....Tell me more about the wide ratio on your DRZ. I have one with the 435 big bore and have been considering the ACT wide ratio kit.'...
Hi Randy et al
That's another long story. But in a nutshell... I bought my first A17 in 2003 to get out and do some adventure touring in the back roads of Death Valley.Turns out I did much more riding on back roads versus dirt and when I did ride the KLR in dirt, I fell a lot... eventually leading to a broken wrist.. which led me to buy my first cage (didnt have a car for years up to this point), a 95 Wrangler, since I couldn't work the clutch with a cast on my wrist. (Still have the Jeep...love it).
As much as I liked the KLR for backroads, twisty work, my discomfort standing on the KLR and awkwardness with it in dirt lead me to take a dirt training class at Admo-Tours in Wrightwood, where they provided well set up DRZs for students.. for my body shape and size, it was a revelation, the bike fit me like a glove and felt well planted in the dirt.
Later, we bought a weekend cabin in Wrightwood, and while tooling around town, I noticed a line of DRZs for sale in front of Admo-Tours. I could not resist and purchased a well used 2000-E plated for a good price "as-is". I managed to put only about a tank of gas through it before a valve head separated and nuked the engine.
The DRZ sat for a few months, before I decided what to do. At the time, Thumpertalk was the DRZ goto forum and there was a master builder there Eddie Sisneros who had a program whereby you mail him your engine, he takes it apart and rebuilds it for the cost of parts plus $300. So I sent him my engine and a month later received a big bore 441 CC engine with Ron Hamp one piece stainless valves and springs installed into the new head.
This bike ran like a champ such that I felt I could sell the KLRs ( another long story) and use this bike as my solo adventure tourer for local trips. My only complaint was the gear box.... plus the suspension need improvement to compensate for my weight,
About that time, a guy "bobwest" from Australia was posting on Thumpertalk about his experience with a Wide Ratio Gear Set for the DRZ from Nova Racing Gears in England. I contacted the factory and after some back and forth, negotiated a price of about $1500 dollars and the sent me a gear set which I received August of 2012 and about October of 2012, I shipped the whole bike back to Eddie in Colorado to have him do suspension and other farkling work to the bike as well as install the W/R gear set.
The bike was shipped back to me a few months later, and I got to put a couple of hundred miles on it before I wound up putting it into storage. There were some minor issues with it like a leaking petcock and problems with the levers, but overall it did look like it was going to work as designed.
The Nova Gears have 1st and 2nd closely spaced, then a bit of a jump to 3, and then 4th and 5th are close together which works well on the highway.... but I didnt get much further riding in with the bike before it would up going into storage for the winter. I got called back to work as a consultant so I could not ride during the week and my wife still had to work down the hill so I only got to see her on weekends.. so not much weekend riding either, then it snowed and then the construction started.
Another unexpected thing happened while all this activity with the 2000 E was in play... I got called back to work as a consultant which would require me to commute from WW to Pasadena either along congested interstates or along one of the premiere motorcycle roads in SoCAL the Angeles Crest Hwy... so a bought a 2006 DRZ SuperMoto to do the job, based on how much I liked the DRZ-E upgrades. I planned to do the same engine and transmission mods to the SM to get it to run a little healthier. At the time ACT was becoming popular, and they were located down the hill from me and so I bought one of their first production gears sets to install.
Had I had a chance to do the ACT W/R gear set install into the SM, I would have had 2 DRZs each with a different brand of W/R to compare to each other.... but alas, two things happened. My company gave me permission to telecommute from home eliminating the requirement to commute into Pasadena. The second more subtle reason... is that I guess I am a lousy SM rider in that the few times I did get to run the ACH commute, I found that I could not go much faster on the SM than I could on my DRZ or KLR. To many rocks, crazy drivers, animals etc and not willing to push the SM tires to the edge of the contact patch.. I guess the wisdom of old age and brittle bones causes that.
Once I stopped commuting, the DRZ SM never got used much and as a pure road bike, it was less comfortable then my KLR. The SM went into storage for the winter and I sold it the following spring. The ACT gear set, unopened, sits on the shelf most likely looking for a new home.
Writing these last couple of posts has really helped me to clarify my thinking about what to do with the stable going forward. Most of the confusion comes from such a wild change in my riding requirements. In July 2011 I was living in Burbank, commuting to work in Pasadena on a Valkyrie, with an A17 for back roads to our weekend cabin in WW, all the kids living in town etc.
Flash forward to today, I am retired, living in are remodeled and enlarged weekend cabin, (wife requirement) with a guest house next door. I run my own business out of the cabin, so have no need to commute. One of my sons and his family live in Anaheim and the other moved unexpectedly to the Vancouver WA area. My wife was upset by this, but now we have a reason to travel regularly, Unless we have to move because of a disaster (we live in a forest at 6000 ft a few hundred feet from the San Andreas Fault) my riding requirements should be settled for the next few years, so .....
I plan to go with two solos... the 2000 E and probably a Gen 2 KLR TBD. Other than getting the carb unplugged and fixing the petcock, the DRZ will be good to go and will be oriented to 95% dirt. The Nova W/R gear set allows me to keep my low trail gearing but allows me to do some slab comfortably to get to trails etc. I would never get the money out of it if I tried to sell it and it is fully paid for and depreciated. Umm I just have to tell my wife Im keeping it.
The other solo will be my "commute down the hill if required" bike and my long distance traveler. I am a sucker for thumpers and a minimalist and a well farkled Gen2 set up for Iron buttish type riding will be the way I want to go... 97% street with some dirt roads. The ride last month to Washington on his A17 to deliver my son's KLR confirms this decision.
Which leaves the sidecars, 2 Urals and an A15 with Dauntless Enduro s/c... what to do with them?... For sure, my 2006 GearUp is my daily around town driver. It has a tank shifter, and late model heads, cylinders etc (another long story) If for some reason, I got out of sidecars, this is the one I'd still keep.
That leaves the other Ural, a 2011 Gobi and the A15 rig. The plan for both of these is to set them up for hard core off roading and see how they do, and then go from there. Currently the Gobi is what I plan to use when I go camping/fishing/shooting etc. Based on some off road riding I have done with the Ural factory rider "Mr COB" I have some "proper" armor coming for it that will allow the bike to survive serious off road uraling. TBD
WRT to the A15 rig, I spent a lot of time at AdventureSidecar.com in Hood River learning to dualsport KLR rigs. It was impressive to see what Vern "the Red Menace" could do in an off road situation with his KLRs.
We did unexpectedly acquire a guest house along the way (another long story) that we are seriously considering converting to a B&B and we could make these rigs available for guests. Still mulling the business aspects.... worst case we might make it available as a destination for fellow Uralistas/KLRistas to come and visit and try out sidecars... "you bring the booze and buy the meat for the BBQ dinner" type of deal... TBD.
BTW, I may finally get a chance to go shoot my Rugar Gunsite Scout rifle I got a couple of years ago ... its still in the box, just have to figure out how to secure it in the Gobi.
Randy from Wrightwood
[b]From:[/b] "SniperOne308 sniperone308@... [DSN_KLR650]" DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com>
[b]To:[/b]
DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com; Randall Marbach
[b]Sent:[/b] Saturday, August 1, 2015 5:11 PM
[b]Subject:[/b] Re: [DSN_KLR650] KLR versus WeeStrom
Randy,
Tell me more about the wide ratio on your DRZ. I have one with the 435 big bore and have been considering the ACT wide ratio kit.
RandyIn Albuquerque
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone
-------- Original message --------
From: "Randall Marbach remarbach@... [DSN_KLR650]" DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com>
Date: 08/01/2015 2:13 PM (GMT-07:00)
To:
DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] KLR versus WeeStrom
At 64 yo, 280lbs 6'7", I had boiled my two-wheel adventure touring requirements down to the Wee or KLR, still deciding on Gen 1 vs Gen 2.
However, in the stable now are 2 Ural GearUps, a big bore DRZ440 with a wide ratio gear set (still in storage) and a Gen 1 KLR (in parts, in storage) which is the tug for a DMC Enduro Sidecar.
I never was good at off road riding. I fell off a lot on my KLR in the dirt, so I decided to try a KLR with a sidecar versus the DRZ (which is easier for me in the dirt) versus the Urals to be my off road bike of choice. Unfortunately, they all went in to storage when we started an unexpected home remodel project that has finally completed after 2 years. The Urals have been resurrected and are a blast around our small town, the DRZ and KLR/sidecar are up next to be resurrected.
Once running, I intend to run a bake off between the bikes in an off road situation to see which would stay and which might go when I possibly thin the herd in 2016.
I did get a chance to ride my son's well farkled Gen 1 KLR solo on a 1000 mile road trip last month, and now, if I had to choose a road oriented bike for the stable, I would choose the Gen 2 KLR over the Wee at this point. My new neighbor has a Wee, and I dont fit on it as well as I do a KLR. If I had to get down to 1 solo and 1 sidecar, it would probably be a Gen 1 KLR and a Ural.
Still so many choices... I am hoping to take one of the Urals on a 500 mile round trip tenkara fly fishing trip this coming weekend... so that will provide another data point to the equation. Being retired in a small village does bias my choices. I do no regular commuting or interstate. When I do travel interstates they are usually stop and go so the ability to split lanes is more important than high cruising speeds.
My routine requirements are going to the Post Office in town a few blocks away or 5 miles down the hill to the Super Market... winner in this case, the Urals hands down.. the Ural can be ridden all four seasons including the snow we get here.
Visiting my son in Washington 3 times a year..... was thinking about the Wee.... but the winner is a solo KLR set up for road work, day long seat, highway pegs, big bore kiit, suspension work and cargo capacity. Leaning towards a Gen 2.
300-500 mile camping/fishing trips in the southwest... probably the Ural, but could be the KLR if I need to travel a lot of ground quickly.
Local off road work, the DRZ, the KLR/sidecar or a URAL.... TBD. If I dont like the KLR sidecar, I may sell the sidecar bits and convert the Gen 1 tug to a road oriented solo. If I do like the KLR sidecar off road, I may part with the DRZ, or not... it has been totally rebuilt and set up for my size and weight.
I should have all the bikes up and running by the end of the month, and I should have a chance to play with them all in the dirt by the end of September.
Who knows, I might have a Gen1 KLR/DMC Enduro sidecar for sale by October.... or not.
Randy from Burbank.
From: "RJTaylor@... [DSN_KLR650]" DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com>
[b]To:[/b]
DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com
[b]Sent:[/b] Friday, July 31, 2015 8:02 PM
[b]Subject:[/b] [DSN_KLR650] KLR versus WeeStrom
Just got back from a warm summer evening ride thru the local forest preserves, on the KLR. Ten years ago I was looking for a new two wheel ride again after 20 years on 4. . Being 50 and a recent empty-nester, I wasn't looking for a crotch rocket. And since it wasn't a mid-life crisis, I wasn't looking for a Harley to impress anyone. I'm old enough that the only person I have to impress is myself. So I was looking for a mid-size "standard" bike I was comfortable on. .
My choice came down to two bikes - a Weestrom and a KLR 650. I went with the KLR, a bright red tupperware 2006. After the first two years and 15K miles I was ready to dump that POS. Mushy front fork, buzzy handlebar grips, OEM Dunlops squirrelly on and off road, too much chain slop, 15 tooth front sprocket was good neither on or off road, slow throttle response, sweaty seat, - and the battery died after two seasons.
So after getting the valve adjustment and tuneup at the dealership, I decided on some upgrades - Nerf bars, 16 tooth front sprocket, superbike X-chain, Bridgestone Trailwings, fork brace, grip puppies, bar end weights, seat cover, K&H air filter, glass matte battery. What a revelation! It was like a new bike. Sharp handling, no front fork flex, snappier throttle response, comfortable enough to ride all day, on the highway and off. A great ride for the next years.
Fast forward 8 years and 40K miles this spring and I'm picking up a new pair of riding gloves and glasses at a dealership when out front is an "adventurized" Weestrom. A week later, it's still there. I ask the dealership what year and what they wanted for it. After checking KBB price for the price of a 2006 stock Weestrom and checking the odometer (25K), I took it for a spin.. I talked them down to a reasonable price and they hung the "Sold" sign on it.
After 4 months riding, these are my observations:
1) The Weestrom may be an "adventure" bike, it's not a dual-sport. It's wider, heavier than the KLR by at least one size, It has highway sized tires and cast wheels. You have to be more conscious of your momentum in corners. It handles slowly compared to the KLR. The highway size wheel significantly affects off-road handling. Nothing that inspires confidence in more than dirt two tracks or fire trails.
I've ridden a Tiger XC800, sat on a Yamaha Tenere 1200, BMW 1200 Adventure GS. No one can convince me anything 500 LBs or more is a "dual sport". The "adventure" is 300 miles of highway riding and 20 miles of forest fire trails; and that's about it. The only exception in this category MIGHT be the KTM Adventure. But I have neither the money or the the dealerships to deal with that brand..
2) The KLR is definitely a dual-sport, that can (kind of) be converted to an adventure bike, with limitations. The biggest limitation being lack of horsepower. And the stock drivetrain is crap. Having said that it's competitors are even more limited. The XR650 and DR650 are fine bikes I've ridden offroad. Lighter than the KLR, over torqued and under-geared air cooled off road bikes, they're good for about 1 hour of highway riding before you better hit the trail. Otherwise you'll not be expecting any grandchildren. And they cannot be "roadified like the KLR.
I'm not a KLRista, but I will say this. The KLR 650 may be a "compromise" bike. And IMHO, the stock bike needs a lot of improvement and I have no use for the 2007+ 40 Lbs more plastic and minimal motor changes that are not an upgrade But given the price point, self-service and upgrades that are available, the KLR 650 is the best damn "dual sport" value out there. Problem is, I just don't need a dual sport all the time.
So when I go on long trips at highway speeds, I wheel out the Weestrom. When I want a lone, secluded ride along forest and 2-lane roads at my own pace; just me and the wind, I use the KLR. If I were riding from Chicago to Alaska via Seattle, I'd take the Weestrom to Seattle and the KLR from Seattle to Alaska. If the KLR had just 5 more HP and more lungs at the top end, it would be the only bike I own. As it is, I'm keeping both. If only because it pisses off the ball-and-chain. Besides, I deserve it. :
[b]From:[/b] "Martin Earl mjearl4@... [DSN_KLR650]" DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com>
[b]To:[/b] DSN KLR650 DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com>; Fred Hink
[b]Sent:[/b] Thursday, July 23, 2015 10:26 PM
[b]Subject:[/b] Re: [DSN_KLR650] NKLR - Advice from those who have ridden BOTH the V Strom 650 and 1000
That was my exact thought as well.m1. said the guy who has never bought a new bike.
I would make an additional suggestion.A KLR with sport bike tires is an entirely different beast.I am on my second set of 90/10 tires and 'oh-what-a-difference' it makes.psst. I cheat though, I sneak out on my son's KLR650 that is still shod with K270 if I want a jeep/trail ride.
ps.IRT to buying new--Perhaps, there will be some killer deals on them in Sept.