wide ratio gearsets

[revmaaatin]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, Mike Frey wrote:

> > Like many others, I often wish for a lower first gear, but wouldn't give up > 5th for that. I'm forever shifting up, trying to find 6th. > > Two of my off road falls were 1st gear. Going too slow, the engine stalled > and I was unceremoniously dumped from the bike. No injuries to me (or the > KLR).

Hi Mike, Here would be a great time to tell anyone new to the KLR: you will drop the bike; especially if you ride it! A good many of the falls will occur sitting still or very slow speeds. I witnessed one rider drop his KLR twice at the gas pumps in less than 2 minutes. Which by the way, I think the smartest thing you can do is park the bike with the kick stand away from the pump so you are not entangled in the pumping hose, etc. Make absolutely sure the kickstand is all the way forward before putting weight on it. Foremost: DO NOT let the bike fall on you. When it becomes apparent that it is going to fall, get away from it. If you have-- installed 'barkbusters', moved the L. mirror to the clutch perch, and installed mirror isolators (all stuff readily available), you are not likely to encounter much damage, if any. (Do these farkle items early and you will almost never break a left switch quadrant, mirror or lever.) However, if you let it fall on you, all kinds of bad things can happen. More than one DSN poster here has broken bones and spent quality time in the hospital, perhaps some of it avoidable if the pilot had bailed earlier. That's my $30K worth of advice. Yeah, $30K; and it didn't cost you a thing! revmaaatin. did I mention, let go of the bike before it falls on you?