new to list and some questions

[Mark Lewis]

Knitting is a nice safe hobby but the wind never blows on your face.

[aboyandhisdawg]

yup, that's it! seeing that chart, and knowing that upright bipeds travelling forwards tend to perform the aptly named "face plant" when dictated by the laws of physics and rules of chance i have little doubt that as indicated, just over 1/3 of all helmet impacts will literaly be taken "on the chin". my choice is simple, i always wear a full face helmet. i've tried not wearing a helmet when i'm just turning the bike around after washing it in the driveway to park it in the garage, or moving it from one parking space to another... but it just don't feel right to me. however, i don't appreciate the "state" telling me or anyone else that we "must" wear a helmet or seatbelt. so, i'm certantly not suggesting that anyone be made to wear a full face... it's your call... you are an adult and free to make such decisions for yourself. fixer

--- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, KLR 650 wrote: > aboyandhisdawg wrote: > > > i had a link to an interesting sits which showed a chart breaking down a > > helmet into what zomes were most likely to be hit in an accident. > > > > http://www.flamesonmytank.co.za/images/helmetDamage.gif > > From this page: > http://www.flamesonmytank.co.za/ helmets.htm > > > Jim

[Mike Torst]

Good point. My recent face plant at Song Dog in April 2004 - My Flip-up full face saved my face big time! I used an open face helmet w/ an auxiliary jaw protector in the 1970's during a face plant - the chin protector was rubbed off my chin and onto my neck and I proceeded to eat a mouthful of dirt and my lower gums, lip and chin were major ugly for a LONG time. I love my modern helmets! Mike Torst Las Vegas

> -----Original Message----- > From: Zachariah Mully [mailto:zmully@...] > Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 5:56 AM > To: Tengai Mark Van Horn > Cc: Mark Lewis; KLR List > Subject: Re: [DSN_klr650] Re: Skull Caps and other methods of > killingyourself - NKLR > > On Thu, 2004-05-20 at 22:00, Tengai Mark Van Horn wrote: > > At 2:39 PM +0000 5/20/04, Mark Lewis wrote: > > >Let's go back to those CDC statistics that show helmets prevent > > >deaths. > > > > Forget about all the death talk, I just wanna protect my pretty face. > > Three years ago, the pavement zoomed past my eyes at 80mph. My helmet > > looked like it went through a belt sander. Without the helmet, I > > certainly would have endured months of painful reconstruction at the > > least! > > > > You know what I just realized, most everybody on this list has a story > about how a helmet saved their lives and are convinced that they'd not > have survived without it. > > Whereas these stories are legion, I've never heard a story from a > helmetless rider about how *not* wearing a helmet saved their lives. > > I wonder why? Could it be they don't survive? To live another day and > eat some pie? > > Z > DC > A5X > A12X >

[matteeanne@yahoo.com]

While I have never had a major accident, my brother however has had 6, 3 near fatal (yes he is an idiot) on every occasion his helmet saved his life. Though he has a steel rod for a right leg, and has broken 40-50 bones, today he is riding a super bore Duccati, go figure. --- Mike Torst wrote:

> Good point. My recent face plant at Song Dog in > April 2004 - My Flip-up full > face saved my face big time! > > I used an open face helmet w/ an auxiliary jaw > protector in the 1970's > during a face plant - the chin protector was rubbed > off my chin and onto my > neck and I proceeded to eat a mouthful of dirt and > my lower gums, lip and > chin were major ugly for a LONG time. > > > I love my modern helmets! > > > > > Mike Torst > Las Vegas > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Zachariah Mully > [mailto:zmully@...] > > Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 5:56 AM > > To: Tengai Mark Van Horn > > Cc: Mark Lewis; KLR List > > Subject: Re: [DSN_klr650] Re: Skull Caps and other > methods of > > killingyourself - NKLR > > > > On Thu, 2004-05-20 at 22:00, Tengai Mark Van Horn > wrote: > > > At 2:39 PM +0000 5/20/04, Mark Lewis wrote: > > > >Let's go back to those CDC statistics that show > helmets prevent > > > >deaths. > > > > > > Forget about all the death talk, I just wanna > protect my pretty face. > > > Three years ago, the pavement zoomed past my > eyes at 80mph. My helmet > > > looked like it went through a belt sander. > Without the helmet, I > > > certainly would have endured months of painful > reconstruction at the > > > least! > > > > > > > You know what I just realized, most everybody on > this list has a story > > about how a helmet saved their lives and are > convinced that they'd not > > have survived without it. > > > > Whereas these stories are legion, I've never heard > a story from a > > helmetless rider about how *not* wearing a helmet > saved their lives. > > > > I wonder why? Could it be they don't survive? To > live another day and > > eat some pie? > > > > Z > > DC > > A5X > > A12X > > > > > > > List sponsored by Dual Sport News at > www.dualsportnews.com. List FAQ courtesy of Chris > Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html > Unsubscribe by sending a blank message to: > DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com . > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com > > >

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[Eric L. Green]

On Fri, 21 May 2004, Matus wrote:

> First, I definitely notice the engineering quality difference between > the KLX400 and the KLR650. The 650 has a 500 mile below 4000 rpm > break-in requirement and the 400 had no such thing, in general the 400 > had a smoother feel. The shifting is definitely trickier and the front

The shifting will smooth out after breakin. You just have to shift with authority. Not stomp on it, but keep pushing until it clunks.

> brake underpowered, giving me a little scare on my first ride home.

Heh!

> The KLR is much much more comfortable to sit on and ride than the 400, > it was like a big pillow compared to that thing! But Previously on my > 400 I could ride for about an hour before my rear was too sore to > continue (maybe Im a wuss) but on my KLR my back and neck start aching > after just about 20 - 30 minutes. Anyone else experience this? I am > not sure what is causing it, I ride with the same gear as I did on my > 400, so I figure it must be the ergonomics in some way.

Adjust your ergonomics. First, make sure that you have the right amount of slump (about 2 inches at the back when you sit in your normal position), ergos are very attitude-specific. Next, adjust the positions of your controls on the handlebars so that everything is where you want it when you sit in your chosen position. If you're a shorter rider, you may wish to even adjust the handlebar position slightly back so that the tips of those WIDE bars are closer to you (they're a bit, uhm, out there, for folks with short arms).

> didn't occur on my 400, it looks like the front brake lever is angled > lower than I am used to and even lower than the clutch lever on the > left, I will check that tomorrow.

Yes, adjust that. Also, my mirrors originally showed me nice pictures of my shoulders and that was about it, they didn't stick out far enough or high enough. Adding anti-vibration mounts to them made a big difference, now they just wobble instead of make everything unviewable when the vibration is bad, and they show what's behind me, not my shoulders. You wouldn't think 1" would make such a difference but so it goes. Ergonomics might claim to be a science, but until they make a standard human being...

> My kick stand sinks into pretty much any pavement I have parked the > thing on so far, especially bad is the small extruded rim on the stand. > I hate to tear up parking lots like that, why isn't the bottom of the > stand a little larger? I hate to carry around a small piece of metal > just to put under it when I park it.

I have the same problem. I'm thinking about bolting a piece of metal to my kickstand to make it larger.

> What percentage of people who use the KLR 650 for on road use lock there > bikes up? I have a 1/2 steel cable with a lock, but don't know if KLR > thefts are common enough to worry much about it.

Bicycle thieves already can snip 1/2 steel cable without even breathing hard to steal bicycles. I doubt motorcycle thieves would have any more problem. That said, it would keep your average teenage joyrider from snatching it up.

> I want to get some luggage, probably starting with a rear box. Any > suggestions, preferences here for rear luggage boxes? Do any of them

The gold standard appears to be Givi. You can occasionally find used Givi luggage on eBay and at local dealers who accepted it on a tradein and stripped it off to sell seperately, otherwise it's a bit pricey. You also need the KLR-specific Givi mounting bracket. Beware that there's folks selling J.C. Whitney topboxes on eBay for more than you'd pay from J.C. Whitney. Some folks have had good luck with the J.C. Whitney topboxes. They're quite a bit cheaper than Givi, and do pretty much the same thing. There's no KLR-specific mounting bracket for the thing, but folks have managed to drill holes in their KLR's luggage rack to make it work.

> come with mini back rests and are the far enough forward to be used in > that manner (I cant help but think some of my back / neck soreness would > go away if I could lean back a little)

You need to adjust your handlebars so you can lean back a bit, then.

> After that I want to add some good panniers, maybe aluminum ones, I

Bad idea. They're heavy and clumsy and the seams split easily. Add Givi side boxes or saddle bags. The used Givi side boxes that I have are probably 10 years old, and other than being more than slightly scuffed up from all the wear and tear of those years, they still work perfectly. They have no seams to split, and are more aerodynamic.

> notice that the muffler would make the right pannier either narrower or > stick out further, does this pannier imbalance create any serious

The usual mounting brackets stick the left pannier out as far as the right pannier (i.e., leave a bit of space between bike and pannier where the muffler would be if the KLR had two mufflers).

> how popular they are for long distance touring so I have to figure what > I am doing wrong that is making riding uncomfortable after such a short > period. I am 28, 195lbs, 6'1" tall. MSF graduate and very interested > in motorcycle design / safety.