rv: b.c. trip report part xi

[Yann Pelcat]

Hey folks, I want to add extra spot lights on my KLR 650. For those who have installed extra Spot/Fog lights could you help me by answering these few questions: 1- what brand of lights would you recommend ? Watts output ? 2- Best place to mount them ? 3- Easiest way to wire them in ? Thanks and have a good day. Yann.

[Juan Carlos Ibarra]

----- Original Message ----- From: Juan Carlos Ibarra To: KLR 650 Sent: Monday, February 12, 2001 7:19 AM Subject: B.C. Trip report part XI Travelling South I chose to ride the western highways of British Columbia. The ever present rain haunted me the whole time, I was afraid to become "The Fungusman" Somewhere around Lilooet I stopped under a bridge because I had to get my Kili jacket's liner as it was getting chilly. It was so dark because of the rain that I didn't notice I forgot to tie my tent poles to the bike after unloading the liner. For sure a huge semi made a "tortilla de aluminio" out of them in no time after they fell off the bike. That evening I realized I was homeless. Pretty damn depressing...and expensive. It was raining so I had to pay for motels!!! And so I did. After two nights of this way of traveling I made up my mind to visit...who else? Former list meister Arne Larsen. However, in order to get to Abbotsford I had to challenge the North American Lord of the Wind. This is a brief recount of my battle with him. Battleground was to be Highway 97 right next to the Fraser River... It started with warm gusts which I didn't notice because my awareness was disolcated by the amazing scenery offered by the river. I began to drive inadvertedly into a canyon, the Wind's Mouth I would have called it if it was up to me... The 4 lane road is very twisty (great KLR territory) and it runs paralell to the river through a huge gorge. As I descended the temperature grew warmer, which at the begining seemed like a wellcoming gesture of my formidable opponent. There were a lot of rafters and kayakers enjoying the water. I saw a lot of bicyclists too. It was all fine and dandy as we tend to say just before entering in that extremely dangerous state of mind in which we ask ourselves: "This is soooo perfect, what could go wrong?" WWWHHHAAAMMM!!!! A biggy hit me, a gust that is. I had to immediatly leave my dreamy mood and correct course because for a second I invaded the uncoming traffic's lane. A few hundred yards further down the canyon the gusts of wind attacked me, they seemed to come from from every possible direction including under the bike, I swear. The most incredible thing began to happen...they began to fight to the death!!! A gust would push me violently towards the opposite lanes and just as I reacted another gust, even more powerfull, threw me off balance towardsthe abiss. I forgot all about becoming "The Fungusman" and began fearing I'd become a mechanical bird from hell !!! A kind of cyberborg flying contraption half man, half KLR that can only fly downwards at the speed resulting from the gravity force factor, the machine's mass minus wind resistance (or something like that...)!!! There was a point I had to let go of the bars to hold my helmet in palce It was like being inside an crazy wind tunnel opperated by a wicked BLM official !!! I tried going slow, didn't work (not enough adrenalin), I sped up (too much adrenalin) I alternated both and almost went crazy...so I set a sort of in the middle pace. The worst part was the wiggling helmet from hell threatening to jank my head off. It was a wierd and exciting and strange place to be in. Riding a straight line was a challenge, but carving a nicely traced curve was an epic deed!!! I spite of all the adversity and danger, I rode on until the canyon dissolved into a valley... then I stopped to pee. A few hours later I was in Abbotsford calling Arne on the phone. Arne, guys, is a cool dude. He bought me dinner, offered me a bed and even played me a video tape in which he stars in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical play!!!! He showed me his workshop and gave me a rear view mirror to replace the broken one I had. Coolness, however, is not only defined by generosity...many saints have been generous but quite uncool. Coolness is an attitude, a way of carrying oneself. Arne is (maybe was) a police officer because he believed in helping others...when he realized that cops not allways do that, felt a bit dissapointed, so he told me. He was a hell of a list meister because he wanted to serve the KLR community with humor, passion and a firm hand. Arne is cool because he knows how to be a friend. I am greatfull I met him and wish that sometime he will visit Valle de Bravo so I can play him a video tape in which I am the star (I hope he doesn't mind my being naked half the time as I was only two years old!) Areneman, you rock!!! Soon:....Being lazy in Vancouver. Juan [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[thesquasher@hotmail.com]

I was looking for some extra lights also. I found some at Wal-Mart that would have been perfect accept they were yellow fog lights and not clear. I think they cost around $30. U.S. a pair. Hardware stores sell 12 volt interior halogen lights for houses (rail lights) that might work but you'll need to rig up some kind of bracket. I think they come in 30 and 50 watt and either spot or flood.

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "Yann Pelcat" wrote: > Hey folks, > I want to add extra spot lights on my KLR 650. > For those who have installed extra Spot/Fog lights could you help me by answering these few questions: > 1- what brand of lights would you recommend ? Watts output ? > 2- Best place to mount them ? > 3- Easiest way to wire them in ? > Thanks and have a good day. > Yann.