why so little development?: md readers' nklr

[harvy-mushman@worldnet.att.net]

Eric, Ok, with 16,000 miles on my A14 in 18 months. My impressions of the KLR are as follows: The KLR was a little high at first for me too (I'm 5' 9''). Don't worry, I found the rear suspension settles down an inch or two after you put a few hundred miles on the clock. Also, after a few miles I found that I liked the extra height anyway. You can look down into SUV's, and see over traffic very well. I'll admit for us shorter individuals, the height of the KLR can take some getting used to. Give it some time and you'll grow into it. You can go anywhere on a KLR that your determination allows. Don't fall for that "you can't go off-road on a KLR" stuff. Chances are your salesman has never ridden one. I just got back from riding 9 days off road in Utah and the KLR was great. By off road, I mean often times where we rode there was no road or trail. I would recommend that if you're heading off the pavement for an extended period you should get the TKC-80 rear tire from Continental. The KLR is not an off road race bike, but if you're not in a hurry the KLR is great. Best to go down a tooth on the front sprocket if your intent is to do mostly off road riding. If your doing 50-50 dirt/street, you might just want to leave things the way they are. The KLR is a bit heavy for the more serious trails, but if the weight is a problem, just keep the tank half full. At three gallons you still have plenty of range for off road riding. My experience is that when off road, 150 miles is a long day anyway. Off road, and at low speeds, you can easily get nearly 300 miles on one tank of gas. The huge tank was awesome when out in the Utah desert. Not many gas stations out there. The bike is happiest not exceeding 75 - 80 mph, however, once I saw 110 mph going down hill to the north from Raton Pass in New Mexico. That was fun. Max speed on level ground, no wind, is probably around 100 to 105 mph. I find the KLR quite comfy on the Highway. My longest day on it was 560 miles, half interstate and half state highway. A 60 mile round trip to work would be quite enjoyable. I ride my KLR to work every chance I get. Your commute is twice as long as mine, but I consider you lucky. That's twice the riding, and twice the fun. Yes, I love my KLR... (aka Dirtbag). I consider it to be the only "true" dual sport out there. I know, technically there are others but half of them would not survive on the interstate getting there without vibrating you to death. The other half cost an arm and a leg and still don't have some of the KLR's features. Consider the frame mounted fairing, the 6.1 gallon tank, the rear rack, water cooling, etc... The bike has it all, and is a bargain to boot. The KLR has great road manners, and is a worthy mount off-road. It's really a Dual Sport, just like advertised. If a Dual Sport is what you're looking for you'll love it too. Tim A14 (Dirtbag) ********mail@... wrote******** Message: 10 Date: Wed, 16 May 2001 22:25:03 -0000 From: mail@... Subject: Thinking of Purchasing KLR I went and test drove the 2001 KLR650 Yesterday; and i think i liked it. I got to take it on the HWY - 70mph and it seemed just fine. Didnt get to ride any dirt. I noticed it was a bit high, i can barely touch the ground-- is there a way to lower it 2-3 inches easily? Ive read almost all i can about this thing and am VERY close to buying one. I need to get rid of my jeep first. I also have a 76 KZ-900 (1000), that i was going to sell, but i have decided to keep it incase i need to go real fast, or just need a change. Can anyone describe some experiences on their KLR's please? The salesman kept telling me "its not a trail bike" and that it is really only good for gravel/dirt roads and jeep trails--- well what the hell fun is that? I can do that on my kz900 LTD. How does this thing REALLY perform on the trails- and what is max speed on the hwy? I have a 60 mile round trip to work. ANy info is greatly appreciated. Thanks Eric. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[harvy-mushman@worldnet.att.net]

I almost forgot... Check out my web page under "Excellent Rides". I have pictures of my rides to New Mexico in March 2000 and Colorado (Pikes Peak) in September 2000 on my KLR. The address is: http://home.att.net/~timspage/ There are pic's of guys with KLR's that rode with me on other rides too. Yes, that's me on the main page in mid-air jumping my KLR. Ha! That was fun too. Enjoy, Tim ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[IronJungle@Hotmail.com]

I just dont understand why the Africa Twin is not US ready. I wouldnt even care if the dealers didnt stock them and you had to special order them. Why is that the case? Does it really cost Honda that much more money to make the AT US legal?

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "G. Meyer" wrote: > In light of Elden Carl's Technical Insights in the April issue of DSN & Dual > Sports and Singles - Why So Little Development?: MD Readers' Responses> > > http://www.motorcycledaily.com/16may01dualsportstheresponses.html > > What would make a worthy updated KLR, but still a great adventure touring > ride? > > 1. A much better breathing, lighter single cylinder based on a updated, > KLR/KLX 650 motor that cranked out roughly 50+ HP and with a quite stock > exhaust minus the tweety effect. > > 2. Same fuel capacity 6.1 gallons. > > 3. Much stronger frame and forks than even a KLX - C "93-96" + fully > adjustable preload, rebound & compression. > > 4. Decent brakes that don't need to be updated & stronger and lighter > wheels. > > 5. A 6th gear for touring on the road and more dirt oriented 1st, 2nd & > 3rd to keep us all happy off-road. Or a dual range tranny. What ever is > easier and lighter. > > 6. A realistic wet weight of 350 lbs. > > 7. Motocross Capable. Still not wise but capable. > > 8. A well styled design that would be functional and appealing. No > Malibu Ken or Barbie graphics, this really hurts sales. > > It doesn't seem like it would be that tough to do with modern materials. > The expensive part of the trick would be to keep the weight down to 350 lbs. > wet. A bike like this might stop DRZ400S sales dead if Kawi would make > enough of them. Could be a Global market best seller. > > What would a fair market price be in US dollars? Under $6500 retail? > > I'm having serious doubts about the Kawi Prairie V-twin 650 motor in a dual > sport like this under 350 # wet or even 400 #. It would be great if it > could be done. It probably would end up like a lighter African twin of > sorts. > > My $0.03 > > Glen, A13 > > > > > > _________________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Get your free @... address at http://mail.yahoo.com