low speed surge, or stumble

[mccallchris]

The Mt. Washington posting hits on this as well I think with his "lonely with all those V twins out there" comment. I rode this weekend and met a group of BMW and KTM boys and they seemed to have little use for the KLR. One even referred to it as a "toy" great for "beginners"?!?! (I have been riding dirt bikes for years) Can the 950's and 1000's really handle the tight and technical single track and is this attitude prevalent with the BMW and KTM riders? Just curious and I can't wait to ride the tight stuff with the big bikes. Chris-

[Devon]

mccallchris@... wrote:

> Can >the 950's and 1000's really handle the tight and technical single >track and is this attitude prevalent with the BMW and KTM riders? >

The KTM theoretically could, being a relatively narrow V. There are plenty of places I ride where the boxer twins simply won't fit through the trees and rocks. More a question of how much they can stand to hammer the bodywork. Anything with a full fairing won't look too good after a trip through the woods. If the KTM950 rider has his fairing held together with epoxy and zip ties, he's serious (Tumu on his wife's LC4 was a good example). If it's clean and nice looking he's full of sh*t. The BMW guy, unless he's got 2 or 3 spare cylinder head covers taped to the back rack, is probably posing as well.

>Just curious and I can't wait to ride the tight stuff with the big >bikes. Chris- >

Lots of fun, but it will kick your ass. Start working out now. If you want to go fast offroad the KLR needs a bunch of help with the suspension. But slowly and carefully you can really suprise dirtbike people when you appear around a bend on a hulking green bike with headlights and turnsignals. Looks kind of like a KDX220 with morbid obesity, like the dirtbike equivalent of the 1500 pound guy who had to have the wall cut out of his house so they could take him to the hospital. Devon

[The Mule]

> The Mt. Washington posting hits on this as well I think with > his "lonely with all those V twins out there" comment. I rode this > weekend and met a group of BMW and KTM boys and they seemed to have > little use for the KLR. One even referred to it as a "toy" great > for "beginners"?!?! (I have been riding dirt bikes for years) Can > the 950's and 1000's really handle the tight and technical single > track and is this attitude prevalent with the BMW and KTM riders? > Just curious and I can't wait to ride the tight stuff with the big > bikes. Chris-

I went down to BMWNY the other day to look at the Arai XD helmets they had in stock (they wanted $479 for it.....can't I get one cheaper than that? I heard someone on the list got one around $400). So the sales manager guy tries to impress me with his super color laptop loaded with pics from his recent "offroad" trip on a Beemer 1200, with other bulbous shiny Beemers. (There was one guy with a KTM Adventure, though). All I could do is smirk at him and utter "....auhhmmm.......riiiiiight!" In one pic, pretty hilarious seeing his hulk hung-up and leaking oil on a rock that happened to be about 4" higher than the rest of the smooth jeep trail they were on. Guess it was just too damn heavy to goose the throttle and lift the front end over it, eh? And there were some pics of them going through 2' deep puddles on firm, open dirt roads. Whoa!.......such challenges! "See! We can go through puddles with our Beemers!" Got to admit.....the brand new 2005 R1200GS they just got in on the floor looked better than anything I've seen BMW make for taking (slightly) offroad. Still a pig, but lighter (496 lbs.) and more horsies (100 hp) than it's predecessor. And why bother with the F650 when you can have a KLR650 with lots left over for fab accoutrement, or a more capable and less prissy KTM? Hey Bruce- I've found the Aerostich sheepskin pad has done wonders for making all-day in the saddle bearable on the stock seat. Worth the $70, and those water-retaining Corbin stories scare me. Steve The Mule A17

[monahanwb]

--- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "The Mule" wrote:

> I've found the Aerostich sheepskin pad has done wonders for

making

> all-day in the saddle bearable on the stock seat. Worth the $70,

and those

> water-retaining Corbin stories scare me.

I've been using the Aerostich sheepskin for two years on my KLR (just switched it to my DR's tiny seat) and it is really great and always makes a huge difference in seat comfort. Plus, if it rains, and the sheepskin becomes totally soaked, I just wipe it off with a towel or paper towels and it is miraculously dry. Amazing stuff.

[Thor Lancelot Simon]

On Mon, Jun 21, 2004 at 06:34:02PM -0400, The Mule wrote:

> > Got to admit.....the brand new 2005 R1200GS they just got in on the > floor looked better than anything I've seen BMW make for taking (slightly) > offroad. Still a pig, but lighter (496 lbs.) and more horsies (100 hp) than > it's predecessor. And why bother with the F650 when you can have a KLR650

Still heavier _and_ less powerful than the KTM950 -- and about the same price, right? I just don't get why people buy these; the late-to-the-dance new model in particular, given that they clearly took a shot at the KTM and came up short. As for the F650, I'd take the motor, I guess, over the KLR motor; though it supposedly now has rather finicky injection. Even the carbeureted models, which also have an older head design and make less power, do quite a few more horses than the powerplants in our KLRs, get about the same gas mileage, and allegedly are a little less buzzy at speed. But given the bike it comes in, I'd take the KLR any day. My neighbor just bought an F650CS. Now that's kinda an intriguing bike -- but not at the price...

[Susan Walters]

--- mccallchris wrote:

> ..... is this attitude prevalent with the BMW > and KTM riders?

Maybe I'm just lucky, but the Phoenix area BMW-GS & KTM guys don't have an attitude about KLRs. Many own or have owned KLRs. Also, they have in fact done some pretty amazing things in the dirt on their big pigs. Me? 337 pounds is plenty of bike to pick up, thank you very much . Susan __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

[takes2serious]

It's just certain people. The people who have this kind of attitude tend to be people whose egos are tied to what they own. It's the same whether it's dual sports, sport bikes, Harley's, cars, or even clothes or houses. The mentality even extends to careers or where you went to school. Why should we care about what other people think about what we bought? I own a KLR and an SV650. Neither get much respect from posers in their respective categories. I couldn't care less. I think they're both the best value for the fun they provide. But I don't diss people who own the other bikes for wasting money. They may have very good reasons for what they chose. They have a right to do whatever they want with their money, just like I do. More power to them. But, I will admit, when I see someone who seems to have their sense of self-worth tied to their material possessions, I tend to feel badly for them. Been there, done that, and that's not what life is all about. Randy --- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "mccallchris" wrote:

> The Mt. Washington posting hits on this as well I think with > his "lonely with all those V twins out there" comment. I rode this > weekend and met a group of BMW and KTM boys and they seemed to have > little use for the KLR. One even referred to it as a "toy" great > for "beginners"?!?! (I have been riding dirt bikes for years) Can > the 950's and 1000's really handle the tight and technical single > track and is this attitude prevalent with the BMW and KTM riders? > Just curious and I can't wait to ride the tight stuff with the big > bikes. Chris-

[Keith]

Message: 11 Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 20:32:42 -0000 From: "mccallchris" Subject: BMW's and KTM's looking down their noses? Hey, keep in mind that there are BMW and (probably) KTM owners (and Harley owners) that are members of this list. Any GS owner will readily admit that the monster is not a dirt bike, but, at the same time, they are not a pure street bike. I bought one because it gives me the option to explore most any forest service road and still cruise in relative comfort, loaded with gear, at 80mph, all day long, day. They do have their limitations, just as the KLR has limitations. This is why I own both. There is no one perfect motorcycle. I only wish I had more money and more garage space. So many bikes, so little time. - Keith A7

[Howard Morris]

Keith wrote:Message: 11 Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 20:32:42 -0000 From: "mccallchris" Subject: BMW's and KTM's looking down their noses? Hey, keep in mind that there are BMW and (probably) KTM owners (and Harley owners) that are members of this list. Any GS owner will readily admit that the monster is not a dirt bike, but, at the same time, they are not a pure street bike. I bought one because it gives me the option to explore most any forest service road and still cruise in relative comfort, loaded with gear, at 80mph, all day long, day. They do have their limitations, just as the KLR has limitations. This is why I own both. There is no one perfect motorcycle. I only wish I had more money and more garage space. So many bikes, so little time. - Keith A7 Amen brother, like the way you think. H A-18 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 --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[kdxkawboy@aol.com]

In a message dated 2004-06-21 1:34:22 PM Pacific Daylight Time, mccallchris@... writes:

> > The Mt. Washington posting hits on this as well I think with > his "lonely with all those V twins out there" comment. I rode this > weekend and met a group of BMW and KTM boys and they seemed to have > little use for the KLR. One even referred to it as a "toy" great > for "beginners"?!?! (I have been riding dirt bikes for years) Can > the 950's and 1000's really handle the tight and technical single > track and is this attitude prevalent with the BMW and KTM riders? > Just curious and I can't wait to ride the tight stuff with the big > bikes. Chris- > >

The BMW is a dirt bike like the family sedan is a rock crawling 4x4. The family sedan can be taken down many dirt roads provided there aren't any real obstacles. Unless you are capable of playing in the NFL a BMW is just too heavy to do much more than slowly work it's way down a dirt road. The KTM is a fairly serious off road bike, but it still has weight issues that would make tend to make you think twice about taking the 'more difficult' jeep trails. Some BMW riders are a little too full of themselves, but there propeller heads with more charitable opinions. There is a group of Beemer owners up in Reno that have nothing but respect for the KLR as they have yet to match my 1000 mile times on their bike - its a real tortoise vs. the hare thing in that they spend to much time out of the saddle. Last year on the AMA Colorado tour, when we crossed paths with the Colorado 500 ride it was a GS1150 rider that told Malcolm Smith he had to see this KLR, that when it came to adventure touring it was the real deal. The other couple on that tour had a pair of KLR's at home and just nodded in agreement. A lot of the KTM 950 owners are converted GS1150 owners/wannabes that have brought their baggage with them. On dual sport rides I don't get a cold shoulder from the KTM owners. Rather, they are amazed at how well my KLR does. Pat G'ville, Nv [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]