right" things then the enjoyment factor will be enhanced exponentially (as well as safety and all of those other boring but "nice to have" perks) My skills are "very conservative" - I used to ride - and I (I think) have the common sense to know that makes me more dangerous, to myself and others, than a complete newb because I have "ego" that tells me "I can do that". Many birds have flown south between the last time I rode and now, but I plan on actively riding the bike A LOT, when I get her dialed in.. Then we'll see how much an old dog can learn about new tricks. I barely had time to get familiar with riding this gal before holidays and winter stated settling in. Thanks in advance, Shellon & Stu ~~~~~/)~~~~~ "Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www.avast.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Stu, I found a nice Micronta analog VOM on eBay. Seems like I paid around ten bucks for it and it was hardly used. Paul Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 7, 2014, at 9:20 PM, "Stu Mitchell" wrote:

  Winter ain't letting up - Waiting on a gasket to put my old stator back on and see if she'll crank - but in the meantime, I've been curious about the viability of rear shocks. I also plan on doing the electrical tests with the multimeter. (Still looking for an analog one). What I think I understand so far about rear shocks- A rear shock will make a world of difference for the bike regardless of rider, skills, usage (extreme vs moderate), weight handling (even if you don't overpack/overweight like a diva going away for a weekend).. Progressive is good but not great; cogent or racetech (the same I think) are significantly superior. (but are they really worth the extra cost to an average rider?) OR is this more marketing hype smoke and mirrors - I should just keep riding on what I have and shut up. So here's the poll: Do you have a Rear Shock upgrade? If so what kind? Short description of skills and general riding environment (80/20 highway, trails, service roads, goat paths, endure tracks - "what's a road/trail?") Would you upgrade again? Are you planning on upgrading - from stock up or from an aftermarket to some another or back to stock? My KLR is a 2002 w/6800 miles. but rode hard and PO was a big rascal - He's the one who broke the frame bolt. How much stress can a stock shock take? (Say it fast 10 times - How much shock could a stock shock take if a stock shock could take shock?) I don't have an endless pot o' gold to throw into the bike, but I've learned that if I can do the "right" things then the enjoyment factor will be enhanced exponentially (as well as safety and all of those other boring but "nice to have" perks) My skills are "very conservative" - I used to ride - and I (I think) have the common sense to know that makes me more dangerous, to myself and others, than a complete newb because I have "ego" that tells me "I can do that". Many birds have flown south between the last time I rode and now, but I plan on actively riding the bike A LOT, when I get her dialed in.. Then we'll see how much an old dog can learn about new tricks. I barely had time to get familiar with riding this gal before holidays and winter stated settling in. Thanks in advance, Shellon & Stu ~~~~~/)~~~~~ "Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www.avast.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

For Myself, there is only one choice for a KLR:  Works Performance with a steel body and reservoir. I have ridden KLRs with various shocks including Ohlins, Progressive, Cogent, etc and none are as smooth as the Works.  The other shocks use a stack of shims for damping.  Works uses springs and balls for compression, and shims for rebound.  The Works shocks have a wider range of damping, so they really do not need adjusters for riding solo/2 up etc.  The thing that really sets Works shocks apart is the quality of build.  The steel bodies are hard chromed, as are the shafts.  The seal head is a simple re-buildable design, and all of the rubber is silicone including the reservoir bladder.   I have 40.000 miles on the Works shock on my KLR and it has had 1 oil change and 1 seal change.  The oil is always clean compared to other shocks I work on.  I realize that most people will never see this, but most shock's oil is all gray with metal.  This is from the metal wearing off of the inside of the aluminum shock body.  Over the years people comment on how "boring" my KLR is to ride as they blast down a gravel road at 70 MPH.  In case you might think that my KLR has been babied--It has been to Prudhoe Bay, Goose Bay, Copper Canyon, Moab several times, Great Divide Ride, etc. I always camp, so consider that the bike has had a load on it.  This shock has allowed me to ride long days of 600-1000 miles on mixed gravel pavement day after day. so yes it is worth the money..  YMMV. Doug   

---In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, wrote: Winter ain't letting up - Waiting on a gasket to put my old stator back on and see if she'll crank - but in the meantime, I've been curious about the viability of rear shocks. I also plan on doing the electrical tests with the multimeter. (Still looking for an analog one). What I think I understand so far about rear shocks- A rear shock will make a world of difference for the bike regardless of rider, skills, usage (extreme vs moderate), weight handling (even if you don't overpack/overweight like a diva going away for a weekend).. Progressive is good but not great; cogent or racetech (the same I think) are significantly superior. (but are they really worth the extra cost to an average rider?) OR is this more marketing hype smoke and mirrors - I should just keep riding on what I have and shut up. So here's the poll: Do you have a Rear Shock upgrade? If so what kind? Short description of skills and general riding environment (80/20 highway, trails, service roads, goat paths, endure tracks - "what's a road/trail?") Would you upgrade again? Are you planning on upgrading - from stock up or from an aftermarket to some another or back to stock? My KLR is a 2002 w/6800 miles. but rode hard and PO was a big rascal - He's the one who broke the frame bolt. How much stress can a stock shock take? (Say it fast 10 times - How much shock could a stock shock take if a stock shock could take shock?) I don't have an endless pot o' gold to throw into the bike, but I've learned that if I can do the "right" things then the enjoyment factor will be enhanced exponentially (as well as safety and all of those other boring but "nice to have" perks) My skills are "very conservative" - I used to ride - and I (I think) have the common sense to know that makes me more dangerous, to myself and others, than a complete newb because I have "ego" that tells me "I can do that". Many birds have flown south between the last time I rode and now, but I plan on actively riding the bike A LOT, when I get her dialed in.. Then we'll see how much an old dog can learn about new tricks. I barely had time to get familiar with riding this gal before holidays and winter stated settling in. Thanks in advance, Shellon & Stu ~~~~~/)~~~~~ "Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www.avast.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]