el burro rojo rolls again!

[Jeff Layton]

The KLR is a tall & torquey bike. How tall is your inseam? My KLR scared the pants off a Harley friend of mine who has many tens of thousands more riding miles under his belt than I do. If you want to do it, I wouldn't give up. I may take a slightly different path though. Buy a used KLR250. It's lower & more tame. Or even a little Honda Rebel 250. (But I'd prefer the KLR250 - I took my MSF course on one after 20+ years of not riding & found the transition to the KLR650 very nice since it was more of an upright bike, not a low cruiser style like the Rebel) Work out the kinks & get your 'riding legs' back (bad analogy - like a sailor would spend time at sea getting his "sea legs" back. Go practice the riding tests the MSF course had you run through. Do them again & again. Get the agility & balance back - and the confidence back. When you're doing great, hop on the KLR650 & go do some of the same maneuvers in a parking lot that you just did on the 250. Once you're confident & good to go, work up to short rides then longer rides. Then sell the 250 & break even on it, and go have fun on the 650 like you want to! You're in a risky place - rusty riding skills compounded now by lack of confidence. Don't play games with your life, but don't give up your dream either. Just work up to it in a controlled manner. Jeff Layton Austin, TX -------------------------------------------- My mailbox is spam-free with ChoiceMail, the leader in personal and corporate anti-spam solutions. Download your free copy of ChoiceMail from www.digiportal.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Crazy canuck]

Without a doubt, a KLR 650 is NOT the bike on which to resume riding after many years of abstinence. A 'cruiser' type that puts you close(r) to the ground or a Burgman like previously suggested is more in order to regain your 'form'. I'm 56 y.o., short (5'6") and have 100,000's of kms on (mostly) Gold Wings and Harleys. My new '07 KLR is TOTALLY different to anything I've ridden and I'm on a new learning curve AND I'm taking it easy for now. You HAVE to be cautious (not paranoid) on a mc because it is inherently dangerous. The MOST common cause of motorcycle accidents is driver error (as proven by solo vehicle accident statistics) and that is because attitude affects so much the way we ride. I'll do 20-30 kms over the limit on a non-busy freeway, but I'll rarely do 10 kms over the limit in urban areas. In my 40 years of riding I have met/seen people who should NOT operate a bike, some for attitude and a few for their inability to coordinate hand-eye well on 2 wheels. Be cautious, ride in 'calm' places for awhile, and assess your progress. Get someone, who you trust as a good rider, to go out with you and assess your ability (make a video - who doesn't like to see themselves on film?). After totalling my '00 Electra Glide in Mexico 3 years ago (rider error, hit a concrete traffic island at speed on the freeway and flipped myself and the bike) I told myself I needed to calmly re-assess myself and my abilities. I've done another 100,000 kms since then without incident and learned from that mistake, which is all we can do. Fortunately, I fared better than the bike. Good luck! --------------------------------- You snooze, you lose. Get messages ASAP with AutoCheck in the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Jim Priest]

On 5/22/07, Crazy canuck wrote:

> Without a doubt, a KLR 650 is NOT the bike on which to resume riding after many years of abstinence. A 'cruiser' type that puts you close(r) to the ground or a Burgman like previously

I'd say that is a subjective statement. I grew up riding dirt-bikes so the KLR feels very natural to me - and was the bike I bought after taking a bit of a break from riding a few years ago. I've tried riding my friends Shadow before and about killed myself! It was totally alien to me - forward pegs, laid back seat. Yuck Jim

[Jud Jones]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Crazy canuck wrote:

> > Without a doubt, a KLR 650 is NOT the bike on which to resume riding after many years of

abstinence. A 'cruiser' type that puts you close(r) to the ground or a Burgman like previously suggested is more in order to regain your 'form'. Gotta disagree. I find the KLR one of the friendliest, easiest to ride bikes I have ever owned. For a rider over 5'9", I think it makes an excellent trainer. I'm shorter than that, but still find the bike easy to manage even though I can just get the tips of my toes down. And I would never, ever, let a friend ride a cruiser. ;-{>

[Kerry Stottlemyer]

If you are asking then you already have your answer you just need someone to tell you to get back in the sadle. Self preservation can be a tough one to get over. Everyone has their limits of what they can handle, what they want to handle and what they have no intention of handling. Here's what you should do, In your car/truck drive around your neighborhood and look at the turns look at them closly and see if they are off camber or what have you. Make some mental notes then get on the bike and take your time. You are fighting atleast two things here, Trust in your self and trust in the tires to stick around a corner. But basicly you need to go out a ride get some experiance on the bike Highway driving is actually better for this then one might think. The corners on the highway are smooth and slow sweeping turns not like driving in my neck of the woods where you can be cruising along and all of a sudden a 90 degree turn jumps out at you. Push yourself a bit at a time and get confident on the bike feel what the bike can do. This can take some time but it is the only way to learn. And don't feel bad about dumping the bike either I have an 07 and it's been close to ten years since I was on a bike. Well I've dumped it twice Second time was good enough to put a good scarf mark on my leg and my helmet. Just get up, dust yourself off, check for damage (you and the bike) and hopp back on and go a bit slower and easier. And look at the up side to this. You own a KLR not a $35K HD or a $10K rice rocket. Dump a bike like that and you can't afford to ride. Chrome and fiberglass is expensive. I know for around $300 I can make my bike look new again. You can't sat that about an HD hell the chrome pipes alone are over $500 Things could be worse I guess. Kerry --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "boniface9491" wrote:

> > I could use some advise of some kind here. I took the MSF last > summer. I bought a '94 Dr650 last summer, and first time on it I > wrecked, tearing myself up pretty good. This was before taking the > MSF. Before I could get back on the bike, it was stolen. This

Spring

> I bought a "07 KLR 650. My second time on it, I hit a curb and went > down, doing a number on my shoulder. Now, I'm really afraid of the > bike. I'm 58 years old, and my previous riding experience was on

an

> old Cushman Eagle back in the '60s. > I'm wondering: Should I give up riding? Should I get a smaller > bike? Should I get back on the bike I have, even if I might freeze

up

> from fear when I'm on it? Any constructive input would be

appreciated.

>

[Kimosabe]

Since I bought my KLR250, I find that I ride it most often around our small town or on trails and back roads. My KLR650 gets used for longer distances. The 250 has adequate horsepower, can run at highway speeds with two people, and is certainly lighter and more nimble than the 650. You can even pick it up without needing surgery afterwards. I think it is a great alternative to the 650 for just knocking around and joy riding. Steve in Niceville

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Jud Jones" wrote: > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Crazy canuck wrote: > > > > Without a doubt, a KLR 650 is NOT the bike on which to resume riding after many years of > abstinence. A 'cruiser' type that puts you close(r) to the ground or a Burgman like previously > suggested is more in order to regain your 'form'. > > Gotta disagree. I find the KLR one of the friendliest, easiest to ride bikes I have ever owned. > For a rider over 5'9", I think it makes an excellent trainer. I'm shorter than that, but still find > the bike easy to manage even though I can just get the tips of my toes down. And I would > never, ever, let a friend ride a cruiser. ;-{> >

[blocloc]

There is so much good advice here that it is hard to say anything constructive and not repeat something already said so I'll just say my thing--sorry. Your attitude is great and your question greater because it shows you recognize maybe the ride thing isn't the best for you. The problem is that you are the only one who can make that decision and thats prolly a good thing because you are the one who will have to live with the results. I wouldn't be inclined to restart riding on a bike that may make ya feel like you are on the back of a galloping giraffe. Without seeing you I'd be reluctant to make any recommendation other than to say that it might be best if you used a bike that fits you--seat comfy, bar postion good, reach the ground easily without thought, low center of gravity, controls all usable without thought after a short time--all these things and only you can judge that. The reason these are all the first is that when you have to concentrate on the mechanics of riding your attention is divided from more important things like traffic direction, their speed, your relative speed, traffic lights and so on. What you want to develope is the Art of riding and thats difficult if you have to concentrate on the mechanics of riding. So, once you'v found the bike that will promote your effort you need to find a space in which to practice until you no longer have to think of the mechanics. Then practice some more. Vary the circumstances and speed much like the MSF course does. Then I'd find a Bud who has what it takes to offer a meaningful critique of how you are doing. Then if all was GO the two of ya could venture into light traffic with you behind him to see how things "work". Then judge if you are ready to go further. If your movements are jerky or your discomfort is so intense it detracts from your learning further then go back and practice more. If you are unable to reach a level of comfort or familiarity in the basics then you can answer your own question. Good Luck and hope to wave at ya on the road!!

[James Flower]

Boniface-- 1. It takes courage to even admit fear, even in such a comparatively mature group of riders as this. Congratulations. 2. Your post prompted me to face my own fear. I rode road -- street really -- for decades, virtually zero dirt experience. Last fall my buddy took me on some local fire trails. I low-sided twice, once on each side, hitting hard and fast. Lots of strawberries, a bruised rib, real sore for a week or two. I could blame it on my Slipsters, but really it was being too uptight about taking up dirt at 53. For examples, I suffered obstacle fixation, which I knew about and had avoided in street riding, and couldn't stop instinctively tucking in and leaning into turns (hence the low side crashes). The KLR sustained minor damage. 3. I haven't ridden since then. What with the rainy season, working and hauling kids and cargo, its been easy to justify that. But part of it is definitely fear. I now feel compelled to get back on the horse, rather than give up the fun and adventure. But if I didn't truly miss the fun, I wouldn't ride again just for the macho satisfaction of getting back on the horse that threw me. Thanks for making me take a look in the mirror. --James of Humboldt --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "boniface9491" wrote:

> > I could use some advise of some kind here. I took the MSF last > summer. I bought a '94 Dr650 last summer, and first time on it I > wrecked, tearing myself up pretty good. This was before taking the > MSF. Before I could get back on the bike, it was stolen. This Spring > I bought a "07 KLR 650. My second time on it, I hit a curb and went > down, doing a number on my shoulder. Now, I'm really afraid of the > bike. I'm 58 years old, and my previous riding experience was on an > old Cushman Eagle back in the '60s. > I'm wondering: Should I give up riding? Should I get a smaller > bike? Should I get back on the bike I have, even if I might freeze up > from fear when I'm on it? Any constructive input would be appreciated. >

[Max Sinklair]

I layed myself up pretty bad in a dirt crash about 13 years ago. Was actualy paralized from the neck down for 30 min. This isn't a long period of time unless your in that position. It was the scariest time I have ever gone through. I rode street ever since until a year ago when I inherited my A4. I braved the dirt again, and have since attempted small jumps. That prompted me to get my KX and get alittle more agressive. I think it's my love of riding that keeps pushing me. But, I fully understand the fear you are feeling, as I was there myself. If you realy enjoy it and you realy want it, then continue to try at your own pace. Find your comfort zone, then alittle at a time push alittle past it. -Max ____________________________________________________________________________________Looking for a deal? Find great prices on flights and hotels with Yahoo! FareChase. http://farechase.yahoo.com/

[Randall Marbach]

----- Original Message ---- From: James Flower To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 6:49:04 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: Afraid to Ride James of Humboldt wrote.. .... 2. Your post prompted me to face my own fear. I rode road -- street really -- for decades, virtually zero dirt experience. Last fall my buddy took me on some local fire trails. I low-sided twice, once on each side, hitting hard and fast. Lots of strawberries, a bruised rib, real sore for a week or two. I could blame it on my Slipsters, but really it was being too uptight about taking up dirt at 53. For examples, I suffered obstacle fixation, which I knew about and had avoided in street riding, and couldn't stop instinctively tucking in and leaning into turns (hence the low side crashes). The KLR sustained minor damage. --James of Humboldt .... That describes me in a nutshell.... learning to ride dirt at age 55 after 40 + years on the street. Got the urge to complete a life long goal of going to the remote, dirt road only, areas of baja before I get too much older. I knew going in that I might fall alot on dirt... so the choice became ... spend money on dirt bike training versus trying to figure out how to do it myself.... broken bones...bent bikes etc. So I spent the money to go to Admo-tours training and Jimmy Lewis School.... at my age worth every penny. Key lesson learned. Starting to learn to ride dirt on KLR is not the best way... it is buzz kill while learning the basics... but it is a great bike for running dirt based adventure tours once dirt bike skills are assimilated. Even after my first lessons... I fell on the KLR and broke a wrist and damage my shoulder. This happened on a ride to Death Valley from Burbank.... rode the KLR to DV... took in in to a remote canyon, fell and broke wrist... rode it out and home 300 miles. The reason for this fall... fatigue... every off road get off I have had is after passing the point of " I'm so tired that I wish I was home" moment. Did anybody mention that riding dirt is tiring... doing the squat thrusts from sitting to standing to sitting over and oave again wears me out at least. BTW the KLR works best in dirt if you stand on the pegs... So I am looking for a "real" dirt bike to buy and practice dirt on. I am hoping that after a peroid of time the skills acquired much more easily on a pure dirt bike will naturally transfer to the KLR. and the right off road riding gear is key... MX boots, knee/elbow/wrist/chest protection, etc.. HTH Randy from Burbank ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss an email again! Yahoo! Toolbar alerts you the instant new Mail arrives. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/