hey z! wanna ride? nklr

[Johnny Dangerously]

I have an A16 that I bought new and I cannot speak for the quality in comparison to earlier KLR's that were made in Japan, but the one I got is a tough little bitch. For sure. I don't even care if it was made by Oompa Loomps in Willy Wonkas Chocklit fact'ry. 4.5kmi in 3.5 months of tough Manhattan riding, 1st-2nd gear traffic weaving, drenching rain, hard acceleration, the occasional compression+front<+rear> braking while praying that I won't collide with the thing in my way (you'd be amazed at the variety of urban bizarre I've encountered), Making the rear wheel rotate much faster than the front in various parks, and she's still as good as good can be. Time for some new brakes and rear rubber. I'm a little early with the brake swap but I'm pretty much right on with the tires as far as accumulated mileage goes. With the exception of the headset loosening up, and the shifter breaking on me, leaving her stranded on Wall St. for a night and costing me $30 for a damn garage space. I have had no problems. I'm replacing the doohickey (in my Japanese engine) because I'd rather err on the side of caution, but what else is new? I tell every one who talks to me about it to buy one. From the other side of the tracks, Block A16

[The Mule]

I hear ya JD; As a fellow Manhattanite KLRista, that all rings true. I'm looking to jump back into the battle zone next month with a new mount, as I was "relieved" of my A14 back in August. Proly the same krew that got Tumu. Be careful w/yours in NYC, it appears that KLRs are popular in the hood for parts and such. Definite quality issues IMO, whether Japanese or Thai assembled: 1) Stock shift lever is garbage. Replace immediately. The one from Dual-Star with the flat plate attached is best since the magneto cover is vulnerable to puncture without it. 2) Doohickey bad. I suspect failure is far more common than some of the "polls" have indicated. On my A14, it was shot at around 15,000 miles. I was lucky there was no major damage. I will be replacing it very soon after acquiring new mount. 3) Subframe assembly weak. Over time and especially with rough riding, the bolts will shear. Beef it up. Although not really quality issues, I found the following need attention: 1) Stock skid plate a joke for any offroading. Aluminum aftermarket, preferably with extra coverage for the water pump hoses. 2) Radiator is vulnerable to damage. Needs after market protection. A fall on the left side can ruin your day. This is the side the bike will fall on when you park it on soft ground or someone knocks it over. 3) Other nuisances that require attention: Stock footpegs not safe for offroading or wet condition riding. Stock location of license plate makes it vulnerable. The two safety switch mechanisms are problems waiting to happen. There are many other issues and items which are more specialty and personal preferences, but I feel those are the important universal ones. Although it's not perfect, the KLR is the bike I will be sticking with. The Mule

----- Original Message ----- From: "Johnny Dangerously" To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Saturday, February 15, 2003 11:48 AM Subject: [DSN_klr650] Re: Re: Re: Quality of the KLR (NKLR rant) > I have an A16 that I bought new and I cannot speak for the quality in > comparison to earlier KLR's that were made in Japan, but the one I got is a > tough little bitch. For sure. I don't even care if it was made by Oompa > Loomps in Willy Wonkas Chocklit fact'ry. 4.5kmi in 3.5 months of tough > Manhattan riding, 1st-2nd gear traffic weaving, drenching rain, hard > acceleration, the occasional compression+front braking while praying > that I won't collide with the thing in my way (you'd be amazed at the > variety of urban bizarre I've encountered), Making the rear wheel rotate > much faster than the front in various parks, and she's still as good as good > can be. Time for some new brakes and rear rubber. I'm a little early with > the brake swap but I'm pretty much right on with the tires as far as > accumulated mileage goes. With the exception of the headset loosening up, > and the shifter breaking on me, leaving her stranded on Wall St. for a night > and costing me $30 for a damn garage space. I have had no problems. I'm > replacing the doohickey (in my Japanese engine) because I'd rather err on > the side of caution, but what else is new? I tell every one who talks to me > about it to buy one. > > > From the other side of the tracks, > Block > A16

[Carl Picco]

Yeah I've heard the KLR is popular with the ghetto crowd in NYC my home. So what didn't you do that aided in it's theft, What portable locking devices do you suggest? I use a disc lock regularly & I'm looking to buy a Kryponite5/8 " "barb" cable. it's a twisted cable that has a loop & fits over the disc lock. seems portable enough. At home (Brooklyn) I use more substantial chains and a cover, but it is still street parked. I use it for commuting & I rarely go the the same pace twice so it's not likely that itt could be spotted & then they come back for it. Ive ridden bicycles in NYC for +35 years & never lost one. and I've only had my bikes knocked over during the past +13 years I've been riding around town I look forward to your suggestions. Carl Picco on 2/15/03 7:34 PM, DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com at DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com wrote:

> Message: 16 > Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 15:55:22 -0500 > From: "The Mule" > Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Quality of the KLR (NKLR rant) > > I hear ya JD; > > As a fellow Manhattanite KLRista, that all rings true. I'm looking to > jump back into the battle zone next month with a new mount, as I was > "relieved" of my A14 back in August. Proly the same krew that got Tumu. Be > careful w/yours in NYC, it appears that KLRs are popular in the hood for > parts and such....

[tedfshred]

> > Z

now. Do you find it useful that your penis is also a foot? Tom A15