klister = glue

[Witttom@aol.com]

Just got back from a mini-vacation where I trailered my KLR down to Raleigh NC to do some ON-Road riding with a family member. Quite impressed with the KLR's ability to keep up through the curves. On the way down, I noticed that I created some "premature wear" on my grips by tieing my excess straps around them. Big mistake. Flapping in the wind wore them down a bit. I can live with it for now. May be looking for replacements in the future. I've hauled lots of bike for lots of miles, but never had this happen to me before. Learning experience. On my way down, I notice the front tire seem to be low since I had it compressed down fairly tight. Checked it when I got there, 20lbs. I ran it up to lower 30's. I had never had the "wobble" problem at higher speeds (75+) but experienced it several times after adding the air. Sometimes quite startling at excessive speeds (85+) and going into a full-fledged tank slapper. Scarey. I hadn't noticed any abnormal wear or poor street handling with the 20lbs and am probably gonna drop it back down a bit. What is everyone else using for the street? Prior to my trip, I had lost one bolt on my windshield (the right side). I didn't have a spare at the time, so I moved the center one over. While in Raleigh on my ride, I lost it again and nearly lost the windshield too. Kinda bummed me out. I had tightened them both before leaving. Guess I should have replaced the third but I wouldn't think I'd be having them problems in the first place. Anyone else? I'm looking into an alternative mounting method. The way it is from the factory just doesn't work. Maybe I'll make a glove compartment while I'm at it. Rode around while I was down there without the shield. The windblast was kinda annoying since the fairing shoots the wind right up into chin level or so. On my way back from the trip, my family and I stopped off for a break about midway. Checking things over, I noticed that my front tire had been rubbing the front frame of my trailer. Another mistake. It wore a "slit" across the tread of the tire. Looks more like a "melted" spot rather than a cut. I don't believe it is deep enough to justify being replaced, but I am going to have to watch it now. I'm considering some Slime. Not sure if it would help in this situation though. I've had a bottle for some time now, but have never used it. I often travel at highway speeds (70-80). Would Slime be a bad idea (balance)? Loaning the KLR to my brother for our trip up to Mid-Ohio for Vintage Motorcycle Days. Couple hundred miles of highway each way. If I add Slime, should I add it before or after the trip? Noticed considerable wear on my rear tire. Just 500 miles ago, it still looked brand new. I have about 1600 on the original stock tires now. How long do these tires typically last? Most of my riding (98%) is street, but fairly aggressive at times. Rarely am I offroad. At this rate, I'll be replacing tires quicker than a sportbike. Considering going with more of a street tire next go round, but would want something that I could still take offroad when needed. Would like to milk these out as far as I can though. Comments, concerns, warnings, complaints, all welcome. I'm looking for some advice! Thanks. Tom (Southwestern Ohio) 2000 Kawasaki KLR650 1996 Triumph Trophy 900 1993 Kawasaki ZR1100 1976 Honda GL1000 Goldwing [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Witttom@aol.com]

Oh.. and I finally moved my license plate up about two inches too. Had to slightly modify the plate to do it (bend the top at an angle) and the "Ohio" is kinda tucked away out of sight, so hopefully I won't get pulled over because of it. The more miles I put on the KLR, the more I'm getting attached. Would like to get some sort of a luggage system in place. If I do, I might just part with one or more of my other bikes. Can never have just a single bike, but the KLR is beginning to fill the part of more than one. ...I'm also still considering a custom paint job even though the green has indeed grown on me a bit. Tom (Southwestern Ohio) 2000 Kawasaki KLR650 1996 Triumph Trophy 900 1993 Kawasaki ZR1100 1976 Honda GL1000 Goldwing [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[RM]

On Wed, 4 Jul 2001, Claes Borovac wrote:

>Klister actually means glue in Swedish.

I think I could make a disrespectful joke involving "glue factory" and tie it in with the recent "Age" thread.... But I won't. RM