wtb: front wheel assembly for klr 650

[Jim Hubbard]

Well, I spent most of the day yesterday (yes, I AM that slow) changing oil, filter, tires, and front brake pads. I got over 3000 miles out of my Kenda k270's, which is good for me since I'm rather rough on tires. The Kendas, while a real bargain, are great dirt and mud tires but just flex way too much to inspire any confidence on the street. I'm amazed at how well the Continental TKC80's perform on pavement - I put about 150 miles on them today, mostly backroad twisties, and a few trails. They don't seem to bite quite as well as the Kenda's in the mud, but other than that they seem to be a superior tire for me. It just felt so good to be able to bank the bike over again without it squirming around like it did on the Kenda's. The Conti's even took less weight to balance and seem silent on the road compared to the Kenda's ever-present howl. I think some people had reported a head-shaking tendancy with the TKC80's, but they seem very stable to me - I even tried smacking the the bars at speed to make it shake, but it will not. I'm not sure how well they'll wear, but we'll see. My Galfer green front pads went on without a hitch - I know some folks have reported problems with hole alignment. Maybe they're not completely bedded in yet, but the truth is I can't tell any real difference from the stock pads. I would think that they're about as good as they'll get too, since I made a point to truly bake them down today, with several front tire squalling panic stops thrown in for good measure. I came up with a simple way to balance my tires that I thought I'd share. I used 2 heavy plastic buckets (just like 5 gallon buckets, but these were a little taller), stick the axle through the wheel and then let each end rest on the rim of a bucket. Sounds silly, but it works well enough that I can see the effect that a 1/4 oz. of weight has. Be sure to pay attention on the TKC80's to the light side tire mark, which on mine was a hard-to-see yellow stamped "3" or "30". Put the stamp at the valve stem. At first I didn't see the mark and had it about 180 degrees from the valve stem, causing it to take 1.5oz to balance the front tire. With the mark properly aligned to the valve stem, it only required 1/2oz to balance. I'd bet this could be part of cause for some of the head-shaking symptoms others have seen. One other thing, and this is a rather NKLR comment, but I just have to say it. Is anyone else out there getting really tired of the whole Harley explosion? I mean, I know those custom bike builder shows on cable have really made the cruiser scene popular, but jeez. It seems like I can't hardly ride an hour anymore without seeing yet another group of middle aged biker wannabes all gussied up in their little bandanas, chaps, tassles, and doo-rags, snorting their $30,000 penis extensions around like somebody cares. Puleez. Watch them sometime: ride a mile, stop, check the mirror, talk for half a friggin hour, snort snort snort, repeat. Most of those posers I just know are wearing a necktie and sipping a $5 decaf mocca latte on Monday morning. Assholes. I wish I had that kinda money to blow on a bike. OK, I'm done now. Sorry about that last part. Jim Hubbard A17

[Jim]

Monday, June 7, 2004, 12:41:18 AM, Jim wrote: JH> One other thing, and this is a rather NKLR comment, but I just have to say JH> it. Is anyone else out there getting really tired of the whole Harley YES! I rode down to the Angier bike show Saturday. Perfect day. About 99% Harleys. Walked around for about 20 minutes (once you've seen one chromed out chopper you've seen em all) and decided it was too nice of a day to be looking at motorcycles - I'd rather be riding one. Did a nice 7 county loop just cruising the back roads. And considering the weather was near perfect I didn't see that many bikes. FWIW - my Galfer greens have a nice bite but squeal which is annoying! jim

[ubenjudah]

Does anyone have a front wheel assembly for a KLR 650 for sale? I live in NYC and unfortunately someone felt they needed my front wheel more than I did and walked away with it while it was parked! Any help in attaining a new one would be appreciated. U.K