Penn,
Do what I did. Mine just 'appeared' on the carport one day.
My KLR story:
I'd been poking around on eBay and Cycle Trader for a couple of years
looking for one. Finally, in January of 2003, one showed up on eBay that
looked interesting and wasn't too far away (NW side of Philly; I'm in
Richmond, VA). It was a 2002 that had 3000 miles on it, and was sworn to
be spotless.
I kept and eye on it during the final day at work. The auction was to end
a little after 6:00 pm, right after I usually got home from work. I zoom
in the door and am sitting here keeping an eye on things, and with 20
minutes to go my wife asked me to run up the street to pick up my son at a
neighbor kid's place.
Poop!!!
So I haul butt up the street, grab my son by the scruff of the neck and
hauled freight back down to the house. 5 minutes to go, the bike is still
below my max. and my mouse finger is starting to get sweaty. 2 minutes to
go, I poke it with a 'silent bid' to see where it was sitting. Out bid.
So I wait until there is 15 seconds to go and hit it again. Out bid! so I
hit one more time with 8 seconds to go (I have DSL) and it comes back,
"High bid." Screen refresh 1 - High bid. Screen refresh 2 - High bid.
Screen refresh 3: "You be the winner!!"
Oh crap! Now what? My wife knows nothing about this and I think I'm a
dead man walking.
That was on a Wednesday, I believe, and now I have to figure out how to get
up there and get it. I mean, a body's got to have his new toys RIGHT NOW!
By coincidence, there was a COG get-together (our annual Chili & Cheese
Gig) up in Hanover, PA that Saturday. I hadn't really planned on going
(riding) since there was still snow all over the ground, but now the rules
had changed. I decided to leave early (4:00 a.m.), drag the trailer up to
Pottstown, check over the bike and pick it up if it was as-advertised (it
was), then head over to Hanover to pig out. Which we did.
I'd hooked up the trailer late Friday night and left it out on the street,
with the view of the trailer being blocked by a large Forsythia bush in the
front yard. So early Saturday morning, I head out to points north to do the
deed. When I got home that evening, she asked what I was doing back. A
lot of our events are over-nighters so I might be gone for the whole w/e.
I explained that the Chili thing was just a day event and I hadn't planned
on staying overnight. Meanwhile, the KLR is out front sitting on the trailer.
I eat dinner and said that I had to go out and unload *something*, which I
did. The only open place on the carport was behind my Connie, so I parked
it there - not really trying to hide it or anything.
Really!
My wife apparently saw the bike Sunday morning on the carport when she and
my son headed out to church (OK, call me a heathen!). On their way home
they called and asked if I wanted anything to eat from McDonalds, which I
did, so I placed my order. When they pulled in the driveway, she hollered
out if I wanted to eat in the car, or the house. The heat pump crapped out
the day before when I was gone, and I was out getting it going again. I
told her that it was working but decided to eat in the car anyway because
it was a little warmer there than in the house.
As we were eating, she asked if I was keeping *that* bike for someone. I
said yes - ME! Asking what I was going to do with two bikes, I explained
that I'd wanted a KLR for a couple of years so I could get back to riding
off road, that this one had come up, was an excellent price, I went to look
at it (yesterday) on the way to the chili thing, so I bought it.
She commented that Gretchen, our youngest daughter, was simply going to
say, "Oh, thank you." I replied that, that was one of the reasons I
bought, to teach her, and Megan (our oldest), how to ride (true).
Ok. Kinda.
Sensing that things may be OK, I had her come over and take a look after we
got out of the car. She said that it looked brand new and that it was so
tall, and I would kill myself. I told her that all of the dual-purpose
bikes were made like that now. I actually think she was impressed with how
nice it looked.
Of course, I expected to come home from work the following day and there'd
be a Hummer in the driveway. That didn't happen, but I still have the bike
and have managed to add 5000 miles on the odo and farkle it up just to my
liking.
And that's the way it was.
I just KNOW that Erika will forgive you - eventually!! Shoot!! Blame it on
Woody. Tell her that he MADE you do it. His hair is already white, so I
know he can handle a little extra *pressure*!!

)
Guy
At 03:55 PM 2/11/04 -0600, W Penn Carr wrote:
>Thanks for all of your replies. I ordered the guards yesterday and received
>email saying they have been shipped.
>Now if I only had a KLR to mount them on. I also have the lowering links &
>the Clymer manual, but no bike.
>Penn Carr St. Louis
>COG 3256 CDA #17a-?
>1998 ZG1000 "Shogun"
>Missouri Plate "COG"
>KLR650 "Soon" :>(