tire psi question..............

[Big Foot]

Good for you, at 64 I am not sure when old age kicks in. Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

On Mon, Aug 8, 2016 at 6:45 PM, wre3@... [DSN_KLR650]DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> wrote:   Hah!  You guys trip me out.  I'm 64, but not old yet!  In fact, I'm not sure what I'll be when I grow up.  Maybe 'old'.  My '06 KLR is a daily driver/Urban commuter w/ ~90k miles on the clock.  I recently got a Honda CB500X, which may compete w/ the KLR, once I get a functional suspension on it. 

[wwotmike@aol.com]

Your still tripping, that is all that matters.  

Sent from my Sprint phone

------ Original message------

[b]From: [/b]wre3@... [DSN_KLR650]

[b]Date: [/b]Mon, Aug 8, 2016 4:45 PM

[b]To: [/b]DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com;

[b]Subject:[/b][DSN_KLR650] Re: Old dual sport guy here

  Hah!  You guys trip me out.  I'm 64, but not old yet!  In fact, I'm not sure what I'll be when I grow up.  Maybe 'old'.  My '06 KLR is a daily driver/Urban commuter w/ ~90k miles on the clock.  I recently got a Honda CB500X, which may compete w/ the KLR, once I get a functional suspension on it. 

[libertyeagle]

It's not just riding it is therapy and exercise in one. I ride many times to keep my sanity, what little I had to begin with... Michael

[management@ridegoods.com]

Not a day over 59 mind you but yes.... The xr650l is growing in height it seems.....I too have noticed that.... I'm not ready to give up the bennies of the Honda just yet. Plus it has a brand new top end....someone must break in....I'm hoping its me. Call it a crutch, call it genius, whatever.... I invented a 'step up' for my honda 650.  In fact it is a Brake Pedal from an auto junk yard, that I welded about half way up my kickstand. Get the angles right, and it even tucks in(with kickstand up)behind the passenger pegs. It works, is the bottom line. Getting off the machine, when using it, took a few try's before comfort fell in place. (Attempt at your own risk of course.) One just has to pick their take off and landing spots wisely. Best, Slide

[buck12ga2000]

I'm only 64. I signed on to this group years ago because I wanted to get a KLR650. It never happened. My health has since deteriorated. I can barely ride much at all now. My 2003 DL1000 soldiers on. Most rides are 30 miles or less. I would still like to try a KLR650. When I got the DL in 2003 I imagined it would be a capable gravel road bike. I found it too top heavy and squirrely unless the surface was hard packed. How does the KLR compare to the V-Strom in comfort? My hip bones in particular become very painful after a few miles. I'll continue the short rides as long as possible. Buck

[Eddie]

#ygrps-yiv-1082280509 {margin:0.7em;}#ygrps-yiv-1082280509 .ygrps-yiv-1082280509OECFntDef, #ygrps-yiv-1082280509 .ygrps-yiv-1082280509OECFntDef div {font-family:"Segoe UI", Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;} Hey, Buck! I owned a 2002 DL1000 and was hesitant to take it down much more than a relatively smooth dirt road. The biggest worry was the exposed engine and oil cooler meeting a rock or something. That and it was a heavy beast to pick up by myself. Then some nitwit at Suzuki thought it would be okay to bolt the side fairing panels directly to the radiator ends. Without crash bars, even a slow tip over can destroy the radiator. I sold it in 2008 and a year later bought a new KLR650. I'm only 5'8" with a 30" inseam and the tall seat height made getting on it a bit of a challenge. Once aboard, though. I was pretty comfortable after installing some Progressive fork springs and a WalMart ATV seat cover. I took it down a lot of gravel/dirt roads without drama and really liked the versatility. That said, as off road machines go, even a KLR's a bit heavy.  If you plan on taking relatively short rides that involve as much gravel road as paved, a DR650 might be better suited to the task. They're lighter, just as dependable and easier to handle in the gnarly stuff. Suzuki even has a lowering kit ready-made for it if that helps.   --- New Outlook Express and Windows Live Mail replacement - get it here: http://www.oeclassic.com/   -eddie in Ga.   [b]----- Original Message -----[/b]

[b]From:[/b] hannahd5302@... [DSN_KLR650] DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> [b]Reply-To:[/b] DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com>, hannahd5302@...> [b]To:[/b] DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> [b]Sent:[/b] 10/13/2016 8:13:46 AM [b]Subject:[/b] [DSN_KLR650] Re: Old dual sport guy here   I'm only 64. I signed on to this group years ago because I wanted to get a KLR650. It never happened. My health has since deteriorated. I can barely ride much at all now. My 2003 DL1000 soldiers on. Most rides are 30 miles or less. I would still like to try a KLR650. When I got the DL in 2003 I imagined it would be a capable gravel road bike. I found it too top heavy and squirrely unless the surface was hard packed. How does the KLR compare to the V-Strom in comfort? My hip bones in particular become very painful after a few miles. I'll continue the short rides as long as possible. Buck

[buck12ga2000]

Thanks, Eddie. I appreciate the information. We used to ride our Triumps, Harleys, 650s, 900s and 1000 Kawasakis on the gravel roads and thought nothing of it. They didn't have much ground clearance. But they didn't have 5.8 gallons of heavy gas way up in the air either. I know a guy that recently bought a DR650. He hasn't offered me a ride yet. I'm 6-3 and he is like 6-5. He needs plenty of leg room. I wouldn't be taking any bike off road. We are blessed with hundreds of miles of gravel roads. I bought a new DR400 in 1980. It was the first year for the DR. It was great on gravel. It was a bit of a poor handler in the rough off road. But it had great torque right off idle that made it hard to control, lol. Cough cough blaaaaa! Throwing dirt. : ) Good talk, brother. Buck

[K K]

Kawasaki 900 and 1000 turbo, my youth [ ] ________________________________ From: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> on behalf of hannahd5302@... [DSN_KLR650] DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2016 3:37:01 PM To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Re: Old dual sport guy here Thanks, Eddie. I appreciate the information. We used to ride our Triumps, Harleys, 650s, 900s and 1000 Kawasakis on the gravel roads and thought nothing of it. They didn't have much ground clearance. But they didn't have 5.8 gallons of heavy gas way up in the air either. I know a guy that recently bought a DR650. He hasn't offered me a ride yet. I'm 6-3 and he is like 6-5. He needs plenty of leg room. I wouldn't be taking any bike off road. We are blessed with hundreds of miles of gravel roads. I bought a new DR400 in 1980. It was the first year for the DR. It was great on gravel. It was a bit of a poor handler in the rough off road. But it had great torque right off idle that made it hard to control, lol. Cough cough blaaaaa! Throwing dirt. : ) Good talk, brother. Buck [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Martin Earl]

Hi Eddie,Tire pressure is a fickle thing. In my experience, different tires will give different kinds of feedback from a rough ride (high pressure) to poor tire wear, (high or low) to spongy, sliding tires that may give way, loose traction at an unpredictable rate.Push your tire pressure around at 2psi at a time and see what happens. You may have developed a mechanical problem or threw a tire weight as well. NOTE: make sure you are using a quality, accurate tire gauge! (as compared to at least 3 others if you are in doubt. (more on this later)) For example, The Triumph Tiger 800XC calls for 36F42R (which I initially thought had to be a misprint) to put the bike on the center of the tire for longer tire life; the center section is formulated with a harder compound, etc.If you run significantly lower pressure, the rear tire especially, will go away at a very fast rate. AMHIK(What! 32Fand 36R is not a universal pressure? head shake.) A second source of your tingling fingers may be a medical problem that is just now manifesting itself, like carpal tunnel syndrome.But I would first check to see if the tires are balanced 'correctly'. The low/high tire pressure should not give a vibration unless the tire is failing internally. I would also then, check to make sure all your engine mounts are properly tightened and torqued to spec.Don't forget to get the one at the top of the engine as well (checked with the tank off) When I first got my 2001 KLR, in the fall of 2003, I read the owners manual (OM), inflated to OM pressure ~21F/21R and 28R if 'heavy' and scared the crap out of my self at the 21psi, more-scary at low speed with increasing throttle, but was seeming to slide the bike on the OEM tires/pressure at 55-65mph on the back roads around Lexington, KY.I posted here, asking about tire pressure and the general response and consensus = rule of thumb was 32F 36 Rear.It was also suggested that 21/21 was an average 'dual sport' number allowing the rider to go from pavement to gravel or trails without fiddling with the tire pressure. So I aired up the tires, as per the list wisdom, and enjoyed the bike more. Admittedly, I had been out of motorcycling form 1996-2003, so my inherent road skills were admittedly, a little shaky. When the OEM tires wore out, I then began to wear out several sets of Kenda 270 tires at that 32/36 pressure; with centers wearing out faster than I expected, and looking back would suggest I also had an unnecessary, rough ride. as I said, So I aired up the tires, as per the list wisdom, and enjoyed the bike more, while riding South Dakota, prairie gravel roads with ~8-10 days in the Black Hills for the next 7.5 years. I enjoyed it more, ...for a while. until I moved to the Black Hills and started riding with some life long, enduro riders, at the time, 65 and 70 years young and their mantra was 12 psiF/R and keep the momentum up, when riding the more technical stuff. 12 seemed a little low...so I initially compromised down to 20psi, and eventfully, all the way down to ~14psi. (all done without informing the DSN_KLR650 list) Some 80K KLR miles later, I still mainly ride K270's (don't taze me bro) on my KLR650, typically at 14f and 13R when trail riding, AND exercise due care while doing trail to trail transitions on pavement at those pressures. No, I don't bend rims or get pinch flats, and I do ride over/through some ugly bolder fields. If it is going to be extensive pavement prior to trail, I will do a 22 or 24F and a 26R then air down to trail pressure for the rest of the day.I should also NOTE: I use a digital air pressure gauge or 20psi-low-pressure stick gauge that has increments of 1/2 psi. Each checked to be within .5psi of other gauges of different manufacturing origin.I have seen a 50psi stick gauge that had a full 10 psi error. yikes! The only exception to those tire pressures, is if I am high tailing it cross country >50 miles, on gravel with high ambient temps above 80F; I then run 24 or26F28R to keep the tire temps lower. South Dakota gravel roads are posted at 55mph, so you get the idea of the speeds....Perhaps a tad more if carrying 50lbs of kitchen sink, tent, tools, and tall tales, etc. and, Yes Virginia, I balance the dirt-bike tires. One KLX250 I owned (bought used) required 14oz and 16oz with the rimlocks installed, other wise at any speed above 20/25 mph on pavement or hard pack, its unbalanced 21" and 18" tires would set up a weird out of phase harmonic that would shake the bike like horse with the shudders every 5-20 secs (depending on the speed) as the unbalanced tires got out of phase. The out of balance was usually, not really noticeable at trail speeds riding over broken rocks, ditches and rocks.as a side note, The out of phase/unbalanced tires were not noticeable if the bike took a dirt nap or if it used you for a pillow and pukes gas all over the author/rider...no Virginia, I don't have a picture. HTH.m1.

On Wed, Oct 12, 2016 at 11:40 PM, eddiebmauri@... [DSN_KLR650] DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> wrote: I run Avon Distanzia tires on my KLR and have a question......... Yesterday, my tires were at about 20 psi (I usually run 30 psi), so, I inflated them to 30 psi. I noticed that after I inflated the tires to 30 psi, I got that tingling-numb sensation in my left hand/fingers. I should mention that my handle bars have Bark Busters, and I put silicone jell in the handle bars to dampen vibration(s). So, my question is, do you all think that tires cause more handlebar vibrations at 30 psi than at 20 psi??? Or at higher PSI than at lower PSI? BTW, the tires feel too "spongy" at 20 PSI..... Eddie M. San Antonio, Texas, Republic of